Dr Muhammed Esgin
Monash University

Dr Esgin is a cryptography expert and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University. His research focuses on the theoretical and practical development of efficient cryptographic algorithms, particularly quantum-safe and privacy-enhancing technologies, and their application to real-world problems.

His research has been recognised through an Amazon Research Award, Google Research Scholar Award, ARC Discovery Project grant and the Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence Award.

Julian Fay
Chief Technology Officer, Senetas Corporation

Julian Fay is Chief Technology Officer of Senetas Corporation, an Australian encryption technology company protecting sensitive data for government, defence and enterprise organisations internationally.

With more than 30 years of experience in IT and telecommunications, Julian was a founding member of the Senetas engineering team and has helped develop high-performance encryption hardware and virtualised security solutions.

Dr Danesh Jogia
Technical Director, Australian Signals Directorate

Dr Danesh Jogia is Technical Director Cryptography at the Australian Signals Directorate, with more than a decade of experience across cryptographic operations and policy.

His current responsibilities include managing the technical aspects of the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s advice on post-quantum cryptography. He holds a PhD focused on algebraic geometry and discrete dynamical systems, including work involving elliptic curves over finite fields.

Jakub Zvěřina
CyberCX

Jakub Zvěřina is a cyber workforce specialist with more than 20 years of technical and operational experience across government, defence and the private sector. His work focuses on strengthening Australia’s cyber workforce and building clearer, more accessible pathways into the profession.

He is currently Technical Program Lead for CyberPath and has contributed to national cyber workforce strategy through work with government, industry and professional bodies in Australia and internationally.

Frank Phillis
Senior Solutions Architect (Security), AWS

Frank Phillis is a Senior Solutions Architect (Security) at AWS, specialising in identity, incident response, cryptography and payments. He created the AWS Incident Response playbooks and has authored AWS guidance and resources across a range of security topics.

He currently works with AWS’s financial services team, helping customers navigate security challenges across a broad range of services and capabilities. He is also a regular speaker at AWS and industry events, including AWS re:Inforce.

Camilla Bullock
CEO and Co-Founder, Emerging Payments Association Asia

Camilla Bullock is CEO and Co-Founder of the Emerging Payments Association Asia (EPAA), where she works across the Asia-Pacific payments ecosystem to connect industry, shape policy discussions and drive innovation.

Her career in financial technology includes 14 years at Reuters, now part of LSEG. She also founded the Meet-Her She Knows Payments initiative, which champions female thought leadership in payments, and serves on the board of the Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce.

Dr Surya Nepal
Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO

Dr Surya Nepal is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO and leads its Cybersecurity and Quantum Systems group. His research spans cybersecurity, critical technology security, artificial intelligence, quantum systems and critical infrastructure protection.

He has more than 25 years of research and leadership experience at CSIRO, has authored more than 400 publications, and is a Fellow of IEEE. His work has been widely adopted across academia, government and industry, with research supported by organisations including the ARC, Department of Home Affairs, US Army, Boeing and NATO.

Rajiv Shah
Director, MDR Quantum

Rajiv Shah is a technology and business adviser with almost 30 years of experience in cybersecurity across government and industry. With a PhD in quantum physics, his work spans cybersecurity strategy, artificial intelligence, quantum technology and advanced communications.

He is currently Managing Director of MDR Quantum, where he helps organisations prepare for the risks and opportunities of the quantum age. He also leads MDR Security and holds advisory and board roles across Australia’s cybersecurity sector.

Bahar Abbas Pour
PhD Candidate, Monash University

Bahar Abbas Pour is a PhD candidate at Monash University and a recent Honours graduate in Software Engineering and Cybersecurity. She has two years of industry experience across software engineering and cybersecurity consulting, with a focus on the practical transition to post-quantum cryptography.

Her Honours research explored the engineering challenges of post-quantum cryptography transition, particularly translating emerging standards and guidance into practical solutions for real-world systems. Her current work focuses on bridging the gap between post-quantum cryptography research and industry adoption, with an emphasis on long-term cryptographic agility.

Dr John Yuen
Monash University

Dr John Yuen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Software Systems and Cybersecurity at Monash University and Associate Director (Technology) of Monash’s FinTech Impact Lab. His research focuses on practical cryptographic and privacy-enhancing technologies for trustworthy digital systems, including public-key cryptography, blockchain security, digital finance and post-quantum security.

His work also spans digital signatures, privacy-preserving protocols, confidential payment systems and crypto anti-money laundering. He is a founding member of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Central Bank Digital Currency Expert Group and a member of the Emerging Payments Association Asia Quantum Safe Cryptography Working Group.