Judges

Danielle Austin

International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety ANZ Chapter (IAHSS)

As the Behavioural Support Manager at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, I oversee the planning, implementation, and evaluation of policies and procedures for the prevention and management of workplace violence (WPV), provide clinical guidance on the management of behaviours of concern, and facilitate the Workplace Violence Prevention and Management Training Program and Nurse Clinical Leads Program for the Management of Escalating Behaviours.

As part of this role, I lead the Code Black Team with our Security Team and work in close collaboration with our Security Manager and Security Officers. I provide clinical education to our Security Officers and I am a fierce advocate for the recognition and professionalisation of healthcare security practitioners.

I am the International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) ANZ Chapter Chair and a foundational member in the establishment of this chapter. As a Registered Nurse for more than 20 years I have extensive clinical and management experience in the health care industry across emergency, disaster, immigration detention, tertiary/acute care, and forensic settings, and I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual arts.

Rachell DeLuca

RMIA

Rachell DeLuca is an Australian security and risk consultant with more than 25 years’ experience and is the director and founder of Protective Security Advisory. 

She was awarded the 2017 Outstanding Security Consultant Australian OSPA and has been a member of the Australian judging panel since 2018, enjoying greatly the privilege of reviewing the high standard of nominations each year. 

Rachell is certified by the Risk Management Institute of Australasia (RMIA), as a Certified Practicing Risk Manager (CPRM), and is currently pursuing a PhD in Security Science.

George Dionisopoulos

ASIS New South Wales Chapter

A dedicated Senior Security Consultant with over 20 years of specialising in Security, Compliance & Risk Management and Government Relations. George has  a proven track record in developing and implementing robust security solutions.

Specializing in risk assessment, compliance management, and incident response, as well as extensive expertise in creating and maintaining secure environments for diverse clients. He is adept at collaborating with stakeholders to tailor security measures to specific organizational needs and has a comprehensive knowledge of industry standards. This coupled with strong leadership and communication skills, ensures effective security strategies that align with regulatory requirements.

He is passionate about staying abreast of emerging threats and technologies to provide cutting-edge security consultancy.

George prides himself on delivering security excellence and helping build the portfolio for the next generation of young security professionals by participating as an active member in ASIS International, The Security Institute and various other security forums.

John Fleming

Australian Security Industry Association Ltd (AISAL)

John has over thirty-five years’ organisational and operational experience in the security industry in Australia and Internationally.

John is currently the General Manager at ASIAL and has held a number of General Manager positions throughout his career in the security industry. John holds Management and Risk qualifications from MGSM and the ACU. He also serves as a committee member for ACMA, Artibus, Standards Australia and the IEC.

Kevin Foster

Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM)

Dr Kevin Foster FIEAust CPEng is the Western Australia Chairman of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management, Regional Vice President ASIS International, and Past-Chair of Engineers Australia’s Risk Engineering Society WA Chapter.  Kevin is a member of Standards Australia Committee MB-025 – Security and Resilience. 

Recently he was an invited speaker at APEC and ASEAN energy resilience workshops.   He is currently a member of the drafting committees for proposed ISO Standards on Energy Resilience and Infrastructure Resilience. He was the joint drafting leader for Standards Australia HB188 (Building Security).  Kevin is an electrical/electronics engineer, risk analyst and physical security specialist with 48 years of experience as a designer, consultant, and adviser.

He is a former Technical Director of Risk and Security with a major engineering consultancy, a former Adjunct Associate Professor and for the past 11 years has been an independent researcher, adviser, and volunteer.  Dr Foster is currently pursuing an interest in the development of resilience engineering principles.

Chris Henderson

Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO) Australia

Chris spent 25 years in law enforcement before moving into Security within the Education Sector and a decade of leadership at Monash University. He brings extensive expertise in decision-making, security management, and community safety, looking after five campuses in Australia, two in Malaysia, one in Indonesia and other university spaces across the globe.

As a Defence Industry Security Program Security Officer, he has helped enable pivotal research, played a significant role in establishing a framework to identify and counter foreign interference, and led the establishment of an insider threat program.

Chris has also had the privilege of leading Monash University’s Safer Community Unit, an extraordinary team dedicated to empowering and supporting victims of concerning, threatening, and inappropriate behaviour, including sexual harm.

Chris’s roles and career have always had ‘caring for and protecting people’ at their core, reflecting his unwavering commitment to fostering safe, resilient communities and driving meaningful outcomes.

Tony Keane

Australia Security Medals Foundation (ASMF)

As the Head of Integrity and Security at the Australian Football League, Tony has responsibility for the AFL’s Security and Emergency Management operations across the AFL, AFLW, VFL and Coates league competitions incorporating over 900 games, 40+ stadiums and over 100+ corporate events annually.

Tony is also responsible for the overall management of Security Operations at the AFL owned Marvel stadium incorporating events such as AFL, BBL Cricket, Soccer, World Rugby along with year-round concerts and major international sporting events hosted at the stadium.

Within the integrity space Tony oversees the AFL’s Intelligence and Investigations, Wagering, Anti-Doping and Illicit Drug programs, Respectful Behaviours and Safeguarding Children programs.  

Tony represents all Australian Sporting Codes as the delegate for the National Business Advisory Group, a sub-committee of the Australian and New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee.  In addition, Tony is also the deputy chair of the Forum of Australasian Security Executives (FASE) and a member of the Asia Crisis Security Group, Coalition of Major Professional Participation Sports and a board member at the Australian Security Medals Foundation.

Tony has travelled internationally conducting research on counter-terrorism, security and stadium operations in the United States, Switzerland, Poland and the United Kingdom. 

He has completed an Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (investigations) and Diplomas in Public Safety, Security Risk Management along with Certificates in Security Analysis and Sports Integrity. Tony is also an Associate Fellow of the Australian Security Industry Association Limited.

Tony has worked at the AFL for the past 11 years and prior to that spent 14 years as a Detective with Victoria Police working primarily in the Homicide Squad and various criminal investigation units.

Craig Millar

Forum for Australian Security Executive (FASE)

Craig has spent more than 20 years working in senior executive corporate security and risk roles, based in Australia, with local and international responsibilities. Career highlights include senior security management positions with a large global manufacturing organisation, two of the largest global financial institutions and his current role as Executive Manager, Protective Services at Insurance Australia Group (IAG).

Craig joined IAG – Australia and New Zealand’s largest insurance general insurer – in October 2017 to develop and lead the Group Protective Services team as part of the IAGs’ Cyber and Protective Services Fusion Model. In this role he is responsible for protecting IAG’s people, property and assets across the Group to deliver on IAG’s purpose to “make your world a safer place”. He specialises in delivering uplift programs that embed a positive and proactive security culture to maximise the level of security and staff safety.

Neil Redfern

Profit Protection Future Forum (PPFF)

Neil Redfern (Dip Security Risk Mgt & Fraud Risk Mgt) is a Retail Security and Loss Prevention executive, with 29 years of industry experience working for some of Australia’s largest and most iconic retailers.  Driven to protect businesses against financial loss associated with criminality and other forms of risk directly impacting stakeholders, assets and reputation. Neil has comprehensive retail knowledge of Total Loss strategies, Compliance Management frameworks, Risk Management, Crime Prevention and Resolution, Physical Security Systems, Merchandise Protection strategies, as well as the end-to-end management of retail profit risk / security professionals. 

Neil’s vision for Redfern Retail Risk is to become Australia’s leading, trusted and most capable consulting service specialising in developing effective retail risk management solutions for its clients. Neil is a professional, disciplined, and structured subject matter expert that is well networked, self-motivated and who prides himself on supporting and giving back to his industry of specialisation. Examples of this include not for profit activities, such as Chairman of the ANZ Profit Protection Future Forum, acting as an Industry and International Advisory Board Member for Griffith Criminology Institute (GCI), Griffith University Queensland.

Megan Spielvogel

Australian Information Security Association (AISA)

Megan has led an impressive career as a not-for-profit association professional and event manager in her 30 years in the sector. Serving as the General Manager at the Australian Information Security Association (AISA), for the last 6 years, Megan plays a major role in advocacy for the cyber security sector and operations of the association. Through her commitment to this role, he/she has helped AISA grow to over 12,500 nationally and the Australian Cyber Conference to grow to the largest cyber conference in the Southern Hemisphere.

Prior to her current role at AISA, Megan worked at RACV, and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, working in their events, communications, and membership teams with advocacy, member services, and marketing.

Cheryl Wharton

Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO) Australia

Cheryl Wharton is the Protective Services Senior Manager at the University of Sydney, bringing over 37 years of experience in policing, security operations, and emergency management. Her extensive background in law enforcement has equipped her with a deep understanding of public safety, risk mitigation, and community engagement, which she now applies in the higher education sector.

In her current role, Cheryl leads the Protective Services team in ensuring a safe and supportive campus environment for students, staff, and visitors. She is responsible for the development and implementation of safety strategies, coordination with emergency services, and the continuous improvement of security policies and procedures across the university.

Cheryl holds formal qualifications in security and risk management and has undertaken advanced training in crisis leadership and incident response. She is widely respected for her strategic insight, calm leadership in critical situations, and unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of safety and inclusion.

Prior to her current role at AISA, Megan worked at RACV, and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, working in their events, communications, and membership teams with advocacy, member services, and marketing.