MEET OUR SPEAKERS

Maria Padisetti is the Founder and CEO of Digital Armour, a 23-year-old IT services provider and consultancy trusted by councils and mid-sized enterprises across Australia. A respected advisor in AI strategy and compliance, Maria has spent the past three years guiding local governments through the safe, ethical, and effective adoption of AI.

Digital Armour is already working with numerous councils across NSW on AI pilots and rollouts, helping them align with the new AI Assurance Framework while delivering measurable improvements in service and efficiency. Maria’s background in electrical engineering and management consulting enables her to translate complex technology into clear, actionable strategies.

She currently serves on the Telstra Advisory Board and is a Non-Executive Director at CCNB, Northern Sydney’s largest community-led not-for-profit. Widely recognised for her integrity, insight, and exceptionally engaging presentation style, Maria is a sought-after speaker who equips public sector leaders with the clarity and confidence to innovate responsibly.

Benjamin Marx is currently a Principal Officer in ICAC’s Corruption Prevention Division, having commenced at ICAC in 2006. He has performed or managed corruption prevention analysis on dozens of Commission investigations, and managed or led many Commission corruption prevention projects, including the Commission’s recent work on corruption control maturity. He has also led or managed many analyses of Commission datasets, including analyses of complaint, survey and document data. Prior to working at the Commission, Ben completed a PhD in Psychology at the University of Sydney that explored some of the cognitive and attitudinal elements of moral reasoning, having previously conducted research on relative risk judgments. From 2018-2020, he seconded to Transport for NSW for 18 months where he was responsible for TfNSW’s corruption prevention program. Ben is also a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Rachael Robertson returned to Australia after spending 12 months in Antarctica, where she led the 58th Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition at Davis Station. Rachael was only the second female and one of the youngest people ever to lead a team there. During the Antarctic winter, the base is completely cut off from the outside world, so once the last ship leaves in February, no one can leave until it returns in November. She was responsible for the safety and wellbeing of over 120 expeditioners in summer, as well as managing the Australian Government’s $30 million science program—a challenging task, especially in a male-dominated environment.

Before this Antarctic experience, Rachael spent 16 years in senior operational management roles in complex settings. Since returning, she has completed an MBA, written two best-selling books—Leading on the Edge, about the year in Antarctica, and Respect trumps Harmony, which focuses on building resilient teams. She is an international keynote speaker, presenting at over 1,500 conferences worldwide.

With over two decades of diverse industry experience, Cosette Helou is a seasoned professional specialising in risk management, business continuity, and insurance. Since 2017, Cosette has served as a Risk Management Coordinator, leading critical initiatives in hazard identification, mitigation strategies, and continuity planning to safeguard operational resilience. Prior to this role, she held the position of WHS Business Partner from 2005 to 2017, where she played a pivotal role in embedding health and safety practices across Council. Before transitioning into the safety and risk management sector, Cosette built a strong foundation in strategic communication, public relations and leadership as a Marketing and Sales Manager overseas from 1997 to 2005.

Academically, she holds a Master of Science in Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental Management, degrees in Public Relations and in Business and Industrial Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Marketing. Cosette’s educational journey is complemented by extensive professional development in risk, compliance, and emergency preparedness. Passionate about creating safe, sustainable workplaces, she brings a unique combination of operational insight and strategic vision to every challenge. Craig is the General Manager at Woollahra Council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, a role he commenced in July 2020. Prior to this, Craig was the General Manager of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council on the mid north coast of NSW, from 2014 to 2020.

Francis has been involved in the Heavy Vehicle Transport Industry for over 40 years. This covers a wide cross-section of Commercial Vehicle and Transport Infrastructure risks. His career also includes many years working as a Group Fleet and Risk Manager.As part of Zurich’s Alternative fuels and Commercial Vehicle learning resource, Francis is regularly called upon to provide industry insights and webinars. He leads a team that provides timely, practical and cost-effective risk engineering solutions that maximise asset protection whilst minimizing financial risk to our clients across a diverse range of sectors. He also led the Global Risk Engineering Technical Committee (GRETC).

Originally he supported the Zurich New Zealand business unit, as Senior Risk Engineer. In 2023 was relocated to the Zurich Head office in North Sydney with an expanded role as Principal Risk Engineer, Motor Manager leading the Australian, New Zealand Motor risk engineering teams with his expertise and leadership.

Mikelis Jaunalksnis is a distinguished risk professional with over 15 years of experience in risk, safety, and business continuity within local government. He currently serves as the Business Continuity and Resilience Lead at Lake Macquarie City Council. His expertise lies in designing and implementing comprehensive risk management frameworks that effectively link strategic objectives with operational outcomes.

Mikelis has been instrumental in developing a robust and well-tested business continuity framework at Lake Macquarie City Council. This framework is driven by top-level strategic risk ownership and is integrated throughout the organisation through a program of engagement, exercising, and capability building.

His commitment to excellence in risk management has been recognised by the Risk Management Institute of Australasia (RMIA), where he was awarded the ‘Outstanding Organisational Resilience Response’ category in 2024.

Joe is a seasoned social infrastructure development professional with 30 years of experience spanning both client-side and supply-side roles across diverse sectors. He is passionate about empowering experts in their fields by helping bring their visions to life through high-quality design, effective project delivery, and the efficient operation of critical assets. Joe is driven by a deep commitment to understanding stakeholder needs and aligning infrastructure outcomes with strategic goals.

As a custodian of Randwick City Council’s Strategic Asset Management Plan, Delivery Program, and Operational Plans, Joe leads a team that integrates civic and civil infrastructure planning with project management excellence. His work ensures the delivery of infrastructure solutions that are both sustainable and community-focused.

Joe brings extensive experience from the tertiary education and local government sectors, including nearly a decade of lecturing at the University of New South Wales’ Faculty of Built Environment in Strategic Asset Management and Sustainable Development.

A firm believer in the power of collaboration, Joe focuses on building strong teams and partnerships to deliver infrastructure that meets the evolving needs of the local community. His work is grounded in a strong personal connection to Randwick, where he remains committed to delivering meaningful, long-term value for the people he serves.

Trevor’s early career in the telecommunications sector saw him emigrate from England to Sydney, with a four year stopover in Singapore. During over 20 years in the telco space, Trevor delivered numerous projects across a broad range of corporate disciplines.

Since leaving the telco sector, Trevor has gained further project delivery experience in the Utilities sector (creating a bridge between the telco and utilities sectors), the Local Community sector (as a sole trader) and in the Smart City sector (delivering in the heritage listed Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney).

Immediately prior to his time with Hornsby Shire Council (HSC), Trevor worked with Greater Sydney Parklands (Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust) delivering strategic asset improvement projects.

Trevor joined HSC in September 2021, since when he has been project managing the delivery of the Embellishments that will transform the former Hornsby Quarry into a unique destination.

Derek Feebrey is the CEO and Co-Founder of Trendspek, Australia’s leading Structural Lifecycle Management System, used by councils across the country to make smarter, safer decisions about their built assets.

With a background in aviation and uncrewed systems, Derek has helped transform asset inspections from slow, reactive processes into digital-first, data-driven strategies. Today, Trendspek supports councils in reducing risk, cutting costs, and planning maintenance with clarity and confidence.

Derek works closely with local government leaders, engineers and insurers to modernise the way assets like buildings, seawalls, and water infrastructure are inspected and managed — all from one interactive 3D workspace.

Gareth is the current NSW Public Sector Claims Manager. He has over 20 years’ experience in claims, with experience working with State Governments, Local Government, corporate and retail clients. Gareth was also a former national claims manager for property, energy and construction at a large American insurer. 

Phil has been working in Local Government since 2004 and held executive management roles since 2013 in a number of regional Councils in NSW. He has led multidisciplinary teams of approx. 90 staff at both Lachlan Shire and Griffith City and made his mark as an approachable leader who listens to staff and supports them in improving efficiencies and completing works to the highest standards.

Belinda Mills is a dedicated aquatic professional and lifelong resident of Cabonne Shire, with deep roots in the Molong community. Having learned to swim at the Molong pool and competing in swimming carnivals across the region during her youth, Belinda’s connection to local aquatic facilities runs deep.

With over 20 years of experience as a casual lifeguard at the Molong pool, Belinda has built a career centered on water safety, education, and community engagement. She is a qualified swim teacher, squad coach, and aqua fitness instructor, and has recently extended her expertise into surf lifesaving as a volunteer with Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club. Prior to this, she supported the Orange Bush Nippers program for four years, fostering water confidence and safety skills in young swimmers.

In her current role as Aquatic Supervisor at Cabonne Council, Belinda is committed to increasing the accessibility and usage of local pools. Her focus is on delivering inclusive, community-driven aquatic programs and facilities that are both impactful and financially sustainable for Council.

Belinda’s passion for teaching people to swim and enjoy the water safely continues to inspire her work and her contributions to the wellbeing of the Cabonne community.

Nick has over 15 years of experience in aquatic risk management and workplace health and safety, with a strong focus on reducing drowning and aquatic-related incidents across Australia.

As the Principal Consultant at Aquatic Best Practice, Nick works directly with pool owners and operators, land managers, and government agencies to enhance safety across a wide range of aquatic environments. His work supports the development of safer venues and encourages safer participation in aquatic activities through practical, risk-based solutions tailored to each setting.

Nick provides expert input across public swimming pools, natural waterways, and coastal areas, and continues to support incident reviews and legal matters as an expert witness. His approach is grounded in evidence-based practice and informed by years of experience.

Through his consultancy, Nick is committed to helping organisations meet their safety responsibilities while ensuring aquatic spaces remain inclusive, enjoyable, and well-managed.