Keynote speakers

Denise Carter-Bennett (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāpuhi, and Ngāti Hine) is a highly skilled and passionate Cybersecurity Engineer for Datacom in Auckland, New Zealand. With her extensive expertise and dedication to the field, she has become a valuable asset to cybersecurity as a whole. She currently oversees project work and provides her expertise in security architecture to commercial and government clients. Aside from her work as an engineer within cybersecurity, Denise has over 20 years of experience as an ethical hacker and specialises in the fields of open source intelligence and malware analysis.

Beyond her professional role, Denise is deeply committed to empowering and uplifting women and gender minorities in the security industry. As a Trustee and Chapter Lead for the New Zealand Network for Women in Security (NZNWS), a charitable trust, she plays a pivotal role in supporting and advocating for individuals interested in various security domains, including cybersecurity, defence security, physical security and information security.

Her personal journey has significantly influenced her outlook on both her career and community. Having been diagnosed with autism during her childhood, she gained further insights into her neurodiversity when she received a formal diagnosis of ADHD at the age of 30. Embracing her unique neurodivergent qualities, she found tremendous satisfaction in the exhilarating world of ethical hacking. Being part of an accepting and supportive community of fellow neurodivergent individuals brought her a deep sense of belonging and fulfilment.

Denise's remarkable journey serves as an inspiration to aspiring cybersecurity professionals, particularly those who identify as neurodivergent. Her technical prowess, dedication to empowering others, and commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity within the industry exemplify the transformative power of embracing one's unique qualities. Through her work and advocacy, she continues to make a positive impact, contributing to a safer and more inclusive cybersecurity landscape.

Vonda Cummings is a marine ecologist, Principal Scientist and Programme Leader in the Coasts and Estuaries science centre at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Wellington. Her research investigates how coastal marine organisms and communities function today, and how they may be affected by our rapidly changing, high CO₂ world. She has worked extensively around Aotearoa and Antarctica to understand resilience and adaption potential of some of our iconic coastal and deep-sea species. Vonda has worked in the coastal Antarctic since 2001, and is a co-chair of a Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Expert Group that is establishing coordinated, circum-Antarctic, long-term environmental observations to underpin detection of ecological change.

Genevieve (Kāi Tahu) is a Resource Management Planner by training and is the Pou Whakawhanake within Te Ahi Tūtata, the Māori business team at Beca. She is developing a framework to help all of Beca’s New Zealand employees become more comfortable with te ao Māori. Genevieve is passionate about creating pathways for Māori into STEM and setting up networks to support Māori who work in these spaces. Supported by a rōpū of passionate kaimahi Māori, Genevieve is driven to increase the visibility of te reo and tikanga within Beca and improve the use of each, ultimately with the view to create a place of work where Māori can belong and succeed.

Juliet is the Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins. Juliet trained at Oxford University and moved to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1993 where her career has included roles in both Crown Research Institutes and universities. Juliet’s research background is broad and interdisciplinary, with particular interests in fundamental and applied protein science. She has held an Industry and Outreach Fellowship with Callaghan Innovation, founded a start-up company, chaired the Marsden Council, served on the Board of Directors of Plant and Food Research, and is currently on the Board of Te Papa.

Since Juliet’s appointment in 2018 as the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia, she has worked from a base of four founding principles: rigour, inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility. She has supported the science and science advisor community to provide advice to the PM, ministers, and the public on a wide range of topics, including advice on the Christchurch mosque shootings, the response to the Whakaari | White Island eruption, the Cannabis referendum, rheumatic fever and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office has released three major reports, Rethinking plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand, The future of commercial fishing in Aotearoa New Zealand, and Kotahitanga - Uniting Aotearoa against infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance.

Martyn Loukes is a Change and Communications Consultant working in the Automotive Industry, and Diversity and Inclusion speaker. He is best known for work in London creating the world’s first LGBT+ transport related public awareness campaign ‘Ride with Pride’.

Starting with London’s first rainbow crossing in 2014 and then going on to create unique campaigns that saw a bus, traditional black cab and overground train adorned with rainbow livery. By 2016 he added 48 traffic lights to London’s iconic Trafalgar Square in 2016 for Pride in London. He was Honoured by the late Queen for his work with a British Empire Medal in 2015 and was given Freedom of The City of London in the same year.

Martyn also introduced the first workplace HIV testing initiative at TfL, changed station announcements to be gender neutral and created the first BAME Internship programme focussed on increasing diversity in Communications before he left in 2017. He also created diversity projects locally that included a permanent rainbow crossing in his own London Borough for their celebration of culture in 2019.

Martyn continues to campaign for recognition and acceptance of LGBT+ diversity, most recently completing a short documentary in 2022 on the story behind London’s now widely recognised and lauded diversity traffic lights. He regularly speaks to many staff network groups and at events like this on why this makes a difference and to inspire others. This includes Women in Logistics, The Association of Project Managers, and to Retail and Construction Engineering Groups.

He now lives in Brighton working remotely for the world’s biggest automotive safety company, Autoliv based in Stockholm.

A former glaciologist, Chandrika Nath is Executive Director of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), a leading global organisation facilitating international research on Antarctica since 1958. SCAR has a membership of 46 nations and 9 scientific unions and coordinates over 30 research groups across all disciplines. It also organises the Antarctic community’s biennial Open Science Conference where thousands of researchers come together to network share their research highlights. SCAR also provides advice and information to international bodies such as the UNFCCC and the IPCC.

Prior to joining SCAR, Dr Nath was Acting Head of the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), an office providing scientific advice to Members of the UK Parliament. She has briefed UK policymakers on a wide range of areas spanning environment, energy, security, ICT and international development. Dr Nath has a keen interest in capacity building and has worked with decision makers and researchers across the world to support uptake of research evidence in policy-making. She also has a longstanding interest in science communication, and has presented a number of radio programmes and podcast series.

Dr Nath stumbled upon her first job, as a glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey, while trying to find a way to escape from her PhD in High Energy Physics at Oxford University. Her work as a glaciologist took her within a few hundred kilometres of the south pole and triggered a lifelong love of the polar regions.

Imogen Rea is a Systems Engineer at Rocket Lab, working on the company’s new large, reusable rocket Neutron. She completed a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering from Monash University and more recently, a Master of Systems Engineering (Space Systems) from the University of New South Wales. Imogen is currently a Director of the Space Industry Association of Australia, the national peak body for Australia’s space industry.

Imogen was previously employed by the Australian Government Department of Industry as a Strategy and Policy Assistant Manager in a range of areas including cyber security, critical technologies, and space. She was also an engineer on SouthPAN, a satellite-based augmentation system, at Geoscience Australia, which reduces GNSS accuracy to 10cm across Australia and New Zealand with applications in resources, transport, and construction.

Imogen is known for her diversity and inclusion advocacy efforts, having been awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Diversity and Inclusion Award in 2017, and for her contributions to Geoscience Australia’s Athena Swan Bronze Award in 2019. She is passionate about inspiring the next generation, having served as President of the Australian Youth Aerospace Association from 2016-2017. Imogen is currently representing Rocket Lab as a Space Ambassador where she supports outreach activities in schools.

Latasha is a Principal Engineering Geologist and National Service Line Leader of the Engineering Geology Team at WSP in New Zealand. Her work over the past 12 years has involved leading field operations and providing technical input to a wide range of projects including tunnel design and construction, foundation investigations, slope stabilisation, natural hazard assessment, and tailings dam assessments in Antarctica, West Africa, Canada, Fiji, Australia and across New Zealand.

Latasha completed her Bachelor of Science and PhD at the University of Canterbury. Her PhD research focused on optimisation of deep drilling for geothermal energy exploration. During the course of her research she published numerous technical papers, gained field experience on geothermal drilling rigs, performed in-depth laboratory analysis on rock behaviour & optical mineralogy and her results included the development of an equation to relate rock behaviour to drill bit selection.

Latasha has been assisting the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization for Science (AIMS), and the Scott Base Redevelopment project, since 2016 and 2019 respectively. Several site-specific investigation programmes have been completed by WSP and Webster Drilling, using a specialised drilling technique to recover continuous frozen rock core samples at both Scott Base and McMurdo Station. The data collected and analysed has contributed to the design of major rebuild projects at both Antarctic field research bases.

Latasha takes pride in connecting young geotechnical professionals with senior members of staff for mentorship; in particular seeing them develop within their teams and take on leadership roles of their own. Latasha’s own strongly held values help reinforce existing initiatives within WSP, including diversity, equality and equity in traditionally male-dominated engineering roles.

Siouxsie heads up the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland. There she and her team are on the hunt for new antibiotics as well as how bacteria become more infectious. Siouxsie firmly believes that science communication is an integral part of the research process and has received many awards for her efforts, including the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize and the Royal Society Te Apārangi’s Callaghan Medal in 2013.

In 2019 she was appointed a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to microbiology and science communication. When the pandemic arrived, Siouxsie joined forces with Spinoff cartoonist Toby Morris to make the science of the pandemic clear and understandable. Their award-winning graphics have been translated into multiple languages and adapted by governments and organisations around the world.

Siouxsie was named by the BBC as one of their 100 influential women of 2020 and was the Supreme Winner of the Stuff Westpac 2020 Women of Influence Award and Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year in 2021.

• Group Captain Carol Abraham, is Director Strategic Programmes in NZDF, including Lead NZDF Climate Change Response Programme.
• Lieutenant Commander Emily Kutarski, is the Project Manager, School to Seas, for the Royal New Zealand Navy.
• Wing Commander Rebecca ‘George’ Magdalinos, is the Director Defence Recruiting. She was the founder of Air Force ‘School to Skies’ programme and follow on STEM-pipeline initiatives.