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Agenda

Digital NSW 2025 Showcase

 Tuesday, 25 Nov 2025

Sessions

7:45AM

Registration

7:45 AM - 8:30 AM (45 mins)

8:30AM

Official Opening

8:30 AM - 8:40 AM (10 mins)

8:40AM

Welcome to Country presented by the traditional owners of Gadigal Land

8:40 AM - 8:50 AM (10 mins)

8:50AM

Welcome remarks from conference Chair

8:50 AM - 9:00 AM (10 mins)

Winx Pavilion

Judy Hurditch
Managing Director and Principal Analyst, Intermedium
9:00AM
Ministerial Address

Ministerial Keynote

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM (30 mins)

Winx Pavilion

The Hon. Jihad Dib MP
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government; Minister for Emergency Services, and Minister for Youth Justice, NSW Government
9:30AM

Beyond digital: Readying for the AI era

9:30 AM - 9:50 AM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion

John Mackenney
Director, Adobe Digital Strategy Group, APAC, Adobe
Charlie Sukkar
Chief Information Officer, NSW Department of Education

In this keynote, John Mackenney will launch Adobe’s new Digital Government Index (DGI) findings, revealing the state of digital service delivery and AI readiness across government. Discover where NSW ranks and NSW ranks in the national landscape and hear from Charlie Sukkar, Chief Information Officer at the Department of Education, as he shares insights into an ambitious AI-driven initiative to modernise 2,200 school websites. Explore how agencies are navigating this new terrain and the leading global practices in digital government.

  • Is the push to modernise public services and improve efficiency and access delivering results?
  • Adobe’s new Digital Government Index (DGI) shows service performance has improved, but isn’t always inclusive, accessible, and available.
  • Digital maturity alone is no longer sufficient as more people use AI and agents in their search for public information.
  • To maintain trust, authority, and relevance, agencies’ websites must prepare for people and machines.
9:50AM
Panel Discussion

Agency Head Panel: We’ll be exploring how we Equip our employees with the skills to responsibly harness digital, driving a more productive and agile public service.

9:50 AM - 10:20 AM (30 mins)

Winx Pavilion

Greg Wells Moderator
A/Secretary, Department of Customer Service
Chloe Read
Managing Director, TAFE NSW
Chris Hanger
Chief Operating Officer, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Elizabeth Mildwater
Secretary, Department of Customer Service
10:20AM

Turning policy priorities into outcomes through technology

10:20 AM - 10:40 AM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion

Sherree O’Connell
Director Employee Services and Systems, Monash Health
Sussan Lam
Director, Architecture Advisory, Public Sector and Defense, SAP

Today's government has a critical leadership role in supporting the social and economic fabric of the state. How can a modern public service draw on the best technology to take productivity and efficiency to new levels?

Hear from Sherree O’Connell, Director Employee Services and Systems at Monash Health alongside Caity Elloitt, Head of SAP SuccessFactors ANZ, to explore how real results are being delivered and how to get things done.

10:40AM

Morning tea, networking and exhibition

10:40 AM - 11:40 AM (60 mins)

Exhibition Hall

10:50AM
Tech Talk

Future Ready: Service NSW's Move to MongoDB and the Cloud

10:50 AM - 11:05 AM (15 mins)

Exhibition hall theatre

Jake McInteer
Staff Solutions Architect, MongoDB
Suneetha Bodduluri
Chief Technology Officer, Service NSW

Service NSW has undergone a remarkable transformation to modernise its digital platforms and deliver faster, more secure, and citizen-focused services. In this session, discover how Service NSW partnered with MongoDB to embrace cloud technologies, simplify legacy systems, and build a foundation for innovation across government. Hear directly from the leaders driving this change as they share insights, challenges, and lessons from their modernisation journey — and how it’s setting the stage for a more connected, future-ready NSW.

11:10AM
Tech Talk

Reaching the Unreachable: How AI and ServiceNow Are Powering Digital Inclusion in NSW

11:10 AM - 11:25 AM (15 mins)

Exhibition hall theatre

Simon Mackey
Director of New Business, Novabridge
Herman Taljaard
Director of Solution Consulting, Novabridge
Claire Kirby
Manager Project Management Office, Novabridge

Developed from a recent Agentic AI ServiceNow challenge set by the NSW Telco Authority, our ResQNow solution demonstrates how AI can close the digital divide and extend government services to disconnected and disadvantaged communities. Discover how inclusion-by-design and Agentic AI can make NSW’s digital future more accessible, connected, and resilient.

11:40AM
Panel Discussion

Interstate Panel: Accelerating Digital and Data Capabilities Across Australia - 2026 Priorities for Advancement’.

11:40 AM - 12:10 PM (30 mins)

Winx Pavilion

Laura Christie
Deputy Secretary, Digital NSW, NSW Department of Customer Service
Lee Hickin
Executive Director, National AI Centre
Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Strategy, Policy and Performance, Digital Transformation Agency
12:10PM

National threat briefing: Digital security for maximum impact

12:10 PM - 12:30 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion

Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness CSC
National Cyber Security Coordinator, Department of Home Affairs
12:30PM

The Agentic Government: Re-Imagining an Inclusive Future for Public Service

12:30 PM - 12:50 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion

Louise Sauvage
National Coach, Wheelchair Track and Road, NSW Institute of Sport
Gisele Kapterian
Senior Director, Public Sector Go To Market, Salesforce
Pieter Haenebalcke
Lead, Account SE, Salesforce

The future of government isn't coming. It’s here. See how the Public Sector is rewriting the possibilities, where service is instant, staff aren't buried in admin, and innovation moves at mission speed.

In this session, we will explore how entering the era of Digital Labor, where technology isn't just a tool, but an empowering partner, can improve productivity, increase efficiency, and enhance service delivery. Crucially, we will focus on how this shift to agentic government is being leveraged to build a fundamentally more accessible and inclusive digital future for all citizens of NSW, ensuring that advanced technology serves everyone, regardless of ability.

12:50PM
Keynote

Practical next steps to delivering on 2026 priorities

12:50 PM - 1:10 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion

Laura Christie
Deputy Secretary, Digital NSW, NSW Department of Customer Service
1:10PM

International keynote: Striking the balance between risk and tech innovation

1:10 PM - 1:30 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion

David Shanks
Deputy Commissioner, Enterprise and Integrity Services, Inland Revenue NZ

  • Seizing the opportunities presented by AI and avoiding common pitfalls
  • Wrestling with outdated regulatory regimes in the face of emerging tech 
  • Navigating tech and social media
1:30PM

Lunch, networking and exhibition

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (60 mins)

Exhibition Hall

2:30PM

Choose one · 2:30 PM - 2:40 PM (10 mins) · 4 options

2:30PM
Accessibility

Opening remarks from Accessibility chair

2:30 PM - 2:40 PM (10 mins)

Winx Gallery South

Justin Boreland
Senior Client Executive, LAB³
2:30PM
AI

Opening remarks from AI chair

2:30 PM - 2:40 PM (10 mins)

Winx Pavilion North

Greg Phillips
Head of Digital Solutions & Innovation, Vocus
2:30PM
Trust

Opening remarks from Trust chair

2:30 PM - 2:40 PM (10 mins)

Winx Gallery North

George Dragatsis
ANZ Senior Director Solutions Engineering, NetApp
2:30PM
Future Ready Government

Opening remarks from Future Ready Government chair

2:30 PM - 2:40 PM (10 mins)

Winx Pavilion South

Eve Johnson
Head of Public Sector Business Development, EY
2:40PM

Choose one · 2:40 PM - 3:00 PM (20 mins) · 4 options

2:40PM
Keynote Accessibility

Addressing the digital divide for a digitally inclusive future: Making digital services accessible, inclusive and connected for everyone in NSW

2:40 PM - 3:00 PM (20 mins)

Winx Gallery South

Managing Director, NSW Telco Authority
  • NSW Telco Authority's role as the state’s connectivity leader
  • Why NSW needs a Digital Inclusion Strategy
  • Strategic pillars of the strategy
  • Collaboration as a core enabler
2:40PM
Panel Discussion AI

Advancing AI Capability within NSW

2:40 PM - 3:00 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion North

Dan Roelink
Director, Office for AI, Digital.NSW, NSW Department of Customer Service
Bill Simpson-Young
Chief Executive Officer, Gradient Institute
2:40PM
Panel Discussion Trust

Enhancing privacy, security and trust in NSW through core platforms

2:40 PM - 3:00 PM (20 mins)

Winx Gallery North

Reece Clementi
Executive Director, Government Technology Platforms, Department of Customer Service
Anthony Byrne
Director, Platform Enablement, Government Technology Platforms, NSW Department of Customer Service
Lucy Kelman
Senior Manager, Privacy, Government Technology Platforms, NSW Department of Customer Service
2:40PM
Keynote Future Ready Government

Shared Services as a strategic enabler: Creating productivity and unlocking efficiency

2:40 PM - 3:00 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion South

Catherine D'Elia
Deputy Secretary, Government Shared Services, NSW Department of Customer Service
  • From consolidation to connection: The evolution of Shared Services from efficiency-focused operations to a capability driven model of collaboration and connection.
  • Efficiency reimagined: How digital platforms and automation are redefining productivity, performance, and policy making across government.
  • Challenges and complexities: Tackling standardisation, limitations, and the role of partnerships and people in building a sustainable legacy.
  • Future ready: Shared Services technology as a strategic enabler, powering agility, insight, and innovation across a better-connected public sector that learns, adapts, and delivers more with purpose.
3:00PM

Choose one · 3:00 PM - 3:20 PM (20 mins) · 4 options

3:00PM
Accessibility

Inclusive Design in the Era of AI

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM (20 mins)

Winx Gallery South

Veli-Matti Vanamo
Chief Technology Officer APAC, Insight
Monique Alvis
AI Design Lab Lead, Microsoft

Discover how AI is transforming accessibility for everyone. Join Veli-Matti Vanamo (APAC CTO, Insight) and Monique Alvis (AI Design Lab Lead, Microsoft) as they explore the power of inclusive design, share real-world examples from Australia and beyond, and highlight how generative AI is breaking down barriers for people with disabilities. Learn why accessible AI is responsible AI, and how AI is making digital experiences more personal, adaptable, and inclusive - at scale. Whether you’re in government, tech, or community services, this session will inspire you to build for everyone—because inclusion benefits us all.

3:00PM
AI

Reimagining Work: How AI is Empowering NSW’s Public Sector Workforce

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion North

Sarah Carney
National Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft
Paul Doherty
Chief Technology Officer, NSW Premier's Department
James Ribarovski
Director Program Office, Information Technology and Asset Services, NSW Treasury

As AI reshapes the way we work, the NSW Government stands at the forefront of a new era, one where human capability and technology come together to deliver smarter, more responsive citizen services.

In this fireside chat, hear from Paul Doherty, CTO, Premier’s Department NSW, James Ribarovski, Director Program Office, Information Technology and Asset Services, NSW Treasury and Sarah Carney, National CTO, Microsoft as they discuss how AI is reducing administrative burden, enabling collaboration, and helping employees grow their skills for the future.

Learn how trust, transparency, and responsible innovation are driving the next chapter of public service.

3:00PM
Trust

Building Citizen Trust: Secure AI Innovation for Government in a Digital Era

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM (20 mins)

Winx Gallery North

Chris Pickett
Senior Director Information Management and Enterprise Security Lead, APAC, Oracle

Citizen confidence in government hinges on trust. As digital transformation accelerates and AI becomes integral to service delivery, maintaining this trust is more critical than ever.

In this session, Oracle will explore the essential role of trust and security as an enabler in the delivery of AI-based government services for the people of NSW. Using Oracle Cloud and related AI technologies, we will discuss the use of security frameworks and privacy-by-design principles to underpin citizen trust in digital public services. Learn how Oracle partners with government to safeguard sensitive data, ensure compliance, and proactively manage risks—even as technology and citizen expectations evolve.

3:00PM
Future Ready Government

Agentic AI for Public Trust: Blueprinting Responsible Automation in Regulated Government Services

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion South

Laxmi Narayana Piska
Digital Impact Consulting Leader - Cloud & Next-Gen Engineering, HCL Tech

NSW is moving beyond “digitising services” to designing services that act on behalf of people and public servants. This session introduces responsible agentic design — autonomous, auditable AI agents that can act as trusted co-workers for frontline staff and as citizen proxies — and explains how to build them so they preserve privacy, explainability and human oversight while delivering measurable productivity and better citizen outcomes. This perspective goes beyond general “AI readiness” to a next-gen, operational blueprint for government services.

3:20PM

Choose one · 3:20 PM - 3:40 PM (20 mins) · 4 options

3:20PM
Fireside Chat Accessibility

Advancing accessibility across NSW public service – strategic priorities for 2026

3:20 PM - 3:40 PM (20 mins)

Winx Gallery South

Greg Alchin
Accessibility and Inclusion Lead, Service NSW
Rania Wannous
Executive Director, Customer and Emergency Management, NSW Telco Authority
Kathryn Tidd
Manager, People Experience and Information, NSW Department of Customer Service
3:20PM
Fireside Chat AI

AI accelerated. Next steps for driving enhanced productivity and government services

3:20 PM - 3:40 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion North

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Strategy, Policy and Performance, Digital Transformation Agency
Dan Roelink
Director, Office for AI, Digital.NSW, NSW Department of Customer Service
3:20PM
Fireside Chat Trust

Enhancing security and resilience across NSW public service for reliability and stability

3:20 PM - 3:40 PM (20 mins)

Winx Gallery North

Marie Patane
NSW Chief Cyber Security Officer & Executive Director Cyber Security NSW, NSW Department of Customer Service
Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness CSC
National Cyber Security Coordinator, Department of Home Affairs
3:20PM
Future Ready Government

Building a future-ready workforce & reskilling for the AI era: Developing digital skills for resilience, innovation, and impact

3:20 PM - 3:40 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion South

Elise Comans
Executive Director, Education Enablement, TAFE NSW
Jane Artup
Manager, NSW Digital Compact, NSW Department of Education
3:40PM

Choose one · 3:40 PM - 4:00 PM (20 mins) · 4 options

3:40PM
Accessibility

Inclusive Concepts - where innovation meets inclusivity

3:40 PM - 4:00 PM (20 mins)

Winx Gallery South

David Sutton
Sustainability Solutions Lead - AP, Lenovo Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd

What if the devices your department buys were genuinely designed for everyone from day one – including staff with vision, hearing, mobility or cognitive differences? In this session, David Sutton from Lenovo will show how “Smarter Technology for All” becomes real through concrete accessibility features in ThinkPad and other Lenovo devices, not just policy statements. You’ll hear how Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office works with people with disabilities and inclusive design experts to vet up to 75% of products for inclusion by 2025, and why the company is repeatedly recognised as a best place to work for disability inclusion.

From tactile keyboard cues and clearly distinguished power buttons to one-handed hinges, larger adaptive touchpads and assistive-tech-ready PCs, David will unpack practical ideas you can take straight into procurement, policy and workplace design conversations. If digital inclusion, accessibility standards and better user experience matter to you, this is the talk to catch.

3:40PM
AI

From Agents to Outcomes: Safely Accelerating AI in Government

3:40 PM - 4:00 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion North

Richard Davies
Director, Strategic Customers, OutSystems

As AI and agentic technologies move from experimentation to implementation, the challenge for government is no longer if—but how—to bring them into production safely, securely, and at scale. In this presentation, Richard Davies explores the practical journey of deploying both Ai-built and AI-enabled applications within a trusted platform built for government innovation.

Building your first agent is easy — getting it into production is hard. Richard will demystify the path between proof-of-concept and production, exploring what it really takes to turn an idea into a secure, scalable, and human-centred service. He’ll then show how aligning with the NSW AI Assessment Framework isn’t just about compliance — it’s a way to accelerate value by managing privacy and context risks to unlock progressively richer, safer use cases.

Finally, the session looks at the common challenges of “vibe coding” — from security and integration gaps to inconsistent user experiences — and why these approaches often fall short in government environments. Richard will show how OutSystems has addressed these issues through its Mentor capability, combining ease of use with enterprise-grade governance. The presentation wraps up with an open challenge: come ready with an idea for an app (agentic or otherwise) and see how it could be brought to life after the session using OutSystems’ secure, production-ready platform in just minutes.

3:40PM
Trust

Trusted AI for Government: Delivering Sovereign Outcomes for Australia

3:40 PM - 4:00 PM (20 mins)

Winx Gallery North

Daniel Corney
Senior Business Development Manager for Artificial Intelligence, ANZ, Dell Technologies Australia & New Zealand

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming how services are delivered across Australia’s public and private sectors.

In this session, Daniel Corney - Senior Business Development Manager for Artificial Intelligence for Dell Technologies Australia & New Zealand, will examine how government agencies can harness AI to achieve sovereign outcomes at scale, while safeguarding public trust.

Discover effective approaches for incorporating transparency, accountability, explainability, robust data security, privacy protection, and bias mitigation into your AI strategy.

Whether you're shaping national policy, managing infrastructure, or leading digital transformation, gain actionable insights to responsibly unlock AI’s potential for Australia through trusted, sovereign solutions.

3:40PM
Future Ready Government

Data Security as the Foundation of Future-Ready Government

3:40 PM - 4:00 PM (20 mins)

Winx Pavilion South

Briant Kareroa
General Manager of Sales, AC3
  • Beyond compliance - move from simply storing data onshore, to actively governing, securing, and enhancing its value across agencies.
  • Innovate with confidence - discussing how sovereign frameworks enable responsible use of AI, analytics, and automation in providing citizen services.
  • Future-proofed platforms - embedding sovereignty as a design principle to ensure agility and resilience as technology and policies evolve.
4:00PM

Choose one · 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM (30 mins) · 4 options

4:00PM
Keynote Panel Accessibility

Panel: Designing services to align with diverse customer needs: Harnessing collaboration, co-design and HCD for a more personalised, accessible NSW Public service

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM (30 mins)

Winx Gallery South

Kristin Bamford
Director, Group Agency Platforms, Department of Customer Service
Thomas Shannahan
Managing Consultant, Logicalis
Karen Ko
Chief Digital Officer, Revenue NSW
4:00PM
Keynote Panel AI

Panel: The AI-Powered Tech Leader: Turning innovation into productivity gains

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM (30 mins)

Winx Pavilion North

Richard Taggart
Chief Executive of eHealth NSW and CIO, NSW Health
Nerida Mooney
Executive Director, Digital and Customer, NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
Guy Danskine
Managing Director, Equinix Australia
4:00PM
Keynote Panel Trust

Panel: Digital identity and the trust imperative: Balancing security, privacy, and access for a secure digital future

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM (30 mins)

Winx Gallery North

Lenka Lassak
Executive Director, Identity NSW, NSW Department of Customer Service
Christina Igasto
Chief Digital Officer, Service NSW
Duncan Anderson
Assistant Secretary, Digital ID Legislation and Rules Branch, Department of Finance
James Darwin
Principal Solutions Engineer, Okta
4:00PM
Future Ready Government

Panel: Fostering a prosperous start-up ecosystem and innovation hub In NSW: Unlocking opportunities through partnerships, community, business, industry and academia

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM (30 mins)

Winx Pavilion South

Mark Lenzner
Executive Director, ICT / Digital Sourcing, Digital NSW, NSW Department of Customer Service
Kate Pounder
Board Member, Tech Policy Design Institute
Jaclyn Aldenhoven
A/Executive Director, Fostering Innovation, Investment NSW
Dheeraj Chowdhury
Associate Vice President Public Sector, Infosys
Cameron J Reid Moderator
Partner – Government Incentives, EY
4:30PM

Choose one · 4:30 PM - 4:40 PM (10 mins) · 4 options

4:30PM
Accessibility

Closing remarks from Accessibility chair

4:30 PM - 4:40 PM (10 mins)

Winx Gallery South

Justin Boreland
Senior Client Executive, LAB³
4:30PM
AI

Closing remarks from AI chair

4:30 PM - 4:40 PM (10 mins)

Winx Pavilion North

Greg Phillips
Head of Digital Solutions & Innovation, Vocus
4:30PM
Trust

Closing remarks from Trust Chair

4:30 PM - 4:40 PM (10 mins)

Winx Gallery North

George Dragatsis
ANZ Senior Director Solutions Engineering, NetApp
4:30PM
Future Ready Government

Closing remarks from Future Ready Government Chair

4:30 PM - 4:40 PM (10 mins)

Winx Pavilion South

Eve Johnson
Head of Public Sector Business Development, EY
4:40PM

Networking Reception

4:40 PM - 5:40 PM (60 mins)

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