Melbourne CISO Community
Executive Summit
10 November 2026 | Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne
10 November 2026
Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Melbourne's top CISOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CISOs today:
Lead Strategic Technology Alignment to Establish an AI Operating Model
Manage Costs Strategically to Maximize Business Value
Elevate Cybersecurity as a Core Driver of Business Value, Resilience and Growth
Melbourne CISO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CISOs, For CISOs®.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

Mark Burns
Bayside Health Alfred
CISO & Director, Cyber Security

John Ellis
QBE Insurance Group Ltd
Global Head of Security Trust & Influence
What to Expect
Agenda
08:30 - 09:00 Registration & Breakfast
09:00 - 09:45 Keynote
Simplification as Strategy — Reshaping Operating Models and Technology Estates
Mark Gay
Group Executive, Technology
Australian Unity
As organisations accelerate AI adoption, strengthen cyber resilience and modernise legacy environments, many are discovering that complexity itself has become the greatest barrier to transformation. The next generation of technology leaders will differentiate not by adding more technology, but by simplifying technology estates, streamlining operating models and creating the foundations for resilience, agility and sustainable growth.
Join this session with Mark Gay, Group Executive, Technology, Australia Unity he shares his vision on:
- Reduce complexity to accelerate transformation
- Redesign operating models for greater accountability and execution
- Simplify technology estates to strengthen resilience and scalability
09:45 - 10:15 Break
10:15 - 11:00 Breakout Session
AI Adoption Without Breaking the Bank — A Case Study on Balancing Risk and Outcomes
Hosted by Cloudflare
Volker Rath
Field CTO
Cloudflare
Matt Neubauer
Chief Information Officer
Morgans Financial
The use of AI for business-critical workflows is a reality across all industries, but highly regulated industries can't apply the same approach to AI adoption everywhere. Organisations often find it hard to develop a suitable position on risk appetite because moving fast while remaining secure and compliant is not always easy to achieve simultaneously.
This case study with Morgans Financial will examine:
- Establishing a risk-aware mindset for AI adoption
- Aligning AI investments to business outcomes
- Building foundational controls and safeguards for sustainable AI operations
10:15 - 11:00 Breakout Session
Explore Operationalising AI with Sierra AI
Join this session to explore one of the community's top priorities this year: operationalising AI. Gain insights into key challenges, emerging approaches, and practical applications to help you navigate what's next.
11:00 - 11:30 Networking Break
11:05 - 11:25 Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
11:30 - 12:15 Breakout Session
Explore Cyber Resilience and Recovery with Rubrik
Hosted by Rubrik
Niraj Naidu
Head of Sales Engineering & Regional CTO (ANZ)
Rubrik
Join this session to explore one of the community's top priorities this year: cyber resilience and recovery. Gain insights into key challenges, emerging approaches, and practical applications to help you navigate what's next.
11:30 - 12:15 Breakout Session
The Leadership Imperative for Security Talent and Skill Preservation
Hosted by Sophos
Aaron Bugal
Field CISO, APJ
Sophos Inc
Agentic AI is rapidly reshaping security operations, automating triage, investigation, and response at scale. As routine work shifts to machines, organizations risk losing critical skills, judgment, and institutional knowledge. CISOs must decide what to automate, what to preserve, and how to evolve roles and operating models—while leveraging AI to extend security expertise beyond traditional boundaries.
Join this session to hear about:
- How agentic AI is reshaping SOC roles, workflows, and career paths
- How to identify and preserve critical skills while redesigning roles for the next 1–2 years
- Practical approaches to balancing AI automation with human judgment and leadership at scale
11:30 - 12:15 Executive Boardroom
Data Exposure in the AI Era — Governance, Trust, and Cost
Hosted by Nuix
Alexis Rouch
CTO
Nuix
Venkata Valluri
General Manager, D&A
Aussie Broadband
Access is no longer the problem. Every AI tool can open a document or summarise an email. The problem is that access without governance produces outputs that are unreliable, indefensible, and dangerous in regulated environments. 80 to 90% of enterprise data is unstructured, yet only 26% of data leaders able to use it confidently. With regulators and boards demanding greater AI accountability, governance and chain of custody are becoming non-negotiable.
Join this interactive session to discuss:
- Closing the gap between AI accessing your data and producing defensible outcomes
- Why do governance and chain of custody matter more than access?
- Scaling AI across sensitive, unstructured data without creating regulatory exposure
Apply to Participate
Each application is carefully vetted to ensure members meet established criteria, preserving the quality of the network and enabling meaningful, peer‑level discussions among leaders from the world’s leading organizations.
Once you submit your application, a Community Program Manager will schedule a conversation to understand your priorities and interests and complete onboarding, including access to year‑round community events.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
Crown Conference Centre, MelbourneParking
Best car park would be the 'Multi-Deck Cark Park' - access via Haig Street and Kings Way.
Public Transport
Trams
Tram route 58 (Toorak to West Coburg) stops on Queens Bridge Street outside the Crown Towers main entrance.
Tram routes 96 (St Kilda to East Brunswick), 109 (Port Melbourne to Box Hill), 12 (St Kilda to Victoria Gardens) stop on Clarendon Street outside the Crown Casino Main Complex.
Trains
The Crown Conference Centre is a short walk from both Flinders Street and Southern Cross Stations.
Visit www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au for more information on trams and trains.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.
