Bennelong SME AI Adoption Forum

Speakers

Jerome Laxale

Federal Member for Bennelong

Jerome is Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friendship group for Tech and Innovation.

Jerome was elected as the Member for Bennelong in 2022. Having served in local government for 10 years, including 5 as Mayor of the City of Ryde. Jerome is a member of the House Economics committee and the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth and takes a keen interest in health, housing, enhancing multiculturalism, and prioritising effective local representation. Jerome is an experienced elected official, board director, and business consultant, offering nearly 20 years of leadership experience within the private sector and government, including board roles and business leadership.

Jerome has lived in Bennelong for nearly 20 years. He and his partner live in North Ryde and raise a family together as active members of their local community.

Merlin Luck

Regional Vice President of Small Business

Salesforce

Merlin oversees the small and medium business segment in Australia and New Zealand. He leads teams assisting local SMEs, start-ups, and scale-ups in achieving growth through comprehensive customer relationship management solutions.

Prior to his tenure at Salesforce, Merlin gained entrepreneurial experience, navigating the challenges of starting and running businesses, which provided him with valuable insights into the needs of small and medium enterprises.

Andrew Lai

Managing Director

SMEC AI

Andrew is the Managing Director at the Small to Medium Enterprise Centre of AI (SMEC AI) an Australian Government funded program helping SMEs to adopt AI technologies. Over the past decade Andrew has led a range of programs that have supported and invested over $20m of venture capital funds in AI technology companies that solve the problems of Australian businesses. Prior to running SMEC AI, Andrew was the Ventures Director at Deakin University.

About SMEC AI:
The Small to Medium Enterprise Centre of Artificial Intelligence (SMEC AI) accelerates SME AI adoption by offering free one-on-one consultations, AI short courses and innovative AI programs that match SMEs with AI innovators to solve industry problems. SMEC AI is an initiative funded by the Federal Department of Industry, Science and Resources. Visit https://smecai.au to book in a free and fully funded AI consultation.

Facilitator

Siew Lee Seow

General Manager of Policy and Media

AIIA

Siew Lee is the General Manager of Policy and Media at the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), where she drives strategic advocacy to advance Australia’s digital technology ecosystem. She oversees 11 Policy Advisory Networks, delivering critical recommendations on Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and data governance. Her work fosters collaboration between government, industry, and international stakeholders to shape impactful, innovation-led policies. 

With over 17 years of experience in the Australian and Singapore Governments and the technology sector, Siew Lee has developed significant expertise in technology policy and governance. During her time with the Singapore Government, she was involved in the development of major international trade agreements, including the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, as well as reviews of the Singapore-Australia and ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreements. In Australia, she was recognised as a 2021 Secretary Award finalist for her work on the NSW AI Policy and Ethics Framework, which aimed to align ethical innovation with regulatory priorities.

Siew Lee also brings industry experience from her time at Apple, where she worked on enterprise transformation strategies. She holds a Juris Doctor focused on corporate and company law and is an accredited mediator, complementing her experience in governance and policy.

 

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