Introducing our panellists

NSW Minister, Customer Service and Digital Government, Emergency Services, Youth Justice

Jihad Dib is the Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Youth Justice and the Local Member for Bankstown. He is a former board member of the Australia Day Council of NSW, the NSW Police Commissioner’s Advisory Panel, and the SBS Community Advisory Committee. Jihad has campaigned tirelessly for inclusiveness and the celebration of diversity in our society, believing in the notion that “if you can see it, you can be it”. Prior to being elected to the NSW Parliament in 2015, Jihad was Principal of Punchbowl Boys’ High. Over a period of 9 years, he transformed the school by developing strong relationships with the community, local organisations and government agencies

Government Chief Digital and Information Officer / Deputy Secretary, Digital.NSW 

Laura is an experienced public sector leader having spent 15 years in roles in the NSW Government, Commonwealth Government and the not-for-profit sector. Her expertise and achievements were acknowledged in 2018 as the recipient of a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to policy development and reform initiatives.  

Prior to leading Digital.NSW, Laura led Service Delivery for Service NSW, where she was responsible for the Service NSW shopfronts and Contact Centre (13 77 88), leading over 3500 staff. She joined Service NSW as Executive Director Partnerships where she was instrumental in providing Service NSW with dedicated cluster and agency partnership support. Before Service NSW, Laura was the founding Executive Director for Office of the Secretary at the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation and held various roles at the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Commonwealth Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.  

Executive Director, ICT / Digital Sourcing - Digital NSW Division, Department of Customer Service

Mark Lenzner is the Executive Director, ICT / Digital Sourcing within the Digital NSW Division of the Department of Customer. In this role Mark is responsible for the design, implementation and management of the NSW Government ICT and Digital Sourcing policies and frameworks, establishment and governance of Whole of Government arrangements, panels and marketplaces managing strategic partnerships and the transformation of our digital procurement systems. Mark is currently focused on making it easier to do business with the NSW Government, diversifying the partnership ecosystem and spend, driving a more strategic, diverse and innovate engagement with industry and contributing to the growth of the domestic technology sector.

Mark joined the NSW Government in January 2019. Prior to joining the NSW Government Mark spent 25 years in the private sector in major Australian organisations in the financial services, air transport services, telecommunications and event management industries and a global management consultant. For the majority of this time Mark held roles focused on ICT and Digital sourcing and strategic supplier relationship management.

Group Chief Information Officer, Transport for NSW

Darren Cavanagh is a distinguished leader in the field of information technology. Prior to his appointment as the current Group Chief Information Officer for Transport for NSW, he was the Chief Information Officer of Sydney Trains and Latin America CIO for one of the world's largest food manufacturers.

Throughout his career in the public and private sectors, he has led successful change in some of the most complex organizational and stakeholder contexts that exist. Darren has demonstrated his ability to navigate the complexities of digital governance, especially in terms of leveraging technology to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of transport services. His commitment to quality, reliable services and innovation makes him the driving force in shaping the future of transportation in NSW.

Principal Analyst, Intermedium

Judy was a Deputy Commissioner of Taxation when she left the Australian Public Service and was responsible for a range of major ICT-dependent program reforms, including the implementation of the Tax File Number System.

She has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and founded Intermedium in 2004, as a specialist researcher of Australian public sector use of digital and ICT.

As an independent industry analyst, she has an extensive understanding of key technology and digitisation issues facing senior government decision-makers.