Nash Abdulla leads change management and delivery of projects at MIGSO-PCUBED. A highly experienced transformation and change professional, Nash brings over 20 years of expertise delivering strategic programs, business improvement initiatives, and enterprise change outcomes across both public and private sectors. Combining strong delivery leadership with deep stakeholder engagement and organisational change capability, Nash enables clients to successfully execute complex initiatives while maintaining a disciplined focus on measurable business outcomes. His experience spans multiple industries, with a consistent track record advising senior leaders on integrating change management with contemporary project delivery practices, building adaptive organisational capabilities, and driving sustained adoption. Nash is also a recognised contributor to industry research, with a focus on applying behavioural insights and data-driven approaches to help organisations realise value from digital and AI-enabled initiatives.

Ish is a senior planning and project controls leader with over 2 decades of experience delivering complex infrastructure programs, specialising in strategic planning, project controls, risk management and whole-of-life delivery assurance. Ish is an established leader in planning and project controls with extensive experience across rail infrastructure, water, renewable energy, integrated station developments, mixed used developments and major infrastructure programs. As Chartered Civil Engineer, he brings deep technical expertise combined with strong commercial and strategic insight, enabling him to support complex projects from early tender and business case development through to delivery and transition. Recognised as an industry expert in planning and project controls, Ish has worked on numerous multi-billion-dollar projects in Australia and internationally, supporting Tier 1 contractors, operators and government clients. He is known for implementing clear, structured programme hierarchies, robust baseline schedules and transparent reporting frameworks that align stakeholders, manage risk and support informed decision-making. His pragmatic, collaborative approach consistently drives improved delivery performance, certainty and confidence across complex project environments.

Maroof Ali is a Project Controls leader with 15+ years of experience delivering multi‑billion-dollar and giga projects across the Middle East, working with leading contractors on high-value, high-complexity developments. His portfolio spans iconic projects such as The Dubai Mall, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, and giga developments including Qiddiya and Wynn Al Marjan Island—reflecting deep experience across hospitality, commercial, and power-sector environments. He currently serves as Support Services Director at Wynn Al Marjan Island and holds PMP and PMI‑RMP credentials. Operating from a contractor perspective, Maroof has led end-to-end project controls functions on fast-track, multi-package mega projects—establishing baseline strategies, enforcing schedule integrity, and driving performance management under challenging delivery conditions. His expertise includes Project Planning and Governance, Critical path control, and recovery strategies aligned with construction sequencing and work packaging. He is recognized for applying 4D planning to bridge design intent with construction reality—enhancing constructability, coordination, and execution clarity across stakeholders. Maroof also brings strong capability in Forensic Analysis and EoT Claims support, applying structured schedule analytics and evidence-based methodologies to develop clear, defensible delay narratives within contractor-driven environments. In parallel, Maroof is the Co‑Founder of Nahla AI and is passionate about advancing practical AI in Project Controls and Schedule Delays Analysis. His focus is on transforming how project controls teams operate—leveraging AI to automate reporting, detect early-warning signals, and improve forecasting reliability across schedule, cost, and risk domains, while keeping outputs transparent and auditable. At the Australia Project Controls Conference, Maroof shares how contractor-led project controls, empowered by AI, can redefine predictability and performance in mega project delivery.

Kirsty leads The University of Melbourne’s Campus Operations and Delivery Risk and Compliance practice. She has worked extensively across construction and IT PMO’s and is certified in project and change management and is a member of URMIA, RIMS and the Risk Management Institute of Australasia. She is passionate about making risk management accessible across the construction industry by incorporating best practice ideas in a pragmatic manner.

Prajwal Belagal is a Consultant in the Risk Management team at TBH Australia, where he supports major infrastructure projects with risk analysis and project controls. He holds dual Master’s degrees in Construction Project Management and Property Development from UNSW, where he also contributes as an Academic Tutor, mentoring students in risk management, contract administration, and digital construction technologies. With prior experience as a Quality Engineer, Prajwal combines hands-on site knowledge with advisory and academic expertise. An active volunteer with PMI Sydney, he is passionate about the integration of AI and digital tools in project delivery and about developing the next generation of construction professionals.

Sangrah is a highly accomplished and versatile Head of Project Services and Project Controls Director (FIEAust, CPEng, CPPM) with over 20 years of experience driving successful results across diverse engineering and construction projects globally in both client and contractor organisations. His industry experience spans Infrastructure, Mining, Oil & Gas, Rail, Building, Defence and Utilities sectors. Sangrah is a proven leader in building and empowering high performing teams and an industry recognised expert in implementing best practice and robust Project Controls, Cost Estimating, Cost Control, Earned Value, Planning and Scheduling and Risk Management strategies, processes, systems and deliverables. Sangrah is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and a Certified Practising Project Manager (CPPM) with the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM). Sangrah holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) alongside a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and a Graduate Certificate in Engineering Maintenance Management.

Mr. Girish Bhatia is a distinguished Civil Engineer with over a decade of experience in project management and construction oversight. As the founder of Construct Mind AI, he has pioneered innovative solutions in Enterprise Grade Project Controls, BIM software, and digital project management, enhancing construction project profitability. With a degree in Civil Engineering, Girish has continually expanded his expertise. Under his leadership, Compass Consult has become a recognized industry leader, serving over 200 clients and executing landmark projects such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Melbourne Airport. As CEO and lead consultant, he consistently delivers projects on time and within budget, earning accolades from clients and colleagues.

Currently working as Consultant - Delay & Quantum, having experience as a Planning Engineer in the spheres of building, industrial and infrastructure construction projects.

Laetitia is a project management professional with 20 years of experience leading large-scale transformation programs across government, financial services, and technology sectors. She is also the Director of Academic Outreach and Professional Development at PMI Sydney Chapter, where she drives initiatives that connect industry and academia while uplifting the project management profession. Passionate about education and knowledge-sharing, Laetitia teaches postgraduate Project Management and delivers international masterclasses in Advanced Project Management at universities worldwide. She is a certified practitioner in Agile, Change Management, and Cognitive Project Management for AI, with a strong commitment to innovation and professional growth.

Javier Celis is a Project Controls and Project Services leader with international experience across mining, infrastructure, and engineering projects in Australia and South America. He currently serves as Team Lead, Project Services at Ausenco, supporting complex studies and project delivery teams through project controls, governance, planning, cost management, forecasting, performance reporting, and decision support. Holding a Master of Project Management from the University of Sydney and an engineering background, Javier has built his career at the intersection of project controls, project management, and business performance. His experience includes working closely with project managers, engineers, commercial teams, and senior stakeholders to improve project outcomes and support informed decision-making. Javier is also the author of Project Controls: Beyond the Spreadsheet, a professional book that explores the human factors behind successful project delivery. His work highlights the importance of communication, trust, judgement, leadership, and stakeholder influence as critical drivers of project success. As a speaker, Javier combines technical expertise with practical project experience, offering insights into the evolving role of Project Controls in the age of Artificial Intelligence. He is passionate about advancing the profession from a reporting function to a strategic partner that transforms information into better decisions and improved project outcomes.

Edmund is a project controls professional with over 15 years experience. His work experience has been purposefully diverse across multiple industries (including water, buildings, road and rail) and functions (namely project controls, project management and consulting). This has provided Edmund extensive knowledge and capability for developing and delivering projects. Edmund is currently working on the Metro Tunnel Project in Melbourne as Integrated Program Manager. He has been coaching and training aspiring professionals in the field of project controls over the last 10 years.

Abhi Datta is a Chartered Professional Engineer and major infrastructure controls leader with more than two decades of international experience across Australia, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. A two-time Asia Pacific Project Controls Project of the Year recipient, he has shaped PMO and controls frameworks for nationally significant programs including Energy Co, AUKUS, Sydney Metro, Inland Rail, MTR Hong Kong, WestConnex, Schiphol Airport and major resources portfolios. Abhi specialises in bringing scope, schedule, cost, risk, change and performance reporting into one governed operating model. His work spans EPC, EPCM, Alliance, D&C and collaborative environments, with deep experience in 4D/5D BIM, digital twins, Power BI and enterprise controls transformation. He co-created ClarityAxis to bring the discipline of world-class project controls together with AI that practitioners can trust - not to replace expertise, but to multiply it.

Lucy Eng is Director of the Enterprise Project Management Office at Development Victoria, where she founded the organisation's first EPMO and sits on the Senior Leadership Team. With close to two decades of experience across civic infrastructure, housing, transport, water, and education programs in Australia and New Zealand, she specialises in portfolio governance, delivery transformation, and building enterprise-level capability. Lucy has led some of the sector's most complex programs across both public and private sectors, and is known for building high-performing teams and embedding the frameworks and culture that make delivery stick at scale. In 2025, Lucy was named Asia Pacific Project Control Professional of the Year. She holds accreditations with the Australian and New Zealand Institutes of Project Management and Quantity Surveying, and is a committed advocate for diversity and inclusion, serving as Executive Sponsor of Development Victoria's Cultural Diversity Group and mentoring the next generation of leaders in the construction industry both within DV and across the broader sector.

Marty Fuentes is a senior Planning, Scheduling, and Project Controls leader with more than twenty years of experience delivering complex infrastructure, transport, civil, and utilities projects in Australia and abroad. He is recognised for his technical expertise in forensic schedule analysis and has resolved multiple high value delay claims through both client side leadership and specialist consultancy. During his tenure at Transport for NSW, Marty led planning and controls across more than 120 projects, establishing an in house forensic delay analysis capability and delivering evidence based assessments using Time Impact Analysis and Window Analysis. His work strengthened commercial positions, improved governance, and reduced reliance on external claims consultants. His contributions included schedule assurance, EOT evaluations, QSRA development, and enterprise reporting systems that improved visibility across thousands of milestones. As Principal Consultant at MLR Project Management & Consultancy, Marty provides expert advisory services on delay analysis, claims strategy, and schedule linked entitlement for projects in Australia and internationally. He is known for producing defensible, contract aligned assessments, particularly in contentious concurrency scenarios, and for uplifting organisational capability in planning and controls. Marty brings a proven track record of resolving delay claims through rigorous methodology, compliant schedules, and clear, evidence based analysis.

Louise Gardner is the Founder and Managing Director of Pledge Consulting, a specialist firm delivering services across advisory, recruitment, and training in project, program, and portfolio management. She leads a team that works with organisations to strengthen delivery capability through practical, evidence-based approaches that drive measurable outcomes. With extensive experience across the public and private sector, Louise has a strong track record in diagnosing and improving project environments. Her expertise spans project controls, PMO and delivery, supporting organisations to move from fragmented and reactive delivery practices to more structured, predictable, and strategically aligned models. Through Pledge Consulting’s advisory services, Louise partners with organisations to assess current capability, identify gaps, and design targeted improvement initiatives. Complementing this, Pledge Consulting's recruitment services focus on securing high quality project professionals aligned to organisational needs, ensuring capability uplift is both immediate and sustainable. This is further reinforced through tailored training programs that build practical skills and embed consistent delivery practices across teams. Louise is known for her ability to engage senior stakeholders, cut through complexity, and focus on changes that deliver real impact. Her approach combines established frameworks with a pragmatic, implementation focus, ensuring that strategy translates into action. In addition to her consulting work, Louise is an active contributor to the project management community. She regularly delivers workshops, masterclasses, and conference presentations, sharing practical insights on PMO & Project Controls leadership, capability uplift and the application of emerging tools such as AI in project environments. Louise’s work is grounded in the belief that maturity is not about achieving a perfect end state, but about enabling continuous improvement aligned to organisational priorities. Her presentations are practical, engaging, and designed to give audiences clear, actionable steps to improve their delivery outcomes.

Alex Garner is a project controls and PMO leader with more than 25 years’ experience delivering complex technology, infrastructure and defence programs. Beginning his career as a systems engineer in the mid1990s, Alex has spent the past decade leading project management and program delivery across major defence organisations, with a particular focus on governance, Control Account Management (CAM), Earned Value Management (EVM), and strengthening project management capability. As Managing Consultant at Skeiny, Alex works with organisations to improve project performance through practical project controls, better governance and capability development. He has designed and delivered CAM and project management training to hundreds of project professionals, helping teams move beyond compliance and reporting to develop a deeper understanding of scope, schedule, cost and risk. Alex is known for translating complex project management concepts into practical techniques that can be applied immediately. His presentations challenge conventional thinking while remaining grounded in real-world experience, drawing on lessons learned from major capital, defence and transformation programs to improve the quality of project control conversations and decision-making

Andrew Harris is the Senior Vice President, Sales and Operations for APAC and Japan at InEight, where he leads the company’s growth, customer engagement, and regional strategy across the Asia-Pacific region. Since joining InEight in 2018 as Vice President of Sales for APAC, Andrew has played a key role in the company’s regional success, strengthening customer relationships, expanding strategic partnerships, and helping organisations improve project delivery through connected construction technology. With extensive experience leading high-performing teams, Andrew has built a career delivering technology solutions to enterprise organisations across the commercial, infrastructure, and government sectors to help them maximise the value of their digital investments.. His expertise spans business growth, strategic account management, and developing long-term customer partnerships. Andrew holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

Jake is a strategic leader with 15+ years' consulting experience, delivering transformation across systems, structure and process. Working with stakeholders, he builds data-driven cultures, embeds new ways of working, and prepares teams for change, giving leaders clarity for commercial decisions.

David Harvey has been in the GRC software industry for 20+ years with experience across a wide range of GRC solutions and industry sectors. For the last 10 years he has worked on some of Australia & New Zealand's largest and most complex infrastructure, mining and energy projects delivering Active Risk Manager (ARM) solutions to customers and project contractors.

George is a Digital Delivery and Transformation leader with 9+ years delivering complex technology initiatives across sectors. He leads multidisciplinary teams through enterprise platform, data and AI implementations, establishing delivery frameworks and controls that drive adoption, executive visibility and measurable outcomes across multi-billion-dollar portfolios.

Marten Jajou is an Associate Director at WT Partnership with extensive experience in cost management, infrastructure advisory and project controls across major infrastructure and transport programmes. He specialises in integrating carbon estimation, cost modelling and data analytics into project controls to support informed decision-making and sustainable infrastructure delivery. Marten has led the development of innovative approaches that combine probabilistic modelling with project controls disciplines, helping organisations better understand uncertainty in carbon forecasting and infrastructure investment decisions. He is passionate about leveraging technology and data to improve transparency, governance and delivery outcomes across complex capital projects.

Vikki "Vik" Kapoor is a seasoned professional with over 27 years of experience in IT, Telecommunications, and Consulting & Systems Integration. His career spans diverse roles, including R&D/Systems Engineer, Solution Architect, and Project/Program Manager, driving successful outcomes on international projects across Australia, Singapore, and Japan. Currently, Vik serves as the PMO Manager for Ericsson’s ANZA region, where he leads strategic initiatives to enhance governance, quality, and delivery excellence. Vik’s passion for project management is reflected in his leadership within the Project Management Institute (PMI). He served as the President of the PMI Melbourne Chapter (2020–2022) and continues to contribute as a volunteer with PMI Global and the Melbourne Chapter. In his current role as the Region Mentor for PMI Region 10, Vik supports the growth and collaboration of PMI chapters across the region. His professional credentials include PMP®, PgMP®, and Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) certifications, among others. Notably, he is one of the first professionals globally to achieve the PMO-CP® (PMO Certified Professional) designation, reflecting his expertise in PMO domain. With his wealth of knowledge, leadership acumen, and dedication to advancing the project management profession, Vik Kapoor continues to make a significant impact on organizations, aspiring professionals.

Prachi is a multidisciplinary built-environment professional with expertise spanning architecture, construction management, project controls, sustainability, and academia. She has experience working across major infrastructure projects in Australia, bringing an integrated and strategic perspective to complex project delivery and the evolving role of technology in the construction industry. Alongside her industry practice, she is a Casual Academic at UNSW, where she delivers teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate programs in construction management and property development, supporting the development of emerging professionals through both theoretical and practice-informed learning. Her professional interests focus on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, sustainable innovation, and the application of emerging technologies to advance project controls and enhance construction delivery.

Mikail Khajavi is a project and portfolio management leader with over 20 years of experience delivering capital infrastructure programs across local, state and federal government in Australia. He currently leads the Infrastructure Program Management Office at Wyndham City Council, overseeing a capital portfolio exceeding 180 million dollars annually and supporting more than 30 project managers and sponsors. Throughout his career, Mikail has worked across organisations with total asset values between 5 and 50 billion dollars, managing capital portfolios of up to 250 million dollars per annum. He has built PMO functions at VicTrack, the City of Melbourne, Wyndham City Council and the NDIA, establishing governance frameworks and project management systems that have improved delivery performance and reduced risk across these large asset portfolios. A civil engineer by training with an MBA, Project and Program Management Qualifications, he brings a practical, values based approach to governance and portfolio leadership, shaped by hands on experience in public sector capital delivery. He is a returning speaker at Project Control Expo Australia, and remains an active mentor with the Institute of Managers and Leaders. Mikail pursues the opportunity to share his experiences and continues to learn from every project and conversation with fellow practitioners

Aman Khan is an experienced Portfolio Planning Manager with over 18 years of expertise in portfolio, program, and project planning, delivering major rail and infrastructure projects across Australia and the Middle East. He currently serves as Planning Manager on the Melbourne Airport Rail Stage 1 Project, one of Victoria's largest and most complex transport infrastructure programs. Aman holds a Master of Project Management from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and is internationally certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP®) by the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA. His expertise spans strategic planning, project controls, governance, risk management, and stakeholder engagement, enabling the successful delivery of complex, multi-billion-dollar programs. Throughout his career, Aman has led multidisciplinary planning and project controls teams, developed governance frameworks, and provided executive leadership with data-driven insights to support informed decision-making. He is passionate about mentoring planning professionals and fostering high-performing teams that drive project excellence. His notable experience includes leadership roles on globally significant infrastructure projects, including the Riyadh Metro Project in Saudi Arabia, the Level Crossing Removal Project, and the Melbourne Airport Rail Program. Recognized for his collaborative leadership and strategic approach, Aman is committed to helping organizations navigate complexity.

Shahil is a Project Controls professional supporting major infrastructure programs across Australia. He specialises in delivering cost and risk advisory and digital dashboard reporting for complex projects. He has experience across rail, road, intermodal, and defence infrastructure, including a secondment on the Sydney Metro project. Shahil is known for his clear communication, strong analytical capability, and his ability to translate complex information into practical commercial insight. He holds qualifications in Civil Engineering, Finance, Project Management, and Data Analytics, and is a Certified Practising Risk Associate (CPRA), RICS-qualified professional and Project Management Professional (PMP).

Paula Leonardo is a Senior Project Controls Manager with over 15 years of experience in project controls, planning, and governance across major infrastructure projects. She currently leads integrated planning and project controls activities for Marinus Link, a multi-billion-dollar energy interconnector program that supports the energy Australia's energy transformation. Paula is passionate about pragmatic and robust planning and using data-driven insights to support effective decision-making and successful project delivery.

Alex Lyaschenko is a planning and delivery consultant with over 30 years of experience in project portfolio management across different industries and countries. He holds a Master's degree in Mathematics from Odesa Mechnikov National University and began his career in the technology sector, and was at the origins of project management in Ukraine. He worked at Ukraine’s first project management consulting firm, where he helped establish project delivery offices across different industries and trained future project consultants. After relocating to Australia, Alex contributed to multiple portfolio and program offices, supporting organisations in defining their vision, enhancing project delivery practices, developing standards, implementing PPM tools, and upskilling teams. Passionate about merging data with actionable strategies, Alex continues to shape the project management field by delivering insightful presentations and practical solutions that empower organisations to make data-driven decisions. As a speaker, Alex has presented at numerous project management conferences, contributed to the 8th edition of the PMBOK Guide, and had his articles featured in leading industry publications.

Col Mackin is an infrastructure planning and delivery specialist with nearly 20 years’ experience leading high‑value, high‑complexity capital programs. His core expertise is building asset management systems that turn large, diverse asset portfolios into clear, actionable, long‑term investment pipelines. As Chief Planning and Infrastructure Officer at Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), Col is responsible for the strategic development and lifecycle management of Catholic school land and infrastructure projects across Melbourne and surrounding regions. Working with a team of exceptional professionals, Col has shaped a major capital plan that delivers new primary and secondary schools while upgrading and maintaining an extensive existing asset base. This plan sits within a broader asset management strategy that ensures the long‑term sustainability and growth of Catholic education infrastructure in Melbourne. Before joining MACS, Col worked across government and the private sector on major infrastructure and development programs. His clients included leading Australian retailers and developers as well as key federal and state government agencies. Notable engagements span Coles, Woolworths, Stockland, Villawood, the Federal Department of Education, the Federal Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, and the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet”

Erick Flores Mendoza is a Project Control Engineer with extensive experience delivering planning, cost control and project analytics solutions across major infrastructure projects. His expertise includes Earned Value Management (EVM), Power BI, Python, digital transformation and data-driven project controls. Erick is passionate about applying emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to improve project performance and make advanced project controls capabilities more accessible to practitioners.

Rouhi Mobtadi (Associate Director - LogiKal Projects, Planning Manager - Marinus Link): With more than twenty years of experience, Rouhi is a Senior Project Controls expert and educator with a demonstrated history of developing and leading high-performing teams, establishing PMOs and Project Controls functions that pinpoint core problems, improve performance, and transform project control. Rouhi has led several digital transformation projects for different clients, uplifting processes, data flow, tools and people skills and selecting the best fit for purpose solution for functional and business requirements. Rouhi has extensive experience in the implementation and teaching of project planning, earned value, delay analysis, risk simulation, schedule optimisation, and business intelligence solutions. Paula Leonardo (Senior Project Controls Manager - Marinus Link) Paula Leonardo is a Senior Project Controls Manager with over 15 years of experience in project controls, planning, and governance across major infrastructure projects. She currently leads integrated planning and project controls activities for Marinus Link, a multi-billion-dollar energy interconnector program that supports Australia's energy transformation. Paula is passionate about pragmatic and robust planning and using data-driven insights to support effective decision-making and successful project delivery.

Jose Orellana is a Senior Solutions Engineer at Lumivero with over 20 years of experience solving complex business problems through data modelling, quantitative analysis, and software integration. Jose has spent the last decade helping organisations—from multinational energy companies to government infrastructure agencies—build robust models and decision frameworks that improve outcomes at scale. His experience spans capital planning, economic modelling, and large-scale software implementations. At Lumivero, Jose works with clients to translate quantitative complexity into actionable insights that drive alignment between technical teams, delivery partners, and executive leadership.

Cuong Quang is the Managing Director of True North PMI and a globally recognised risk management specialist with more than 25 years of experience across major infrastructure, energy, defence and complex capital programmes. He has advised organisations on enterprise risk management, decision-making under uncertainty, governance and project assurance, supporting both public and private sector clients. Cuong is passionate about helping organisations improve resilience by applying practical risk management approaches that strengthen leadership decision-making in highly uncertain environments.

Katherine Richards AM CSC is the Chief Engineer at Engineers Australia and one of Australia's most respected engineering and leadership voices. With a distinguished 36-year career in the Royal Australian Navy, retiring as a Rear Admiral, she has led complex engineering, defence, and national capability programs. Katherine brings deep expertise in engineering governance, risk management, and resilient leadership, and is a passionate advocate for the role of engineering in driving innovation, productivity, safety, and public trust.

Safal is a senior planning and project controls leader with 20 years’ experience supporting major infrastructure programmes, specialising in PMO establishment, planning, scheduling, risk and change management across rail, water and renewables. Over the past 10 years, he has held senior roles across the Sydney Metro Northwest, City & Southwest, and West programmes, leading integrated planning and project controls functions. His experience includes brownfield and live operational environments, system integration, complex interfaces, PMO leadership, change management and stakeholder coordination.

Paul has more than 30years experience in the private sector as well as local and state governments. This experience spans all phases of major transport projects in Queensland including planning, business case, design, delivery, operations, asset management and Gateway Assurance. He has also led the development of transit-oriented developments and other value-capture opportunities in Queensland including Paul has established and managed complex, multi-modal transport programs and currently leads the Program Management Team in the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR).

Dr. Saeed Shalbafan is a senior infrastructure executive, Founder and Managing Director of Hooshmand-Intelligence Advisory, and a trusted advisor with more than 28 years of experience leading complex, high-risk rail, tunnelling, and civil infrastructure programs. His career includes over a decade embedded within Sydney Metro, Australia's largest and most transformative urban rail program, where he has contributed across the Northwest, City & South West, and West projects. Currently supporting the Sydney Metro West ($28B) program, Saeed operates at the intersection of engineering, governance, assurance, and executive decision-making. He provides strategic leadership in enterprise risk management, PMO transformation, delivery assurance, program controls, and governance, enabling boards and senior executives to make informed decisions on safety-critical, commercially sensitive, and technically complex projects. Combining deep technical expertise in rail systems, tunnelling, TBM operations, interface management, and constructability with a PhD in project portfolio management and decision-making under uncertainty, he brings a unique blend of academic rigor and practical delivery experience. Through Hooshmand-Intelligence Advisory, Saeed supports government agencies, infrastructure owners, and private sector clients with strategic advisory, portfolio governance, AI-enabled project management, and delivery excellence services across Australia and internationally. Open to Director-level opportunities, he is committed to helping organisations deliver complex infrastructure programs with confidence, resilience, and lasting value.

Dr Matti Sivunen is a founding partner and Leading Expert at Boost Brothers, where he helps project owners establish the commercial, governance and project controls foundations for predictable delivery. For more than 15 years, he has advised public and private owners on front-end planning, procurement, project controls, and integrated project delivery across major infrastructure, energy and building projects. Matti combines hands-on project leadership with academic research. His doctoral research at Aalto University examined how clients can use procurement, project objectives and risk management to drive innovation and improve project outcomes. He has authored international peer-reviewed research on construction management and collaborative delivery and has examined doctoral research on the front end of complex projects. He is currently contributing to a comparative study conducted by Aalto University and Boost Brothers for the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency on whether qualitative tender evaluation predicts post-award performance. His work focuses on converting evidence from real projects into practical improvements in procurement, governance and project controls.

Hiren Soni is a nationally recognised program and project controls leader, named Asia Pacific Project Controls Professional of the Year 2024. Across more than two decades in Australia, Asia and the United States, he has led controls transformation on major defence, infrastructure, natural resources and utilities programs including AUKUS, Inland Rail, MTR Hong Kong, Rio Tinto Amrun and the Curtis Island LNG portfolio. His career blends enterprise controls leadership with deep digital implementation experience: portfolio cost governance, earned value management, NEC4-aligned delivery controls, Contruent and EcoSys rollouts, Power BI reporting, automation, 4D/5D BIM and digital twin integration. Hiren co-created ClarityAxis from a practical belief that AI should give controls professionals their time and judgement back - automating the heavy data work while making project decisions clearer, faster and more defensible.

Paul Sutton is a Principal Consultant and Lead Trainer at Nonsuch Training. He specialises in project, programme and portfolio management capability development and has worked with public and private sector organisations across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. Paul is a Registered Trainer for AgilePM®, Better Business Cases™, Change Management™, Managing Benefits™, MoP®, MSP®, P3GQA®, P3O®, PRINCE2® and PRINCE2 Agile®. He is also a PMP® He has delivered training and consulting services to government agencies, local authorities, infrastructure organisations and commercial enterprises. His focus is helping organisations improve governance, delivery confidence, benefits realisation and organisational capability through practical and scalable approaches. Paul is particularly interested in the intersection between project controls, programme governance, portfolio decision making and capability development.

Colin Taylor, ChPP MAPM, is a project and infrastructure leader with more than 25 years of experience delivering projects in complex operational environments. His career has spanned project delivery, operations, governance, commercial strategy and transition, working across client, contractor and operator organisations. This experience has given him a practical understanding of what happens when projects move beyond plans, schedules and organisational structures and into the realities of delivery. As Regional Lead for the Association for Project Management (APM) in Australia, Colin advocates practical approaches to project delivery that go beyond traditional cost, schedule, and risk management. Having spent much of his career working at the intersection of project and operational environments, Colin has observed that many delivery problems emerge not within individual teams, but at the boundaries between them. His work focuses on understanding how these delivery boundaries influence project outcomes and on integrating this understanding into a delivery discipline rather than treating it as background coordination.

Jagath Vithanage is the Manager (Estimating & Risk) at the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Queensland where he is leading the department's cost estimating and risk evaluation functions for over 18 years. Jagath has more than 42 years of postgraduate experience in the construction and infrastructure industry. He began his career as a Professional Engineer in local government in Victoria, where he spent 17 years contributing to land development and infrastructure projects. He subsequently joined an engineering consultancy in Queensland as a Senior Engineer before moving to TMR. His expertise spans infrastructure planning, program and project development, design management, project delivery, cost estimating, and risk evaluation for major transport infrastructure projects. As a hands-on practitioner of both deterministic and probabilistic risk evaluation methodologies, Jagath developed the department's current probabilistic project risk evaluation model using @Risk software to generate P90 cost estimates for transport infrastructure projects. He regularly delivers quantitative risk evaluation training to internal project delivery staff and local government practitioners and provides specialist support to project teams through regional risk workshops. Jagath is the author of TMR's first Project Risk Management and Contingency Development Process Manual, demonstrating his commitment to practical, evidence-based risk management and informed investment decision-making. His work has significantly contributed to strengthening cost certainty, risk-informed planning, and investment governance across the department.

Dr Anh Pham Waddell is an accomplished strategic leader and defence professional whose career spans government, international development, and enterprise-level capability management. With a distinguished academic foundation—including a PhD in Demography and Sociology and advanced defence and strategic studies—Dr Pham Waddell brings a rare combination of analytical depth, policy insight, and operational leadership to complex national challenges. Currently serving as Director of Costing Directorate within Defence, Dr Waddell plays a pivotal role in shaping and delivering critical Defence capabilities. Dr Pham Waddell is recognised for her adaptive leadership style and her ability to harness diverse teams in high-pressure, complex environments. Her expertise spans strategic leadership, force structure and cost analysis, enterprise resource planning, and capability investment assurance. Her contributions have been formally recognised with prestigious honours, including the 2024 Department of Defence Group Commendation (GWEO), the 2020 Secretary and Chief of the Defence Force Commendation, and the 2020 International Cost Estimation and Analysis Association (ICEAA) Team Achievement of the Year Award. Dr Waddell is a prominent contributor to the professional community—currently serving as Project Control Expo Board Member and Australian Region Director and Board Member of ICEAA, and President of the ICEAA Canberra Chapter 2018-2023.

Andrew Wang is Planning Manager at VIDA Rail, where he leads planning strategy and program integration for Melbourne Airport Rail project. He established and leads a multi-alliance integration framework that brings package schedules, interface milestones and joint program reviews into a unified program environment, creating a program-wide view of dependencies and emerging risks. Andrew has more than 18 years’ experience in planning, project controls and risk across major transport and infrastructure programs. His expertise spans integrated planning, schedule governance, earned value management and quantitative schedule risk analysis. Andrew is focused on using project controls proactively—to expose complexity early, strengthen cross-package coordination and support timely, informed decisions before delivery impacts materialise.

Maria Zamorano is a Digital PMO leader and seasoned Project Management, PMO and Project Controls professional with experience across the rail, telecommunications and pharmaceutical sectors. She has supported the delivery of large-scale international programs within complex, multi-stakeholder environments, working with distributed teams across the full project lifecycle. Currently leading Digital PMO Practice at MIGSO-PCUBED Australia, Maria focuses on transforming traditional Project Controls practices into data-driven, AI-enabled delivery models. Her work spans digital strategy, AI adoption, capability development and the evolution of Project Controls operating models to support the next generation of project delivery.