Katina Michael

Katina Michael is the inaugural program director of the MBA (Technology and Digital Strategy) at The University of Sydney Business School. She is professor of Strategy, Innovation and Technology. She connects technical, policy, and public audiences, raising awareness of socio-technical challenges and how to address them through human-centered systems design. Michael was formerly a joint professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence where she was also the Director of the Centre for Engineering, Policy and Society (CEPS) and a Senior Global Futures Scientist at Arizona State University. She is the founding editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society and has advised governments and industry worldwide on responsible innovation. Her research helps guide professionals through the complex impacts of AI, automation, and digital transformation. She is a champion of public interest technology and principled innovation.

Dr. Stephen Craig

Dr Stephen Craig is the Director of the National Energy Analysis Centre at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.

Stephen has more than 25 years of experience in applied research, strategy development and commercial innovation in systems engineering, digital technologies, and communications. Prior to joining CSIRO, Stephen led the national centre of excellence for Digital Engineering at Boeing Defence Australia, and he was Head of Strategy and Business Development at a spatial data analytics start-up.

Stephen received his PhD in climate system modelling from Stockholm University. He spent many years in Sweden in leadership roles in mobile communication systems research, development and optimisation at Ericsson before returning to Australia in 2015.

Kiri Parr

Kiri Parr is a leading expert in construction law and procurement strategy, with more than 30 years’ experience advising on some of Australia’s most significant projects. She is known for simplifying complex contracts and designing procurement models that foster collaboration, reduce risk, and improve project outcomes.  

Through her independent advisory practice, Kiri helps clients and industry professionals navigate procurement frameworks and construction contracts, drawing on her background in private practice and senior in-house legal roles. 

Kiri is also an active contributor to the global construction community. She serves on the FIDIC Contracts Committee and the Law Council of Australia’s Construction and Infrastructure Committee, and sits on the boards of the Society of Construction Law Australia and the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation.

Lucio Tirone

Lucio Tirone is the Assembly, Integration and Verification (AIV) Lead Engineer for the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, with responsibility over the system level integration and verification phases of the low frequency radio telescope SKA-Low. 

Starting from a background in software-based electromagnetics, he grew a field expertise of over 25 years in Systems Engineering activities in large technological projects in the Defence, Aerospace and Transport sectors. He has been Head of the Systems Engineering department of Fincantieri, the largest Italian naval shipbuilder, co-founder and Technical Director of the engineering company Aster, Director of the EMEA Sector (Europe, Middle East and Africa) of INCOSE, the International Council on Systems Engineering, and co-founder and President of the Italian Association of Systems Engineering. 

Lucio Tirone holds both INCOSE CSEP and ESEP Certifications (Certified and Expert Systems Engineering Professional). He is also OMG-Certified Systems Modelling Professional and certified IBM Rational Systems and Software Engineering Sales Professional. 

Prof Andrew Dempster

Professor Andrew Dempster is Director of the Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research (ACSER) in the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). He has a BE and MEngSc from UNSW and a PhD from the University of Cambridge in efficient circuits for signal processing arithmetic. He was system engineer and project manager for the first GPS receiver developed in Australia in the late 80s and has been involved in satellite navigation ever since. His current research interests are in satellite navigation receiver design and signal processing, areas where he has six patents, and new location technologies, and space systems, especially those related to extracting water. He is leading the development of space engineering research at ACSER.

Carolyn Walsh

Carolyn Walsh has 40 years’ experience in the Commonwealth and NSW public services, focused on industry, science, and transport issues. 

In the wake of the 2003 rail tragedy at Waterfall, Carolyn was asked by the NSW Transport Minister to lead a project team to establish the Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator and became its Chief Executive from 2004 until 2009. In 2006-07 Carolyn chaired the National Transport Commission’s Steering Committee that developed the National Rail Safety Model Bill and Regulations, leading to the creation of the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator in 2013.

Currently Carolyn is the Chair of the National Transport Commission helping to drive a new strategic direction for the agency. Carolyn is acting chair of the NSW Environment Protection Authority Board. Carolyn also provides consultancy services in safety and risk management.

Air Vice-Marshal Benjamin Sleeman, CSC, DSM

Air Vice-Marshal Benjamin Sleeman joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1990 as an Officer Cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy. He completed Pilot’s Course in 1994 before converting onto the F/A-18, and subsequently graduated from Fighter Combat Instructor Course. Following various operational, instructor and staff assignments, he commanded No 77 Squadron from 2013-2016 and No 81 Wing from 2018-2019.

Air Vice-Marshal Sleeman has experience in capability development and management roles, including as Director General Integrated Air and Missile Defence, as Head of Air Force Capability and as Deputy Air Commander Australia.

Air Vice-Marshal Sleeman was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Joint Capabilities in January 2025. In this role, Air Vice-Marshal Sleeman leads the governance of a diverse Group delivering both enabling functions to Defence and joint capability management programs.

Air Vice-Marshal Sleeman is a graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy and the United States Air Force Air War College. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Masters of Strategic Studies and a Bachelor of Science.

Air Commodore James Badgery, AO

Air Commodore Badgery is the Director General of the Defence Aviation Safety Authority. He joined the RAAF in 1995 and holds Honours and Masters degrees in engineering and strategic studies. His career spans aircraft maintenance, airworthiness regulation, project management, and executive leadership. 

He has served in operational deployments and held command roles in logistics and engineering. Recognised with a Member of the Order of Australia in 2022, he is also a Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Chartered Project Director. He is married with four children and enjoys cycling, working in his workshop, and supporting community sports clubs.

Dr Catherine Grace

A/g General Manager, National Space Capability, Technology and Programs.

Prof Mario Beruvides

Mario G. Beruvides, PhD., P.E. is professor of professional practice in the department of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Miami and director of the distance education Systems and Engineering Management MS program. Before working at UM, he was the AT&T professor of industrial engineering at Texas Tech University where he taught and conducted research for 30 years. He received a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and an M.S.I.E and B.S.M.E. from the University of Miami. Dr. Beruvides is a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas, Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Management, and member of the National Academy of Inventors with 6 U.S. patents and 7 International patents. He has over 400 publications and has graduated 59 PhDs with 7 current PhD students in his research group. His research interests include emergency management, organizational systems performance, and advanced economic performance modeling.

Andrew Mehaffey

A familiar face in the Australian and international ITS community, Andrew has over 35 years' experience across government, industry and consulting. He combines deep technical expertise with leadership experience, linking innovation with practical delivery. 

At TfNSW, Andrew led the evolution of SCATS, PTIPS and other core systems shaping the state's transport technology platform. At HMI Technologies and Ohmio, he led pioneering connected and automated vehicle and smart-infrastructure deployments. Now with JYW Consulting, he advises government, industry and research partners on all aspects of ITS, bringing SME agility and delivery focus to complex transport programs. Internationally, he leads Australia's representation at ISO in developing global ITS standards. 

Andrew previously served six years on the ITS Australia Board, helping establish the ITS Summit and strengthen cross-sector collaboration.

Andrew offers a practical, delivery-focused voice for the consulting and SME sector and is committed to fostering innovation and collaboration across Australia's transport technology community.