ABOUT US

TPDi is an independent, non-partisan think tank dedicated to tech policy. After 3 years of incubation, we spun-out of the Australian National University in January 2025.

Our work is grounded in the belief that technology does not determine our future, people do – through the institutions we build, the policies we shape, and the choices we make about how technology is designed, developed, deployed and governed.

TPDi’s north star is to ensure the choices we make – as individuals, communities, organisations and nations – are informed by evidence, shaped through participation, and directed towards the benefit of humanity.

 

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Our purpose

Why we exist

Our Principles

The principles that guide our work

 

  1. Humans shape technology: technology is neither inherently good nor bad; nor is it neutral. How it is designed, developed, deployed and governed makes all the difference.
  2. Nothing about technology is inevitable: to shape the future we want, individuals, organisations, communities and nations must be proactive in shaping technology
  3. Good policy shapes good technology: policy (including regulation) is a powerful tool; we must wield it with intention to shape technology for the benefit of humanity.
  4. Regulation is not a dirty word: it provides the framework for economies and societies to function – effective tech regulation supports both economic growth and societal flourishing.
  5. To get the best outcomes, tech policy should be participatory and evidence-based: everyone has a stake in how technology is governed – tech policy should be inclusive, and informed by evidence, experience and continuous learning, not ideology, fear or hype.

Our Values

How we work

 

  1. Fearlessly independent: Our independence underpins everything we do. It is our biggest asset and contribution. We would rather fail than compromise it.
  2. Pragmatically optimistic: Our optimism demands action. We are excited about the potential of new technologies. But we are realistic about the world as it is. We are deliberate in shaping technology for a positive future.
  3. Constructively critical: Our perspective is based on critical analysis and respectful contestability. We are non-partisan. We critique everyone. Everything we do is evidence-based and constructive.
  4. Inclusively collaborative: Our inclusive approach is based on conviction: tech policy should not be made in silos. We engage with everyone. Collective knowledge and diverse perspectives underpin effective outcomes. Everything we do is evidence-based and constructive.
  5. Intentionally creative: Our team and collaborators think differently. We intentionally design creative solutions. Just as innovation drives technology, it is also at the heart of effective tech policy.

Our Theory of Change

How we create impact

TPDi’s theory of change runs on TPDi’s four core pillars of activity (research, education, community building and public debate). Each function drives a specific outcome, and those outcomes accumulate into six kinds of impact.

 

 

Better policies and governance generate new evidence and questions that feed the next cycle, so the process continues: a reinforcing flywheel, which we call the ‘TPDi process’, where each turn builds momentum for the next.

Our Founders

Johanna Weaver is Co-Founder and Executive Director of TPDi. She is a reformed commercial litigator, a recovering diplomat, and an escaped professor. In 2021, Johanna founded TPDi’s predecessor, the Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National University (ANU), after concluding her term as Australia’s independent expert and chief cyber negotiator at the United Nations. In 2022, she was appointed Professor in the Practice of Cyber and Tech Policy at ANU. She has been appointed to numerous boards, including the ICRC Global Advisory Board on Protecting Civilians from Digital Threats, the Minister for Government Services’ Independent Advisory Board, and the Data Standards Advisory Committee. 

Zoe Jay Hawkins is Co-Founder and Deputy Executive Director of TPDi. Zoe brings extensive experience designing tech policy from government, big tech, academic and think tank perspectives. Zoe worked for the Australian government across communications, innovation, and foreign policy portfolios, as a ministerial adviser and in the public service. She is a Research Associate at the University of Oxford and an expert researcher for the OECD. Zoe’s work has been featured by The New York Times, TIME Magazine, BBC, The Economist, The Financial Times, Forbes, POLITICO, and Vogue.

Our Team

Meredith Hodgman Head of Strategy and Engagement
Helen Portillo-Castro Head of Operations and Coordination
Dorina Wittmann EA to the Co-Founders and Office Manager

Our Board

Geraldine Chin Moody Independent Board Chair, Board and Governance Principal at Directors Australia
Kate Pounder Independent Director TPDi, inaugural CEO of the Tech Council of Australia
Professor Elanor Huntington Independent Director TPDi, Deputy Chief Executive of CSIRO
Dr Tobias Feakin Independent Director TPDi, Australia’s inaugural Ambassador for Cyber Affairs
Johanna Weaver Co-Founder & Executive Director, TPDi
Zoe Jay Hawkins Co-Founder & Deputy Executive Director, TPDi

Our Special Advisers

Julie Inman Grant Australia’s eSafety Commissioner
Frances Haugen Facebook whistleblower and online safety advocate
Professor Rod Sims Former Chair of the ACCC
Brett Solomon Co-Founder of global digital rights not-for-profit Access Now
Tim Levy Managing Director, Qoria Limited
Jess Wilson CEO, Good Things Foundation

Distinguished Technical Fellows

Audrey Tang Taiwan’s inaugural Digital Minister, now Cyber Ambassador
Sally-Ann Williams Former CEO, Cicada Innovations
Brendan Hopper Chief Information Officer for Technology and Distinguished Engineer, Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Our Funders

OUR INDEPENDENCE IS OUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET: WE WOULD RATHER FAIL THAN COMPROMISE IT

TPDi’s activities are made possible with thanks to contributors the Tech Policy Design Fund, which operates on the basis of a blind trust. Contributors to the fund do not direct the outputs of the fund and TPDi does not represent the views of fund contributors. As a condition of joining the fund, all funders must commit to respect and promote TPDi’s independence, and agree to their sponsorship being publicly disclosed.

TPDi also has a number of participation programs that TPDi uses to support diverse participation in our activities, including by civil society, children and young people.

If there is strong mission alignment, TPDi also works with other partners to deliver specific research or education programs, or engagement activities – but only when partners agree that TPDi retains sole discretion over all outputs.

Learn more about our funding model

Footnotes

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    1. Kranzberg, M. (1986). Technology and History: "Kranzberg's Laws." Technology and Culture, 27(3), 544–560. https://doi.org/10.2307/3105385
      2. \r\n
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  2. Freiberg, A. (2017). Regulation in Australia. The Federation Press, p42