ARCIA Professional Development Conference & WA State Networking Dinner 2026

Lineup

• More details about Chris Stevens - Director, Cart GIS

  Chris Stevens - Director, Cart GIS

  Chris Stevens is Managing Director of CartGIS Pty Ltd, an emergency management, GIS and mapping and communications consultancy company based in Melbourne. Chris has extensive experience in LMR network design, planning and implementation as well as GIS and mapping application design and commissioning. CartGIS Pty Ltd also specialises in bespoke training and education for the critical communication community. Chris has extensive qualifications and experience in secondary, tertiary and workplace training and education, which, coupled with his communication experience, delivers industry and client focused outcomes. Chris is also Co-Vice President of ARCIA and Sub-committee convenor of training and education for ARCIA.

• More details about Dale Stacey - Managing Director, SAT Pty Ltd

  Dale Stacey - Managing Director, SAT Pty Ltd

  Dale Stacey has spent more than 25 years in the telecommunications industry. He is a Chartered Engineer (IET,UK and IEAust, Australia and a member of IEEE,USA) and has an extensive range of knowledge and experience in the worldwide radio communications sector. Dale has managed and delivered many major projects through all phases of their life cycle, from concept and strategy, through development of the business case, design, optimisation, installation, integration, test and commission, acceptance and maintenance. Dale has gained experience of such projects from a number of perspectives, including that of the supplier, vendor, buyer, user, integrator and consultant. Dale’s previous experience includes numerous design and implementation assignments for major public utilities both worldwide and within Australia (electricity, gas, oil and water), and telecommunications carrier projects (GSM, 3G and microwave projects for Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, BT). More recently, he has been involved in extensive coverage analysis, optimisation and drive testing of private networks, and 3G and 4G networks. He is currently working on the 5G revolution and other private network innovations in emergency services, smart city and IoT.

• More details about Eddie Stephanou - Regional Technical Manager AU/NZ & Pacific, Cambium Networks

  Eddie Stephanou - Regional Technical Manager AU/NZ & Pacific, Cambium Networks

  Eddie Stephanou is Cambium Networks’ Regional Technical Manager for Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. He is responsible for technical development, support and growth of fixed wireless solutions portfolio. With almost 20 years Australian industry experience in fixed digital microwave systems, Eddie has worked with, and alongside, leaders in the microwave space both locally and abroad. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master of Engineering Degree in Telecommunications.

• More details about Fonz Tenaglia - Senior Acquisition Sales Specialist, Telstra

  Fonz Tenaglia - Senior Acquisition Sales Specialist, Telstra

  Fonz Tenaglia is a Senior Acquisition Sales Specialist at Telstra, working with government and public sector organisations across Western Australia. Based in Perth, he partners with agencies to support secure, resilient and future‑ready connectivity outcomes. With deep experience in complex procurement and stakeholder engagement, Fonz brings a practical, frontline perspective on how emerging mobile technologies can support critical operations. At ARCIA, he will provide an update on Telstra’s Direct‑to‑Handset mobile capability and what it means for resilience, coverage and communications in challenging environments.

• More details about Graham Tait AFSM GIFireE - Mesh Solutions Lead, Hypha

  Graham Tait AFSM GIFireE - Mesh Solutions Lead, Hypha

  Graham Tait AFSM is a former firefighter with Fire & Rescue NSW for over 40 years, including 37 years as a career firefighter and officer, he is also a current serving volunteer firefighter with the NSW Rural Fire Service where he has over 46 years service. During his career, he specialised in the areas of both Rescue and Operational Communications. He was a member of the AUS2 Urban Search & Rescue team for 12 years which saw him deployed to various incidents including the Christchurch Earthquake, Japan Tsunami, Vanuatu Cyclone and Indonesian Earthquake as both a rescue team member and communications lead officer. Serving in the Operational Communications role for the final 17 years of his career, he dedicated himself to the key areas of managing the Computer Aided Dispatch system, Automatic Vehicle Location and Mobile Data system, radio networks and hardware, GIS, and field deployable communications systems. He has been recognised for his leadership in the Public Safety and technology space both in Australia and Internationally, and continues to advocate for advances in communications and technology that will provide improvements in safety and efficiency for front line emergency personnel. Following his retirement from full time firefighting in 2022, he has taken up a role with Hypha Solutions to ensure he can continue to bring his experience to the business continue to advance technology for the first responder community.

• More details about Neil Jamieson - Group CEO, Hypha

  Neil Jamieson - Group CEO, Hypha

  Neil has been involved with exploring Satellite communications and applications for over 20 years with a specific interest in the Public Safety Sector. As a founder, and the Group CEO of Hypha Ltd. Neil has been at the forefront of Satellite applications in the Public Safety sector in Australia. From simple PTT applications to driving Big Data solutions with new LEO constellations, it has been his mission to explore non-traditional options to solve some of our unique communications challenges in Australia.

• More details about Paul Whitfield - Research and Development Manager, Omnitronics

  Paul Whitfield - Research and Development Manager, Omnitronics

  Paul has more than 30 years experience in developing embedded software across several industries, including rail, mining, power, banking, and communications. He was instrumental in developing Radio over IP technology more than 15 years ago, which was among the first in the world to be commercialised for mission-critical and other applications. Paul remains a thought leader in Radio over IP technology and continues to develop ground-breaking communications solutions. Over the years, Paul’s ingenuity has shaped a number of radio & communications products to world-class standards, including as Team Leader Embedded Development for Omnitronics Radio over IP products and Digital Radio Interfaces. Currently, Paul leads the Innovation and New Product Development teams at Omnitronics. Paul holds a Bachelor in Engineering, and Grad Dip in Management degrees and is an adept public speaker.

• More details about Rhys Clare - National Sales Manager ANZ of Airbus and Director, Australasian Critical Communications Forum (ACCF), Regional Chapter of TCCA

  Rhys Clare - National Sales Manager ANZ of Airbus and Director, Australasian Critical Communications Forum (ACCF), Regional Chapter of TCCA

  Rhys Clare is a director of the Australasian Critical Communications Forum (Chapter of TCCA) and National Sales Manager ANZ of Airbus. He has spent the last 20 years working with vendors in the Critical Communications space in Unified Communications, Contact Centre, Narrowband and Broadband solutions with NEC, LG Ericsson and Motorola Solutions. He’s launched SaaS based Broadband Push to Talk Services through reseller channels and telcos in Japan, India, Indonesia & Singapore and recently joined Airbus as the National Sales Manager.

• More details about Rob Howes - Representing the Communications Support Unit (CSU) of the WA State Emergency Service (SES) a division of the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES)

  Rob Howes - Representing the Communications Support Unit (CSU) of the WA State Emergency Service (SES) a division of the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES)

  Rob’s career has been dedicated to radio communications, aircraft navigational systems, radar, and satellite technologies. Most recently, he led the design and implementation of a passive radar system for tracking space debris in partnership with researchers at Curtin University. Rob is an active member of the State Emergency Service, providing expertise in deploying emergency communications solutions for first responders. He holds a Master’s degree in Technology Management and serves as Principal Engineer at Write Technology.

• More details about Robbie Huxley - CEO/ Managing Director, Mobile Communications

  Robbie Huxley - CEO/ Managing Director, Mobile Communications

  Robbie Huxley is the Owner and Managing Director of TE (PNG) Ltd, TE Solomons Ltd, TE Pacific Group, and Mobile Communications Pty Ltd. With formal qualifications in Aeronautical Engineering and Telecommunications & Network Engineering, Robbie brings a unique blend of technical expertise and hands-on solution delivery experience across the full spectrum of industries, NGO’s and government. Based in Papua New Guinea for more than 12 years, Robbie has delivered numerous large-scale communications projects as a Project Manager/Director. His experience covers the end-to-end lifecycle of critical systems, spanning HF/VHF/UHF radio networks, satellite communications, enterprise IT networks, security platforms, and fully integrated communications solutions. His work is leading the way in integrated communications services — delivering scalable, future-ready solutions that combine technical depth, commercial insight, and local capability development. He places a strong emphasis on building long-term system reliability and resilience, while also mentoring and training local technicians to develop on- the-ground capability. Through his group of companies, Robbie has delivered solutions across Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Australia, and the wider South Pacific. This regional reach has given him extensive experience working in both challenging remote locations and complex metropolitan environments. His ability to bridge the technical and commercial aspects of project delivery ensures outcomes that are practical, sustainable, and strategically aligned to client needs.

• More details about Ronald Martinez - Business Development Manager for Western and South Australia, Tait Communications

  Ronald Martinez - Business Development Manager for Western and South Australia, Tait Communications

  Ronald is based in Perth and is Tait's Business Development Manager for Western and South Australia. Ronald is a result-oriented professional manager with experience within the Telco, IT and RF sectors for the past 34 years. Most recently, Ronald was the Regional Sales Manager with Ubiik-Mimomax covering Australia and New Zealand, and with Vital NZ as Channel Manager.