
Melbourne CISO Community
Executive Summit
21 November 2024 | Crown Conference Centre
21 November 2024
Crown Conference Centre
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Melbourne's top CISOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CISOs today:
Delivering Digital Innovation to Drive Value Across the Enterprise
Maximising Existing Resources to Optimise Emerging Costs
Securing the Organisation Through Advanced Technology Adoption
Melbourne CISO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CISOs, For CISOs®.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

John Ellis
QBE Insurance Group Ltd
Global Head of Security Trust & Influence
What to Expect
Agenda
08:00 - 09:00 Registration & Breakfast
09:00 - 09:45 Keynote
Leading the Digital Revolution — Unleashing Efficiency and Elevating Customer Experience
Hosted by CloudFlare

John Cox
CTO
Coles Group
In an era where digital transformation is not just an option but a necessity, businesses are racing to integrate advanced technologies to stay ahead of the curve. Recognising the increasing digital engagement of its customers, Coles has embarked on a remarkable journey of strategically embracing digital acceleration as a core pillar to revolutionise its operations and customer experience.
Join this session while John Cox, Chief Technology Officer at Coles, shares his insights on:
- Using digital platforms and AI-driven solutions to streamline processes and offer personalised services
- Cultivating a culture of digital innovation and organisational productivity through the use of smart automation and data-driven insights
- Meeting customers’ increasing digital usage with a seamless and engaging experience
09:45 - 10:15 Break
10:15 - 11:00 Breakout Session
Empowering IT Transformation to Fuel the Future

Jason McNamara
GM Retail Technology, Digital & Transformation
Viva Energy
Following the acquisition of Coles Express and the OTR Group, Viva Energy is revolutionising the Australian convenience retail market with a comprehensive IT transformation strategy designed to enhance operational efficiency, drive sustainable growth and change the customer experience.
Join this session to hear Jason McNamara, General Manager Retail Technology, Digital & Transformation, as he explains how the company is redefining what it means to be a convenience retailer in the digital age, driving progress and innovation every step of the way.
- Accelerating the integration of IT systems and processes to streamline the retail experience
- Laying the foundations for scalable, sustainable digital capabilities
- Opportunities to enhance the customer journey and drive future growth
10:15 - 11:00 Discussion Topics
Roundtable: Generative AI — Where Are You Leveraging It and Where Are You Not?

Paul Cunningham
VP, Executive Partner
Gartner
Generative AI has captured the attention and imagination of many IT leaders. As we move past the stage of understanding AI, we're determining how and where to leverage it.
Join your peers to learn and share:
- Realistic applications of Generative AI and success stories from various industries
- Lessons learned and how to mitigate potential risks associated with the technology
- Strategies for governing and managing AI to ensure ethical and responsible use
10:15 - 11:00 Executive Boardroom
Risk to the Nth-Party Degree
Hosted by RiskRecon, a Mastercard Company

Huzefa Goawala
Director, Specialist Sales
RiskRecon - A MasterCard Company

Damian Beltrami
CIO
Toll Group

Don McGowan
CIO
Linfox Armaguard Group
Third party relationships are closest and may prove to be the most tangible risks to your business, yet the whole supply chain of your business partners still pose a substantial threat. Most organisations’ vendor relationship extend to the 8th party. IT and Security leaders need to understand this web of connectedness in order to better manage and communicate enterprise risk.
Join this session to discuss:
- Gaining visibility into risk across the whole supply chain
- Strategies for effective risk management and monitoring business partners
- Overcoming resource challenges to prioritise third party risk
11:00 - 11:30 Networking Break
11:05 - 11:25 Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
11:30 - 12:15 Breakout Session
Cybersecurity Governance and Risk Control through Holistic Management
Hosted by Tesserent

Kurt Hansen
CEO
Tesserent

Josh Kam
CISO
Tabcorp

Dovid Clarke
CISO & Executive Director Data & Digital Resilience
Department of Government Services Victoria
At no time in history has the threat of cyber risk been greater for modern business and the need for holistic and encompassing governance, technical and architectural control is fundamental to the mitigation of cyber security threats and the continuity of operations. IT and security leaders must navigate a complex landscape of evolving threats and regulatory requirements to protect assets, information, reputation, while paving the way for organic business growth in a competitive environment that now demands careful consideration of the adoption or rejection of LLM and Generative AI.
Join this session to explore:
- Building a risk focused security governance and control platform to manage emerging threats and regulatory requirements
- Using risk as a driving assessment factor for enhancing security posture
- Building a security culture and demonstrating the value of security protection strategies to senior leadership and the board
11:30 - 12:15 Executive Boardroom
Strengthening Business Continuity through Rapid Digital Recovery from Technology Outages
Hosted by Dynatrace

Andrew Foot
VP of ANZ
Dynatrace

Arul Arogyanathan
Group CIO
Village Roadshow Limited

Mark Burns
Director of Cyber Security
Alfred Health

Martha O'Sullivan
CIO
VMCH
Recovering quickly from technology outages is crucial for business resilience and the bottom line. Recent incidents have further highlighted the need for robust recovery strategies. CIOs and CISOs can leverage best practices and advanced technologies to maintain stability during crises.
Join this session to discuss:
- Implementing a robust monitoring and observability strategy for immediate situational awareness
- Building resilient IT infrastructure in hybrid and multicloud environments to withstand future challenges
- Using AI-powered insights and automation to enhance decision-making
11:30 - 12:15 Executive Boardroom
Vision to Value — Harnessing the Latest Process Orchestration, Automation and AI Technologies
Hosted by Appian

Malcolm Ross
Senior Vice President, Product Strategy
Appian

Firuzé Petruk
Director, I&T Infrastructure APAC
CSL

Serge Ambrose
APAC Digital Technology Head
MMG Limited
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, leaders are under increasing pressure to transform visionary goals into tangible outcomes. The integration of process orchestration, automation, and AI technologies offers unprecedented opportunities to optimise operations, enhance decision-making, and deliver significant business value. However, the challenge lies in harnessing these technologies to create and deliver real results.
Join this boardroom to discuss:
- Strategies for aligning process orchestration and AI with business objectives to maximize ROI
- Overcoming barriers to adoption and integration of automation technologies across enterprise systems
- Driving continuous improvement and innovation through the intelligent application of automation and AI
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Melbourne CISO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue
Crown Conference CentreParking:
For pricing and locations of parking options at Crown, please follow this link: Parking at Crown - Crown Melbourne
Accommodation:
Please note that the discounted room rate is only available between Wednesday 20th and Friday 22nd November.
Rooms are subject to availability and will require a valid credit card when booking to guarantee the reservation.
The booking link will expire on Monday 11th November. After this date, please book directly via the public website at Crown Hotels.
Accommodation
Crown Promenade
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Crown Promenade at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling (03) 9292 8888.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $280 AUD (plus tax) is 11 November 2024.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.