Kaaren Koomen AM is an executive leader with more than 35 years’ experience in the communication and IT law and policy environments. She is the Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at IBM Australia/New Zealand and was previously General Manager, Multimedia Regulation and Strategy, at Cable and Wireless Optus/Singtel Optus. During the 1990s, Kaaren was the Director of Internet Content Regulation at the Australian Broadcasting Authority (now ACMA).

Kaaren has extensive board-level experience. She is a Director on the Board of IBM Australia Limited, a Director of the Australian Services Roundtable, a Member of the Edith Cowan University and IBM Future Lab Governance Committee, a Member of the CSIRO National AI Centre Think Tank and is a Member of Standards Australia AI Committee. She was Deputy Chair of the NSW Telecommunications Authority Advisory Board from 2017 – July 2023, Chair of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka from 2014 – 2018 and has been an elected board member of the AIIA, the IIA and other industry associations over many years. Kaaren has practiced as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW and has lectured in Law at Charles Sturt University.