Mrs Kana Smith

Biography

Kana has been the Centre Manager for UQ's Cyber Research Centre since 2021. She is a member of the senior leadership team for UQ Cyber Security unit and supports the Director of Cyber Security on strategic planning and business development for UQ Cyber Security activities (https://www.cyber.uq.edu.au/team/uq-cyber). In her role, she also project managed a large scale CRC bid as a UQ wide initiative, called the Mega Events CRC (https://megacrc.com.au/), raising $65 mil for a federal government bid. Kana has brought her previous experience in start-ups and international grant submissions as well as managing projects for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and other government grant programs to this role, further advancing the business development the Cyber Security unit, and in her short time has had made numerous achievements. In 2021, she led the School’s first DFAT project for the Australia-Japan Foundation and Australia Korea Foundation to hold successful global cyber security panel conferences and led the grant application for DFAT Cyber and Critical Technology Cooperation Program, with regards to a grant proposal to improve the cyber security educational framework for Papua New Guinea students. Ultimately these activities led to the Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology Dr Tobias Feakin to reach out to UQ to hold DFAT's inaugural global conference for the Pacific Telecommunications Security Expert Forum (held in November 2022) for the 14 Pacific nations. Since Jan 2023, she has also been nominated to become member of the Exec Team of Cyber Champions’ Network that raises awareness of cyber security issues to enhance personal security. Kana has a background in international education and international development and therefore is passionate in developing projects that cross over the cyber security and education/capacity building projects. Aside from managing large scale tenders, grants and projects and hosting global cyber security conferences/forums, she provides oversight to various cyber security initiatives in partnership with external institutions across private and public sectors. Throughout her career, she has been passionate about designing, delivering, and managing capacity building projects globally.

Prior to this role she was Senior Development Coordinator at UQ International Development, responsible for business development and overseeing project management of many DFAT projects. She has a diverse experience managing international projects and capacity building programs in various fields for a wide range of clients in government, industry, and civil societies abroad and in Australia. Currently she is responsible for the strategic development and management of UQ Cyber Security programs and overseeing its execution of activities. She has led the design, delivery and management of many capacity building projects for multilateral and bilateral donors and partners including Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), SPC and others from government and private sectors.