NovoCon26 will feature a range of industry leaders and innovators who are driving the future of educational technology.
John is a SASE/SSE/ZTNA Specialist with Fortinet and a cyber security industry veteran of 25 years. He’s happy to challenge the status quo of what the next big thing is – and isn’t.
John is a SASE/SSE/ZTNA Specialist with Fortinet
Sam is the National Private Education Lead for Microsoft Australia.
After finishing an internship and deciding a legal career was not for him, Sam pivoted to the IT industry in 2014, joining a global consultancy where he worked on complex digital transformation initiatives for organisations including Fonterra, ANZ Bank, Ausgrid and the South Australian Government.
Sam joined Microsoft on the eve of lockdowns in early 2020, leading the partner ecosystem supporting the Education sector across Australia and New Zealand—working closely with technology partners delivering solutions to schools, universities and Departments of Education.
Today, Sam is responsible for Microsoft’s engagement with the independent school sector across Australia. He collaborates with school leaders on a wide range of strategic initiatives, from developing AI adoption roadmaps and strengthening data governance frameworks, to uplifting cyber security posture across teaching and learning environments.
Sam has a particular interest in compliance and governance, and is passionate about helping schools adopt AI safely, responsibly and securely.
Sam is the National Private Education Lead for Microsoft Australia
Founder and CEO of Using Technology Better, is a leading expert in helping organisations unlock the full potential of technology. With years of experience in digital transformation and productivity strategies, Mike guides businesses and educational institutions to maximise their technology ROI and boost productivity.
Mike Reading is the founder and CEO of Using Technology Better
Harris Schneiderman is the Hybrid Cloud Solutions Sales Director for HPE. He is an IT Professional with broad experience in sales, technical presales, consulting and technical support. Harris’ strength is using technology to solve challenging business problems in large enterprises and SMBs. He is certified in 136 different technologies including Microsoft, AWS, Google Cloud Platform, HPE GreenLake, Morpheus, OpsRamp, Commvault, VMWare, Veeam and Artificial Intelligence. Interested in Fintech, cloud, AI and other disruptive technologies.
Harris Schneiderman is the Hybrid Cloud Solutions Sales Director for HPE
Arming schools with the right technology mix is Mark’s forte. For the last decade, Mark has been immersed in HP, managing the value-add product range across the entire HP Portfolio. His appetite and enjoyment for IT is matched only by his technical ability. Supporting education productivity, student satisfaction and the new direction that the emergence of Ai is taking Education today is a top focus area
Mark Fenson is an HP & Intel Ai Compute Evangelist
Jacob has spent the past seven years at the Würth Group as a Business Analyst, including four years based in the United States. During this time, he led initiatives focused on improving productivity, optimising business workflows, and driving the early adoption of AI and machine learning across the organisation. Now back in Australia, Jacob is heading up a Hyper‑Automation Development Team in Asia, streamlining processes and freeing teams to focus on the high‑value work that matters most.
Jacob is the Manager – Hyper-Automation Development (Asia), AI & ML Engineer, Würth Group
Tevfik Comert is a Principal Software Technologist who works closely with CIOs, Heads of Education, and Student Experience leaders to improve workforce and learning outcomes through technology. He advises executive teams on using data and experience insights to move beyond reactive IT toward proactive, student‑ and staff‑centric operations. Through HP Workforce Experience Platform (WXP), Tevfik helps education institutions gain visibility across devices and digital touchpoints, strengthen security and reliability, and create consistent, high‑quality experiences for faculty, staff, and students in hybrid and distributed environments.
Tevfik Comert is a Principal Software Technologist at HP
Amir Bukan is a senior technology leader with over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry. He works closely with education partners to guide schools through technology change, focusing on reliable, all‑day learning experiences and helping educators and students benefit from the next generation of Windows and Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon.
https://www.qualcomm.com/snapdragon/overview
Amir Bukan is a senior technology leader with over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry
Rob Flavell is President of VINE and Director of Digital Transformation at Loreto Toorak. He is a passionate leader with more than 25 years’ experience combining education and systems thinking principles to achieve innovative outcomes. In his role as President of VINE he passionately advocates for those supporting and empowering the use of technology in education. His day job at Loreto Toorak extends beyond technology use and seeks to critically evaluate and implement change on both the education and business sides of the school. He has a particular passion for systems and processes which reduce the logistics of education and ensure students and teachers focus on learning.
Rob Flavell is President of VINE and Director of Digital Transformation at Loreto Toorak.
Ray Fleming lives at the intersection between education, technology and AI. He’s an industry expert who covers topics around AI, organisational adoption and change. He has over 30 years’ industry experience including as Global Education Solutions Lead at Google Cloud, Higher Education Lead at Microsoft Australia and Chief AI Officer at InnovateGPT.
Ray co-hosts the AI in Education podcast, and each week discusses AI’s impact on the education system and interviews leaders of AI strategies and initiatives.
Having spoken on a global stage for both Microsoft and Google, Ray brings a rich knowledge and a vast selection of case studies to educate and challenge any audience. In the last two years he has also spoken with over 300 Australian companies from many industries, from startups to 50,000 employee businesses, about the impact AI will have on their employees and their future skills.
He is on the Large Employer’s Taskforce for the Commonwealth Future Skills Organisation, and their Technical Advisory Committee for AI Skills.
Ray’s been a columnist for the Times, an award-winning blogger, and has featured on BBC TV.
Ray Fleming lives at the intersection between education, technology and AI.
Olly Bridge, a visionary leader and a transformative force in both the athletic and corporate realms.
Through founding his original business ‘Build a Bridge’ in 2013 and more recently ‘Essentio Health’, Olly has dedicated himself to helping individuals and teams unleash their full potential and achieve extraordinary sustainable results.
With a career founded working with elite athletes in Formula One and Olympic Gymnastics, Olly has harnessed the power of peak performance and honed it into a dynamic methodology that extends far beyond the realm of sports. Olly has led high-performing teams in prestigious organisations like BMW and Medibank, while also driving smaller start-ups to successful exits. This varied career, including his experience as the COO of a joint- listed ASX and NASDAQ health tech company, has equipped him with a deep understanding of the corporate landscape and the crucial balance between performance and wellbeing.
Olly has graced countless stages, captivating audiences with his inspiring stories, practical strategies, and unwavering passion. Drawing from his work with what he calls ‘corporate athletes’, he unveils the secrets to building high- performing teams, nurturing individual wellbeing, and fostering a culture of excellence.
Olly is a catalyst for positive change, a beacon of inspiration, and a true advocate for holistic success.
Olly Bridge is a Health and Human Performance Expert
Rob is a keenly active cyber-security practitioner and has over 20 years’ experience in the Cyber Security industry. Prior to joining SentinelOne, he worked with several Tier 1 security vendors in a pre-sales capacity and has worked on the front line in several high-profile Incident Response engagements as well as presenting cutting edge research at various security conferences. He began his cybersec career working within the end user market, heading up APAC infrastructure and information security for a large pharmaceutical company in Singapore.
Rob is a keenly active cyber-security practitioner and has over 20 years’ experience in the Cyber Security industry
Angus Evans is a Senior Systems Engineer at Arctic Wolf. Angus will run the Arctic Wolf deep dive session on Friday morning.
Angus Evans is a Senior Systems Engineer at Arctic Wolf
Nayrie Mekerchian is a Microsoft Windows Device Enablement Specialist focused on Copilot+ PC devices. She works closely with partners and customers to showcase how the latest Windows innovations deliver enhanced performance, intelligent experiences, and built-in security—helping organisations unlock real business value from modern PCs.
Nayrie Mekerchian is a Microsoft Windows Device Enablement Specialist focused on Copilot+ PC devices
Divya is currently a Security Specialist at Microsoft, where she supports Education K‑12 customers across Australia, helping schools strengthen their security posture and protect students, staff, and learning environments in an increasingly complex digital world. With a career spanning enterprise security, cloud, networking, and cyber strategy, Divya brings deep technical expertise combined with a strong passion for customer impact.
Her professional journey spans global and local roles across Microsoft and multiple IT and Telecommunication companies gaining experience in Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Networking and Datacentre.
Beyond her professional role, Divya is the Vice President of the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) Australia Affiliate, where she is deeply passionate about supporting and advocating for women entering, growing, and thriving in technology and cybersecurity careers. She actively champions diversity, mentorship, and inclusive pathways into tech, particularly for under‑represented communities.
Divya’s journey reflects the power of resilience, continuous learning, and giving back and she remains a strong advocate for empowering the next generation of technology and cybersecurity leaders.
Divya is currently a Security Specialist at Microsoft, where she supports Education K‑12 customers across Australia
Mark has spent the past eight years with Juniper Networks and am now part of the broader HPE Networking team. He specialises in routing, switching and security, with a strong all‑round networking skill set that allows me to adapt across technologies and environments. He is deeply passionate about networking and enjoy helping customers design, build, and operate resilient, high‑performing networks utilising our market leading portfolio.
Mark is part of the broader HPE Networking team
Tony Li is the Manager, Concierge Security, ANZ for Arctic Wolf.
During this presentation session he will share a day in the life of the SOC.
Get deeper insight on:
• Why security organisations need to focus on operations more than new tools
• How leading organisations improve security operations
• Real-world examples of expert security engineers stepping in to protect customers, 24×7
Tony Li is the Manager, Concierge Security, ANZ for Arctic Wolf