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Steve Cusworth
Steve Cusworth is Managing Director of FPL Advisory, and he supports boards and executives across a range of strategic risk, political and reform issues. With an emphasis on interpreting global risks in a subnational and local context, Steve works with public sector, non-profit and corporate clients on analysis, advice and risk leadership activities. With qualifications in electronic engineering, international business and national security, Steve is undertaking additional studies at the National Security College at ANU. He holds Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) status and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Andrew Harris
Andrew Harris leads global company GHD’s advisory practice in critical infrastructure and national security. He leads strategic projects requiring complex engagement across multiple levels of government, with utilities and with the private sector. His experience extends to vulnerability assessments of the energy and water sectors, business cases and advice on specialist federal government infrastructure, diplomatic property and secure buildings, the development of sovereign capability, supply chain resilience, maritime security and the security of critical infrastructure. He is passionate about making society more resilient by translating what may appear to be existential hazards into clear threats with practical mitigations.
Rebecca Shrimpton
Rebecca Shrimpton is the Australia Country Director at American strategic advisory company The Asia Group, tasked with expanding the Australia practice to help global and Australian corporations develop business strategies to unlock opportunities and overcome market access challenges. She has over 25 years of government experience, including senior positions at the Department of Defence, DFAT, and Austrade where she led trade and investment work for the defence, space and infrastructure sectors globally. She was Counsellor for Defence Strategic Policy at the Australian Embassy in Washington from 2015 to 2017, then Senior Advisor for Major Powers to the Australian Foreign Minister from 2019 to 2020, and after that Director of Defence Strategy and National Security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. A graduate and Fellow of the Australian War College, Bec also holds a Master of Strategic Studies with Honours from the Australian National University and a Master of Strategic Studies from Deakin University.
Benjamin Weiss
Benjamin Weiss, as chief executive officer of global advisory company Veracity Worldwide, leads Veracity’s international operations and serves as a trusted advisor to businesses on political risk and sensitive commercial matters. Over nearly a decade with the firm, he has overseen Veracity’s Asia-Pacific business, established its Australia office, and led initiatives on critical minerals, energy transition, and responsible business. He is an authority on investment and risk in the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to Veracity, Ben held research roles at think tanks in New Delhi and New York, advised Fortune 500 executives on strategic communications, and worked on Middle East policy in Washington, DC. He has degrees from Columbia University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Rowan Callick
Rowan Callick FAIIA is an Industry Fellow at Griffith University’s Asia Institute and an expert associate at the National Security College of the ANU. He is an advisory board member of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations and of Melbourne University’s Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, and vice chair of the Australia Taiwan Business Council. He was both China Correspondent and Asia-Pacific Editor for both the Australian Financial Review and The Australian, and has written three books published in English and Chinese. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, and was awarded the OBE through the government of Papua New Guinea, where he worked for a decade.