Keynote Speakers

Rod Wilson serves as Chief Technologist, External Research Networks, where he is responsible for Ciena’s leadership & global interactions with universities, government programs and national research and education networks. As part of Ciena’s CTO Group, he orchestrates intersections between emerging technologies, advanced architectures and Ciena research and development groups. Mr. Wilson leads technology incubation initiatives and helps drive promising innovations to life. He serves on the ENCQOR Board of Directors and leads Ciena’s 5G advanced technology team.
Mr. Wilson received a Bachelor in Electronics Technology from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto Ontario. He is a graduate of the Executive Management school at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and has received an honorary degree from Algonquin College in Ottawa Canada. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee medal for his service to Canada.

Carole Goble is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Manchester, UK. She is a leader in Digital Research Infrastructures, translating technical innovations in distributed computing, semantic and metadata technologies, data and software sharing and computational workflows into FAIR and Open information solutions for scientists, in particular the Life Sciences and Biodiversity. She is currently: Joint Head of Node of ELIXIR-UK the UK node of ELIXIR, the European Research Infrastructure for Life Science Data; joint lead of the Federated Analytics programme for Health Data Research UK and a founder of the UK’s Software Sustainability Institute. Carole is an author of the seminal FAIR principles for scientific data and recipient of the Microsoft Jim Gray award for her contributions to eScience.

Jan Sheppard is an innovator who uses data to build new worlds, to see things not previously visible and to enable organisations to be better versions of themselves. Jan has extensive experience across a range of sectors, using data to see beyond the horizon and drive transformational change. Jan takes a system perspective to ensure she is delivering the right value and invests in developing the people capability needed for today and tomorrow.

Jan’s approach and the outcomes achieved were acknowledged globally in 2020 and again in 2022, when she was named among the top 100 innovators in data and analytics in the world.

Dr. Karaitiana Taiuru (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Toa) is a leading authority and a highly accomplished visionary Māori technology ethicist specialising in Māori rights with AI, Māori Data Sovereignty and Governance with emerging digital technologies and biological sciences.

He brings extensive expertise in mātauranga, Tikanga Māori, te Tiriti and advocacy for digital Māori rights and data sovereignty and a profound understanding of the intersection between Māori knowledge and emerging technologies.

A professional director with membership with the Institute of Directors and Governance New Zealand, Dr Taiuru operates a boutique Research and Māori cultural advisory company Taiuru & Associates, with roles including membership and Kahui Māori advisor of the New Zealand AI Forum, member and tangata whenua governor of the AI Researchers Association, invited member of the Expert panel on AI and healthcare for the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Scientific Advisor, a legislated expert member of the Intellectual Property Office (IPONZ) Trade Marks Advisory Committee and Ministry of Health Tikanga Expert on Assisted Reproduction, as well as many other governance appointments.