Meet Your Mentors

Anne Higgins is the Global Head of Cybersecurity Control Services at BNY where she is responsible for first line risk management and control practices for the Cybersecurity organization.

With 20+ years in technology risk management, Anne has held key roles at SVB, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, and Aon. Before joining BNY Mellon, she managed regulatory affairs at SVB, led cross-functional regulatory strategies at Wells Fargo, and was global head of Cybersecurity Regulatory and Audit at J.P. Morgan.

Anne oversees regulatory and audit engagement, including examinations, response management, and compliance with industry frameworks like ISO, NIST CSF, and the Cyber Risk Institute. She also leads Cyber control, issues management, and Cyber Risk Quantification, shaping the firm’s overall Cyber strategy.

Originally from Australia, Anne has lived in all around the world and is now based in NYC. Outside of work, she enjoys keeping active and spending time with family and her French bulldog, Koko.

Simona is a seasoned Principal Advisor in Technology and Cybersecurity with over 25 years of experience across finance, aviation, energy, and critical infrastructure. She specializes in data-driven security and transformational technology strategies, helping organizations strengthen resilience, manage risk, and build security-aware cultures.

Her work spans the development of intelligence-led cyber frameworks, regulatory compliance, incident response, and board-level engagement on complex risk topics. Simona is known for aligning cybersecurity with business objectives, advocating for the ethical use of data, and enabling strategic decision-making through actionable insights.

She has led diverse teams and managed programs across organizations of up to 36,000 staff, including Qantas, Macquarie Group, and Ausgrid. Her leadership in crisis simulations and strategic risk planning has helped embed cybersecurity into the fabric of business strategy. Passionate about high-performance cultures, Simona brings a collaborative approach to driving innovation and uniting stakeholders for impactful outcomes.

Austin Phillips is a comprehensive security practitioner with experience building and managing multiple teams across the information security industry. He has a proven expertise in security engineering, incident response, risk & vulnerability management, and security architecture. He is passionate about helping companies understand and resolve risks across on-prem and cloud environments. From leading SOC teams, to building threat intelligence programs, Austin is a leader with experience across multiple aspects of the industry. In his free time, he enjoys golf, fishing, and spending time with his family.

Wolf's three decades of experience in information warfare and resilience have honed his skills and made him an expert in the field of cybersecurity. He has an in-depth knowledge of the cybersecurity landscape, including the latest threats and vulnerabilities, as well as an understanding of the technical tools and strategies that organizations can use to protect themselves. Wolf is a problem solver, who has a talent for breaking down complex technical challenges into manageable and actionable steps. He is a creative thinker who is always looking for innovative ways to enhance security and reduce risk.

I have over 32 years’ experience in the IT Industry, I come from a technical background and have been in managerial position for the last 21 years in the MSP space. I have led international teams (24/7 Outsourced) and cross functional teams; my management style is outcome based and I always look to inspire and support my team. From a technical perspective I have worked my way up from Level 1 Support through to Architect, having worked on small, medium and large infrastructure projects.Currently as the Head of Infrastructure & Security for a financial institution my main role is ensure the safety and security of our IT systems and processes and that we adhere to all regulatory requirements.

Job Asiimwe is a seasoned Cyber Security Leader with a comprehensive background in Security Operations, Cloud Security, and Application Security. Currently spearheading the Senior Security Operations Manager role at McKinsey & Company, Job has been instrumental in developing cutting-edge solutions for complex cybersecurity challenges. With over a decade of experience, he has a proven track record of driving innovation, operational excellence, and building high-performing teams across various sectors. Job is not just a strategist but a hands-on leader. His approach to cybersecurity is unique, viewing it as a strategic business driver and not merely a defensive mechanism. His work involves implementing robust security measures while fostering environments that encourage growth and innovation. This philosophy has been a guiding force in his roles, where he has successfully reduced operational costs, integrated advanced security technologies, and influenced corporate cybersecurity strategies. Before his tenure at McKinsey, Job made significant impacts at Schneider Electric and Philips Healthcare, where he led teams to enhance security infrastructures and response capabilities. His educational foundation in Computer and Information Systems, combined with certifications like CISM and AWS Cloud Practitioner, underpins his deep technical expertise. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Job is deeply committed to knowledge sharing and mentorship. He maintains an active online presence where he shares insights and engages with the cybersecurity community, furthering discussions on emerging threats and innovative solutions. Job's unique blend of technical know-how, strategic thinking, and leadership skills make him a distinguished figure in the cybersecurity domain, driving forward-thinking solutions that align security with business objectives.

Efrain Orsini Jr is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 12 years in the industry. He's built multiple cybersecurity programs from scratch, developing bug bounty and vulnerability assessments, and implementing phishing programs. Efrain has spent time understanding & implementing AI/machine learning while reducing cyber risks with scalable solutions/techniques. He's also dedicated and passionate about helping others grow and succeed, as evident by him creating an 8-week program for cybersecurity interns while at Conquest Cyber. He currently holds multiple certifications including CISM, CDPSE, CRISC, CCSK and is attending Carnegie Mellon University for their CISO program. When he's not focused on work, he loves spending time with his wife, their two children, and two dogs.

Michael Choeng is an experienced cybersecurity leader with over 15 years of expertise in the field. As the National Cyber Security and Technology Lead at Crowe, Michael oversees the cybersecurity practice across Australia and New Zealand. He specialises in helping organisations achieve compliance with frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST CSF, and Essential 8, while driving strategic initiatives that enhance resilience against cyber threats. Michael holds prestigious qualifications, including CISSP, GAICD, and an MBA, which complement his extensive experience working with critical infrastructure, education, and government sectors. He is passionate about empowering organisations to bridge the gap between IT teams and executive leadership, ensuring cybersecurity aligns with business goals. Beyond his professional achievements, Michael serves as a board director and advisor, contributing his expertise to foster innovation and governance in the cybersecurity landscape.

Andrew began working in tech when internet modems operated at 11kb per second and made that funny noise while dialing up. Most recently he has been working in stealth mode on a disruptive startup that aims to safely give every human being on earth their own artificially intelligent super powers - Simby.

Prior to Simby, Andrew was leading a UX design team at Google in Mountain View California, focusing on deep tech and the products of the future. He was responsible for envisioning, prototyping, and building product solutions that affect the daily lives of billions of human beings. He is a TEDx speaker and has worked as a technology advisor in customer experience for a number of high profile multinational organisations in New York, San Francisco, London, Paris, Berlin and Sydney. With a wealth of real world experience, Andrew loves to help fellow UX designers to reach their personal or project related goals while being able to remain true to themselves, and the needs of their customers.

As a senior UX and UI designer at Icon Agency, Carmen uses human-centred design to challenge assumptions and gain unique insights into her clients’ business problems. She is passionate about bringing concepts to life and delivering digital products that are functional, accessible and beautiful. Before joining Icon Agency, Carmen worked as a lead digital designer at purpose-driven development agency, a fast-growing start up and as a sole trader for social impact enterprises and nonprofits. In addition to her design experience, she has also embraced teaching opportunities at the University of Technology Sydney and Global Drive Education, helping students to develop their skills, confidence and awareness in the design and technology fields. During her spare time, Carmen enjoys the more wholesome things in life like camping, yoga and plant-based cooking as well as volunteering her time to social causes like clean-up days and being a long standing council member at the Australian Graphic Design Association.

Onur's specialisation is in building the product vision, strategy and function in early stage startups. Joining these companies from as early as under $20m valuation, and growing them in close collaboration with executive teams to over $250-$500M valuation and on their way to becoming Australia's next unicorns.

He is a strong business leader, who is passionate about designing, building and launching beautiful, delightful products. His experience covers a variety of industries, such as edtech, healthtech, fintech, proptech, which gives him a well rounded view on what it takes to win in any market.

With 15+ years of Product, Design and UX experience including numerous start-up and enterprise successes with global brands, some say Nima knows a thing or two about designing products that people want.

After a decade of mastering his craft, in 2017 Nima co-founded 'We Discover' a customer-centric digital agency focused on creating meaningful experiences and after creating a multimillion-dollar business in under 3 years he took his next big challenge, becoming the Chief Product Officer in 2020 at an emerging prop-tech company. He aimed to prove that a 100% customer-centred approach will deliver the most desired and profitable product to market irrespective of how "old and resistant to change" the industry is.

Nima has extensive experience and skill in business and product strategy, understanding human behaviours and desires and knowing how to merge it all to find the best product-market fit.