Colby Raley is a strategist within the New Zealand Public Sector team at Microsoft, where she focuses on the pressing challenges and opportunities for the public sector, especially around leveraging AI. She works closely with the government teams across Australia and New Zealand, bringing global experience and expertise to challenges facing New Zealand, shaping strategic partnerships and identifying opportunities to innovate together. Previously, Colby was a Director at PwC, leading digital transformation programmes and helping some of NZ's largest public sector organisations design and deliver citizen services. Before moving to NZ in 2013, she worked with research and funding organisations, bringing research projects to life and helping prioritise investments to drive innovation. Colby is delivers focussed on technology solutions that truly help people and are simple and delightful to use. She is passionate about putting the user at the centre of things and specialises in bringing diverse teams together to deliver solutions.
Cushla Mccarthny is a Data & AI Specialist at Microsoft, with extensive experience in the public sector across both Aotearoa and Australia. With a strong background in leveraging technology to enhance citizen outcomes, Cushla has successfully implemented innovative solutions that drive efficiency and improve community engagement. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between data and decision-making, empowering councils to harness the power of AI. Cushla is passionate about fostering collaboration across sectors to create smarter, more responsive public services.