Ross Oakley has over 25 years experience in the application of technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the online delivery of business services in the finance, government and telecommunications sectors.

After 15 years in the banking and finance industry Ross founded Rotek Consulting, a niche technology consulting firm with a focus on the development of products and solutions to support the secure electronic delivery of increasingly sensitive business services, principally for the finance sector. Rotek established a pre-eminent position within the region in the areas of transaction security, smart cards, and PKI solutions, leading to its acquisition in 1998 by SecureNet, an ASX listed company. Ross continued to work with SecureNet and headed their Consulting and Research and Development Divisions prior to leaving to form Salt Group in 2002.

In addition to his role as CEO, and his keen interest in Salt Group’s mobile security product developments, Ross maintains an active consulting role within Salt Group providing strategic consulting services to business and government sectors in the areas of identity management, payment systems, trust services and the adoption of emerging electronic delivery channels.

Chris Baharis has over 15 years experience in the development and implementation of technology based systems to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and security of business processes within major Australian enterprises. He holds a Master of Engineering by Research (Computer Systems Engineering).

Prior to joining Salt Group Chris held senior technology and consulting positions at BHP Research Laboratories and most recently at CyberTrust (formerly BeTrusted) where Chris worked across a range of areas including product development, customer consulting and systems integration, principally supporting the finance and telecommunications sectors. Chris has expert knowledge in identity management and information systems security and their roles within the broad eBusiness area.

In his role as Technology Director, Chris is responsible for Salt Group’s substantial and innovative product development activities with special focus on the development of trusted service delivery systems and in particular the securing of emerging mobile delivery channels.

As with many Salt Group development staff, Chris continues to be deeply involved in Salt Group’s consulting and systems integration activities and it is largely through this ongoing interaction with business users and understanding their challenges and priorities, that Salt Group ensures the relevance and appropriateness of its development outcomes.

Carol Oakley heads Salt Group’s Education Sector Consulting area, focussing on evaluation, research and consultancy related to a diverse range of projects within educational settings, principally involving the use of technology in education and its integration into the broader curriculum.

Prior to joining Salt Group, Carol was a Manager within the Consultancy and Development Unit at Deakin University in Melbourne. This unit, within the Faculty of Education, has a long-standing reputation in the education area internationally for its effective conduct of research, program evaluations, school reviews, materials development, professional development and consultancy activities.

Carol maintains an active consulting role within Salt Group, with projects typically relating to compulsory and post compulsory education and requiring extensive liaison with principals, teachers, tertiary staff, students, parent, government and community groups, and businesses involved in the ongoing education of young people. This work is underpinned by Carol’s expert knowledge and understanding of the varying needs, contexts and influences impacting on these educational communities, and the goals, policies, priorities, and structures within which schools and the various educational organisations operate.