Australasia Digital Communications and Media Forum 2026

Alastair is Australia’s foremost cyber security leader, and is the Chief Strategy Officer at CyberCX.

Following a 15-year career as a Federal Agent in the Australian Federal Police, where he established Australia’s High Tech Crime Centre, Alastair held senior cyber security and safety roles across the private sector, including head of eBay’s Asia Pacific Trust & Safety team.

Upon returning to public service, Alastair was appointed Australia’s inaugural eSafety Commissioner, before going on to roles as National Cyber Security Adviser, head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security.

Andrew Ure leads Netflix’s public policy and government affairs team in Asia-Pacific, leading teams that engage with governments and institutions across Asia-Pacific, helping countries make the most of the creative economy.

Prior to this, he spent twelve years at Google where he held a number of senior leadership roles in Australia, Singapore, India, Japan and Hong Kong, and was the Managing Director of Google’s public affairs team in Asia-Pacific. He has also been the Managing Director of OgilvyEarth Australia, a sustainability consultancy in Sydney.

He has also spent a decade as a diplomat with the Australian Government. His recent focus was multilateral climate change negotiations, and he co-chaired the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership. Between 2005-2008, he was posted to the Australian Embassy in Iran.

He has degrees from Oxford University and Australian National University, and lives in Singapore.

Annabelle is the CEO of ARIA and PPCA. She came to the music industry in February 2021 following a 16-year career in television at Network 10 where she most recently held the role of Chief Operating Officer looking after a range of functions including operations, corporate and government affairs, and strategy. Prior to Network 10, she spent several years working in government including four years in senior political roles for then Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator the Hon. Richard Alston AO. Annabelle was a Council Member of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) from 2018-2023 and was previously a board member of Save the Children Australia, Freeview Australia, and Free TV Australia. In 2019 Annabelle was invited to participate in the McKinsey Remarkable Women Program. Annabelle has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) from the Australian National University.

Ben joined Snap Inc’s Sydney office to lead Public Policy for Australia and New Zealand in September 2023. He previously led public policy for IGEA, the peak body representing the Australian and New Zealand video games industry. Prior to industry, Ben held a number of roles in the Australian Government, including working in online safety, classification, cyber policy, criminal justice and national security.

Ben Saint is Head of Government Affairs, Oceania at Nokia, based in Sydney. He brings over two decades of experience in government, having served as a political staffer and public servant across local, state, and federal levels in Australia – including as an adviser to the Minister for Communications. Earlier in his career, Ben worked in the not-for-profit sector, earning an Australian Honours Medal for his contributions. At Nokia, Ben leads engagement across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, advocating for public policy that supports innovation, investment, and sustainable digital infrastructure. His work includes collaborating with governments and other partners to advance trusted connectivity that supports socioeconomic outcomes in Pacific nations.

Brent Carey is the Chief Executive Office of Netsafe, New Zealand’s online safety charity. He has broad and extensive experience in regulatory, privacy, safety and justice environments along with a good understanding of both local and global online safety ecosystems. He was New Zealand’s second Domain Name Commissioner (2017 -2022) overseeing the .nz domain name space. He has worked for two Privacy Commissioners and an Australian Senator.

He has previously lived and worked in Australia holding senior positions at various integrity bodies, for example, the Australian Telecommunications Ombudsman, the Independent Broad Based Anti-Corruption Commission, the Victorian Institute of Teaching and the Victorian Privacy Commissioner’s Office.

Mr Carey serves on the Governance Committee of the Aotearoa New Zealand Code of Practice for Online Safety Harms adopted by Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Google (You Tube), TikTok, Twitch and Twitter. He is involved with several international bodies, including the International Council for Online Dispute Resolution and the Global Internet Forum to Counter-Terrorism. He is an Associate member of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand and Member of Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa iwi, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa (New Zealand). He is Co-Founder of Taranaki Agribusiness Green Meadows Beef.

He graduated from Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand with Law and Arts Degrees and has a Graduate Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution ( Industry) from Boxhill Institute of TAFE Melbourne, Australia.

Some of his recent collaborations include the development of Global Principles on Digital Safety: Translating International Human Rights for the Digital Context for the World Economic Forum, Project Dragon with the University of Swansea to develop Online Grooming Spotting Tools and Advisor to the University of Otago Department of Marketing on its Datification of Children Project ( 2023-2026). He is an industry representative of the Human-Centred Phishing Susceptibility Research programme, comprising of researchers and partners from The University of Auckland, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Tainui Group Holdings, NIWA and ESR, Datacom. The research program is examining aspects of social engineering, psychology and cyber security to focus on the people side of phishing attacks.

Carolyn is a member of the Australian Commonwealth Attorney-General’s AI Reference Group on Copyright and AI, and also a member of the Steering Committee for the Reference Group, providing expert perspectives on the legal and regulatory issues on AI and copyright.

During her time at Google, Carolyn was part of global product teams developing world-first algorithmic solutions for addressing regulatory compliance and consumer protection in technology products, including Google Street View (developing privacy protective blurring technologies) and YouTube (ContentID for managing online copyright licensing).

She also worked with Netflix engineers in designing a world first algorithmic classification system which is now used by Netflix globally.

She currently advises a range of clients and Boards on the legal and ethical implications of AI deployment. Carolyn’s ability to bridge the gap between emerging technologies and regulatory frameworks enables her to assist clients to craft effective strategies for innovation, compliance, and maintaining social licence amid fast paced technological innovation.

Chris Hofer joined Amazon Leo in 2020 as Head, international spectrum management and strategy, with responsibility for spectrum policy and satellite coordination. An engineer by training, Chris leads Amazon Leo’s work at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in preparation for the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) and operator-to-operator satellite radio frequency coordination. He also leads Amazon Leo’s collaboration with astronomers and currently serves as the co-chair of the Industry and Technology Hub at the International Astronomical Union’s Centre for the Protection of the Dark & Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference. In 2021, Chris co-chaired the industry subgroups for the SATCON2 and Dark and Quiet Skies 2 astronomy conferences.

Before Amazon, Chris served as director of regulatory affairs for Viasat, representing Viasat’s satellite interests in the ITU’s Working Party 4A preparations for the WRC. He also served as the elected international chairman of ITU-R Study Group 4 for two terms, from 2012-2019.

Previously, Chris was the lead representative for WRC activities for the Chief Information Office of the Office of Secretary of Defense. Earlier he worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), acting as the chairman of the Space Systems Subcommittee under the U.S. interagency spectrum group, Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC).

He holds a master’s degree in telecommunications from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from New Mexico State University.

Chris Whelan is a Principal at RBB Economics based in Melbourne, and joined the firm in April 2011. He has close to 20 years of economic consulting experience based in Melbourne and London. Chris co-authored the research report “Cost Pass-Through: Theory, Measurement & Potential Policy Implications”, published by the UK Competition and Markets Authority in 2014 and is listed in Who’s Who Legal.

Claire M Gorman was appointed Head of ABC International in 2021, and since then, she has driven the ABC’s mission, strategy, and execution to re-engage and amplify its international remit with a particular focus on the Pacific region.  Claire joined the ABC in 2002 and since then, she has held variety of roles across Radio, TV, Corporate Affairs, Editorial Policies and in the Commercial Division. She has extensive experience managing and promoting editorial standards and excellence across multiplatform content in news and current affairs, factual and documentary, fiction, sport, lifestyle, and music. Claire began her career working in development assistance with the Australian Government’s international development agency, AusAID. Before joining the ABC, she also worked in human rights research. She is currently the Chair of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union’s Programme Committee and Programme Bureau and sits on the Administrative Council (Board) of the ABU as the ABC’s representative.

Deirdre has extensive experience as an executive in the domestic and international screen sector. Prior to joining Screen Australia in 2024, Deirdre was the Chief Operating Officer of WildBrain, a global independent media entertainment company spanning content production, distribution and brands licensing. Previously, Deirdre worked at BBC Worldwide Australia as the Director of Television, General Manager and Director of Content. Her former roles include Head of Children’s Television at the ABC TV and General Manager of Universal Kids at NBC Universal.

Edward Wee is a seasoned Online Trust & Safety leader with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors. He is currently the Director of Online Safety & Content Regulation at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore, where he leads the development and operationalisation of Singapore’s online safety and internet content regulations.

Prior to IMDA, Edward led Meta’s APAC Strategic Response and Content Policy teams from 2017 to 2021, where he oversaw whole-of-company responses to major complex geopolitical, regulatory and online safety incidents and crises, and developed product policies and operational processes for Meta’s family of apps.

From 2014 to 2017, Edward was BP’s APAC Head of Intelligence and Geopolitical Risk where he provided actionable strategic intelligence updates to BP’s Executive Leadership. Before that, Edward served in the Singapore Armed Forces for 12 years, during which he was the Military Assistant to the Chief of Army, a Branch Head in Army Intelligence, and a Company Commander, among other appointments.

Edward graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelors in International Relations and History, and received his Masters in Political Science from Columbia University.

Ian Robertson is a corporate, media and regulatory lawyer who heads the media and communications practice of national law firm Holding Redlich. He is also the Chair of Holding Redlich. He became a partner of Holding Redlich in Melbourne in 1990 and established the firm’s Sydney office in 1994.

Ian has held a number of public and private sector Board appointments including President of the Board of the Victorian Government screen agency, Film Victoria, Deputy Chair of the Australian Government screen agency, Screen Australia, board member of the Australian Broadcasting Authority, director and Chair of Ausfilm, director and Deputy Chair of Film Australia Limited, and director of the ASX-listed screen production and distribution group, Beyond International Limited. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jane van Beelen Joined nbn on 1 October 2020 and joined nbn’s Executive Committee from 1 September 2021. As Chief Legal & Regulatory Officer, Ms van Beelen is the General Counsel of nbn and leads the company’s legal and regulatory functions. She is responsible for the provision of legal and regulatory expertise to our board and executives, leading our engagement with regulatory stakeholders and facilitating legal and regulatory compliance. The Legal & Regulatory business unit also incorporates the company secretary and non-discrimination obligations compliance office.

A telco industry veteran, Ms van Beelen joined nbn following a 25-year career across the legal, regulatory and corporate affairs functions at Telstra, where she led the company’s regulatory strategy and engagement for ten years and played a leading role in numerous reforms and regulatory outcomes across the telecommunications industry in Australia. Most recently she led the compliance and regulatory affairs function, with responsibilities extended to the company’s compliance framework and compliance programs including ethical behaviour, regulatory and privacy.

Ms van Beelen was also inaugural chair of the GSMA Asia-Pacific Policy Group and a global Policy Group member, served on the Boards of TIO Ltd and AMTA, including two years as AMTA chair, and continues to serve as a Director of Communications Alliance.

Jean-Jacques Sahel was appointed Asia-Pacific Information Policy Lead at Google in November 2019, overseeing Google’s public policy approach in the region for issues including misinformation, online safety and intermediary liability.

He has been involved in international government and regulatory affairs for over 15 years in both the private and government sectors. Before joining Google, Mr Sahel was Managing Director of ICANN’s Brussels office and led the organisation’s corporate strategy and operations across the European region. He also led ICANN’s strategic plan for outreach, support and engagement with governments, private sector, and user groups throughout Europe, and worldwide for civil society.

Previously, Mr Sahel headed government and regulatory affairs for Skype, then digital policy at Microsoft for Europe, Middle-East & Africa regions. He had started his career in the City of London, before spending several years in the UK Government, leading in particular its international telecommunications policy.

Ex officio, Mr Sahel chaired the UK Chapter of the International Institute of Communications (IIC) from 2009-2019.  He currently serves on the IIC’s Board and is Chair of the IIC Strategy Committee. He was a member of OSAB, the Advisory Board of UK communications regulator Ofcom for 2 terms until 2016. He has authored articles and research in both mainstream media and academic publications particularly on Internet policy and governance.

Bio coming soon…

Julie Eisenberg is an independent consultant who has worked in senior roles in public broadcasting and public policy and as a lawyer for news media. She is the author of a report jointly commissioned by UTS Centre for Media Transition and the International Institute of Communications Australian Chapter, Finding the Way Forward for Australian News: An Examination of Local and International Interventions and the upcoming CMT report Funding the Way Forward for Australian News: A Review of Local and International News Funding Distribution Mechanisms. She is completing a PhD at UTS on the topic: Saving the News: The Dynamics of Regulating for a Sustainable Australian Media. She is also a past President of the IIC Australian chapter.

Kate Davies is Ofcom’s Group Director for Strategy and Research, leading its strategy and research work and engagement with domestic and international policymakers.

Kate joined Ofcom in 2016 working as both Strategy Director and Public Policy Director during that time. Prior to joining Ofcom Kate worked in the Treasury for six years in a range of Public Spending roles.

Leon is SPI’s CEO, leading and delivering high-level strategic advice, insight and business planning for SPI’s global client base.

Current and recent projects include a Production Infrastructure and Capacity Analysis (PICA) of Australia’s Screen Production Sector, an Economic Impact Assessment of the Greek Film and Television Cash Rebate, an economic impact study of potential improvements to the Illinois Film and Television Production Services Tax Credit, an assessment of the Arkansas Digital Motion Picture Incentive, and a full update and expansion of Best Practice in Screen Sector Production for the Association of Film Commissioners International.

Leon is also involved in the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded CoSTAR network in the UK, and has delivered the Creative Industries Tax Evaluation for HMRC (with Ipsos and London Economics), Screen Business for the BFI, The Cultural Dividend Generated by Ireland’s Section 481 Film and Television Incentive, a ground-breaking study for Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, and a White Paper on Global Film Production Incentives for the MPA. He has also led on projects in Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Iceland, and the US states of Georgia, New Mexico, Connecticut, Utah, and others.

With extensive knowledge of screen sector strategy, Leon has overseen the creation and development of successful sectoral policy and funding mechanisms in a wide range of markets.

Leon has interacted with legislators and other key stakeholders globally regarding the screen sector and has been a speaker at multiple international events, including the Marché du Film – Festival De Cannes, the Berlin Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival, the San Sebastián International Film Festival, FOCUS, Screen International’s Finance Forum, AFCI’s Cineposium and AFCI Week, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, Durban FilmMart, and the Reykjavik International Film Festival. Leon is also a judging chair for Screen International’s Global Production Awards.

Prior to joining SPI in 2013, Leon was a film business journalist and editor for 15 years. He is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

Bio coming soon…

Lynn Robinson became Director General of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), in March 2020.

Lynn is an experienced senior director and trustee / non exec-director, having held key senior leadership positions in the technology, built environment, regulation, accreditation and dental industries. She has extensive experience of professional membership bodies working within the full spectrum including, Regulatory bodies, Industry associations and Chambers of Commerce. Lynn is a well-known and established ambassador in these areas having led on many strategic programmes to aid engagement, growth, retention, change management, stakeholder and political engagement.

Michael Coonan joined Free TV Australia in January 2024 as Director of Public Policy, having previously held policy, regulatory and government affairs roles at SBS and Foxtel. Prior to Foxtel, Mr Coonan worked at the Australian Communications and Media Authority, in both broadcasting and telecommunications regulation.

Michael is Vice President of the Australian Chapter of the International Institute of Communications, and a member of the Board of the Restless Dance Theatre.

Nerida O’Loughlin was appointed Chair and Agency Head of the Australian Communications and Media Authority from 14 October 2017, initially for five years. Nerida has since been reappointed until 13 October 2027.

Prior to joining the ACMA, Nerida was Deputy Secretary in the Australian Department of Communications and the Arts providing policy advice across telecommunications, broadcasting, online content and the arts. Nerida has also been responsible for major projects in the communications portfolio, including leading the Digital Television Switchover Program. Over her career, Nerida has also held senior positions in the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments, predominantly across the technology and cultural sectors.

Nerida is also an Associate Member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and has been reappointed until 13 October 2027.

In 2019, Nerida was awarded an Australian Public Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours for outstanding public service.

Rosemary Sinclair AM was CEO of auDA until 31 December 2024. She has a distinguished record in the telecommunications, technology, energy and education sectors, driving transformation, high performance and advocacy.

Prior to joining auDA, Rosemary was CEO of Energy Consumers Australia, responsible for enhancing consumer advocacy in the national energy market on issues including price, quality and security of supply.

Rosemary has served on local corporate, government and international boards, including CPA Australia, the Communications Alliance, International Telecommunications User Group (INTUG) and West Tigers Rugby League Football Club. She is also a past part-time Member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

Rosemary has over 20 years’ experience in international policy development and multi-stakeholder engagement with bodies including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and has been engaged in market developments in Asian economies over this time.

Rosemary received the Order of Australia Award for service to the telecommunications sector in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, the same year in which she was a finalist in the QANTAS AFR Top 100 Women of Influence. In 2022, Rosemary was inducted into the Communications Day Edison Awards Hall of Fame for her contributions to Australia’s telecommunications industry.

Rosemary is a member of Chief Executive Women, a qualified Fellow of CPA Australia and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She holds degrees in Arts, Law and Business from the University of Sydney and a Master of Commerce degree from UNSW.

Bio coming soon…

Samantha Yorks has been appointed as a Full-time Member of Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on 28 August 2023 for 5 years.

Ms Yorke is an accredited mediator, technology lawyer and policy advisor with over 24 years’ experience working within the digital media and technology sectors both in Europe and the Asia Pacific.

Prior to being appointed as an ACMA Authority Member, she worked in Google’s Government Affairs and Public Policy team leading their privacy, online safety, scam and mis/disinformation efforts in Australia.

Ms Yorke established the regulatory function at the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Australia, worked as General Counsel AUNZ and Legal Director for Yahoo! Asia Pacific and spent 10 years working for Microsoft in London where she supported the MSN business through a period of exponential growth and contributed to the launch of the Xbox gaming console across Europe.

Mr Shun Lee has been working in the areas of spectrum management and technical regulations in the Office of the Communications Authority (“OFCA”) of Hong Kong for over 20 years.  Mr Lee is currently working as the Assistant Director (Operations) of OFCA overseeing a technical team consisting of telecommunications engineers for planning of radio spectrum to support the development of radiocommunications networks in Hong Kong, and assigning specific frequencies to relevant spectrum users in both government and non-government sectors.  Besides, he also manages an enforcement team consisting of technical inspectors to undertake radio monitoring duties and enforcement actions.  Moreover, he also supervises a licensing and support team consisting of a number clerical staff and technical inspectors, handling applications of various telecommunications licences and inspection of radio equipment respectively.

Chief Executive Stacey joined the BSA in September 2022. Stacey studied Law and English at Otago University and journalism at Massey University in Wellington. She worked as a reporter for the Dominion Post for several years before joining the legal profession, first in intellectual property law before going in-house. Before joining the BSA Stacey was a General Manager at Te Ao Rangahau Engineering New Zealand, overseeing the organisation’s legal, policy, public affairs and governance functions.

Dr Stephen P King commenced a 5-year term as a full time Commissioner with the Productivity Commission in July 2016. Stephen was reappointed for a further 5-year term as a part time Commissioner in January 2022. He was recently a Professor of Economics at Monash University in Melbourne where he also held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics from 2009-2011.

Prior to joining Monash, Stephen was a Member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), where he chaired the Mergers Review Committee. Previous roles include, Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne and a Professor of Management (Economics) at the Melbourne Business School.

Stephen’s main areas of expertise are in microeconomic theory, competition economics, regulation and industrial organization. His research has been published widely, including articles in major international economics journals.

Stephen is a Professor of Practice at Monash University, a member of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a lay member of the High Court of New Zealand. He has a PhD in Economics from Harvard University. He received the Distinguished Public Policy Fellow award from the Economics Society of Australia in 2021 for his contributions to economic policy.

DIGI is led by Sunita Bose, who is its Managing Director. Sunita Bose was previously the Head of Global Policy for the online petition platform Change.org, based in San Francisco. She developed the company’s Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Community Guidelines and policy infrastructure to manage harmful user-generated content, in areas such as bullying, hate speech, defamation, misinformation, data privacy and child protection.

Before that, Sunita spent seven years working in a range of international and Australian advocacy and strategic communications roles at humanitarian aid agencies Oxfam and UNICEF, and has a Masters of Policy from the University of New South Wales. A leading advocate for the tech sector and the democratising power of the Internet, Sunita sits on the Government’s Digital Experts Advisory Committee and her opinions have been published in The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian.

Bio coming soon…

Bio coming soon …..

Dr Tobias Schmid is Director of the Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia. He is also elected as the European Affairs Commissioner of the Conference of Directors of the German Media Authorities (DLM).

Dr Schmid is also Chairman of the Federal Media Committee of the German Music Council. Since 1st April 2021, he is also a Member of the Expert Committee for Communication and Information of the German UNESCO-Commission.

Dr Schmid holds a doctorate in law.

Tristan Gilbertson was appointed Telecommunications Commissioner in June 2020. He is a commercial lawyer with extensive international experience in telecommunications law and regulation. After an early career in private practice, Mr Gilbertson was appointed Legal & Regulatory Director – Asia-Pacific at Vodafone Group Plc, where he was closely involved in the expansion and diversification of Vodafone’s business. He then joined Telecom New Zealand Ltd where he was Group General Counsel and played a leading role in the structural separation of Telecom and the re-set of the regulatory framework in New Zealand. Most recently, he was Group General Counsel of Digicel Group Ltd, where he focused on transformation and change across Digicel’s 32 global markets.

Mr Gilbertson holds a BA/LLB(Hons) from the University of Auckland and has completed the Executive Leadership Development Programme at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr Gilbertson chairs the Commission’s Telecommunications Division and Fibre Regulation Division, and is a member of the Consumer Division, Retail Payments System Division, Groceries Division, and Market Studies Division.