Us
Why Pentagram?
The pentagram is an ancient symbol: we believe an appreciation of human history is key to understanding the threats Australia faces today.
For the ancient Greeks the pentagram embodied the ‘golden ratio’ of mathematical perfection seen in nature: a symbol of harmony, of unifying disparate parts. The Babylonians saw the pentagram as a protection against evil.
In the Middle Ages the pentagram was a powerful symbol of protection, encapsulating knightly virtues and ideals including truth, honour and nobility of spirit. In the Renaissance the pentagram was viewed as a representation of mankind with the top point representing the human spirit presiding over the elements of nature – earth, air, fire, water.
Today Pentagram Advisory means protection. We seek to draw on the attributes of people, marshalling the resources available to them, to protect what is valuable and important to them, their enterprise, and to the Australian community. Pentagram’s meaning is aligned to us, jointly and as individuals.
Tim and Marina
Tim slattery, Director and Co-founder
Keep your eyes on the prize and find a way to win it.
I co-founded Pentagram to contribute to Australia’s national security. My passion is to explain the threats Australia faces today, convince people to act now in response to those threats, and team up with them to identify how to best protect against those threats.
My vision for Pentagram is to be a trusted advisor that is sought out for expert advice to protect people, protect critical infrastructure, and strengthen Australia’s national security.
I see Pentagram’s mission as collaborating with clients: Together We Protect and Defend Your Trusted Workforce and Critical Infrastructure.
Throughout my career and in my personal life, I have offered service to Australia. I have been a self-starter, seeking out and embracing new ways of thinking and new opportunities. This path has required self-belief and resilience to navigate the challenges and learn from mistakes along the way to success. My experience can be distilled into the motto: Keep your eyes on the prize and find a way to win it.
I bring over 40 years of national security experience to my appreciation of threat, risk, and people – especially insider threat. My work in the federal government, including 13 years as a senior executive, encompasses the Army, defence intelligence, security intelligence, human intelligence, national security policy and operations, signals intelligence, law enforcement, and diplomatic affairs.
My areas of expertise span numerous intelligence disciplines across defence, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement. I have experience in human intelligence across agencies and with Australia’s international partners. My experience is distilled into a unique appreciation of personnel security in general, and of insider threat in particular. I am a certified Insider Threat Vulnerability Assessor from Carnegie Mellon University.
My efforts to support Australia’s national security have been recognised through a DSD Central Bureau Award, a DSD Executive Branch Award, and two Australian Intelligence Community Medallions, the latter awarded in different organisations for intelligence operations and support for military operations.
I invite people and organisations to team up with me, through Pentagram, to protect their people, protect their assets, and secure their operations one person at a time.
Tim
Marina Shteinberg, Director and Co-founder
Everything that is going to happen already exists.
My mission is about helping people see it clearly, prepare wisely, and respond with purpose.
I am the Director and Co-founder of Pentagram Advisory, where we help organisations build trusted workforces, secure critical infrastructure, and protect what matters most.
I believe in service, integrity, and purposeful work. Security is not just a profession – it is a commitment to people, systems, and the foundations that help communities and businesses to thrive.
For 25 years, I have worked across government and industry in Australia and internationally — including over a decade in the Commonwealth government in national security, legislation, and regulatory reform. More recently, I have supported critical infrastructure entities in energy, water, transport, telecommunications, and health, helping them navigate complex risk and resilience challenges.
I bring an interdisciplinary background in law, foreign affairs, economics, translation, public sector management, project management, and psychology. I am a Certified Advanced Practitioner in the Critical Pathway to Insider Risk framework, with a focus on personnel security, organisational culture, and insider threat mitigation.
At Pentagram, we bridge strategy and real-world delivery — advising boards, executives, and frontline teams. Our vision is to protect Australia’s critical infrastructure by building capability, confidence, and culture from within. That vision drives our tailored advisory services, transformative education, and a growing global Community of Practice – with participants from over 16 countries.
This work is deeply personal to me. I was born in Lviv, Ukraine, and have lived in Australia for more than 20 years. I am a mother of three boys, a trained translator, a student of psychology, and an amateur wildlife photographer. I care deeply about the human side of security – how people make decisions, what shapes culture, and how we create environments where people and systems can thrive. The last three years have taught the world powerful lessons about resilience and importance of preparedness – and I bring those lessons to everything I do.
If you are facing complex security or people challenges and are looking for an experienced, thoughtful partner, I would love to hear from you.
Marina
