Ministers to be briefed by global professionals

Key leaders from across the world’s ICT profession will gather in Sydney this week to advise Australian government ministers on issues ranging from cybersecurity and innovation to professionalism in ICT.

The Australian Computer Society’s (ACS) Ministers Forum is timed to coincide with celebrations for the ACS’s 50th anniversary, including the annual ACS Reimagination Thought Leaders’ Summit and Digital Disruptors Awards on 1 December.

Visiting Australia from the international community will be:

• Mike Hinchey, President of the global ICT professional body, the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP)
• Elly van den Heuvel, Secretary to the Dutch Cyber Security Council
• Professor Yuko Murayama, IFIP Vice President & Fellow of the Information Processing Society of Japan
• Brenda Aynsley, Chair of IFIP’s professionalism arm, IP3 (based in Adelaide)
• Ray Long, President, British Computer Society
• Ulandi Exner, President of the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa
• Adrian Schofield, IFIP IP3’s Chief Assessor
• Dayan Rajapakse, President of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka
• Lawrence Gudza, former President of the Computer Society of Zimbabwe
• Moira de Roche Holmes, IFIP IP3
• Yasas Abeywickrama, IFIP Board Member and Vice President of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka.

The events will be hosted by ACS President Anthony Wong and feature involvement from the NSW Minister for Innovation & Better Regulation, Victor Dominello and Victorian Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade, Philip Dalidakis, along with a range of local experts from government and industry.

IFIP President Mike Hinchey said the meetings will provide an excellent opportunity for discussions about the importance of ICT professionalism in a world where digital disruption has become the norm and ICT is the key enabler for all areas of business and endeavour.

“The meetings in Sydney will enable us to discuss key issues relating to digital disruption and the rapid pace of innovation as well as the important roles played by ICT professionals and the increasing need for all ICT practitioners to have at least a working knowledge of cybersecurity,” he said.