James Brown is the CEO of the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), Australia’s peak body for the space economy. A national security and public policy expert, he has previously held research appointments at the Lowy Institute for International Policy, United States Studies Centre, and the University of Sydney. He is currently a Non-Resident Fellow at the United States Studies Centre, Chairman of the charity Veteran Sports Australia, and a strategic adviser to the University of Technology Sydney. Between 2017 and 2019 James led the rebuilding and modernisation of Australia’s largest veteran’s organisation, the RSL, as its youngest ever elected President. He served on the board of the Sydney Invictus Games and led the campaign to establish the National Commission for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention. He is a former Army officer with service in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Solomon Islands. James is a regular media contributor on foreign policy and defence issues and has authored two books on Australian defence policy. He is based in Sydney.

A veteran of collaborative product and startup innovation within Space, MediaTech, and AgTech, Dr Tim Parsons leads the Australian NewSpace network Delta-V, while consulting widely to research organisations, tech-focused SMEs, startup accelerators and incubators nationally. A member of the SIAA’s advisory committee, Tim’s formal board experience extends from his role as a non-executive director of not-for-profit MediaTech incubator The Studio Pty Ltd, as well as Australian representative director of Vimond Media Solutions APAC Pty Ltd. He is also a director of both his own consultancy Super Lumina Pty Ltd and the Delta-V Newspace Alliance Pty Ltd. Tim is also a member of the establishment committee of the SmartSatCRC, as well as chair of the establishment committee of the SmartSatCRC’s Australian Space Industry Startup Cluster Company. Tim holds a PhD in Rarefied Hypersonic Flow Simulation from Imperial College, London, and is married with two children.

Melissa has a keen interest in the intersection between law and technology. Prior to joining academia, she was the Manager, Legal Services, CSIRO, where she advised on protection and commercialisation of technology. Her areas of research focus primarily on digital technology, as it interacts with culture, human behaviour and new areas of innovation. She has published widely on copyright, social media, surveillance, popular culture, the internet and outer space. She is Co-Editor of the Woomera Manual on the International Law Applicable to Military Space Operations and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. In 2015 she was the Team Leader of the AdelaideX Cyberwar, Surveillance and Security MOOC which has attracted over 40,000 students globally.

Sitael Australia is a subsidiary of Italian small satellite manufacturer Sitael. Mark is a Space industry professional with over 15 years’ experience in a diverse range of technical and leadership roles, including roles at Thales Alenia Space, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and NewSat. Mark graduated from Adelaide University with a Bachelor of Engineering and Diploma of Languages in 2003, and is currently studying a Masters of Business Administration at the University of South Australia. Mark is on the Space Industry Association of Australia board, is the former chair of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Adelaide Section.

Julia Mitchell is a Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer for Sitael Australia and a current Director of the SIAA. Julia has over 10 years’ experience in the upstream and downstream areas of the space sector in Australia and internationally. Currently, Julia is working on a variety of small satellite projects (<300 kg). Previously, Julia has led the SBAS test-bed project at FrontierSI as the Program Manager and worked as a Spacecraft Systems Engineer on large communications satellites SES-16/GovSat-1 and Jabiru-1 for SES and NewSat respectively. Julia has completed a Master of Science in Astronautics and Space Engineering from Cranfield University in the UK and combined Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace) with first class honours and a Bachelor of Science (Physics) from UNSW. Julia is passionate about growing a sustainable space industry here in Australia. Since 2019, Julia has been the Company Secretary of the SIAA and has taken on the membership portfolio this year, releasing a member survey in May 2020. Julia is a strong advocate for diversity within the sector and has been representing the SIAA with the Chair on the 2030 Space and Spatial Industry Roadmap working group.

Imogen has been passionately involved in the Australian space industry for over a decade. She holds a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering and is currently employed as a Systems Engineer for Rocket Lab, having previously been employed in strategy and policy roles for the Department of Industry, including the Australian Space Agency. As Past President of the Australian Youth Aerospace Association, Imogen has demonstrated a strong commitment to harnessing the involvement of young people in the space industry. She is keen to continue to support early career professionals’ interests through the SIAA Board and increase their engagement with the association. In addition, she is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion (D&I) in our industry. Imogen has been recognised for her contribution to D&I efforts at both Monash University and Geoscience Australia and she wishes to continue to develop the progress the SIAA.

A software engineer by trade, Ben Adams now has more than 20 years’ experience leading significant and complex projects and programs, including at the senior levels of the private and public sectors. He holds a Bachelor of Business (Management Information Systems) and a Graduate Certificate in Space Studies from the University of South Australia. He is also a graduate of the International Space University’s Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program. Ben has formal project management qualifications in Prince2, Managing Successful Programs and Agile Project Management. Ben is recognised for his strengths in leadership, strategic planning, communications, and stakeholder engagement. He is currently the Operations Manager of Inovor Technologies - a wholly Australian owned small company developing satellite technologies, where he is responsible for the project management and systems engineering capabilities for the company, along with business development and the operational side of the business including finance, human resources, and ICT. He is a founding member of the International Space University’s Adelaide Conference organising committee and has authored several papers for the International Astronautical Conference. He is a passionate and avid supporter of the Australian space industry and is excited at the opportunity to contribute to a its growth as a Board member.

Clearbox Systems is a privately Australian-owned Small-Medium-sized Enterprise (SME). Jeremy sits on the board of Directors and leads the business day-to-day. Apart from his governance role as a Director, he has a particular responsibility for Strategy, Business Development, Innovation and R&D, and Customer and Government Relations. At Clearbox Systems, Jeremy has led one of Australian's longest standing Space businesses with a particular emphasis on Satellite Communications and Space Domain Awareness. Clearbox's solutions have been deployed extensively in Australia and Internationally and are renowned for their technology, the dependability of delivery and responsiveness to emerging requirements. Jeremy is passionate about Australia's Space Industry and believes in the ability of Australia's Space Industry to provide world-leading technology and services. SIAA plays a central role in focusing and supporting this ability and representing it on the world stage. He is an enthusiastic advocate for Australia's Space Industry and has deep technical, commercial and operational knowledge in key sectors where Australian Space Industry has a competitive advantage.