With a career spanning academia, government, and industry, Professor Dali Kaafar is the founder and CEO of Apate.ai, a pioneering AI company revolutionising scam prevention and fraud intelligence at scale. Professor Kaafar is a globally recognised expert in cybersecurity, privacy-preserving technologies, and AI-driven fraud prevention.

As the Executive Director of the Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub and a Professor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, he leads cutting-edge research in Trustworthy Digital Economies. Dali also serves as the Director of the Cyber Range Training Centre and the Cyber Discipline Lead at the Institute of Applied Technology Digital in New South Wales.

He is co-director of the MQ Future Communication Research Centre and has been New South Wales Cyber Ambassador since 2019, advocating for stronger digital defences at the state and national level. Prior to his role at Macquarie University, he was the founder and group leader of the Information Security & Privacy Group at CSIRO’s Data61, where he spearheaded research in data security, privacy, and network resilience. He also led the Networks and Mobile Systems research groups at National ICT Australia (NICTA), shaping the evolution of secure and scalable communication systems.

Professor Kaafar has been the recipient of several prestigious awards including being recognised in the Australian Top 100 Innovators of the year in 2023 and 2024.