Safeguarding Australia Summit

Julie Sunday (BSc Hons [Integrated Science], Carleton University, 1996; MA [Geography], McMaster University, 1999; PhD [Political Anthropology], McMaster University’s Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition, 2005) joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2005. She has served at 2 of Canada’s central agencies—the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Privy Council Office—and was director general of Clean Technology Innovation at Natural Resources Canada. At Global Affairs Canada, she has served as director for science, technology and innovation; director general and adviser to the chief financial officer; director general, security and emergency management, and chief security officer; and director general for pandemic response, a role in which she led the department’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution campaign. Most recently, she served as assistant deputy minister for the Consular, Security and Emergency Management Branch and led Canada’s consular policy and operations; travel advice; and international emergency policy, operations and response. She also spearheaded efforts to advance the Canada-led Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations. Julie was named Canada’s first senior official for hostage affairs in October 2023 and has led diplomatic engagement to support the release of hostages abroad.

Mr Chris Crozier was recently appointed Chief Information Officer, leading the Defence Digital Group at Defence. Prior to joining Defence, Mr Crozier was the Group Chief Information Officer for Orica International, the world’s largest manufacturer and supplier of explosives for mining and civil construction. As the Group Chief Information Officer, Mr Crozier was accountable for global digital technology strategies and operations across a footprint of the organisation spanning 120 countries, covering Business (IT), Customer (IoT) and Manufacturing (OT) systems, including the governance of Orica’s digital ecosystems, architecture, data, and cyber posture. Prior to this, Mr Crozier held executive roles within Orica as Vice President of AusPac (60% of Orica’s global EBIT), Chief Digital Officer and Global Vice President Supply Chain; and BHP as Global Chief Information Officer and Global Chief Procurement Officer. As a 35-year veteran of the Mining and Resources Sector, having commenced his professional life with Rio Tinto as a Research Engineer, Mr Crozier has experienced the highs and lows of the commodity cycle. He has worked in Asia for more than 25 years, residing in Singapore for 18 years. Mr Crozier has a Chemical Engineering Degree (Honours First Class) and Master of Business Administration. In his spare time, Mr Crozier enjoys endurance sports, including cycling, running and swimming

Dr Paul Robards is the Chief Data Integration Officer (CDIO). He is responsible for the Defence Data Strategy and the OneDefence Data Platform, which will enable Defence to better govern, trust, share, discover and use data. He is also responsible for the Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre (DAIC), which will accelerate the adoption of AI in Defence, and ensure appropriate governance and assurance. Paul also manages the implementation of the Defence Business Integration Program to ensure the right capability investment and intended effects are realised across the Defence enterprise. Paul served for over 30 years in the Australian Army. He studied for his Civil Engineering degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy before undertaking postings to engineering units in Sydney, Brisbane and Papua New Guinea. After completing a Masters of Science in Management at the US Naval Postgraduate School in 2001, he worked in Army Headquarters and Defence People Group in roles such as strategic workforce planning, workforce analysis and people policy. After completing an operations analysis course and training with Defence Science and Technology, he deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012 as an operations analyst. Following his operational experience, he worked with NATO partners to develop joint doctrine to manage the risk of green-on-blue attacks. Paul transitioned to the Defence public service in 2019. As a member of the Defence Senior Executive Service, he has worked across a number roles in People Group where he was responsible for delivering HR and people services, the management of HR systems, and HR transformation. Paul was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2010 Queens' Birthday honours. In 2011, after several years of part-time research, he was conferred a Doctor of Philosophy in Information Science from the US Naval Postgraduate School.

Ky Blackman is the First Assistant Secretary / Deputy Coordinator of the Counter Foreign Interference Coordination Centre (CFICC) within the Department of Home Affairs. In this role, he coordinates efforts with government, industry, community and higher education stakeholders to lead Australian government policy responses to complex and diverse foreign interference threats. This collaborative approach is integrated with the operational efforts of the Counter Foreign Interference Task Force led by ASIO and the AFP.

An alumnus of Pembroke College, Oxford University, Ky’s Oxford University dissertation explored the effective use of intelligence and risk assessments in decision-making processes across both private and public sectors. He also holds degrees from King’s College London, The University of New South Wales, and The University of New England. Ky is also a graduate of the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship for Ethical Leadership at Cranlana/Monash University, as well as holding fellowships with the London Business School and Asia Pacific Security Studies Center.

Matthew (Matt) Warren is the Director of the RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation and a Professor of Cyber Security at RMIT University. He has held roles such as Deputy Director of University Research Centre, Head of School, Deputy Head of School, Program Leader for several programs during his tenure at Deakin University.

Matt is a researcher in the areas of Cyber Security and Computer Ethics. He has received numerous grants and awards from national and international funding bodies, such as: Australian Research Council (ARC); Engineering Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the United Kingdom; National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa.

Matt has taught in Australia, Finland, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.