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. 

Po Yan Wong

Po Yan Wong is a dedicated Cyber Security graduate currently working in the Cyber Security operations team within the Northern Territory Government.

Having recently graduated from Charles Darwin University, Po is enthusiastic about applying her academic knowledge in the real-world challenges of the government sector. Keen to explore the ever-evolving landscape of cyber security, she believes that in this field, there's always something new to learn and discover.

Po is delighted to take on the role of a volunteer at AISA NT Branch. This marks an exciting chapter in her journey, providing a platform to contribute to the cyber security community and advance the mission of AISA NT.

Po is not only focused on her professional growth but is also an active participant in AISA events, including the highly-regarded DarwinSEC. With a fervent passion for fostering collaboration and innovation, she looks forward to making a meaningful impact within AISA NT and the broader cyber security community.