AIIA Victorian State iAwards Ceremony and Lunch

Overview

Speakers

Cassandra Meagher

Executive Director, Service Reform and Corporate Group

Cassandra has more than 20 years’ experience in regulation. She began her career as an economist with the Productivity Commission where she learnt the fundamentals of public policy and regulatory reform and has established a track record in delivering reform and facilitating change. She understands problems and opportunities and can develop a big picture and translate it into delivery. She guides and coaches teams to contribute to the strategies and engages with stakeholders in a meaningful and inclusive way.

Cassandra has a Masters in Commerce majoring in Economics from the University of Melbourne and an honours degree in Agricultural and Resource Economics from La Trobe University. She has post graduate qualifications in project management and applied finance. Cassandra studied utility regulation at Oxford and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is a member of Women on Boards and a former member of the advisory group for the ANZSOG national regulators community of practice. Cassandra founded MS Angels Melbourne, which raises money for MS research.

Joining Service Victoria in 2017, Cassandra has been part of an organisation making it easier for everyday Victorians to get things done online with government.

Steve Baxter

Entrepreneur & Investor

TEN13

Steve founded River City Labs, Brisbane’s well-known co-working hub in 2012 and has been championing Australian startups and entrepreneurs ever since, appearing as a ‘Shark’ on Channel 10’s Shark Tank Australia from 2015 to 2019.

In 2006 Steve received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Northern Region. In 2016, Steve received the Pearcey Medal for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of distinguished lifetime achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the Information and Communications Technology Industry.

More recently Steve launched TEN13 an investment syndicate platform for sophisticated investors to invest alongside him and the experienced Transition Level Investments team. He is also founder and CEO of Transition Level Investments, which invests in early-stage startups.

Dr. Steve Hodgkinson

Chief Digital Officer

Victoria Police

Steve joined Victoria Police as Chief Digital Officer in May 2022.

He was previously CIO of Victoria’s health and human services departments for seven years. Over this period, he led a multi-award-winning program of digitally transforming that put his team in the top10 of the Australian CIO50 list for five consecutive years and induction as the inaugural member of the Australian CIO50 Hall of Fame in 2022.

Steve is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administrators of Australia (IPAA Victoria). In 2017 he was voted State and Local Government CIO of the Year.

His earlier career includes working in a range of technology executive and advisory roles in public and private sector organisations in the UK and Australasia.

He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). At university he earned a doctorate in Management Studies from the University of Oxford and a First-Class Honours Degree in Information Systems from the University of Otago in New Zealand.

In his university years Steve was a keen mountaineer and worked in the Search & Rescue team at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand. He maintains an interest in wilderness environments and open spaces. In 2019 he crewed on a 3 week Trans-Tasman sailing voyage on the replica 18th Century barque HMB Endeavour.

Thank you to our Silver sponsors