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Simon Bryant
First Assistant Secretary, Broadband (Acting)
Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Kate McKenzie
Group Managing Director
Telstra Wholesale
Michael Simmons
Managing Director
TERRiA
Senator The Hon. Nick Minchin, MP
Shadow Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
The Liberal Party of Australia
Peter Bithos
CEO
Virgin Mobile
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"With the new Labor Government’s National Broadband Network (NBN) initiative, two additional nation-wide high-speed mobile networks and unified communications on the horizon, 2008 is poised to be a watershed year for Australian industry players."
Mevan Jayatilleke, Managing Director, Telsyte, April 7 2008
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Meet our speakers...
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Michael Ackland
Strategic Development Manager
Nextgen Networks
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Michael made the move into the Australian telecommunications industry in 1999 following 7 years with Singapore’s largest IT company Creative Labs.
After several years in the development of Voice over IP and early ULLS based DSL deployments, Michael spent 5 years developing Optic Fibre based telecommunications businesses within the electricity industry at Powercor-CitiPower, in what became Silk telecom.
Michael has worked at Nextgen Networks for 2 years, Australia‘s 3rd largest fibre network spanning from Brisbane to Perth, picking up the 5 major capital cities & numerous regional centres in between.
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Jason Ashton
Managing Director
BigAir
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Jason is a founder and the CEO of BigAir Group Limited. BigAir owns and operates Australia's largest metropolitan fixed WiMAX* broadband networks covering its three largest cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Previously Jason was a founder and the Managing Director of Magna Data, one of Australia's first ISP’s established in 1993. Magna Data was an industry leader in technical innovation in the pre-deregulation era - offering business-grade HDSL broadband services from early 1996.
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Kerry Barwise
Director
Centre for International Economics
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Kerry is an economist with some 24 years experience in providing advice to governments, business and the community. He is currently a Director of the Centre for International Economics. He started his career in public policy with the Treasury in Canberra where he spent much time preparing structural policy advice including corporatisation, privatisation, competition policy and regulation of government businesses.
Identifying the economic impact of technological change has been a key theme of Kerry’s professional contributions. He contributed many early studies about the economic impact of the internet, broadband, and wider use of e-commerce for clients including Ericsson, Microsoft, Cisco, Commonwealth and State governments. In addition to the value of having broadband, Kerry is increasingly involved in analysis of the value of the information being carried. Recent studies in this area include assessment of the contribution of digital content, the cultural and creative industries, and electronic payments.
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Kul Bhatia
Broadband Solutions Director
Kordia
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Kul Bhatia has overseen some of Australia’s most exciting broadband projects during his 9 years with Marconi/Ericsson as a General Manager of Business Area Broadband Networks. Kul left Ericsson and Joined Kordia in June 08.
Kul is now responsible for developing market competitive offerings and ensuring that customers are provided with network solutions and Engineering services which timely meet the customers´ needs, expectations and requirements.
Since assuming the position in 1999 with Marconi, Kul has provided technical expertise for a number of projects including the implementation and design of the world’s largest non-regenerated optical link (Amcom IP1 and now owned by Telstra) project and the roll-out of both TransACT and Western Power’s advanced broadband networks delivering IPTV services.
Prior to joining Marconi/Ericsson, Kul has had experience working with Optus from the very early days of company’s acquiring new Carrier’s licence to operate in this country. He was responsible for building the country wide Transmission and Data network on which the company has been able to successfully provide products and services to their customers.
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Bruce Billson, MP
Shadow Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Liberal Party of Australia
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Bruce Billson was first elected to the House of Representatives in March 1996 to represent the outer metropolitan, northern Mornington Peninsula seat of Dunkley, and has since been re-elected four times.
In January 2006, Bruce had the honour of being appointed Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence. He served in these roles until the 2007 Federal election and was then appointed Shadow Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
Bruce has long had an interest in telecommunications and media issues and actively served on the former government's backbench communications policy committee for several years. He made it clear from day one in his new shadow role that he would seek to examine communications issues through the prism of the consumer.
In relation to broadband he believes any large-scale project involving Government must be guided by thoughtful and sound public policy, as opposed to trying to build such a framework around a sound bite.
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Peter Bithos
CEO
Virgin Mobile
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As the CEO of Virgin Mobile Australia Peter's mission is to aggressively grow Virgin Mobile and Virgin Broadband into a customer focused, high growth and high return business while preserving and nurturing the amazing team and culture he now leads.
Prior to becoming CEO, he was responsible for Virgin Mobile Australia’s strategy, regulatory, web and telesales areas. He was also the executive sponsor responsible for Virgin Broadband’s development and launch.
Prior to joining Virgin Mobile, he was Director for Strategy and Corporate Development of SingTel Optus, leading Optus’ corporate strategy and Mergers & Acquisition areas. He was also previously the Director of Strategy for Optus’ Mobile Division. Prior to Optus, Peter was a senior manager focusing primarily on telecommunications and airlines at leading strategy consulting firm, Bain & Company. Peter spent nine years working across Bain’s Dallas, Sydney and Chicago offices.
Bithos said, “I am truly privileged to have the best job in Australian telecommunications today. I’ve inherited an amazing team, a great brand and have supportive shareholders. If you think Virgin Mobile has done some great things thus far, well, just wait and see where we go from here. ”
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Charlie Boyd
Head of Strategy
Orcon
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Charlie works for Orcon in the role of Head of Strategy, and currently acting Head of Sales and Marketing. Charlie’s mission is to lead the development of Orcon’s brand as the ultimate telecommunications provider.
Charlie says, “The true challenge for telecommunications service providers is to understand and embrace the empowerment that the Internet offers, and provide this to the consumer as the ultimate customer experience.”
With more than twenty years experience in the telecommunications industry, prior to joining Orcon Charlie has had a variety of roles in R&D, technology and sales and marketing for organizations such as NEC, Telecom New Zealand, Siemens and Nokia Siemens. Charlie holds an Engineering degree from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
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Simon Bryant
First Assitant Secretary, Broadband (Acting)
Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
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Simon is responsible for programs that increase access to broadband services and infrastructure.
Former General Manager for the Telecommunications Competition and Consumer Branch and former General Manager for the Regional Communications Policy Branch. He also managed the secretariat for the Regional Telecommunication Inquiry in 2001.
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Paul Budde
Managing Director
BuddeComm
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Paul Budde is the managing director of Paul Budde Communication (trading as BuddeComm), a leading global independent telecommunications research and consultancy company, which includes 45 national and international researchers in 15 countries, and operates from Bucketty, in the Lower Hunter Valley, Australia.
He specialises in the strategic planning of converging markets and industries with services such as triple play business models, video media, nextgen networks and IP, digital media, smart grids and value-added networks. His particular expertise is on how these new media can be used by organisations to enhance their competitive edge in the market and how to apply and use these new media in mass markets. Paul holds a marketing degree from the Netherlands Institute for Marketing. His Strategic Workshop is a popular consultancy service, conducted throughout the Asia Pacific region. He also organises monthly industry Roundtables addressing all the hot topics in the market.
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Philip Carden
Vice President, Strategy and Innovation
Alcatel-Lucent
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Philip Carden is Alcatel-Lucent’s Vice President, Strategy and Innovation for Europe, Africa and Asia. In this role, he looks after the overall market and technology strategy for the region. His twenty years experience in telecommunications includes five years with a major US-based telecommunications consulting firm during which time he established, staffed and managed the New York office, then four years as the Chief Executive of a sixty person software development firm. He has been widely cited in trade journals and has spoken at numerous industry forums internationally. He has several dozen publication credits including four cover stories for "Network Computing" and has contributed to two books on IT Security. He has an honors degree in electrical engineering and a business degree in marketing, both from the University of Auckland.
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Su-vun Chung
Business Manager, Public Networks
Corning Cable Systems
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Su-vun Chung joined Corning Cable Systems as business manager for Telecoms as part of the Corning acquisition of BICC Telecoms business in 1999. His commercial responsibility with Corning Cable Systems includes cables, hardware and FTTX. He has been directly responsible for developing the company’s FTTX business for nearly a decade, working closely with customers to develop and commercialize various FTTX platforms. He is currently responsible for strategy and business development in Australasia and South Asia. He has been with the telecommunication industry for more than 20 years beginning his career as a project engineer with the cables division of Pacific Dunlop, then in various positions in product management and business development within Australia and Asia Pacific with MM Cables, a division of BICC plc.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer systems engineering and a Ph.D. from Monash University, Australia. He conducted early investigations in the area of fibre bend sensitivity and is the inventor of the MAC number. He currently serves as a member of the market development committee of the FTTH Council, Asia Pacific.
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Simon Cobcroft
Assistant Secretary of the Broadband Infrastructure Branch
Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
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Simon is currently acting Assistant Secretary of the Broadband Infrastructure Branch within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy with responsibility for the $270.7 million Australian Broadband Guarantee program.
Prior to joining the Department, Simon held a number of management positions with the Department of Treasury with responsibility for consumer and competition issues. Simon also brings private sector experience in a range of communications roles for organisations including the British Broadcasting Corporation, TCN Nine and Hoyts International.
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Reg Coutts
Managing Director
Coutts Communications
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Reg Coutts, Emeritus Professor of Telecommunications of the University of Adelaide, consults through Coutts Communications www.couttscommunications.com that specialises in the development business opportunities of wireless and mobile telecommunications technologies including regulatory strategies.
Reg brings to this sector nearly 30 years experience which includes 12 years in technology research, 5 years in commercial business strategy in a dominant telecommunications operator Telstra, then 10 years at the University of Adelaide building telecommunications expertise and now in his own company Coutts Communications. From this experience, Professor Coutts understands the whole technology life cycle and the way technology can be managed to provide competitive advantage. Also from this background with particular reference to the telecommunications sector he understands the Government / Regulatory context in which telecommunications companies must operate.
Professor Emeritus Coutts maintains his relationship with the University and supervises graduate students in Engineering and in technology commercialisation and has a technology venture of his own. Reg is Director of the Telecommunications Board of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) which now incorporates the activities of the Telecommunications Society of Australia (TSA).
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Andrew Coward
Vice President, Service Provider Marketing & Partnerships
Juniper Networks
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Based in our Sunnyvale, California offices, Andrew Coward is responsible for creating and delivering Juniper’s Service Provider strategy and solution-sets to our customers and partners globally. He moved into this role in January 2008 and had previously run Service Provider & Enterprise operations at Juniper.
Prior to Juniper, Andrew co-launched the Asia Pacific operation of Unisphere Networks. He led a team of system engineers to provide dedicated pre-sales and architectural design services, and support engineering services to customers through out the region.
Andrew spent ten years, working with Service Providers, Enterprises and Governments across the region on IP technologies, first with Bay Networks and later with Nortel, where he designed and planned some of the largest IP networks in Asia Pacific. He started his career in government as a network engineer and progressed to role of Network Manager responsible for building-out one of the first United Kingdom nationwide government backbone IP networks. Later, with Xylogics Ltd, he was responsible for delivery of the first dial internet access services in North Asia.
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Stephen Dalby
Chief Regulatory Officer
iiNet
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Steve joined iiNet in 2003 and has over 35 years experience in the Telecommunications industry. Steve's responsibilities, as Chief Regulatory Officer for iiNet, include the management of the company's relationships with various regulatory authorities and in formal arbitrations and disputes with other carriers. His Corporate Affairs duties include government and media relations and he manages iiNet's Corporate Social Responsibility program and Environmental Management compliance as well as Quality Assurance.
He is the CEO of Chime Communications Pty Ltd, iiNet’s carrier subsidiary.
He has been a board member of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman since late 2006 and is currently a member of the Terria steering committee.
Prior to joining iiNet, Steve had a long stint with Telstra in various senior roles.
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Simon Ehrenfeld
CEO
EFTel
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Shara Evans
CEO
Market Clarity
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Shara Evans is a well-known technologist, futurist and opinion leader in the Australian telecommunications market, as well as the Founder and CEO of Market Clarity, a telecommunications analyst firm.
She has been involved in the design, deployment, and analysis of telecommunications networks for over 25 years. Shara’s involvement in the telecommunications industry began in the early ‘80s when she was a software engineer responsible for designing telecommunications protocols and networks. Her technical and business career has included a variety of executive positions with companies such as Alcatel, Sprint, Telenet, GTE and SmithKline prior to founding her first telecommunications analyst firm, Telsyte, in 1997.
From 1997 onwards, Shara has led analyst organisations focused on the Australian telecommunications market. During this period, Shara worked on a wide range of projects on behalf of Australian carriers, service providers, ISPs, vendors, systems integrators, industry associations, professional firms and enterprise customers — gaining a deep understanding of how Australia’s telecommunications networks are designed, engineered, deployed and maintained.
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David Forman
Executive Director
Competitive Carriers Coalition
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Executive director of the Competitive Carriers’ Coalition since it was formed as an industry association in 2004. The CCC represents the interests of non-dominant carriers, including AAPT, Primus, Hutchison, Macquarie Telecom, iiNet and others. Prior to that, general manager, regulatory, Comindico.
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Bill Glasson
Chair
The Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC)
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Dr Bill Glasson was elected Federal President of the Australian Medical Association in May 2003, and was re-elected to a second term in May 2004.
Bill has been actively involved in the AMA and his professional College throughout his years of practice, holding several positions with these organisations including President of the Australian Medical Association, Queensland for 2000-2001.
Bill has received an Honorary Fellowship to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. He is also the Federal Vice President of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists. He is the Chairman of Cancer Australia and was appointed Chairman of the Regional Telecommunications Review Committee in 2007. Bill was also appointed the medical adviser for the Northern Territory Emergency Response Taskforce Committee also in 2007. In January 2008 Bill was awarded the Order of Australia for his services to medicine through contributions to people in rural and remote areas, to the eye health of Indigenous people, and to the professional medical organisations.
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Turlough Guerin
Group Manager Environment
Telstra
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Dr Turlough Guerin is currently Group Manager Environment at Telstra. Turlough has previously worked for Shell and Rio Tinto in corporate environmental advisory and consultancy roles and understands the importance of resource production, use and conservation. His primary focus is to assist Telstra to understand and manage the risks from climate change and to quantify the environmental impacts and benefits of Telstra’s products and services.
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Mevan Jayatilleke
Managing Director
Telsyte
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Mevan is the Managing Director of Telsyte, responsible for the company's business operations, directions and research/consulting activities. Mevan has Bachelor of Engineering (Honours).
Mevan has over 10 years experience in the telecommunications industry in Australia and the United States. His areas of specialisation include Telecommunication sector due diligence and equity research, telecommunication & IT technical, strategic & business consulting and process reengineering. He also has extensive technical experience in broadband transmission and access networks, fixed, mobile and wireless.
Mevan continues to work on projects that require extensive technical and strategic experience, and expertise as well providing advice to the investment community on telecommunication business opportunities.
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Roger Kermode
CTO and COO
iPrime
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Roger Kermode is currently the CTO/COO of iPrime, a subsidiary of the Prime Media Group (PRT:ASX) which is leading the group’s online initiatives. Focusing on Social Media, iPrime created federalelection.com.au for the 2007 Federal Election, and is currently deploying sportsplay.net.au (a grassroots sporting social networking site) and a series of hyper-local sites custom built and targeted at local communities.
Roger has previously held positions as Director, Innovation & Technology at the Smart Internet Cooperative Research Centre, senor executive roles within Motorola in the USA and Australia. Whilst at Motorola, Roger led teams that developed and delivered home networking (zero configuration IPv4/IPv6 gateways), WiFi (QoS, Ad-Hoc Routing), and Multimedia (Home Content Management) technologies to product groups in USA and China.
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Alex Krawchuk
Director, Alternate Service Providers
Juniper Networks
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Alex Krawchuk is the Sales Director for Service Providers for Juniper Networks and is responsible for leading Juniper Networks' business relationship with key Service Providers across Australia and New Zealand.
Prior to joining Juniper Networks, Alex worked in variety of roles including account management, business development, product marketing and software development with Cisco, Nortel and Ericsson.
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Maha Krishnapillai
Director of Government and Corporate Affairs
Optus
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Maha Krishnapillai is the Director of Government and Corporate Affairs for Optus with responsibility for Government, Corporate, Regulatory and Economic Affairs, Sponsorship and Community Relations.
Prior to this he was Macquarie Telecom's Group Executive, Carrier and Strategy where his responsibilities included industry strategy, carrier negotiation and regulatory and government liaison for Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. He also had overall executive responsibility for Macquarie’s mobile business and its Southern Regional office.
Maha has a strong background in the telecommunications industry where he has been instrumental in driving a number of reforms in the sector since deregulation.
Maha was a founder, and the elected President (2005) of the “Asia-Pacific Carriers Coalition” (APCC); the Singapore based association seeking to maximise pro-competitive policy and the benefits of competition in the Asia-Pacific Region.
Some of his other achievements include winning both the SPAN/Comms Day “Telecommunications Ambassador” Award and the Victorian Government “Face of ICT” Award in 2005. Maha has also worked with AUSTEL where he held a wide range of management positions.
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John Lindsay
carrier Relations Manager
Internode
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As Carrier Relations Manager for Internode and Agile, John's role is to identify and actively push them to reach their full potential as telecommunications barriers tumble in the Internet age.
John represents the group's interests within the Competitive Carrier Coalition, Communications Alliance, the regulators and other industry bodies.
He has managed various parts of Internode and Agile since September 2000 and overseen the growth of Internode from a single city dial-up ISP to an international full-service telco.
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Kate McKenzie
Group Managing Director
Telstra Wholesale
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Kate McKenzie is the Group Managing Director of the Telstra Wholesale business unit in Telstra, directly reporting to Sol Trujillo, Telstra’s chief executive officer. She has been in this role since January 2006.
Kate joined Telstra in August 2004 as head of Telstra’s regulatory group. Within a year she was promoted to the role of Deputy Group Managing Director for public policy and communication.
Before joining Telstra, Kate was Director-General of the Department of Commerce in New South Wales and previously had held a range of senior executive roles in government departments and offices. Throughout her career Kate has been involved in the development and implementation of competition policy, energy reform, corporatisation and privatisation and Commonwealth-State negotiations on a range of complex policy issues.
Kate recently was appointed as a director to the Board of the Rail Corporation of New South Wales, a state-owned corporation that has as its main focus the provision of a safe, clean and reliable passenger rail network throughout NSW.
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Nigel Milan
CEO
Royal Flying Doctor Service
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Nigel Milan is able to draw on experience and knowledge gained across a range of sectors, particularly at a senior governance and policy development level. His current experience has provided a national view of health issues affecting residents and travellers to rural and remote areas of Australia and how best to provide health services to them. He has developed specialist skills in uniting an organisation historically divided across state jurisdictions and in implementing initiatives to achieve efficiencies and greater effectiveness.
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Senator The Hon. Nick Minchin, MP,
Shadow Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy,
The Liberal Party of Australia
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Following the Federal election in November 2007, Senator Nick Minchin was appointed Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Defence.
Senator Minchin was the Minister for Finance and Administration from 26 November 2001 until November 24, 2007 and is Australia’s longest-serving Finance Minister.
Senator Minchin was Leader of the Government in the Senate from January 27, 2006 until November 24, 2007. He was Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate from October 7, 2003 until January 27, 2006.
Senator Minchin was the Minister for Industry, Science and Resources from 1998 to 2001.
Senator Minchin was the Special Minister of State and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister from October 1997 until October 1998.
When the Coalition won Government in March 1996, Senator Minchin was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with two specific responsibilities, making the Native Title Act more workable and implementing the Government's policy to hold the Constitutional Convention.
In 1993, Senator Minchin was elected to the Commonwealth Parliament as a Liberal Senator for South Australia. From 1994 to 1996 he was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition.
From 1985–93 Nick Minchin was State Director of the South Australian Liberal Party. From 1977–83 he held a number of positions at the Liberal Party Federal Secretariat, including Deputy Federal Director.
Nick Minchin grew up in Sydney, was educated at Knox Grammar School, spent his final year of school in the USA on an AFS International Scholarship, and graduated from the Australian National University with an Economics degree and a Law degree. He ganied admission as a Solicitor in NSW in 1977.
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Kevin Morgan
Independent Consultant and Age Columnist
The Age
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Kevin Morgan has worked in the telecommunications industry for over thirty years first as a policy adviser to the labour movement in Australia and for the last fifteen years as an independent consultant. He has worked on regulatory change in Australia, South Africa , India and Hong Kong and most recently Ireland . He writes a column for the Melbourne Age on telecommunications and is now undertaking a Phd. at Victoria University on The Telstra Capital Strike 2006 which considers the origins and implications of Telstra s decision to withhold investment in fibre to the node.
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Michael Murphy
Head of Technology, Asia-Pacific
Nokia Siemens Networks
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Michael Murphy is Head of Technology for the Asia-Pacific region of Nokia Siemens Networks and is responsible for supporting customers in finding the best technical solutions for their long-term business objectives. Through that dialogue, Mike and his team also play a major role in influencing corporate strategy and product roadmaps.
Mike was formerly Japan Country Manager for Nokia Networks where he supported the rapid growth of WCDMA in that country.
Mike has an extensive background in Research & Development including launch of the WCDMA program at his previous employer. Mike has also lead wireless business teams throughout Asia, and has lived in China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, France, and Canada.
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Craig Neil
Managing Director
NSC Group
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Craig's primary role is to oversee all aspects of business management, direction and strategy for the organisation. Craig established NSC in 1989 as North Shore Connections, operating as a reseller of early PABX technologies. Under his direction, the Australian owned company has grown to become a multi-million dollar nation-wide converged communications integrator encompassing the subsidiaries of NSC Enterprise Solutions and NSC Network Solutions.
Prior to founding NSC, he worked as a technician with Telecom Australia in PABX services. This role helped to develop Craig’s passion for the communications industry. Working with Telecom Australia (now Telstra) for seven years, Craig identified the deregulation of the industry in 1989 as a major opportunity to start NSC as a contracting telephony service provider. Today, the company specialises in the design, implementation, management, and support of highly sophisticated, communications technology and business applications.
Craig’s vision that one day voice and data would converge has already become a reality and he is now ensuring NSC is leading the way in the incorporation of video and desktop solutions into the communications mix, working with blue chip organisations throughout Australia. He has proven credentials in voice and data technologies, highly respected technical and engineering accreditations and has achieved turnover of around $50 million in 2008.
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Paul Ostergaard
CEO
Ocean Broadband
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Art Price
Chairman and CEO
Axia NetMedia Corporation
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Art Price joined Axia in 1995 with the vision of creating a company that would meet the full spectrum of Internet Protocol-based communications needs for businesses and consumers: from creating and maintaining the connecting networks; to developing the applications that help people to learn and to exchange knowledge.
Prior to joining Axia, Art held a number of senior executive positions in the Canadian oil patch, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Husky Oil Ltd. and Husky Oil Operations Ltd. from 1984 to 1993. After leaving Husky, Art spent two years as Special Advisor on International Investments to the Chairman of the Board of Hutchison Whampoa Limited, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of Husky Oil Ltd.
Art currently serves on the boards of Axia NetMedia Corporation and the Sunterra Group of Companies. He has served as past director of Promoting Calgary Inc., Alta Genetics Inc., Husky Oil Ltd., Lac Minerals Ltd., the World Wildlife Fund, Rawlco Enterprises Ltd. and IPSCO Inc.
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Rob Seymour
Regional Bsuiness Development Manager
Broadband Anywhere
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Rob has been involved exclusively in regional communications for 10 years. During that time has explored many different service platforms including fibre, cable, wireless & satellite services with the view of delivering independent commercial communication services to regional areas. This has provided Rob with superior understanding of the regional, rural and remote communication landscapes across South Australia.
Past projects include video conference networks and real-time distance education for Hospitals and Universities across South Australia. This has then evolved into wider community involvement and participation to now operate SA’ largest independently owned Wireless Network, reaching some 150,000sq kms. Broadband Anywhere was recognised as ‘Best Communication Solution-Regional’ at the 2007 ATUG industry awards.
Rob heads up a dedicated team of South Australians who are committed to delivering real services to real communities whom have a real need.
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Michael Simmons
Managing Director
Terria
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Michael Simmons is one of Australia’s most experienced telecommunications and multimedia executives.
Prior to his appointment as Managing Director of TERRiA, Simmons was CEO of telecommunications company SOUL, part of ASX-listed SP Telemedia Limited group. In this role Simmons, oversaw the design and build of SOUL’s new high-speed broadband network - second only to Telstra in regional Australia and reaching over 98 per cent of Australia.
Simmons began his career at SP Telemedia working for NBN Television, where he rose from accounts clerk to CFO to Chief Executive Officer in a career that spanned 26 years.
NBN Television exposed Mick to the technical aspects of broadcasting, the future of digital television and the need for broadband in regional markets to support digital television. He identified an opportunity for the company to create its own high-speed broadband network across regional Australia, offering customers an alternative to Telstra.
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Rosemary Sinclair
Managing Director
ATUG
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Rosemary Sinclair is Managing Director of ATUG, an independent, self –funded organisation which has been representing the interests of end-users of telecommunications to regulators, policy makers and industry in Australia since 1980.
Rosemary has held various executive positions at Telecom Australia from 1975-1990 including General Manager Commercial Operations NSW; National General Manager – Communications Industry Accounts; Director, Strategic Development at the ABC and Director, Education, New Media and Export at Scholastic Australia.
She is experienced in public policy and high-level strategic development and in representing the interests of business users of information and communications technology. Rosemary’s academic achievements include Bachelor’s degrees in Arts, Law and Business and a Masters degree in Commerce.
Rosemary is currently a member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) Consumer Consultative Forum (CCF) and Technical Advisory Group (TAG), and the Federal Government’s National Broadband Development Group (NBDG).
She is a Member of the National ICT Industry Alliance, a former Board Member of the Communications Alliance Limited formerly (ACIF), a Member of Council of the University of Wollongong and a Board Member of the Rural Health Education Foundation.
Rosemary has represented end users on the Federal Government’s Broadband Advisory Group (2002) , the Australian Telework Advisory Committee (ATAC) (2006), the Broadband for Health Program Working Group and the Australian Health Information Committee.
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Phil Smith
Director
OptiComm
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Phil has been in the ICT industry since 1974 when he joined the fledgling computer industry as a mainframe Support Engineer with Univac and rose to the level of NSW Support Manager before moving into sales at the inception of Unisys.
Phil joined MidState Computers in 1987 as the sales and marketing manager. The company was acquired by ICL and Phil was assigned to a 2 year contact in Hong Kong to head up sales of mid-range hardware and decision support system around Asia. After returning from HK and a brief time at Fujitsu Australia, Phil joined Jtec, an Australian manufacturer of advanced voice and data equipment and in the roles of Marketing Manager for the Asia Pacific Region and was later appointed Jtec’s Chief Representative for China. After leaving Jtec in 2001, Phil founded Beijing AustChina Technology that represented and supported a number of Australian ICT solutions in China.
In 2005 Phil joined Optimal Cable Services, Australia’s longest continually operational fibre optic cable manufacturer, to establish a fibre-to-the-home division. This division was spun off from Optimal in 2007 to form OptiComm in a joint venture with Hills Industries. OptiComm is a wholesale access carrier specializing in the rollout of fibre-to-the-premise solutions to greenfield developments.
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David Spence
CEO
Unwired
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Since joining Unwired in January of 2004 David has grown the company from a handful of employees to one of the world’s largest portable wireless broadband carriers, servicing in excess of 70,000 customers in the greater Sydney and Melbourne areas.
David is well known in the internet/communications industry both in Australia and New Zealand. He has been involved in over 20 internet businesses, as Chairman, CEO, director, shareholder or consultant.
David has a commerce degree and is a chartered accountant graduating from Natal and Cape Town Universities South Africa.
David is on the board of the Internet Industry Association.
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Jim Taylor
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Learning Services)
University of Southern Queensland
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Professor Jim Taylor is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Learning Services) at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Professor Taylor is the immediate past President of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) and was awarded the ICDE Individual Prize of Excellence in 1999 for an active role in ICDE and internationally over many years with significant contributions made to research and development in the field of open and distance learning. His current interests include e-learning, with particular emphasis on the technology-pedagogy interface, associated issues of scalability and cost-effectiveness, and the need for efficacious change management strategies in higher education.
Professor Taylor has wide experience as a consultant for government agencies, international bodies, tertiary institutions, professional bodies and private industry. Professor Taylor has published widely, and has undertaken major consultancy work for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, UNESCO, the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), the Australian Universities Quality Agency, the New Zealand Academic Audit Unit, the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation and the Science Council of Japan.
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Alan Taylor
Queensland Health
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Alan Taylor is Project Director of Cooeenet@qld, a Commonwealth funded project to support health and emergency care in remote North Queensland communities. This collaboration between Queensland Health, Emergency Services and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Queensland is supporting remote health workers make timely decisions in emergency situations using broad band infrastructure.
Alan has twenty years experience in the telecommunications, consultancy and health care business in Europe and Africa, working for British Telecom, as an academic, and Queensland Health. He has undertaken projects for Manchester City Council, the European Union and the Commonwealth Government. He is a Chartered Engineer and holds a degree in Physics and Electronic Engineering and a Masters in Sociology of Science.
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Peter Thompson
CEO
Pivit
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Peter Thompson has more than 20 years business experience working with customers, suppliers, consultants and government to deliver outstanding business outcomes. Peter is recognised as a market leader and visionary in the field of next generation networks for business and residential environments in Australia.
Peter pioneered Pivit - the leading fibre-to-the-premises telecommunications provider in Australia. Peter’s tenacity and commitment to quality outcomes for end customers, developers and business partners is the foundation for Pivit’s ability to deliver.
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Frans-Anton Vermast
Director
Vermast Business Partners Ltd
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Vermast Business Partners Ltd, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Owner and advisor public and European affairs (full time): to act upon public and political opinion. Main clients:
i. Glasvezelnetamsterdam.nl, the Amsterdam initiative to connect the first 40,000 households and SME’s to a future proof and open communication infrastructure based on fibre technology;
ii. Citynet.nl, investigation to the possibilities to connect the whole City of Amsterdam to this future proof and open communication infrastructure;
iii. I-NEC.com director of the International Network of E-Communities, an organisation of 12 worldwide cities and municipalities that excels in e-community developments by globally sharing of unique knowledge and best and next practices in ICT and open access models based true next generation broadband, developing of mutual programmes and promoting business relations between e-communities;
iv. Futureweb.nu to support partners in this alliance with the introduction of product and services to the Amsterdam population that use super broadband;
v. advice on and involvement in (worldwide) broadband projects;
b. City of Amsterdam
Former Political Assistant to the vice Mayor and Alderman for Traffic, Transport & Infrastructure, including communication infrastructure and Seaports.
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Henry Yeung
Senior Manager, Network Development
Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited
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Mr. Yeung joined City Telecom Group in May 1999. Mr. Yeung was a key founding member the team that built the Metro Ethernet, delivering over one million home passes within a record 32 months of license grant. Mr. Yeung now leads a team of Talents with industry experience and market vision, responsible for expanding the home passes from 1.4 million today to 2.0 million by 2010. Mr. Yeung’s team is responsible for the full aspects of network development, from site selection based on business returns, to dealing with building management for access, to installation of passive infrastructure in the most cost effective way.
Mr. Yeung is a fellow member of Joint Utilities Policy Group which formulate standard and policy for civil work in Hong Kong.
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Conference:
Day 1
5th November 8am- 5:30pm
Day 2
6th November 8am- 5:30pm
Workshops:
Workshop A:
The Metro Ethernet Forum
Workshop B:
Investing in Broadband Initiatives- boosting municipality innovation
Workshop dates:
7th November 2008
› Full conference programme
› Add this to my calendar
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