Alastair MacGibbon

Chief Strategy Officer CyberCX

Alastair is Australia’s foremost cyber security leader, and is the Chief Strategy Officer at CyberCX. Following a 15-year career as a Federal Agent in the Australian Federal Police, where he established Australia’s High Tech Crime Centre, Alastair held senior cyber security and safety roles across the private sector, including head of eBay’s Asia Pacific Trust & Safety team.

Upon returning to public service, Alastair was appointed Australia’s inaugural eSafety Commissioner, before going on to roles as National Cyber Security Adviser, head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security.

Nick Whitehead

Director and Principal Consultant, Apex Sentinel

Nick has over 20 years of leadership and management experience in the National Security sector. Now leading Apex Sentinel Group, a company specialising in countering foreign interference in the commercial environment, Nick complements and leverages the team’s extensive national security, diplomatic, defence, intelligence and commercial experience to assist clients to identify, assess, and mitigate the risks specific to them that arise from geopolitical factors and foreign interference.

Jasmine Rodet

Cyber Security Leader

Jasmine is a seasoned cyber security and technology leader with over 15 years of experience driving cyber resilience in the banking and mining sectors. 

Passionate about elevating organisational cyber maturity, she specialises in reducing risk and enhancing competitive advantage through strategic initiatives. 

Jasmine brings deep expertise in Insider Threat Mitigation, Data Protection, Incident Response, and Digital Identity Management, helping organisations navigate complex security challenges with confidence.

Alana Ford

Senior Research and Program Fellow, Perth USAsia Centre

Alana leads the Centre’s work on critical and emerging issues, with a particular focus on cyber and tech policy. She brings to the role extensive experience working on these issues for the Commonwealth Government in Australia and internationally, as well as passion for driving social impact and policy change at the intersection of technology and society.

Prior to joining the Perth USAsia Centre, Alana served as the Attorney General Department’s representative to the United States in Washington D.C. In this role, she led the Australian Government’s efforts to address online harms and criminal exploitation of technology, as well as other high profile national security, law enforcement and criminal justice matters.

Dr Kate O’Shaughnessy

Research Director, Perth USAsia Centre

Kate brings to the Centre an academic background in Indonesian language and history, along with 16 years’ experience with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Her public sector experience spans providing policy advice to government on Australia’s interests in the Indian Ocean, to supporting development of the Australian aid budget, to intelligence analysis.

During her diplomatic career, she served in Ghana, as well as deployments to Lebanon, France and Nigeria. Immediately before joining the Centre in 2022, she was Australia’s High Commissioner to Mauritius and Seychelles, and Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros, advocating Australia’s Indo-Pacific vision to stakeholders across the western Indian Ocean.

Disinformation and cognitive warfare

Alana Ford, Senior Research and Program Fellow, Perth USAsia Centre

Disinformation and Cognitive Warfare examines the pervasive threat of disinformation and cognitive warfare in the Indo-Pacific, where open information environments and complex geopolitical dynamics heighten vulnerabilities.

Essential reading for policymakers, researchers, and professionals navigating the challenges of hybrid threats in a rapidly changing digital era. It outlines Australia’s multipronged approach, including legislative reforms, international partnerships, and public education efforts, offering practical insights to counter these evolving security threats and safeguard democratic values across the Indo-Pacific. 

Disinformation: Definitions and examples

Disinformation has been a tool of manipulation and control for centuries, from ancient military strategies to Cold War propaganda. With the rapid advancement of technology, it has evolved into a sophisticated and pervasive security threat that transcends traditional boundaries.

This explainer takes the definitions and examples from our recent Indo-Pacific Analysis Brief, Disinformation and cognitive warfare by Senior Fellow Alana Ford, and creates a simple, standalone guide for quick reference.