Agenda 12 May

Kevin Wolf is a partner in Akin’s international trade practice and based in Washington, D.C. Before joining Akin, Mr. Wolf served for seven years (2010-2017) as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration in the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the Department of Commerce. In this role, his primary responsibility was leading the administration of the export control and licensing functions of BIS. Working closely with his colleagues at the departments of Defense and State, and the National Security Council, Mr. Wolf was the primary strategist, negotiator and implementer of President Obama’s Export Control Reform (ECR) Initiative.

Mr. Wolf’s primary role with Akin is as a compliance attorney working with US and allied country companies in the semiconductor and defense industries. Mr. Wolf is also a Special Compliance Officer overseeing compliance with a State Department consent agreement settling violations of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.  He also is a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.   He has been working on export control legal and policy issues for more than 30 years.

Holly Taylor is a former Australian Army soldier with 18 years of service in mental health and psychology roles, supporting personnel in complex and high-pressure environments.

She later completed legal studies and now specialises in commercial law, export controls and international trade compliance, with expertise in defence trade controls, controlled technologies, and cross-border regulatory obligations.

Combining frontline defence experience with legal and regulatory insight, Holly provides practical, risk-based guidance to defence organisations operating within sensitive and highly regulated sectors.

Samela Husakovic is the Director of Research Ethics & Compliance at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of research governance, including ethics, clinical trials, gene technology, biosecurity, and defence trade controls to ensure the highest ethical standards, integrity, and regulatory compliance. With deep expertise in the defence trade controls field, Samela is passionate about advocating for the research sector’s critical role in supporting best practices in export controls that align with national interests, while facilitating scientific innovation and collaboration.
 

Andi Gynn is a security and risk practitioner specialising in protective security, governance, risk and compliance, and the Defence Industry Security Program, working with organisations across the Defence supply chain to interpret and integrate complex security frameworks, including the PSPF, ISM, DSPF, and SoCI Act. She converts these into risk-based security models that teams can implement, audit, and sustain effectively.

She draws on experience across personnel security, ICT security, and supply chain risk to manage security exposure, with a focus on people as a critical control point. 

She aligns workforce screening (AS4811), role-based access control, and export control obligations such as the DSGL and ITAR to ensure access to sensitive information and technologies is assigned appropriately and remains supportable.

Jakub Zvěřina is a cyber workforce and technical specialist with more than 20 years’ experience across government, defence and the private sector. With a background spanning hands-on delivery and senior leadership roles, he brings a practical, policy aware perspective to the challenges organisations face at the intersection of cybersecurity, export controls and international engagement, particularly in highly regulated environments.

Jakub’s advisory work includes engagements with DFAT, CREST International, the SFIA Foundation, national skills bodies, university advisory boards, and peak industry groups. He is nationally recognised for his leadership in shaping accessible, future-ready cyber career pathways and is driven by a commitment to strengthening Australia’s cyber resilience by helping SMEs build the skills and confidence needed to operate securely and compliantly on the global stage.

Aggy is currently the Deputy Director, Trade Compliance at Thales Australia. As a Certified Internal Auditor, Aggy oversees audits, provides training on customs and export control issues to business stakeholders and when applicable, supports compliance investigations, and preparation of export authorisations.

She holds a Masters of Law degree from the European School of Law and Administration with a major in International Trade and Customs Law.