Dr Steve Hodgkinson has spent over a decade in CIO roles leading digital innovation in health, human services, and policing in the Victorian public sector.

He will reflect on what he has learned from successes and challenges, what works and what doesn’t, and provide insights into evolving challenges and practical things that leaders need to do to have a positive and enduring impact.  

• The age of the 'cybernetic colleague' - Leveraging AI to increase capacity and free up staff for more strategic, human and value-add work
• Exploring change management strategies to support staff adoption and upskilling in AI-enabled environments
• AI governance and guardrails – ethical AI in a legal and justice context
• Capitalising on the efficiency of AI, while applying the right amount of human judgment and accountability

• Practical approaches for uplifting security operations that align with the Australian Signals Directorate’s Information Security Manual (ASD ISM) and support PROTECTED‑level requirements.
• How to build defensible, auditable, and automatable security operations that scale with digital transformation.
• Walk away with a clear roadmap to harden controls and sustain compliance without slowing innovation.

Everyone is racing to implement AI but few organisations have fully governed the information feeding it.

In this session, you’ll learn how to solve the critical operational jobs that make AI safe, scalable, and defensible. Discover how automation and AI can proactively detect information risk, surface privacy and PCI data. While strengthening governance across the information lifecycle without adding operational burden to your teams.

You’ll walk away with practical approaches to create higher-quality, trusted information that powers smarter AI, strengthens compliance, and delivers better public outcomes.

Because the real AI advantage doesn’t come from the tool, it comes from the information behind it.

• Designing and delivering seamless CX: Improving integrated transport services within Victoria Transport
• Virtual Health 2.0: Evolving digital patient-centred care and accessibility
• Next-Gen education: AI, personalised learning, and becoming a future ready education system
• The next frontier of capability within CX – what are the critical considerations, priorities and opportunities leading into 2026-2027
• Transforming Frontline Services in Human-Centred Ways - Assessing where AI tools have improved service quality and responsiveness
• How to maintain empathy, privacy, and equity in frontline service delivery

Sharon Hakkennes

Chief Digital Health Officer, Victorian Department of Health

Jess Nichol

Director, Customer Experience, Department of Transport and Planning

Karen Dermody

Director, Digital Design and Innovation, Department of Education

Madhu Pulasseri

Associate Vice President - Head of Business (Federal Government and Public Sector South), Infosys

• Building trust and transparency in AI: How can we embed responsible and transparent AI governance in public sector workflows?
• Respecting and protecting privacy rights - what needs to be done to ensure we retain public trust?
• The criticality of good data governance when it comes to realising the full potential of AI
• Adhering to guardrails, guidance and frameworks
• The importance of culture when it comes to AI values and ethics
• Balancing efficiency gains with the need for fairness, data privacy, and explainability in decision automation

Sean Morrison

Information Commissioner, Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner

Imka Seecharan

Chief Technology and Information Officer, City of Melbourne

Darshil Mehta

Principal, Data Governance and Capability, Australian Super

Veli Fikret

Senior Director – Data Management, Australian Taxation Office

Charlie Farah

Field CTO, Analytics/AI, Qlik

• Tangible use cases – unpacking AI journeys, successes and pitfalls to date
• Copilot is not your AI strategy: What should you be doing in parallel?
• AI skillsets in a government context – applying AI within broader policy and governance requirements
• Reframing staff relationships with AI for trust, accuracy and productivity – and keeping up with expectations
• Strategies for securing long-term value and cross-agency impact

Sam Khoury

Chief Information Officer, Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority

Syed Ahmed

Executive Director of Data and Analytics, Department of Transport and Planning

Amanda Ferguson

Director, AI Transformation and Strategic Partnerships, Court Services Victoria

Colin Gneil Moderator

Head of Sales - Government, LinkedIn

Agencies are eager to harness AI’s transformative power but often struggle with fragmented data and infrastructure that can’t keep pace. The race to achieve AI-driven results can feel like chasing a moving target.

This session will explore how the right AI foundation can unify your data, transform your network, and unleash intelligence—securely, sustainably, and at enterprise scale - to accelerate productivity and innovate effectively.

• Moving beyond experimentation - turning AI into a fully operational engine for measurable, repeatable performance.
• Building secure, hybrid and AI‑ready infrastructure that supports productivity across Victorian Government programs, with strong governance and data sovereignty controls
• Enabling responsible use of AI and data analytics by integrating AI workloads in a secure private cloud or hybrid environment
• Reducing operational complexity and enhancing IT agility

• How can we leapfrog the CX using the advancing technologies that we now have in our toolkit
• What emerging technology will get us the most gains?
• Regulation: could we leapfrog using generative AI, unstructured data, natural language processing?
• Are we using the full potential of the tools we currently have?
• What should the 10-20 year view of public service be, and what are the ways citizens are going to want to engage with government in 10 years?

• Getting IT ready for future business demands: What is the future we see from a technology point of view and what will IT platforms need to look like?
• Understanding the business goals and backtracking the IT strategy and requirements to be future ready
• How will IT need to change how it engages with business
• How to generate and position successful business cases to secure investment for IT requirements
• Supporting CX and accessibility: How can we work within the confines of legacy infrastructure to deliver on demands

• Future Workforce Readiness: Assessing workforce trends that are materialising, how are people starting to use AI, and what skills are required/missing
• Explore how AI is being used to augment—not replace—public servants, supporting smarter decisions and reducing burnout.
• Unpacking where AI tools have improved productivity by assisting, not automating, frontline roles
• Co-designing AI solutions with staff input to empower and improve trust, relevance, and uptake
• Upskilling for AI: Equipping public sector teams to work smarter – reducing fear and increasing engagement for AI-enabled workflows through targeted digital and data capability building
• Striking the right balance between automation, oversight, and workforce confidence

• Where can automation and AI bring the most value in government service delivery?
• How do we balance efficiency gains with accountability and transparency?

• What skills and cultural shifts are required for government to truly become “digital-first”?
• How do we support and incentivize continuous learning in AI, data literacy, and digital service design?

• How do we maintain and grow citizen trust while expanding digital and AI use?
• What transparency, consent, and data usage principles are needed?

• How do we move beyond successful proofs-of-concept to enterprise-level adoption?
• What enablers (people, process, tech) are needed to sustain innovation at scale?

• How should we design digital foundations that are resilient, modular, and adaptable?
• What’s the roadmap to retiring legacy systems without disrupting critical services?

• How can digital twins enhance planning and delivery across transport, environment, and infrastructure?
• What governance, data quality, and ethical issues arise?

• The 2026-2028 requirements for an accessible public service – how do we ensure that digital transformation doesn’t leave vulnerable communities behind?
• Putting the citizen first: codesign and HCD to identify problems that really need solving and deliver more inclusive digital services

• How do we translate high-level data ethics into day-to-day decisions?
• What are effective models for ethical review of AI and data projects?

• How can we design digital tools that genuinely support — not hinder — frontline service workers?
• What feedback loops are needed to ensure continuous improvement from those on the ground?

• Where do most compliance breakdowns occur: governance, automation, user adoption, or oversight? 
• How can you empower business users (not just IT) to "do the right thing" with content governance without slowing them down? 
• Microsoft 365 has built-in compliance tools, but many organisations still struggle. What's missing in most deployments?