SPEAKERS

Simon Vaux

Simon is an industry pioneer, who is well-regarded for successfully driving digital transformation throughout the infrastructure sector. As CEO and Co-Founder of DEOS Digital, Simon provides three bespoke digital engineering services for our clients; Advisory, Strategy and Delivery.

From 2014-2021, Simon led all aspects of the acclaimed Transport for NSW Digital Engineering Framework program, from its initial vision through to industry-wide implementation. This program has been a significant catalyst for change, transforming public sector digital capability and driving a step change in overall industry productivity.

Simon demonstrates a unique blend of strategic leadership and technical capability, refined over 20 years of project experience in the infrastructure sector. He is a regular speaker at public events, a mentor to young professionals and a keen promoter of civil and digital engineering.

Joyce Ferng

Joyce has been delivering complex and challenging projects across Australia, United Kingdom and Singapore for over 20 years as a chartered professional engineer, in collaboration with renown international architects like Zaha Hadid and Lord Norman Foster. She implements innovative and economical solutions to project challenges and is passionate in pushing the boundaries of modular technologies. With her experience and expertise in Systemised Technology, Joyce is currently leading the AECOM modular initiatives working closely with digital disruptors to integrate technologies from Industry 4.0 with established lean methodologies in the construction prefabrication space. Joyce is an Adjunct Industry Fellow with Swinburne University and an Industry Technical Advisor to Melbourne University CAMP.H initiative. She is also on the board of directors for PrefabAUS, a hub advocating prefabrication in Australia. 

Genéne Kleppe

Genéne sits on the IEC panel creating the International Standard for digital twinning. She is also a panellist for Standards Australia, is advising on a proposed new ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre and is an inaugural member of the Digital Twin Consortium.

Genéne has become a recognised global authority on multi-domain interoperability.  Building on extensive deep applied knowledge and experience Genéne is working with Global and National standards and research teams defining digital twinning, digital engineering and digitisation.

She also walks the talk as Founder and CEO of Digital Twinning Australia.

Aaron Belbasis

Aaron leads digital technology strategy as Aurecon’s Future Technology Leader. His cross-discipline experience focuses on navigating the strategic use of emergent technologies and techniques, and the innovative integration of leading research and development to improve organisational positioning and success in turbulent environments. He champions the development and use of Delta Mapping, Aurecon’s Technology Assessment framework for industry-wide situational awareness.
 
With formal and advanced skills across Engineering and Business domains, Aaron has demonstrated multidisciplinary solutions throughout global engagements from research, technology start-ups and large commercial enterprises. Aaron’s skillset and support are interchangeably utilised both internally for Aurecon and externally with our clients to deliver subject-matter expertise on Digital transformation, innovation strategy and lateral thinking to ongoing projects and pursuits. 

David Francis

Based out of Sydney, David has been at the forefront of consumer-facing commercial augmented and virtual reality since 2010. Working with Daqri initially and securing a number of their first major campaigns, he then founded the first dedicated AR/VR division within Australia's largest print group in 2013. 

In 2016, he co-founded Virtual Method with Women in ARVR leader, Carli Johnston, and was exclusively engaged to bring the RealWear HMT-1 to ANZ for the first 2.5 years of RealWear’s existence. In 2020, Virtual Method became a key reseller of RealWear and also the #1 partner of Librestream, Intoware and HPE VRG in Australia. 

David has been a keynote speaker around Australia, Europe and across Asia, and is considered a thought-leader on the application of AR/VR to the enterprise across a number of industries. He is equally comfortable advising and ideating with marketing executives around Customer Experience and campaign-based initiatives, as he is problem-solving workflows and ERP integration with Heads of Mechanical Engineering and ICT. 

Polina Hadjimitova

Polina is an architect and BIM manager with broad industry experience in architecture, construction, and software development & implementation in ANZ and Europe. She is founder of Bimmetry, start-up focusing on BIM consultancy and digital design solutions in the AEC industry. Bimmetry is delivering BIM project services for variety of clients and has been involved in major projects across Australia as the flagship – North East Link Tender in Victoria. Apart from the consultancy, Bimmetry is also official distributor of several innovative software/ hardware products. Polina is a guest-lecturer in Melbourne University and other universities on BIM, Information Management and BIM standards.

Polina and Bimmetry team have been actively exploring applications of AI in AEC workflows as the use of generative and crowd-sourced datasets for environmental, structural, design and construction simulations and optimizations. One of the in-house cloud solutions that Bimmetry is developing - Plan Construction is enabling the research for AI simulations of the construction process and the link of BIM data with the semantic web.

Rebecca De Cicco

Rebecca De Cicco is the Founding Director of Digital Node, a Digital Consultancy focused on the uptake and implementation of BIM & Digital Engineering across the Construction Sector. Her work extends across multiple regions and clients across the UK, USA, China and ANZ supporting the uptake of new and innovative technologies and approaches toward delivery of both buildings and infrastructure assets.

In March 2021, Digital Node was acquired by global advisory firm Aurecon, who were impressed by Rebecca's skill, knowledge and global connection across the digital construction landscape. She now acts as the Principal of Digital Operations for the group globally, informing, advising and strategically aligning Aurecon's digital enablement and future.

Rebecca is also the Founder and Global Chair of the not for profit initiative, Women in BIM (WIB), which was established to support diversity and inclusivity in the construction technology arena. This group, established in the UK, now has regional representation across 40 countries, with members all over the world. 

Dominic Martens

Dominic is an ambitious and talented Design Technology Leader at Silver Thomas Hanley. In this role, Dominic works alongside a team of highly skilled and experienced BIM managers, Coders, Architects, Directors and technology specialists to helpshape the future of BIM best practices.

Dominic is responsible for all Technology and BIM related items at STH, Dominic provide qualified and technically adept BIM and Technologies Solutions and how they can be applied in business to improve effectiveness and efficiencies for day to day operations.

Dominic is eager to continue developing and maintaining excellence in BIM and has previously presented at BIM conferences such as Autodesk University, BiLT in Australia, USA and Asia.

Jackie Dujmovic

Jackie Dujmovic is the founder and CEO of Hover UAV an internationally recognised drone consultancy and system management company.

Jackie and her team has been involved in many groundbreaking drone programs including conducting flight operations for the Google Wing Drone Delivery program  Implemented many first BVLOS flight approvals, Conducted the first NSW shark surveillance flights, implemented and oversaw the largest volunteer rollout of drone operations in Australia and invented life-saving UAV shark alarm technology. 

Jackie knows flight regulations and procedures like nobody’s business and is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to create a world-leading drone operation. 

When her head isn’t in the clouds, it’s on the ground getting things moving (and making sure her kids get to school on time).Jackie is also WeRobotics , AAUS  and Safeskies Australia board member, NSW Govt Business Woman of the Year Finalist, Optus Business Woman of the Year Finalist and Unmanned Aerial System Industry Honouree.

Deepak Maini

Deepak is a multiple award-winning International Speaker and a Top-selling author. Based in Sydney, Australia, he is a qualified Mechanical Engineer and has won multiple Top-Speaker awards at various conferences around the United States, Singapore, and Australia.

His books on the technologies used in the building construction industry, such as Bluebeam Revu, Autodesk Navisworks, and Autodesk Advance Steel, are top sellers in their categories and are used by dozens of universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, and so on.

Currently, Deepak works as the National Technical Manager at Cadgroup Australia, one of the leading technology companies in Australia. Outside his fulltime job, he is also a Guest Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of New South Wales, two of the leading Universities in Australia. He has also been invited to deliver lectures at the University of Salford, UK, and Virginia Tech University, USA.

Ken Lee

Ken is the Group BIM Manager for Robert Bird Group and provides global leadership in BIM strategies, project applications and visual programming across Robert Bird Group. Ken has participated in a number of high profile projects across the Asia Pacific, UK and the Middle East. Ken is an advocate of digital transformation and plays a hands-on role in driving digitalisation in construction and project applications.
As part of the Group Engineering and Technology Pilar, Ken collaborates with 3D parametric modellers, digital designers and programmers to extract and use building information data for performance and project based analyses. Ken also participates in BIM working groups and is a regular speaker across conferences in the Asia Pacific region.