Sydney • Sofitel Sydney Wentworth • 30 July 2026
Join us in the vibrant city of Sydney for this exclusive, free, in person event bringing leaders, practitioners and partners together around the real world of data and AI.
SAS Innovate on Tour will give you practical, evidence-based insights on how:
- Organisations make decisions confidently with AI they can trust.
- Industry specific SAS solutions give companies a competitive edge.
- Partners help scale AI across complex environments.
- Transparency and governance unlock innovation with AI.
Plus, you’ll connect with industry peers, experts and partners to share best practices of data and AI turning insight into action.
Whether you define strategy, build models, deploy systems or support clients, SAS Innovate on Tour is your opportunity to join us in our 50th year as a trusted partner across business, government and society.
SAS Innovate on Tour Sydney – register now to secure your place, as spaces are limited.
Keynote speakers
Duncan Robertson
CEO, GetVerified
Duncan Robertson is the CEO of GetVerified, a not‑for‑profit established by NZBA retail banks to strengthen New Zealand’s anti‑scams environment. With extensive experience operating at the highest level in banking, Duncan brings a strategic, prevention‑led, and collaborative approach to tackling emerging threats.
Under his leadership, GetVerified has rolled out the Confirmation of Payee (CoP) ecosystem, now fully embedded as a business‑as‑usual product in New Zealand. Duncan has also delivered the Fraud Intelligence Exchange (FIX) ecosystem, enabling banks to securely share confirmed fraud intelligence, freeze accounts faster, alert customers earlier, and recover or prevent millions in losses. He works closely with partners in New Zealand and offshore to strengthen cross‑industry scam‑prevention capabilities and controls. This includes as co-lead for the collaboration pillar within the NZ Governments “Anti scam Alliance”.
Reggie Townsend
Vice President Data Ethics Practice, SAS
Reggie Townsend leads SAS’ global AI Ethics, Governance and Social Impact organization, overseeing the company’s Data & AI Ethics Practice; AI & Society initiatives; AI Governance Advisory; Standards, Regulations & Risk Intelligence programs; and SAS’ Accessible & Adaptive AI efforts. He drives SAS’ commitment to trustworthy, human centric innovation across products, policies and partnerships.
A nationally recognized voice in AI governance, Reggie serves on the board of EqualAI and has advised the White House as a member of the National AI Advisory Committee. His career includes leadership roles in cloud, consulting and managed services for health care and life sciences. A frequent global speaker and advisor, Reggie has counseled government leaders worldwide, appeared on major stages and been published in JAMA.
A proud Chicagoan, Reggie is an engineering, business and leadership alum of Southern Illinois University, Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago.
Bryan Harris
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, SAS
As Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Bryan Harris is responsible for SAS’ award-winning software portfolio that empowers organizations with data and AI. In this role, he leads a global research and development (R&D) organization of nearly 4,000 people focusing on product design, engineering, advanced analytics and AI, industry solutions, modeling and quantum computing.
Under Harris’ leadership, SAS launched the cloud-native SAS Viya platform and unified the entire portfolio across industry solutions and models. He is also known for his dedication to fostering a purpose-driven, inclusive culture within the R&D organization. He has led several initiatives to support professional growth and encourage cross-divisional collaboration, all of which contribute to SAS’ reputation as a top employer in the technology industry.
General session speakers
- Fernanda Freitas VP Jurídico, Compliance e RIAtvos Energia
- Nicky Furlong EMEA Head of: Public SectorSAS
- José María Alonso Senior Manager, Prevención del Fraude y el Crimen FinancieroDeloitte
- Alexander Tikhonov Regional Director, Middle East, Turkey and AfricaSAS
- Javier Álvarez Director Comercial del área Data, IA y AnalyticsTimestamp
- Valentyna Pysarieva Analytics ConsultantSAS
- Ahmed Drissi Principal Industry Consultant, APAC AML LeadSAS
- Mayur Jadhav Senior AdvisorPosten Bring AS
Agenda
8:30 - 9:00
Registration Open & Networking
9:00 - 9:05
Conference Welcome
9:05 - 9:45
Where Human Ingenuity Meets AI in Action
Discover how leading organizations are putting AI to work—responsibly, at scale, and with measurable impact. In this session, you’ll see how human expertise and intelligent systems come together to deliver trusted, enterprise‑ready AI. From governance and transparency to real‑world use cases powered by SAS Viya, this is AI delivering value now—and how you can apply it in your organization.
Bryan Harris, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, SAS
Reggie Townsend, Vice President Data Ethics Practice, SAS
Jared Peterson, Senior Vice President, Global Engineering, SAS
Michele Eggers, Vice President, Marketing Shared Services, SAS
Deepak Ramanathan, Vice President, Global Technology Practice, SAS
What does real AI impact look like when it’s accountable, governed, and delivering measurable results today?
In this 90‑minute session, we bring together the most important breakthroughs, innovations, and real‑world applications shaping AI today—and show how leading organizations are turning them into tangible business outcomes at scale.
We begin with a high‑energy exploration of what’s possible when human ingenuity and AI operate together. You’ll see how human expertise, domain knowledge, and responsible design work hand‑in‑hand with AI systems to drive better decisions and smarter outcomes. From agentic AI and digital twins to intelligent systems, these capabilities come to life—not as future concepts, but as technologies being built, governed, and deployed right now.
From there, we dive into what makes AI truly enterprise‑ready: trust. Learn how organizations are embedding transparency, accountability, and governance across the entire AI lifecycle—from model development and bias monitoring to oversight that scales across teams and geographies. You’ll see why trustworthy AI isn’t just a requirement—it’s becoming a competitive advantage.
Next, we bring it all together on the SAS Viya platform. See how teams are shortening time to value, operationalizing AI responsibly, and scaling innovation with speed and confidence. From copilots to autonomous agents, innovation is accelerating across the full analytics lifecycle—powered by a platform built for the enterprise.
Finally, we connect technology to outcomes. Through real‑world use cases across industries, you’ll see how data and AI are driving faster decisions, smarter operations, and measurable business impact—where it matters most.
This isn’t a view of what might happen someday.
It’s what’s delivering value now—and how you can put it to work in your organization, starting immediately.
10:45 - 11:15
Morning Tea & Networking
11:15 - 11:45
SCAMS Prevention Fireside Chat with Duncan Robertson - CEO, GetVerified
Moderated by: Matthew Knight, Head of Fraud and Financial Crime Solutions, ANZ, SAS
11:45 - 12:05
Customer Story
12:05 - 12:25
Partner Story
12:25 - 1:40
Lunch & Networking
1:40 - 2:10
Guest Keynote: BE IRREPLACEABLE™ | Elevating Humanity in an AI-Powered Future, Kellie Tomney, Future FITT™ Leadership Strategist | Future of Work
What becomes more valuable as technology becomes more capable?
This is not business as usual.
AI is transforming how we work, lead and create value. As technology accelerates and innovation reshapes industries, the capabilities that create trust, lasting transformation and impact become more valuable than ever.
In this thought-provoking keynote, Future FITT™ Leadership Strategist Kellie Tomney explores what makes leaders and organisations truly irreplaceable in one of the most significant shifts in the history of business and work.
Through her Future FITT™ Framework and her work with leaders navigating growth, transformation and change, Kellie reveals what makes leaders truly irreplaceable as technology accelerates and the demands on leaders continue to grow: making confident decisions when the path ahead is unclear, leading transformation before it's comfortable, and building trust when it matters most.
Because while AI can accelerate possibilities, it is leadership that transforms technological investment into business value.
Because the organisations that lead in the next era won't simply adopt new technologies.
They will build the leadership, capabilities and trust required to create lasting value, elevate humanity and become truly irreplaceable.
What You'll Leave With
A clear view of what becomes more valuable as technology becomes more capable - and where you must focus your leadership and strengthen your capabilities over the next 3-6 months to remain trusted, relevant and truly irreplaceable.
2:10 - 2:50
Panel Discussion
2:50 - 3:10
Partner Story
3:10 - 3:40
Afternoon Tea & Networking
3:40 - 5:10
Breakout Streams: Financial Services | Public Sector
5:10 - 6:10
Networking Drinks Reception
00:00 - 00:00
Agenda Accordion for more extensive information or more than one session in time slot
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What to expect
Join us in Sydney to learn how to boost productivity with data and AI. This complimentary event will provide something for everyone – top executives, IT directors, data scientists, engineers, analysts and SAS partners across industries.
Turn data into decisions you trust
Hear how SAS makes sure AI can be trusted and how industries feel safe and confident in the decisions they make.
Responsibly use trusted and transparently governed AI
Learn how you can drive meaningful impact for your organization using data and AI responsibly and effectively, all while prioritizing transparency and governance.
Industry-first insights
Hear real stories from your industry and learn how peers are applying AI to solve sector specific challenges.
Actionable ideas, real impact
Discover ways to scale AI across your organization with simplicity and speed. Get practical guidance on building compliant, future-proof AI systems.
SAS Innovate on Tour - Sydney
Highlights 2025
Conference Experience
Join us and bring your team. We’ll bring content, inspiration, networking, and fun!
Innovation Hub
Get to know our partners, their services and solutions and check out the SAS interactive demos.
More experiences will be added so stay tuned!
Registration
It’s free to attend SAS Innovate on Tour in Sydney however spaces are limited, so register now to secure your place.
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