Cyber Security and Other Threats to Modern Governance

QUT Business School presents the Future Boards event, which is an initiative of the Colin Brain Governance Fellowship, established in honour of the late Mr Colin Brain who had an extensive and stellar career as a Chief Financial Controller and a Company Secretary in Australian multi-national companies.

Hear from industry leaders in IT governance and cyber security as they share their experiences and perspectives. They will explore the risks to organisations arising from rapid technological advancement and highlight the role of sound governance and stewardship in steering organisations through turbulent times. Also hear from influential QUT researchers presenting leading-edge developments in effective governance practice that you can take and implement in your organisations.

The event will begin at 6.00pm with a poster session and refreshments followed by a panel session and Q&A.

Please register your attendance by Monday 7 November.

Dress code: business attire/neat and tidy smart casual

Speakers

Speaker – Dr Natalie Elms, current Colin Brain Fellow

Dr Natalie Elms is a lecturer within the Faculty of Business and Law at QUT where she teaches management accounting and corporate governance at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Natalie’s research focus is on boards of directors with an interest in understanding how boards can be more effective. Prior to an academic career, Natalie worked internationally in accounting and commercial roles. Natalie has presented her research at academic and industry conferences in Australia and overseas and her work has been published in practitioner and academic journals. Natalie is a current member of CPA Australia, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Natalie has served as a committee member, board member, and Chair of the Audit and Risk committee for various community groups and not-for-profit organisations.

Speaker – Dr Annette Quayle, previous Colin Brain Fellow

Annette is an academic in the QUT Business School a chartered accountant and was the Colin Brain Governance Fellow 2019-2020. She studies how governance and risk processes intersect with human behaviour to explain how and why people make good or bad decisions. She is particularly interested in governance failures, and why the culture and integrity mechanisms that are meant to guide behaviour and decision-making in organisations, frequently fail. Annette also sometimes hangs out in the real world. She is an external member of the audit and risk management committees of the Queensland Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Ipswich City Council.

Moderator – Dr Kirstin Ferguson, previous Colin Brain Fellow

As an award-winning and globally recognised leader, executive coach, company director, writer and speaker, Kirstin is one of Australia’s most prominent leadership experts. Kirstin’s career includes over a decade of experience on a range of company boards, including a previous appointment by the Australian Prime Minister as Acting Chair and Deputy Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Kirstin currently sits on the boards of two technology companies. Kirstin has previously been the CEO of a global consulting company, a senior executive at a leading corporate law firm, and spent nearly 10 years as an Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Panellist – Andrew Bills, CEO, CS Energy

Andrew Bills is the CEO of CS Energy, a large Queensland based Generation company. He has over 25 years’ experience in the energy industry across the public and private sectors, covering power generation, retail supply, distribution, LPG and energy trading. Andrew’s previous roles include Executive roles at Origin Energy, Babcock and Brown Power, Stanwell Corporation and as a Director at PwC. Andrew holds an MBA, BA and is a Graduate of the AICD. Andrew is currently a Director of the Australian Energy Council.

Panellist - Kerryn Newton, CEO, Directors Australia

Kerryn Newton is CEO of Directors Australia and is a nationally recognised expert on boards and governance. Kerryn has over 25 years’ experience working in various legal, management and commercial roles in the private and public sectors, and as a consultant working across the private, government, publicly-listed, and not-for-profit sectors in an extensive range of industries. Kerryn’s consulting advice is enhanced by her extensive personal experience as a director on the boards of private, public sector and not-for-profit companies in diverse industries including aged care, education, child care, energy, property and housing.

Panellist – Heinrich Viljoen, Head of IT Governance and Cyber Security, Youi

Heinrich Viljoen is the Head of IT Governance and Cyber Security at Youi, and is an experienced technology leader in financial services.

Panellist - Dr Leonie Simpson, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, QUT

Dr Leonie Simpson is an Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science, within the Faculty of Science. She is a cryptographer with a passion for information security, particularly the application of cryptography in control measures to provide confidentiality, integrity assurance and authentication, and the management of cryptographic keys. She is interested in exploring broader issues of information security management, that enable individuals and organisations to use information in secure ways. Leonie's doctoral thesis (QUT, 2000) examined the design and analysis of certain types of stream ciphers. However, her research interests have broadened and include the design and analysis of symmetric encryption algorithms, particularly those used for real-time communications (such as phone and internet transmissions) and the associated key management.

Panellist – Tim Timchur, Managing Director, 365 Architechs Pty Ltd

Tim Timchur operates 365 Architects, a business driving digital transformation through cloud computing, artificial intelligence, robotic process automation and cybersecurity solutions. He is a qualified accountant and chartered secretary with over 30 years’ experience implementing technology solutions across a wide range of sectors and industries. A non-executive director of the Governance Institute of Australia, and member of several committees at CPA Australia, Tim regularly volunteers and presents at conferences, seminars and webinars. Tim is also the Digital Governance Technologist within the QUT Graduate School of Business.