2018 AIIA Victoria Ministerial Forum

Minister for Trade and Investment, Innovation and the Digital Economy, Small Business

Philip Dalidakis is the Minister for Trade and Investment, Innovation and the Digital Economy, Small Business in the Andrews Labor Government in Victoria, Australia. Mr Dalidakis was elected as a member of the Victorian Parliament in November 2014 and was appointed to Cabinet in July 2015.

Since Philip’s Ministerial appointment in 2015, he has worked hard to strengthen Victoria’s reputation as a regional tech hub by engaging the local startup community and attracting leading global companies to establish a regional presence in Victoria.

The Minister believes Victoria is well placed to be a leader in cyber security education, research, policy and entrepreneurship. As such, he has announced the development of the Oceania Cyber Security Centre (OCSC), which will bring together eight Victorian universities, the Melbourne-based Defence Science Institute, major private sector partners and Oxford University’s world leading Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre (GCSCC) to create a cyber security powerhouse in Victoria. An additional partnership, brokered between the Labor Government and the digital research arm of the CSIRO, Data61, will see them co-locate their lead national cyber security centre with the OCSC.

Another important part of Mr Dalidakis’ portfolio is the delivery of the Labor Government’s $60 million startup initiative, LaunchVic, which was created to accelerate startups, drive new ideas and create jobs in Victoria. This body will invest in core infrastructure, improve access to capital for local startups, advocate on legislation and regulation, as well as engage in local sector events.

In his capacity as Trade Minister, Mr Dalidakis will also be responsible for strengthening and expanding Victoria’s network of international business offices across the world, growing our presence from 18 to 22 countries. This will provide the best possible opportunities for Victorian businesses to tap into overseas markets, grow and create more jobs for the future.

Prior to entering Parliament Mr Dalidakis operated his own small business, was CEO of the Victorian Association of Forest Industries and was Deputy Chief of Staff to Federal Senator Stephen Conroy, (frm) Leader of the Government (in the Senate) and Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and started his commercial/finance career at Deloitte.

Mr Dalidakis has a Master of Commerce from UNSW as well as a double degree in Arts (Politics and Thai Language) and Business (Management) from Monash University. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

PhD, BE/BSc (Elec)

Dr Cornick is currently the Chief Executive Officer at LaunchVic, which is the Victorian Government’s $60M initiative to accelerate start-ups, drive new ideas and create jobs in Victoria. LaunchVic works in partnership with entrepreneurs, industry, business, the community and educational institutions to strengthen Victoria’s entrepreneurial and start-up ecosystem.

Prior to this appointment, Dr Cornick was CEO of ASX listed startup Rision Ltd. Her previous positions include Director of Innovation and Industry Engagement at the University of Melbourne, and the General Manager, Health and Education at NBN Co. Dr Cornick has also held the position of Senior Telecommunications Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff to Senator Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, this role entailed advising on the National Broadband Network policy, consumer issues and regional telecommunications.

Dr Cornick serves as a Non-Executive Director on a number of boards, including the Victorian Government Innovation Expert Panel, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), the Melbourne Networked Society Institute and Charles Sturt University.

Dr Cornick undertook her PhD in optical telecommunications at the University of Melbourne and, as part of her studies, spent time at AT&T Research Laboratories, USA. She also has a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) and Bachelor of Science (Physics and Philosophy). Dr Cornick is deeply passionate about the role of innovation in our economy and society and has considerable experience in technology innovation and change management across start-ups, academia, corporate and government.

Founder and CEO IE Digital 

Rhys is the Founder and CEO of IE Digital, the innovation and experience company, and the Founder of Silicon Block, a community that connects enterprise and startups in Melbourne.

Since Rhys founded IE, he’s been a serial entrepreneur and created 6 companies on the way to building one of Australia’s most successful digital organisations.  

Rhys’ first major campaign launch through IE in 2005 was for 7-Eleven, when the consultancy created Slurpee Brainfreeze, Australia’s first ever real-time online game. From there, IE produced the first ever e-commerce page on Facebook for Nike, and prior to the iPad’s first launch, begun development of an iPad application for Lonely Planet.

Since then, Rhys’ passion for driving transformational change in the public sector has only grown, with his major goal being to deliver innovative user oriented outcomes that meet the community’s needs and deliver outstanding value for the state.

His first export story was FoyerLive, a platform-as-a-service based technology which enables companies to create intelligent customer experiences through touch, motion, beacon, product or customer devices. This organisation is now incorporated in the US and is in the midst of a capital raise, with many successful roll outs including Nike, Amcal Chemists and Kitchen Warehouse.

In 2014, Rhys identified an opportunity to better connect the enterprise clients he worked with on a daily basis, to the startups that are disrupting their markets. This is when he started Silicon Block Party, and in turn, Silicon Block. This highly curated, energy-infused community has grown to 600+ per event on the ‘Silicon Block’ in Richmond, Melbourne.

Rhys regularly shares his startup, corporate and business experience with the community, speaking at: Pause Fest, F’Up Nights, General Assembly, RMIT University, and through hosting Silicon Block Party.