AI is rapidly transforming everyday life and business, evolving at an exponential pace. The way businesses integrate AI into their operations and collaborate with employees will be a key determinant of future success.
Join us for an exclusive discussion and Q&A session featuring a panel of experts from academia, government, and industry as they explore the impact of AI on business and share insights on navigating this technological shift.
The panel will feature Chris Fechner, CEO of the Digital Transformation Agency; Chris Crozier, Chief Information Officer at Defence Digital Group; and Dr Emma Burns, Public Sector Data and AI Specialist at Microsoft. The conversation will be led by Professor Lyria Bennett Moses.
yria is a Professor and Head of the School of Law, Society and Criminology in the Faculty of Law and Justice at UNSW Sydney. Lyria's research explores issues around the relationship between technology and law, including the types of legal issues that arise as technology changes, how these issues are addressed in Australia and other jurisdictions, and the problems of treating “technology” as an object of regulation. Recently, she has been working on legal and policy issues associated with the use of artificial intelligence.
Lyria is a member of the editorial boards for Technology and Regulation; Law, Technology and Humans; Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Research in Computational Law; and Law in Context. She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Australian Academy of Law and the Royal Society of NSW.
Chris Fechner was appointed the Chief Executive Officer at the Digital Transformation Agency on 13 October 2021. Chris is also the Head of the Digital Profession; he started his two-year term in January 2023.
Chris has extensive experience in state government services, focusing on large scale digital and ICT reform and transformation programs as well as implementing contemporary investment, contestability, and governance frameworks.
Before joining the Australian Public Service, Chris was the Queensland Government Chief Customer and Digital Officer throughout 2020 and 2021. Chris was previously the Chief Digital and Product Officer at Service NSW. Prior to that, Chris held a number of senior positions across the NSW and Queensland governments as well as in freight and rail organisations.
Chris holds an Executive Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Applied Science and Computing, both from the Queensland University of Technology.
As CEO, Chris is responsible for leading the agency to ensure we deliver on the Government’s digital transformation agenda, in accordance with our agency’s executive order and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
Chris Crozier was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) on 1 August 2023, leading the Defence Digital Group (DDG).
Prior to joining Defence, Chris Crozier was the Group CIO for Orica International, the world’s largest manufacturer and supplier of explosives for mining and civil construction. As the Group CIO, Chris Crozier was accountable for global digital technology strategies and operations across a footprint of the organisation spanning 120 countries, covering business (IT), customer (internet of things), and manufacturing (operational technology) systems, including the governance of Orica’s digital ecosystems, architecture, data and cyber posture.
Prior to this, Chris Crozier held executive roles within Orica as Vice President of Australia-Pacific region, Chief Digital Officer and Global Vice President Supply Chain, and BHP as Global CIO 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, Chris 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.
Chris Crozier has a Chemical Engineering Degree (Honours First Class) and Masters of Business Administration.
Dr Emma Burns is a Public Sector Data and AI Specialist at Microsoft, where she has been working since 2021. In her role, Emma focuses on empowering government and the higher education sector through trusted access to Microsoft technology.
Emma’s career is notably diverse, spanning the spectrum of science, policy, and technology. Prior to her current position at Microsoft, she served as Head of Government Relations for CSIRO's Data 61. At the Australian National University, she was the Executive Director of a national ecological research network. She subsequently led the establishment of two significant transdisciplinary initiatives: Sustainable Farms and the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology. Furthermore, Emma has held positions in both the Australian Public Service and NSW Public Service, concentrating on agri-environmental and science policy portfolios.
Emma completed her PhD research in conservation genetics and phylogeography at UNSW in 2004. She is dedicated to leveraging science and technology to achieve public good outcomes and has an extensive publication record covering a range of topics in ecology, natural resource management, and science-policy. She contributes her expertise as a member of the Editorial Board for Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Agroecology and Ecosystem Services, and was an inaugural member of the Australian Ecosystem Science Council.
