AI Governance at the Crossroads
About this Event
ISACA Sydney Chapter – July 2026 In‑Person PD Session
We are thrilled to invite you to the ISACA Sydney Chapter July 2026 In‑Person Professional Development Session. Join us on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, for an engaging evening of learning, industry insights, and networking with peers across governance, risk, cybersecurity, technology, and operations. This session offers a valuable opportunity to connect with fellow professionals and strengthen your knowledge in two highly relevant domains.
Title of the Presentation 1 : AI Governance at the Crossroads: Regulatory Pressure, Cyber Risk and the Readiness Gap
Overview: AI adoption has moved faster than many organisations’ ability to govern it with confidence. At the same time, Australian organisations are facing converging pressure from regulators and intelligence agencies: ASIC and APRA are raising expectations around AI governance, accountability, oversight and evidence, while the recent Five Eyes cyber security statement warns that AI is rapidly reshaping cyber risk and that leaders need to act now.
This session explores the practical readiness gap beneath those signals. Taking a practitioner lens across cyber, risk, audit and governance, the discussion will unpack the operational realities organisations are likely to face as they respond to AI-related expectations.
Bio of speaker: Neethu Nandakumar is a Senior Manager in Cyber Risk Advisory at Deloitte, with over 11 years of experience across cyber governance, risk and compliance, cyber strategy, maturity assessments, operating model uplift and security leadership advisory.Her work focuses on helping organisations, boards and executive teams make sense of complex cyber risk decisions and translate them into practical governance, strategy and uplift priorities. She is increasingly focused on the intersection of AI, cyber risk and governance, and how organisations can respond to emerging regulatory, security and resilience expectations in a practical way.
Title of the Presentation 2 :Hidden Exposure: When the Attack Starts Outside Your Walls
Overview: Today's organisations are more connected than ever through suppliers, cloud services, third-party platforms, and trusted identities. As these connections grow, so does hidden exposure - risk that exists beyond an organisation's direct visibility and control.
This presentation explores how modern supply chain attacks exploit these trusted relationships, often beginning outside the organisation before spreading rapidly across connected ecosystems. Through real-world case studies and practical examples, attendees will learn why traditional security controls and vendor assessments alone are no longer enough.
The session will demonstrate how organisations can identify hidden exposure earlier by monitoring external signals, understanding attacker behaviour, and recognising emerging risks across their extended supply chain. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to strengthen supply chain resilience, improve decision-making, and move from reactive incident response to proactive cyber defence.
Bio of speaker: Dr. Saba Bagheri has over 16 years of experience in security operations, cyber threat intelligence, incident response, cyber risk management, and cybersecurity research. She combines strategic leadership with deep technical expertise to help organisations navigate an evolving cyber threat landscape.
Throughout her career, Saba has developed cybersecurity strategies, enhanced security operations, established threat intelligence capabilities, and delivered initiatives that strengthen organisational resilience. Her work focuses on helping organisations identify hidden cyber exposure, anticipate emerging threats, and make intelligence-driven security decisions.
Saba is currently the Cyber Threat Intelligence Manager at Bupa APAC, where she leads the Cyber Threat Intelligence function, enabling proactive cyber risk management and informed security decision-making across the organisation.
She is passionate about AI-assisted cyber operations and helping organisations proactively identify hidden exposure, strengthen resilience, and stay ahead of emerging cyber threats.
Agenda
🕑: 05:00 PM - 05:30 PM
Registration
🕑: 05:30 PM - 05:35 PM
Event Welcome and introduction to host (AMP)
🕑: 05:35 PM - 05:40 PM
Welcome by the Host
🕑: 05:40 PM - 06:10 PM
Presentation 1 followed by Q & A
🕑: 06:10 PM - 06:40 PM
Presentation 2 followed by Q& A
🕑: 06:40 PM - 06:43 PM
ISACA Member Updates
🕑: 06:43 PM - 06:45 PM
Closing Remarks
🕑: 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM
Networking Drinks
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
AUD 0.00 to AUD 59.26
