Judges

David Epstein FAICD

Educated at The ANU and Wharton (UPenn), David is an experienced senior executive and non-executive director.

A former Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, he led group public affairs & communications at Qantas and BHP, legal, regulatory & corporate affairs at Optus (Singtel), and was Head of Ministerial Media for both the Hawke and Keating Governments.

David is currently a non-executive director of Communications Compliance Ltd, The Asia Society-Australia, and the European Australian Business Council. He also serves on the Nominations Committee and is a Governing Member, of .au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA), Australia’s internet domain administrator.

David is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was awarded the NSW Premier’s Bushfire Emergency Citation in 2020.

Deena Shiff

Prior to that, Deena had a legal career including as in-house counsel at Telstra and as a partner at law firm Mallesons, Stephen Jacques.

Since leaving Telstra, Deena has served on the board of Australia’s export credit agency, Efic, as Deputy Chair. She was Chair of the Government’s Regional Telecommunications Review in 2015 and is currently the Chair of global communications company, BAI Communications, which own Broadcast Australia in Australia, as well as communications companies in North America and Hong Kong.

Deena is the Chair of the Supervisory Board of Marley Spoon AG, the Chair of a CRC, and on the boards of Appen (asx:apx), Infrastructure Australia and Opera Australia.

She is also Chair of the Advisory Board of the Australian Centre for China in the World as well as the Advisory Board of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decisions and Society.

Garry Hausfeld

With over 30 years of experience in the international telecommunications industry, Garry has been providing independent technical advice and engineering consultancy services to Telcos in the Asia Pacific region for the last 16 years.

Since forming Hausfeld Consulting in 2002, Garry has provided satcom engineering consultancy services to a wide range of clients in Australia, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands.

Garry has a Bachelor of Engineering Degree from Newcastle University, a Master of Engineering Science degree from the University of New South Wales, and a Graduate Certificate in Management from the University of Southern Queensland.

Garry is a current member of the Institute of Engineers Australia, and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Jo Ucukalo

The lifeblood of business is a fantastic consumer experience. For the last 10 years, Jo Ucukalo has been helping companies and consumers alike improve their bottom lines. Jo works with consumers and companies themselves, to champion customer service done the right way, whether online, brick and mortar or in-service businesses. Through her businesses, Handle My Complaint and Two Hoots, Jo has helped resolve over 12,000 complaints and counting.

Jo advocates on behalf of consumers and brings thought-leadership to a variety of industry panels where she provides unique insights into the shifting relationships between consumers and organisations enabled by technology.

With more than 600 Media stories, Jo is called upon to critique B2C offerings and provide advice for consumers. An accomplished presenter and panelist, she has built a reputation as an industry expert & social commentator.

Her background with excellent service providers such as Virgin Airlines, along with being a qualified Civil Engineer allow her to analyse the consumer experience from design through to delivery.

John Stanton

John is also Chairman of the Executive Council of the IoT Alliance Australia (IoTAA) – a collaboration of more than 150 companies and stakeholders from academia, Government and the consumer sector, dedicated to harnessing the opportunities of the Internet of Things for the Australian economy.

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 Australia’s Best Regional Service Provider in the Australian Telecom Awards 2007. In early 2009 the Company was sold to M2 Telecommunications.

Prior to that John was an executive with Intelsat, the largest provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. Based in the UK from 2001-2005, he was President and Director of Intelsat Global Sales & Marketing and of the Data, Carrier and Internet Business Unit. John also spent two years in the US with Intelsat as Vice President of Sales and Marketing from 1999-2001.

John joined Telstra in 1992 as a result of the merger with OTC where he was Manager of Public Affairs. From 1992-1999 John held a number of roles with Telstra including Managing Director of Payphones and Card Services. From 1996-1997 he was also Chairman of the Intelsat Board.

In his early career, John worked as a journalist and as a press secretary with the Australian Government.

Levi Watters

Lizzie O’Shea

Lizzie O’Shea is a lawyer, writer, and broadcaster. Her commentary is featured regularly on national television programs and radio, usually talking about law, digital technology, corporate responsibility, or human rights. In print, Lizzie’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Guardian, and Sydney Morning Herald, among others.

Lizzie is a founder and board member of Digital Rights Watch, which advocates for human rights online. She also sits on the board of Blueprint for Free Speech and the Alliance for Gambling Reform. At the National Justice Project, Lizzie worked with lawyers, journalists and activists to establish a Copwatch program, for which she was a recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace Prize. In June 2019, she was named a Human Rights Hero by Access Now.

As a lawyer, Lizzie has spent many years working in public interest litigation, on cases brought on behalf of refugees and activists, among others. She was proud to represent the Fertility Control Clinic in their battle to stop harassment of their staff and patients, as well as the Traditional Owners of Muckaty Station, in their successful attempt to stop a nuclear waste dump being built on their land.

Her book, Future Histories (Verso, 2019), looks at radical social movements and theories from history and applies them to debates we have about digital technology today. It has been shortlisted for the Premier’s Literary Award.

Malcolm Alder

Mark McDonnell

Chairman, McDonnell Communications Research Pty Ltd
Mark McDonnell has an extensive background in the telecommunications, IT and media industries with a career encompassing government policy advice, business analysis, management consultancy, investment banking and stockbroking. For the past 40 years he has been actively involved in assessing trends and developments in the communications industry, and valuing listed companies in this sector.

Between 2000 and 2014, Mark was Senior Analyst in Telecommunications, Media and Technology at BBY Limited and also worked in the investment banking operations of the firm on various M&A and equity market listings for companies in the TMT sector.

In the 1990s Mark was an industry consultant. His clients included Telstra, Optus, Telecom New Zealand, IBM, Ericsson, GE Information Services and many others. Mark was also the founding CEO of ASTRA, the pay television industry association.

In the 1980s Mark was employed in the policy division of the then Department of Posts and Telecommunications, and later gained regulatory and public inquiry experience in the then Australian Broadcasting Tribunal. He saw out that decade as a business analyst and manager of policy development for Aussat, the national satellite carrier.

Mark has a Master’s degree in Applied Finance and Investment and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Matt Healy

Michael Malone

Non-Executive Director nbnco, Seven West Media, SpeedCast
Michael Malone founded iiNet Limited, an ASX listed telecommunications company in 1993 and continued as CEO until his retirement in 2014. Michael’s former directorships include Autism West (as founder and Vice Chairman) and .au Domain Administration (as a founder and Chairman). Michael has received a number of prestigious industry recognitions including 2012 Australian Entrepreneur of the Year, Communications Alliance Ambassador and is a holder of the Telecommunications Society Charles Todd Medal. He is also a past Advisory Council Member of the Australian Institute of Management (WA) and a past member of the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council and the WA State Training Board. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australian Institute of Management and the Australian Computer Society. Michael has a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) and a post graduate Diploma in Education both from the University of Western Australia.

Paul McCann

Managing Director, McCann Consulting International Pty Ltd
Paul McCann is Managing Director of McCann Consulting International Pty Ltd. He has over 40 years network planning & development experience in telecommunications both in international and domestic arenas. Prior to returning to consulting in 2012, Paul spent over 8 years with Verizon in Asia Pacific, driving growth of Verizon’s network across Asia by developing & implementing plans delivering major operational cost reductions and improved service performance. Paul is now managing his own consulting business, specialising in development in the Pacific Region, where the core business focus is on “connectivity” with expertise spanning all aspects of planning and development for Satellite, Submarine cable and Domestic access technologies and business. Paul is well known for his personable nature, his rapport with customers and his ability to deliver on time.

Rebecca Wallace

CEO, Launch Group
Rebecca Wallace is the founder and CEO of the Launch Group of companies, organisations focussing on human capital solutions for the telecommunications and technology industry. For over 15 years these businesses have provided expert technical talent, project services and mobile construction services.

Rebecca is an experienced and AICD qualified Not-for-Profit (NFP) Director, with a focus on corporate governance, compliance, risk management, strategic thinking, Board leadership and fundraising. She is an active member of Communications Alliance, CEO Institute, AICD, American Chamber, AIM, RCSA and APSCO.

Renee Bowker

Executive Director, Telco Together Foundation
Renee Bowker co-founded Telco Together Foundation in 2012. Renee leads the organisation to leverage the talents, technology and customer reach of the telecommunications industry in support of disadvantaged communities, with specific programs around Text Giving and the Skills Exchange.

An experienced senior manager & strategic marketer with more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry in Australia, Ireland and the USA, Renee has transitioned to the Foundation Board as Executive Director in 2019.

She has a degree in marketing and psychology from the University of Tasmania.

Sabiene Heindl

Director, The Energy Charter
Sabiene Heindl is an experienced executive, director and lawyer in the telecommunications, energy and technology sectors. Returning to Australia with an Executive MBA from Brown University in the U.S. and IE Business School in Spain, she formerly managed Stakeholder Relations for NBN Co and a high profile industry body in the music industry. Sabiene is currently the Director of The Energy Charter, a CEO led initiative from the gas and electricity supply chains to deliver energy in line with community expectations.