Nicole Henry

Nicole Henry is the Head of Government Affairs for Australia and New Zealand at Fortinet. She brings more than 20 years of senior experience across science, industry, and international policy. Nicole has led national and bilateral initiatives on clean energy, digital trade, and research commercialisation, with a focus on technology policy, infrastructure security, and standards development.

At Fortinet, Nicole leads engagement across government, industry, and academia on cyber security, critical infrastructure, and digital trust. She works across the organisation to align external engagement with national priorities and sector expectations. Her role helps position Fortinet as a trusted partner in secure digital transformation, trusted technology adoption, and national resilience.

Before joining Fortinet, Nicole held senior executive roles within the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. She was responsible for leading international strategy and national security engagement across the Trade, Americas, Europe, and India branch, developing strategic relationships and opportunities aligned with the Australian Government’s priorities. Nicole also served as the Department’s inaugural industry Counsellor to Indonesia, based in Jakarta, where she drove collaboration on bilateral industrial priorities, regional supply chains, and environmental, social, and governance initiatives.

Prior to this, Nicole was the senior executive for business engagement and program management for the Simplified Trade System Implementation Taskforce. She led strategic engagement across government and industry to drive support for Australia’s cross-border trade reforms.

As an executive strategist, Nicole operates at the intersection of digital security, sovereign capability, and strategic partnerships, bringing a forward-thinking perspective to national technology challenges. Nicole has represented Australia in multilateral forums, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). As Chief of Staff to the Chief Scientist of Australia, Nicole played a key role in shaping national agendas on science, critical technologies, and international science diplomacy.

Bachelor of Commerce in Business and Managerial Economics from Murdoch University.

Postgraduate Certificate in Public Policy and Economics from the University of Canberra.

Master of Business Administration (Technology and Change) at the Australian Graduate School of Management, The University of New South Wales Business School (in progress).