Speakers:

Session: Highlighting The Advantages Of Blockchain As A Traditional Business Disruptor

Nick Abrahams is a corporate technology lawyer based in Sydney. Nick is our Global Head of Technology and Innovation. Nick won the 2020 Financial Times Asia Pacific Legal Innovator of the Year Award.

Nick has deep commercial/innovation expertise and global networks in the technology space. He uses this knowledge to add value to client projects beyond the merely legal.

His experience in the technology & innovation field was gained from hands-on industry experience with major law firms in Australia and Tokyo and with organisations such as the ASX-listed Spike Networks Limited in Los Angeles where he was a Chief Operating Officer in the group and with Warner Brothers also in Los Angeles.

For many years he has been named as a "Recommended Lawyer" in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications category in PLC Which Lawyer publication, has been named as a "Leading TMT Lawyer" in Asia Pacific Legal 500 and as one of Australia's best lawyers in Best Lawyers publication. Nick writes regularly on technology and future trends for The Australian Financial Review. He is the author of the Kindle Best Selling books Digital Disruption in Australia and Big Data, Big Responsibilities: A guide to privacy and data security for Australian business.

You can hear Nick's views on technology trends and the future on the Smart Dust podcast.

Session: Bitcoin: Is It Really Worth Its Weight In Gold

Henrik has 20 years experience in global financial markets, with almost a decade on Wall Street. Henrik is CIO of Apollo Capital, Australia's learning crypto asset investment firm. He has extensive experience across four continents as a quantitative analyst, senior research analyst, in institutional equity sales and most recently as a crypto fund manager. Henrik has been involved in the crypto asset industry for 7 years, and is the co-founder of Bitcoin Exchange Pty Ltd, mStable and dHEDGE. Henrik holds a Master of Science in Engineering Physics from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and a Master of Science in Business Administration and Economics from Stockholm University and is a CFA charterholder.

Session: Highlighting Critical Blockchain Infrastructure Vulnerabilities And What You Can Do About Them

Dr Zubair Baig is a Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security at the School of Information Technology, Deakin University. He is the Co-Director of the Security and Privacy in IoT Research Lab, and Theme Leader, Cyber Security for the IoT and Critical Infrastructures (Strategic Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation) in addition to being the Director, Post Graduate Courses in Cyber Security. He completed his PhD in Computer Science from Monash University in 2008, Master of Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia. He has authored/co-authored over 95 journal articles, conference papers and book chapters, as well as 5 white papers (h-index of 24, over 1500 citations). He is also an inventor of 2 Cyber Security Technologies patented by the USPTO. Zubair has served on numerous technical program committees of international conferences and has delivered over 18 keynotes on cyber security. His research interests are on critical infrastructure and cyber-physical systems security, machine learning algorithms for cyber security, network security and combinatorial optimisation. He has successfully led research projects on honeypots for cyber deception, denial of service attack modelling based on nature-inspired computing, critical infrastructure security for the Australian ICT infrastructures, and has participated as a co-investigator on numerous projects including; Economic Denial of Sustainability attacks for cloud computing, Blockchains for provenance of the Vietnamese Livestock Industry (UN funded project through Data61/CSIRO), Open banking planning and design for financial institutions and Authentication and Authorisation for eHealth Models (AU-EU project). He is a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)

Session: Panel Discussion: Examining How Australian Industry Can Capitalise On New Emerging Blockchain Technology

Tim Bos is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ShareRing. But he doesn’t stop there. He’s also a serial entrepreneur and blockchain innovator with over 19 years of experience working with technology start-ups and industry giants.

Tim’s tech passion accelerated at the age of 13 when he began programming and by 1993 he built his first game. Following this, he founded several successful start-ups which were later acquired by larger companies.

In 2004, Tim established his first start-up, BioWatch Australia, a software framework for tracking valuable assets around the globe. Then in 2013, he co-founded Keaz, a world-leading platform for sharing vehicles and assets globally.

Most recently, Tim co-founded ShareRing, a blockchain-based company aimed to transform the fragmented sharing economy by improving collaboration and information sharing worldwide. The company uses a proprietary self-sovereign ID model ensuring data integrity and privacy is protected and controlled by individuals. As CEO, Tim is leading ShareRing toward global success and phenomenal growth.

Session: Policing The Blockchain – A Regulatory Perspective

Andrew Bragg is a Liberal Senator for New South Wales.

Prior to his election to Federal Parliament in 2019, Andrew was an author and accountant. Andrew started his career as an accountant at Ernst & Young and went on to work in senior roles at the Financial Services Council and the Business Council of Australia.

His 2017 short book Fit for Service (Connor Court) offers a framework for 21st century trade policy for Australia.

Andrew was the National Director of the 2017 Liberals & Nationals for Yes campaign in support of same sex marriage which delivered Yes majorities in 71 of 76 Coalition seats.

Following Andrew’s election to the Senate, he was elected Chair of the Senate Select Committee into FinTech and RegTech and is a member of the Senate Economics Committee and Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services.

In June 2020, Andrew launched his latest book, Bad Egg: How To Fix Super.

Andrew was educated at the Australian National University (ANU) where he studied international relations and accounting.

Session: The Future Of Blockchain And What This Means For Australian Businesses

Samuel Brooks is an expert in DLT / blockchain.

He has designed and developed numerous decentralised software solutions for startups, enterprise, government and DeFi since 2015, and holds several positions on blockchain industry boards and committees, including for Australian Standards and the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

Samuel also regularly contributes to blockchain and fintech-related Australian public discourse, including with submissions to Treasury and to the Senate, co-authoring publications with the ACS and CSIRO, and regular articles on the nature and benefits of distributed ledger technology.

Samuel holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from UNSW, and always likes to stay close to the code and the latest blockchain and cryptography research.

Session: Panel Discussion: The Future Of Cryptocurrencies And The Challenges Facing The Industry As It Matures

Simon is Head of OTC Markets and APAC Lead at Celsius. Celsius is a decentralised finance company with over 700,000 registered users and US$21 billion in assets on the platform. Celsius is the world's leading provider of defi yield to retail customers. Simon previously worked at the Australian Trade & Investment Commission, where he led fintech and blockchain engagement at the New York Consulate, including the Australian Blockchain Mission to Consensus 2019. Prior to this, he spent 5 years working for global IT services firms across Australia and the US, and led engagements in Asia, Europe, and LATAM, within the banking and financial services sector. His technical background is in spatial technologies. Simon holds an MBA from AGSM and a Master of Science from Carnegie Mellon. He is a Certified Technologist, a Chartered Scientist, and a Chartered IT Professional. Simon is a Fellow of both the British Computer Society and the Royal Geographical Society.

Session: Day 1: Opening Remarks From The Chair

Session: Panel Discussion: Unpacking The Future Of Blockchain Development In Australia

Session: Day 2: Opening Remarks From The Chair

Session: Panel Discussion: Examining How Australian Industry Can Capitalise On New Emerging Blockchain Technology

Lindy Chen has 20 years’ experience in international trade. She is the founder of ChinaDirect Sourcing– a leading sourcing company in Australia. Since its establishment in 2005, it has been in the leading position in the Australian import and export service industry. It is the only global service partner of Alibaba in Australia. She is also the author of the best-selling book “How to Import from China”.

Lindy Chen is the founder of FRETHAN Technology – a tech start-up, the trusted international trade supplier management and certificate storage platform based on blockchain technology.

Lindy Chen is the advisor of ContraCoin – an International Real Estate Platform empowered by blockchain technology.

Lindy Chen is the founding president of Australia Blockchain Alliance (ABA).

Lindy is also a mentor for SME for QLD government and she has mentored more than 800 entrepreneurs.

Lindy is also the regional chair of FIBREE - Foundation for International Blockchain and Real Estate Expertise, Fibree is the leading international network of Blockchain and Real Estate Experts.

Lindy is the lecturer of Advanced Diploma of Applied Blockchain for blockchain collective and National Institute of Education and Technology, Lindy is a key contributor of the course content creation.

Session: Cross Chain Interoperability And What This Means For Digital Assets

Michael has extensive experience and success in bringing revolutionary technology to the Gold, collectables, and financial industries. Beginning his career at age 18 when he launched an Australian jewellery and precious metals company that led to the founding of Imperial Group in 2017. In his role, he negotiated the absorption of several competitors, directed business strategy for the Melbourne Mint and secured the contract to be Australia’s only official representative for PCGS the world's largest numismatic and bullion certifier. Since 2018 he has launched a variety of businesses including Meld Gold, a blockchain based digital bullion platform, Meld Ventures, a fund focused on new technologies, and Algomint, a blockchain bridging platform for digital assets with a focus on future interoperability.

Session: Panel Discussion: The Future Of Cryptocurrencies And The Challenges Facing The Industry As It Matures

Lucas has a background in Mathematics from QUT and has been a professional software developer for over 15 years, experienced in a wide range of programming languages and industries including banking. In March 2013 he started the Brisbane Bitcoin and Blockchain meetups with nearly 2000 members. He has worked on a number of large blockchain projects including "Project Ubin" with the Singapore Monetary Authority and "Project i2i" with the Union Bank.

Session: Examining The Increased Risks Quantum Computing Poses To Blockchain Security

Dr. Muhammed Esgin is a post-doctoral researcher at Monash University and CSIRO's Data61, Australia. He received his PhD degree at Monash University in 2020 along with the prestigious Vice-Chancellor’s Commendation for Thesis Excellence Award. His research focuses on quantum-safe cryptography that aims to develop cryptographic tools resistant to powerful quantum computers. He is particularly interested in quantum-safe zero-knowledge proof systems and their real-life applications such as blockchain protocols and other privacy-preserving protocols.

Session: Case Study: Creating And Managing Non-Fungible Assets In Gaming

Lachlan Feeney is the Founder and CEO of Labrys – Australia’s leading provider of blockchain development and consulting services.

Lachlan founded Labrys out of his bedroom at the age of 19 after dropping out of his Information Technology degree at QUT. He was an early adopter of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology and immediately realised the potential to build a better, more democratised future, with the technology.

Now operating out a 2-story office in Spring Hill, Lachlan has built one of Australia’s largest blockchain development agencies and has secured some of Australia’s largest blockchain projects to date. Labrys has worked with ASX listed Downer EDI, The Government of the Solomon Islands and global blockchain platform NEM Group, among others.

Lachlan is on a mission to turn Labrys into a global blockchain-consulting authority as the technology moves further into the mainstream.

Prior to starting Labrys, Lachlan has worked as a developer at fellow blockchain agency; Civic Ledger and as a cryptocurrency researcher at the Student Trading and Investment Association.

Lachlan is also a co-author of The Handbook of Board Governance (2nd Edition).

Session: Highlighting The Challenges And Advantages Of Smart Contracts Over Traditional Contracts

Lisa is a corporate partner specialising in technology, media, telecommunications, IP, data and privacy. She assists clients in commercial transactions and advisory matters including M&A, technology, cyber security, data and privacy, procurement, business process outsourcing, cloud services, telecommunications regulation, digital media, data governance, IP commercialisation and corporate governance.

Session: Panel Discussion: The Future Of Cryptocurrencies And The Challenges Facing The Industry As It Matures

Evan is Principal Specialist, Policy, at AUSTRAC, with responsibility for developing and implementing reforms to Australia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act. In this role, Evan has represented Australia on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Virtual Assets Contact Group since 2019.

Evan has been involved in the two most recent FATF mutual evaluations of Australia, in 2005 and 2015, and has served as the legal expert in the 2021 FATF mutual evaluation of New Zealand and the 2006 FATF mutual evaluation of Samoa.

He has previously worked in Australia’s sanctions regulator within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Before joining DFAT, Evan worked at the Attorney-General’s Department as part of the team that the developed Australia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006.

Session: Decentralised Finance – Disrupting The Banking System One Platform At A Time

Dom Gluchowski is the Chief Marketing Officer at CoinJar, Australia’s longest-running bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange. With more than 20 years of experience leading high-performance marketing teams, Dom is responsible for developing and executing CoinJar’s brand identity and marketing strategy. Alongside his team, Dom refines the CoinJar user journey, with the long-term goal of sustainably scaling CoinJar’s user-base, and contributing to the company’s ability to attract users, employees and shareholders.

Dom is passionate about the fast-growing blockchain industry and its potential to have a positive impact on the world.

Session: Reviewing Fintech Initiatives Impacting The Blockchain Ecosystem In Australia

Jane Hume is a Liberal Party Senator from Victoria, having been elected in July 2016. 

Born and raised in Melbourne, Senator Hume completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne and later returned to gain further qualifications in Political Science. Senator Hume has held various senior positions in the financial services industry, working for the National Australia Bank, Rothschild Australia, Deutsche Bank and, immediately prior to her election, as a Senior Policy Advisor at Australian Super. She has also served on a number of boards including the Royal Children’s Hospital, Federation Square, and Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia. 

Upon entering the Senate, she was immediately appointed Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Economics (Legislation). Outside of her career pursuits, Senator Hume enjoys swimming, reading, and most of all, spending time with her three children, Harry, Charlie, and Imogen.

Following the Coalition election victory in May, Senator Hume was made Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology.

Session: Panel Discussion: Unpacking The Future Of Blockchain Development In Australia

Recognised by the Australian Financial Review as one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence Sharon Hunneybell has a passion for technology, innovation, collaboration and is a champion for youth participation in startups and technology.

Sharon has held senior roles in a number of fast-growing Australian firms including multi award winning software company, Opmantek. She has been an active startup community builder, co-creating and facilitating dozens of programs and initiatives to support digital business creation and growth. These include Startup Apprentice, Australia’s first high school startup accelerator program and the Mayors Telstra Technology Awards.

In 2017, Sharon co-founded the Gold Coast Innovation Hub, a non-profit organisation that has received Federal, State and Local government support to deliver a citywide innovation strategy to support entrepreneurs and new business growth on the Gold Coast.

Session: Panel Discussion: Unpacking The Future Of Blockchain Development In Australia

Session: Panel Discussion: Examining How Australian Industry Can Capitalise On New Emerging Blockchain Technology

Based in Melbourne, Rory joined Brave New Coin in 2016, as Head of Business Development, having previously held senior management and leadership roles with Thomson Reuters and Standard & Poor’s. He holds a Law Degree from the University of Leeds, and has undertaken post-graduate studies in management, business, capital markets, and Blockchain. Rory has been a Graduate member of the AICD since 2010 and has served on a number of boards and advisory boards in the private and not-for-profit sectors. He also publishes a blog, https://contentincontext.me/

Session: Panel Discussion: The Future Of Cryptocurrencies And The Challenges Facing The Industry As It Matures

Maximilian Marenbach is Kraken’ Head of Banking and Payments and Head of APAC Expansion. The job of his team is to make sure that Kraken’s customers have the most secure, most convenient and most attractive funding options. He has a background in banking as well as project management and has been with Kraken for over 3 years now.ls.  He holds a Grande Ecole Masters degree from EDHEC in France and is currently working on this doctoral thesis at Teeside University in the UK.

Session: Panel Discussion: The Future Of Cryptocurrencies And The Challenges Facing The Industry As It Matures

Ryan is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Zerocap. Starting his career as a self-taught software engineer he has spent the last 15 years in financial services, more recently specialising in digital assets. Ryan previously designed and delivered complex risk and pricing engines for top-tier insurance companies including IAG, Marsh and Willis, and wealth managers including Findex, Hyperion and Generation Life. First learning about blockchain in 2016 through DLT and smart contracts, Ryan's mission at Zerocap is now to bridge the worlds of blockchain with traditional finance. With experience working across BA, solution architecture, strategy and delivery, Ryan is a digital generalist who specialises in bridging the gap between business and technical teams.

Session: Panel Discussion: Breaking Down Compliance, Risk Management And Global Regulatory Outreach For Cryptocurrency

Richard joined Perpetual in 2007 as Director Sales and Relationship Management, and has been General Manager Sales & Relationship Management, Product & Strategy and Marketing since 2011.

Richard has more than 23 years’ experience in banking and financial services, with deep sector knowledge in debt capital markets and managed funds.

Prior to joining Perpetual, Richard was the Vice President, Head of Relationship Management at BNY Mellon’s Corporate Trust Division in Sydney and previously spent eight years at JP Morgan in London.

Richard is a Director of the Australian Digital Commerce Association.

Session: Unpacking The Business Obstacles To Adopting Blockchain Technology

Louise develops Everledger’s business and technology globally, focussed on creating great outcomes for our customers and our people. She drives strategy and delivery, and leads collaborations with the insurance industry to help address systemic challenges.

Louise held senior roles with Australia’s largest general insurers, Suncorp and IAG, designing and leading strategic innovation transformation. She has led strategic investments and M&A activity. She has also held directorship and strategic advisor roles with multiple not-for-profits and social enterprises, including her own business ventures.

Session: Understanding The Skills Mix Needed To Drive Blockchain Development

Joanne Moss is a non-executive director, chair of audit and risk committee, chair of technology and innovation committee, and member of remuneration and nominations committee in the tech space.

An accomplished industry representative, Joanne is a media trained corporate spokesperson, ASX100 roundtable facilitator, lecturer and international keynote speaker on innovation, emerging technology, deal strategy, stakeholder engagement, corporate governance and social responsibility.

Joanne was previously chief legal officer, chief corporate affairs officer and privacy officer within a Fortune 500 brand. Prior to that, she was a corporate/M&A advisor and disputes lawyer within a top-tier law firm.

Joanne has a deep understanding of the commercial drivers and pressure points of emerging tech-focused organisations to drive enterprise strategy around global commercialisation, scale up, partnerships, asset allocation and capital raising. Her prior experience in risk, governance, legal, compliance, privacy and stakeholder management allows her to ambitiously drive commercial objectives in a holistic, ethical and sustainable manner.

Session: Panel Discussion: Unpacking The Future Of Blockchain Development In Australia

Cindy Nicholson is an acknowledged thought leader, well known for her passion around digital identity and its place in Industry 4.0. She has been a pioneer for consumer centric identity verification since 2012, with a firm belief that consumers should be empowered with the ability to utilise their own verified attributes aligned to specific purposes.

At the helm of serendipID.com Cindy paves the way for organisations to create trust, relevance and deeply engaging relationships with their customers through their digital journey.

Cindy draws on her rare combination of experience across the business and technology ecosystems, expertise accumulated from a career that spans investment banking, management consulting, software vendor and telecommunications across the UK, USA, Japan, and Asia. An internationally recognised thought leader, she was an ‘Entrepreneur’ finalist of the ARN Women in ICT Awards in 2017.

As an ex-board member of Blockchain Australia she continues to support the National Blockchain Roadmap, within the Regtech Working Group and is a Fellow Member of Blockchain Australia.

Session: Unlocking The Future Of Digital Currency

Session: Panel Discussion: Unpacking The Future Of Blockchain Development In Australia

Session: Panel Discussion: Unpacking The Future Of Blockchain Development In Australia

Amanda Robinson is the Head of Social Innovation at Australian Red Cross and leads Humanitech; a think+do tank, which seeks to shape the future for all humanity by harnessing the power of technology for good and putting people and society at the centre.

Amanda has a keen interest in how frontier technologies might help to solve complex social problems ensuring an equitable and inclusive future for everyone.

Prior to Australian Red Cross Amanda has held a number of senior strategic roles developing and managing digital products and platforms for SEEK, Yahoo!, Lonely Planet and Sensis. Amanda is also on the Industry Advisory Board for the College of Business & Law at RMIT and Chair of the Trust Alliance Pilots & Programs Working Group.

Session: The New Battle Of The Banks: How Crypto Is Competing With Traditional Finance

Fred Schebesta is one of Australia's coolest and most successful entrepreneurs, founding global fintech Finder. An obsession for hyper success, Fred's passionate about disruptive innovation and inspiring the startup community through sharing his successes and learnings as a mentor, international speaker, media commentator and author. Fred is a futurist, an expert in cryptocurrency, and is leading the group's venture capital arm, Finder Ventures, which has built the most innovative money app in Australia – the Finder app. Fred's latest project, Schebesta Ventures, is a platform to help more startups develop their business ideas. Fred has a new book launching on August 10 called "Go Live! 10 Principles to Launch a Global Empire" and is proud to announce the Fred Schebesta Go Live! Initiative, where 30% of all profits from Schebesta Ventures will be invested in startups.

Session: International Keynote: Understanding What The Future Holds For Blockchain And Crypto Finance

Andrew Tang is the Managing Director of Draper Dragon Fund and a Partner at Draper Associates, where he invests in early-stage technology companies and assists with their business development, particularly international market entry strategy and partnerships. He also serves as CEO of Draper University, which is an entrepreneurship education program located in Silicon Valley. In his spare time, Andy teaches finance and fundraising classes to student entrepreneurs, and enjoys the adventure of life with his wife and two sons.

Session: Panel Discussion: The Future Of Cryptocurrencies And The Challenges Facing The Industry As It Matures

Richard Voice is the co-founder of Cryptospend, an Australian-based crypto business which is simplifying crypto payments and making cryptocurrencies easier to spend.

Voice is a homegrown entrepreneur who founded the company with co-founder Andrew Grech while studying IT and Business at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and has created a solution which bridges the gap between cryptocurrencies and traditional spending.

Voice, an industry leader in cryptocurrency and global innovations in the future of payments area, has recently released the CryptoSpend Card, a product which will allow the businesses ever-growing customer-base to spend their crypto at any point-of-sale that accepts card payments, including at cafes and restaurants, gas stations and the local grocer.

Voice strongly believes crypto can be used as a commodity not just a currency, and that is what he and the team at Cryptospend have set out to change!

Session: Panel Discussion: The Future Of Cryptocurrencies And The Challenges Facing The Industry As It Matures

Glenn joined Ledger in October 2018 and is responsible for overseeing Ledger’s enterprise businesses in Asia Pacific. Ledger Enterprise Solutions offer a SaaS based digital asset custody technology for financial institutions that require the highest level of cybersecurity as well as operational governance and compliance.

Glenn has an extensive career in the financial services and fintech, working for S&P Global Market intelligence as Head of North Asia based in Korea and Hong Kong for 9 years, and prior to that, at Shinhan Financial Group as a consultant in asset custody and funds administration.