Resilient Australia: Building security in a data-driven world

Secure your place at InnovationAus.com's Resilient Australia forum at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra on Thursday, 10 April. 

Hosted by Hamish Macdonald, ABC journalist and co-host of the Radio National programs Global Roaming and Take Me to Your Leader!, this exclusive forum looks at trust and technology – and strategies for building resilience into global social and economic systems.

Confirmed speakers: 

• Kersti Eesmaa, Cyber Leader, Former Estonian Ambassador to Australia
• Dr Lesley Seebeck, Co-founder and Co-CEO, Geomastery Advisory, CEO of Cyber21 and former Chair of the National Institute of Strategic Resilience
• David Andrews, Senior Manager, Policy & Engagement at the ANU National Security College, and Managing Editor of The National Security Podcast
• Rob Le Busque, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific for Verizon Business Group.

Discussion points: 

• Space, AI, and subsea cables – the new battlegrounds for digital resilience
• CISOs as strategic risk leaders tackling new frontiers of disruption
• Conquering modern cyber threats with data-first strategies – data legitimacy as the ultimate defence
• Offence and Defence - the role of AI in national security. 

The theatre-style forum will run under the Chatham House Rule to ensure a frank and solutions-focused discussion.

Please join us for refreshments and networking post-discussion. 

InnovationAus.com is hosting this forum in partnership with Verizon.

Speaker biographies:

David Andrews, Senior Manager, Policy & Engagement at the ANU National Security College, and Managing Editor of The National Security Podcast

David Andrews is Senior Manager, Policy & Engagement at the ANU National Security College and Managing Editor of The National Security Podcast. He has a background in strategic policy roles at the Australian Department of Defence and has lived and worked in Jordan and Kuwait.

David’s research focuses on Australian defence and foreign policy, security alliances like ANZUS and AUKUS, and national security decision-making, with work published across major think tanks and media outlets.

Kersti Eesmaa, Cyber Leader, Former Estonian Ambassador to Australia

Kersti Eesmaa completed her five-year term as Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia in Canberra in August 2024. She currently serves as the Brand Ambassador for Women in Cyber Security under the WorkPath Australia (WPA) program. She is a Board Director of the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre and is a Visiting Fellow at the ANU Centre for European Studies. During her tenure as ambassador, her work focused extensively on digital innovation and cyber security. Since completing her diplomatic posting, she has continued to share her expertise and experience in these fields with various organisations across Australia.

Rob Le Busque, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific for Verizon Business Group

Robert Le Busque is the Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific for Verizon Business Group, where he leads enterprise and government digital transformation across the region. With a long career at Verizon since 2003, Robert has held senior leadership roles globally, including in strategy, operations, and regional management.

He is a sought-after speaker on cybersecurity and digital economies, holds multiple academic qualifications, and serves on several boards including the American Chamber of Commerce Australia.

Hamish Macdonald, ABC journalist & co-host of Radio National’s Global Roaming & Take Me to Your Leader!

Hamish Macdonald is an Australian broadcast journalist and news presenter. Hamish is the former host of the ABC’s Q&A political panel discussion show and will return to Network 10 as co-host of The Project on Friday nights and The Sunday Project. Hamish is an in-demand journalist and is passionate about sharing extraordinary stories and connecting with people in Australia and around the globe.

Dr Lesley Seebeck, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Geomastery Advisory, CEO, Cyber21 and former Chair of the National Institute of Strategic Resilience

Dr Lesley Seebeck has over 20 years’ experience a variety of roles in including senior executive roles, in the Australian Government, covering strategy, central agency policy, information technology, budgets and intelligence assessment. Dr Seebeck has also worked in the private sector and in academia, most recently heading a startup, the Cyber Institute, at the Australian National University, where I hold an Honorary Professor of Practice in Cybersecurity. Dr Seebeck currently holds a fractional appointment as Professor, Cybersecurity Leadership and Strategy, UNSW Canberra.