Emeritus Professor at Swinburne University; former Ford Foundation China Director. Expertise in civil society, territorial governance, Australia–China relations. Awards: Joseph Levenson, Ernest Scott Prizes.

Managing Member, Kissinger Advisors, LLC | Director and Co-Founder, Pacific Impact Zone | Co-founder, Defense Entrepreneurs Forum. Former Motorola Japan and U.S. defense innovation expert. Specializes in rapid contracting and tech diplomacy across Indo-Pacific and NATO.

Paddy Hallinan is a defence and national security advisor with more than four decades of experience spanning senior command, planning, and operational development roles in the Australian Army, followed by executive consulting supporting government and industry. He currently serves as an executive consultant and advisor with Vaxa Group.

A former Australian Army Colonel (Retd), Paddy’s expertise extends across whole-of-government security operations, crisis management, and strategic logistics. His recent work includes advising on Indo-Pacific strategy and sovereign capability, with frequent commentary on Australia’s evolving defence posture.

Paddy regularly briefs and appears in public forums and podcasts on Indo-Pacific security, major-power dynamics, and defence industry issues. Selected appearances include Intelligence; Optimised discussions on regional tensions and Australia’s 2024 National Defence Strategy.

Retired Indian Navy Captain, maritime doctrine expert, lawfare researcher, former Executive Director at National Maritime Foundation. Indo-Pacific strategy specialist.

Former Gujarat Naval Area Commander and nuclear submariner, Strategic advisor, ESG expert, and Board leader. Brings high-level Indo-Pacific security, sustainability, and leadership acumen.

Uma Sudhindra is a strategist, entrepreneur, and educator with over three decades of experience at the nexus of public policy, defence technology, and human development. She currently serves as Director of XD Defence Systems, leading outreach across domestic and international defence markets. Her expertise spans capacity and capability frameworks for government agencies, data sovereignty policy, narrative warfare, soft power, and non-military hostilities.

She is also founder of Go Magic Trails, the nodal agency for the Indian Army’s border tourism, curating transformative civilian–military experiences to Siachen and frontier regions. Widely recognized for her thought leadership, Uma serves on multiple advisory and governing bodies, including the Board of Governors at IIM Visakhapatnam, Adjunct Faculty and Advisor at Rashtriya Raksha University, and the Board of Advisors of the Indo-Pacific Studies Centre, Australia.

Uma holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from JNU, New Delhi, and is an accredited psychometric assessor. A published author and poet, she has co-authored Cyber-security: Citizen 2030 and Solitude & Other Obsession. Her current research explores the impact of defence diplomacy and India’s military-industrial growth

Professor Carlyle A. Thayer is Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of New South Wales Canberra and Director of Thayer Consultancy, where he advises on political, security, and strategic developments across Southeast Asia. A leading regional specialist, his expertise spans domestic politics, regional security frameworks, and the role of major powers in shaping Southeast Asia’s strategic environment.

Over a distinguished academic career spanning more than four decades, Professor Thayer taught at institutions including the Royal Military College Duntroon and the Australian Defence Force Academy. He has served in senior academic and leadership roles, directed regional security studies programs, and held visiting appointments at defence and strategic institutions in Australia and abroad.

Professor Thayer has authored and edited numerous works on Southeast Asia’s politics and security, including War by Other Means and Reshaping Regional Relations, and has published over 500 academic pieces. His contributions have been recognised internationally, including the Joint Meritorious Unit Citation Award from the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, U.S. Pacific Command.

He holds degrees from Brown University, Yale University, and the Australian National University, and remains a widely cited commentator on Southeast Asian affairs and regional security.