Dr Caralee McLiesh PSM was appointed as the 16th Auditor-General for Australia with effect from 4 November 2024. Prior to her appointment, Caralee served as the Secretary and Chief Executive of the New Zealand Treasury for five years, where she led the Treasury and its advice through the COVID-19 pandemic and worked with the New Zealand Government to deliver budgets and a range of legislative and policy reforms. Between 2008 and 2019, Caralee served in the New South Wales public service.

Karen Hogan was appointed Auditor General of Canada in June 2020. In her role, she provides independent information and advice to Parliament and Northern Legislative Assemblies on the management of public funds and government programs. Karen is passionate about public sector auditing and is committed to making complex issues related to governance, public programs, and the stewardship of public resources more accessible and understandable for all Canadians.

Iain is CIPFA’s Director of Public Financial Management leading CIPFA’s policy, public affairs and standard setting work. He also oversees CIPFA’s professional qualifications including the new Performance Audit Qualification (PfAQ) as well as the Institute’s broader membership offer and engagement. Working with public sector organisations has always been a conscious choice and he is proud to continue this work with CIPFA in the UK and globally.

Associate Professor Amy Nethery is a political sociologist at Deakin University. As co-Director of the Parliamentary Research Unit, her research is dedicated to enhancing democratic institutions by strengthening their representative functions and promoting inclusive and participatory governance.

Matt Liddy is editor of the ABC News Story Lab, a cross-disciplinary team of journalists, developers and designers experimenting with the best ways to tell powerful stories online. The team specialises in telling stories that stick in the audience's mind, using techniques visual journalism, data journalism, interactivity and personalisation. Matt started his career in digital journalism in 1997 and has covered major events ever since.

Dr Dorine von Briel turns complex information into practical insights that help organisations make better decisions and achieve stronger outcomes. Her career spans business, academia and government across Europe, Asia and Australia. Throughout this journey, she has remained interested in how people make decisions and how evidence can drive meaningful improvement.  She now brings this experience to the Queensland Audit Office, supporting accountability, efficiency and better public services.

María Eugenia leads AI, data and technology for anti-corruption and public integrity at the OECD. She previously led digital transformation at the European Court of Auditors and held senior roles at France’s Cour des comptes. Before entering the public sector, she spent nearly a decade at BlackRock as an investment strategist. Her expertise spans AI and digital transformation in government, and her current doctoral research examines the organisational transformation of public bureaucracies.

An expert in democratic accountability and public policy reform, with research spanning political finance, executive accountability, and lobbying regulation, Catherine holds degrees in Arts and Law, as well as a PhD. Catherine co-authored Keeping Them Honest with the late Stephen Charles KC, and regularly contributes expert analysis to parliamentary inquiries and public debate on transparency and integrity reform.

Joel has nearly 20 years of experience in delivering a range of audit and advisory services in the public and private sectors. This work, spanning both federal and state government entities, includes performance audit, internal audit, business advisory services, and external audit. At QAO, Joel currently leads the delivery of our portfolio of performance audits.