The Team

Frank ZeichnerCEO, IoTAA & Knowledge Economy Institute

As co-founder of the IoT Alliance Australia, Frank drove the establishment of the Alliance, enlisting and engaging stakeholders across a wide spectrum.

Frank has worked in the telecommunications industry, in Australia and overseas, for the last 33 years.

Frank is a member of the Knowledge Economy Institute, based at UTS, the Australian Computer Society Data Taskforce, runs the Digital Technology Advisory, Creator Tech, and is an active member of the board of Telsoc.

John StantonChair IoTAA Council, CEO Communications Alliance

John Stanton is a communications industry executive with more than 25 years of experience.

From 2006-2009 John was CEO of ASX and NZX-listed telecommunications carrier, People Telecom. Under his leadership, People Telecom became profitable and was recognised as Best Regional Service Provider in the Australian Telecom Awards 2007. John was a senior executive with Intelsat, the largest provider of fixed satellite services worldwide from 1999-2005. John joined Telstra from 1992-1999, following the merger with OTC, where he was Manager of Public Affairs.

Leonie HellmersCommunications & Company Secretary

Leonie is a delivery focussed all rounder who loves the dynamic culture of start-ups. She led communications and marketing for start-up Intersect Australia, and led digital programs in start-ups the National Portrait Gallery and daao.org.au.

Leonie has for most of the last 12 years led communications initiatives in the research sector. She has also worked extensively as a writer across both arts and sciences, most recently for the Academy of Science and the Australia Council.

Paul FrancisChair Collaboration Workstream

Paul is a Director in KPMG’s Internet of Things practice, and lead for Smart Cities and Connected Campus, working with clients to tap into the forecast $120 billion uplift in annual economic impact from IoT by 2025. Paul is a member of the think tank IoT Council, is active in the Australian Smart Communities Association ASCA and writes on emerging technologies, including IoT, M2M and smart cities.

Paul has over 20 years’ experience in industry and consulting across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific. Previously he was a Director with another big 4 consulting firm, CTO at a global industrial IoT organisation and Director for a leading digital agency in the UK.

Catherine Caruana-McManusChair Smart Industries & Cities Workstream

A global expert in smart cities & digital transformation, Catherine is founder of Giant Ideas for Smart Cities and a Director of Meshed, a Sydney based IoT integration company. Catherine was recognised in Knowledge Nation as one of our leading thinkers in big data & smart cities. Catherine was Director of IBM’s Smarter Cities business for ANZ and held executive positions for PMP Limited, Telstra and MC2 Consulting. She has launched successful internet businesses such as yellowpages.com.au and whitepages.com.au. Catherine is on the Advisory Board for UoW SMART Facility and is an advocate for ESTEAM. Catherine holds qualifications in urban planning, economics, management and finance.

Peter LeonardChair Data Use, Access & Privacy Workstream

Peter is a commercial lawyer and consultant on data and technology commercialisation, including data sharing, data analytics and associated risk management and regulation, including privacy, surveillance and data protection. Ranked as a leading technology and data lawyer in all current global legal directories, Peter was voted Best Lawyers’ ‘Sydney Information Technology Lawyer of the Year for 2016’. Peter is also Chair of the Privacy and Communications Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales and a former global chair of the Technology Committee of the International Bar Association. Peter recently retired as a partner of Gilbert + Tobin, of which he was a founding partner and partner for 27 years.

Nevio MarinelliChair Spectrum Availability & Licensing

Nevio is the Manager of the Spectrum Planning Section of the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Nevio led Australia’s involvement in WRC-15 agenda item 1.1, which looked at the possible identification of additional spectrum for International Mobile Telephony.

Nevio has a Bachelor of Engineering in Communications from RMIT. He worked as a spectrum planning engineer in the Department of Communications and prior to that, Optus, Lucent and Nortel in the Middle East and Europe as a radiofrequency planning and optimisation engineer.

Matt TettChair Cybersecurity & Network Resilience

Matt is MD of Enex TestLab, an independent testing laboratory, and Chairman of Enex Carbon security consultancy. Matt has a technical background in network and security systems and holds security certifications: CISSP, CISM, CSEPS and CISA, Government and Police Contractor security clearances. He is a member of ISACA and (ISC)2. Matt provided advice for the Attorney General Department’s Stay Smart Online program (www.staysmartonline.gov.au). He serves on the Communications Alliance Cyber Security Reference Panel (CSRP), the Internet Australia Cyber Security SIG, and is a member of the research advisory committee for the Internet Commerce Security Laboratory at Federation University.

Stuart WaiteChair IoT Start-up Innovation Workstream

Stuart is a start-up investor, advisor and digital transformation consultant with over 20 years’ experience in digital media. He’s focused on the strategic direction and delivery of innovative products to a multitude of platforms across mobile, web, TV and the Internet of Things.

At age 30 Stuart founded a software development company in the UK, selling 7 years later for over €10m. He has three times built and managed cross-functional teams in excess of 100 people, which included transforming the operating structure of News Corp Australia’s digital team, introducing scaled agile and lean design methodologies.

Geof HeydonChair Platforms & Interoperability & Principal Consultant

Geof has over 40 years’ experience in the telecoms sector, working recently in broadband enabled business models, the emerging digital economy and the Internet of Things across the Asia Pacific.

He co-authored Enabling the Internet of Things for Australia, Seizing the Internet of Things opportunity for Australia and Australian Industrial Internet of Things Capability Mapping Report for Austrade. Geof sits on the IoTAA Executive Council, chairs the Industry Consortium for the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope, is a member of the Australian Computer Society’s Telecoms Board, its Data Taskforce.

David TomlinsOperations Lead

David Tomlins brings extensive digital technology experience throughout the Asia Pacific region and is the former Executive General Manager – Corporate Development and Strategy of Wotif Group, the ASX listed operator of leading digital brands in the region including Wotif.com and lastminute.com.au.

David has held executive roles at blue chip corporates, working with multi-disciplinary teams to deliver early stage initiatives that scaled nationally and internationally across medical, travel, telco, finance, infrastructure and retail sectors.