Northern Territory Branch

Branch Chair

Mark Ames

As one of our founding members, Mark's long-standing association with AISA goes back prior to the year 2000. Mark was Chair of AISA's predecessor, ISIG, from 2002-2004 and travelled around Australia setting up branches in Brisbane, Canberra, and Adelaide.

Mark began his career in information security and digital technology as a linguist, telecommunications specialist and research analyst with the US government in divided Berlin during the Cold War. There he worked with one of the world’s first supercomputers.

Mark has served on academic boards of many universities in Australia and overseas to advise on their information and cybersecurity programs. He delivered the first post-graduate course in cryptography and key management at Monash University.  

Mark received the Information Security Leadership Award from (ISC)2 in 2007 and served on the Board of Directors of the Singapore ISACA Chapter over a four year period. He is currently advising the Northern Territory Government on IT and information security.

Having been a member of AISA in three Australian states, Mark is currently an AISA Fellow and Honorary member and has a wealth of information security knowledge.

Committee Members

Bharanidharan Shanmugam

Bharanidharan Shanmugam is currently working as a Lecturer in IT and coordinates IT post graduate programs at Charles Darwin University.

He completed his Ph.D. in Network Security (Funded by UTM International Scholarships) from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2009. He is a Certified Information Systems Security (CISSP) professional by ISC2. He started his career as a programmer with mainframe systems, and eventually ended up with a career in cyber security since 2007. His journey has included being a researcher, lecturer, software engineer, security consultant and trainer with companies in India and Malaysia. His current research interests include IoT threats, anti-phishing techniques, application of machine learning techniques in the broader area of cyber security for solving day-today problems.

Bharani is passionate about working with the next generation of professionals to ensure that they have a strong mix of technical and behavioural skills. He is actively involved in creating cyber awareness, specifically for people from diverse background and younger generation.  Since 2012, he is a member of AISA and part of Darwin Branch Committee since 2016. 

Carter is currently a Principal Security Consultant at CyberCX and brings rich background in both building and testing the security of software and networks. Proficient in a diverse array of tools and programming languages, and various web application frameworks, Carter brings a comprehensive IT and development background to his work, being able to think as a developer as well as an adversary.

His security testing expertise extends across a wide spectrum of penetration testing, encompassing web applications, external and internal networks, social engineering, thick client systems, mobile applications, and physical security domains. He has consulted across a broad range of industries such as Critical Infrastructure, Government, Finance/Banking, Education, Healthcare, etc. Whilst his focus on penetration testing, Carter has broad skills in many aspects of cybersecurity such as security operations, governance and compliance, cloud security, etc.

Passionate about Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Carter's commitment to this field is demonstrated through his appearances on the TV show HUNTED, and his active involvement in national Cyber Intelligence hackathons. Carter is the service lead for OSINT assessments within CyberCX, he pioneers the development of new techniques, tools and infrastructure to support CyberCX’s OSINT engagements. 

Carter also pioneers the development of adversarial testing against AI-enabled applications and systems.

Outside of work, Carter lectures cyber security topics at Charles Darwin University and regularly speaks at conferences around Australia.

Ishara Batuwita

Ishara is an experienced Information Security, Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) professional currently working as a Risk & Control Officer – Risk & Compliance at Mindil Beach Casino Resort, Darwin, NT, Australia.

He has a strong background in IT General Controls within a leading financial institution in Sri Lanka, where he gained over 10 years of experience before moving to Australia, along with hands-on experience in Information Security and Governance practices. Ishara holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and is a Certified ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Auditor. His professional expertise includes developing and implementing security policies, frameworks, and controls aligned with ISO 27001, AML/CTF legislation, regulatory obligations, and industry best practices.

Throughout his career, Ishara has demonstrated a proven ability to identify and assess risks, design effective control environments, and drive compliance across complex and regulated organisations. He is highly skilled in stakeholder engagement, audit readiness, and supporting organisations in fostering a strong culture of security, accountability, and risk awareness.

Ishara is passionate about strengthening organisational resilience through effective risk management and governance practices and is committed to continuous improvement in information security, governance, AML/CTF, and compliance disciplines. He looks forward to making a meaningful impact within AISA NT and the broader cyber security community.