With global markets in transition, Australia’s software and services sector is emerging as an export powerhouse, driven by talent, innovation and opportunity.

The global economy is tilting. Tariff wars, geopolitical instability, and overvalued currencies are disrupting traditional trade flows. Yet in this volatility, opportunity rises, especially for Australia.

While uncertainty surrounds the United States as a trade partner, Australian firms are seizing new ground, particularly in software and professional services. In 2024, software exports alone generated over $7.5 billion, rivaling our biggest traditional exports. Unlike commodities, software travels lightly and scales rapidly, fueled by talent, innovation, and a digital-first mindset.

This event brings together leaders in tech, investment, and digital services to explore how Australia can sharpen its edge, scale faster, and cement its position as a global software and services exporter.

Our host, Alicia Barry will facilitate a Q&A, so bring your questions!

Meet our Host and Speakers:

Host

Alicia Barry

Alicia Barry is a highly experienced financial journalist and presenter for ABC based in Sydney Australia.

She reports from the newsroom on major breaking business news stories and economic events including; Australia's first recession in 28 years, US China tensions, the tech led stock market rally, the Covid19 pandemic's impact on corporate results and the outlook for the housing sector. Alicia regularly interviews market analysts and leading economists on key issues.

Speakers

David Masters

David Masters is the Head of Global Public Policy at Atlassian and a Board Member of the Future Skills Organisation (the Jobs and Skills Council for finance, technology and business) and the Tech Policy Design Institute. David is also on the Advisory Board for the Human Technology Institute at UTS. He was previously Corporate Affairs Director for Microsoft Australia and has worked for the Australian Government as a public servant and a Ministerial adviser on a range of technology policy issues.

Luci Ellis

Luci Ellis is Chief Economist for the Westpac Group. She was previously Assistant Governor (Economic) at the Reserve Bank of Australia from December 2016 until October 2023. Prior to that, Luci was Head of Financial Stability Department at the RBA for eight years, spent two years on secondment at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, and held several other senior positions at the RBA over a three-decade career in central banking. Luci holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales, a Masters in Economics degree from the Australian National University and a first-class Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Melbourne.

Dr Terry Roach

Dr Terry Roach is the Founder of Capsifi a global software company that specialises in strategic business modelling and is a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Architecture tools. The Capsifi platform is based on his 2011 PhD on enterprise ontology at UNSW. Capsifi was acquired by Orbus Software in late 2024.

Terry continues to pursue an active research career as VP Research at Orbus, developing generative AI technologies for enterprise modelling. He is an Industry Research Fellow at UTS where he sits on the curriculum advisory board for the School of Software and holds an Adjunct Senior Lecturer position in Computer Science and Engineering at UNSW, supervising PhD student scholarships.

Professor Asif Gill

Professor Asif Gill is Head of Discipline Software Engineering at the School of Computer Science, FEIT, UTS. He is a fellow of the ACS (Australian Computer Society) and DSE (ESCP Centre for Design Science in Entrepreneurship), and senior member IEEE.

Asif is a senior technology leader with extensive 25+ years’ experience covering various academic and professional roles. He has led and delivered several successful engagements across higher education, government, and other sectors.

Asif’s current work focuses on architecting and implementing enterprise scale intelligent software systems and solutions for economic & societal benefits.

Asif has experience in leading and developing teams, as well as training and coaching enterprise architects, data, and software engineers. He is an internationally recognized thought leader and has published 3 books on adaptive strategy, intelligent enterprise architecture, and agile software development.