AUSTRALIA-INDIA HUB | AI INNOVATIONS INSTITUTE

AUSTRALIA-INDIA CYBERSECURITY 

LEADERS FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

& AGRIBUSINESS CHALLENGES 

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM, 4 DECEMBER 2025

VENUE: PUNJAB AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY (PAU) 

Welcome.

We extend our warm welcome to our chief guest Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Satbir Singh Gosal, of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), to inaugurate the symposium- Australia-India Cybersecurity Leaders for Digital Transformation & Agribusiness Challenges. 

The symposium warmly welcomes delegates and will provide a platform for prominent leaders from universities, businesses, and governments to articulate strategic partnerships to build cybersecurity resilience and digital transformation for agribusiness challenges. Leaders can connect, collaborate, exchange ideas, and share knowledge & expertise, which leads to better practices in digital innovation for cybersecurity. 

Leadership role:  The important question for a leader is: What "effective actions" can a leader take at the time of a cyberattack? This is the most difficult question to answer. The leaders from Australia-India have an important role to play in securing cyberspace as both countries have transformed into digital platforms due to COVID-19, which offered opportunities and challenges. Digitalization models offer benefits of live video sessions, artificial intelligence (AI), website interactions, communications, teaching & learning, online shopping, banking & payments, government services, and critical infrastructure, etc, with convenience for online activities 24/7 from anywhere in the world overcoming physical space and distance, nevertheless, it has also created newer challenges such as cybersecurity, cybercrime, cyberattacks, digital identity fraud, digital destruction, and exploitation of cyberspace through social engineering, malicious programs & viruses, ransomware, phishing and more.

Cyberattacks: Escalation in cyberattacks has led to newer problems requiring newer solutions from leaders to transform and drive their institutions, and empower people, and digital systems safely for innovations to maintain higher levels of cybersecurity standards. Anything less than that will lead to compromises in cybersecurity which directly has an impact on people's trust and confidence in the leadership, which has been demonstrated by cyberattacks in Australia-India (in Australia- cyberattacks at Latitude Financial, Optus, Medicare, Deakin University, ANU & others; in India- cyberattacks at AIIMS hospital, Air India, Dominos India & others). Research has shown leaders of organizations that have been unprepared and were least expecting cyberattacks or did not have a cybersecurity strategy were deeply impacted both financially and non-financially with unimaginable losses for years to come, and organizations paralyzed for longer periods of time and risk facing more cyberattacks. 

International symposium benefits: The symposium will equip leaders with newer ideas & technologies, and expertise on how to manage and provide strategic leadership for such a critical situation, when and where, and how to expect and prepare for cyberattacks, what actions to take, and how to have digital systems recover and function in the aftermath of a cyberattack, check for weaknesses and exploits on digital platforms for further cyberattacks and from other cyber attackers. In the event of a cyberattack, every second counts, and choosing the right actions (from the wrong ones) can make a big difference in salvaging the remaining digital system & cyberattacks from spreading.

The international symposium will provide leaders with skills, knowledge, brainstorming sessions, networking, workshops, case scenarios of cyberattacks, and effective solutions that worked and those that 'didn't' work. Scientists, leaders, practitioners, and cybersecurity experts will deliver informative talks, discuss emerging research, the adoption of digital innovation for cybersecurity, develop strategic cybersecurity protocols, AI for cybersecurity, and build resilience into the digital systems to counter cyberattacks. 

Impacts: This is a must-attend event for leaders who have digital platforms as a main point of work within and outside their organization. Cyberattacks can be disastrous for any organization as there is no warning signal, and have a direct impact on trust, which can also diminish the leader's ability to lead people and digital systems in such a difficult time. Cyberattacks are silent and sometimes not known until the stolen data are sold on the dark web by cyber criminals, and only known when reported by the victims in the media, and damages to digital systems can be felt for many years to come and some may never recover (e.g. Ransomware attacks, Colonial Pipeline, USA).

Registration: Attendance at this international symposium is by invitation only and seats are limited. There are no fees, but you must register, not registering will lead to losing the seat. We request the attendees confirm their attendance asap by reply email to their invitation. 

Talk: If you wish to make a talk, keynote speech, presentation, or present paper, please inform the Chair in advance to make preparations. 

Certificates: Attendees/ presenters/ keynote speakers will be awarded certificates of attendance, participation, and presentations.

Thanks: Australia-India Cybersecurity Leaders International Symposium thanks for the support received from the Australian Government, ARCH-India, and Australia India Institute, based at the University of Melbourne. 

We look forward to welcoming you and meeting you at the symposium.

Inquiries: Please contact Prof. Kamaljeet Sandhu, Chair, Australia-India Cybersecurity Leaders International Symposium/ Prof. Ramandeep Singh, Co-Chair, Director, School of Business Studies, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Punjab, India.                                                Email: chair@aihub8.com; ramandeep@pau.edu                                    

Venue: School of Business Studies, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, Punjab, India. 

Website: https://pau.edu/