What are 2023's hottest topics?
We see a huge interest in business-related topics as we head into the middle section of 2023. Audiences are keen to learn from established business leaders in areas like customer obsession & experience, brand storytelling, leading teams through transformation and building strong company cultures.
We've curated a list of experts with experience in some of Australia's most recognisable and highly regarded brands and organisations to share their knowledge and best-in-class strategies.
If you’re looking for a business leader to inspire your attendees, contact our expert team on 1300 799 823 or enquire here for more information.
AMER IQBAL - FORMER HEAD OF TRANSFORMATION AT META
Amer Iqbal's approach is to build your internal teams into world-class innovation leaders and leave them to it.
He is the former Head of Digital Transformation at Meta and author of the upcoming book "5 Ways to Innovate", featuring contributors from Meta, Google, Accenture and Deloitte. Amer helps organisations reinvent themselves to build the business of tomorrow.
LISA RONSON - ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MOST PROLIFIC MARKETERS
Lisa Ronson is a highly respected Senior Executive with 25+ years of experience across multiple iconic Australian and global organisations.
Most recently, she was Chief Marketing Officer at Coles Group, leading the organisation’s marketing brand, digital and media strategies, sponsorships and events, customer insights and analytics, Coles 360 retail media, collectibles and continuity, loyalty, and in store promotion.
She is a highly regarded change agent with a reputation for turning businesses and cultures around. She is frequently recognised as Australia’s highest-profile and admired Marketing, Customer and Digital Executive.
ADAM JACOBS - CO-FOUNDER OF THE ICONIC & HATCH
Adam Jacobs is the Co-Founder of THE ICONIC - Australia’s largest online fashion retailer, and the Co-Founder of Hatch - a new venture whose mission is for all people to find meaning in work.
Adam is interested in how technology changes our societies and aims to build global tech companies that positively influence our future.
NAOMI SIMSON - CO-FOUNDER OF THE BIG RED GROUP
Naomi Simson is one of Australia's most prominent entrepreneurs and co-founder of The Big Red Group. The BRG currently houses several brands including RedBalloon, Adrenaline, Lime&Tonic, Albert AI (Marketics) and Redii.com with the purpose of shifting the way people experience life.
Naomi has helped lead her team through the sudden arrival of Future of Work as they adapted to remote working. Through this process, she has gained incredible insights into how to manage a remote team, particularly in times of crisis and uncertainty. She believes that understanding the human elements of isolation; emotional resilience and the need to belong, and leadership decisions need to be rooted in a productive framework.
Naomi is passionate, inspiring and determined - a colourful speaker with rich and vivid stories - she challenges audiences to think differently and is one of Australia’s most sought-after Speakers.
ANDREW BAXTER - FORMER CEO OF OGILVY
Andrew Baxter successfully led and grew major professional services firms for well over a decade. This included time as the CEO at Ogilvy which saw the agency create iconic campaigns such as AAMI's “Rhonda and Ketut” and Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke”, and help turn around businesses such as Officeworks and the Bank of Melbourne. Andrew is a sought-after speaker on Marketing and Communications, and in 2017 Andrew was awarded the Australian Marketing Institute's Sir Charles McGrath Award for his significant contribution to the field of Marketing.
Andrew is now an experienced Non-Executive Director and Chair, as well as a Senior Advisor to both KPMG and BGH Capital. He’s a respected leader of teams, and a trusted advisor on business growth and marketing to Boards, CEO’s, CMO’s and CIO’s.
DAVID THODEY - CHAIR OF XERO & FORMER CEO OF TELSTRA
David Thodey is currently Chair of both Tyro Payments and Xero, and a Director of Ramsay Health Care. Until recently, he was also Chair of the Commonwealth Science, Industry & Research Organisation (the national research organisation for Australia).
David is best known for his role as Chief Executive Officer of Telstra where he led an extraordinary transformation throughout Australia's Leading telecommunication Company.
In his presentations David unpacks what it takes to drive large-scale organisational change, how you keep momentum and get the motivation up, how you effectively communicate your message through your organisation and ultimately what it takes to make change stick.
ITA BUTTROSE AC OBE - AUSTRALIAN MEDIA ICON
Ita Buttrose AC, OBE is Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). During her distinguished media career, she has held executive and editing roles for major Australian media companies including Australian Consolidated Press, News Ltd and Fairfax, and has run her own media company, Capricorn Publishing.
Ita is a founding member and former president of Chief Executive Women. She served as National President of Alzheimers (now Dementia) Australia from 2011- 2014 and is now the organisations Patron. She has been Patron of the Macular Disease Foundation since 2005 and is Emeritus Director of Arthritis Australia, having served as President from 2003-2006.
In 2019, Ita became a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for her service to the community through leadership in the media, the arts, the health sector and as a role model. She was made an Officer of the Order (AO) in 1988 for her services to the community especially in the field of public health education. She has received an OBE for her services to journalism and a Centenary Medal for business leadership.
STEPHEN SCHEELER - FORMER FACEBOOK CEO ANZ
Stephen Scheeler is Australia’s most authoritative voice on digital disruption, transformation, culture & leadership. His experience at the heart of Silicon Valley is truly unparalleled, and he has a unique ability to inspire audiences of all kinds with rare insight, humour & humility.
Stephen is the former Facebook CEO for ANZ, where he helped guide Facebook’s unprecedented rise from quirky Silicon Valley start-up to media & technology titan. Stephen’s acclaimed TEDx talk - The Oldest Guy at Facebook - recounts his amazing journey at the heart of one of the world’s most disruptive companies.
Today, Stephen is a frequent media commentator on digital disruption, culture, leadership, technology & A.I. - including TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, ABC, Sky News, The Project, Sunrise, The Today Show, The Australian & The Australian Financial Review. He is also a member of the Australian Prime Minister’s Knowledge Nation 100, top innovation leaders in Australia.
SHIRLEY CHOWDHARY - INTERNATIONALLY EXPERIENCED EXECUTIVE LEADER
Shirley is an expert on driving change by growing collaborative ecosystems that connect organisations and individuals to impact. She is skilled at driving shareholder value through financial return and purpose “ a deeper exploration of ESG.
Shirley passionately believes that Diversity and Inclusion are the paths to a stronger and more resilient future and that collaboration and participation are the keys to our future sustainability. She can also provide insights on the value of reconciliation from a non-Indigenous perspective from her experience as the inaugural CEO of the GO Foundation.
GILLON MCLACHLAN - CEO OF THE AFL
Gillon McLachlan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League. He has worked for the AFL since 2000, initially as a consultant in strategic planning and in November 2003, was appointed General Manager, Commercial Operations.
Key outcomes in his various roles with the AFL have included the last AFL Media Rights Deal, still the largest in Australian Sports Rights History, the establishment of AFL Media, and the establishment of the two new clubs (Including raising the funding for, and building their stadia).
LISA MACCALLUM - FORMER VP AT NIKE & FOUNDER OF INSPIRED COMPANIES
In her role as a Vice President at Nike, Lisa worked internationally for almost two decades holding global leadership roles across Nike's Apparel, Footwear and Sporting Goods businesses. She led Nike USA's Growth Strategy, the Nike Foundation and Nike's Global Community Impact efforts.
Lisa is now the Founder and President of Inspired Companies. She and her team advise and support large companies in transforming into best-in-class resilient and distinctive brands capable of navigating the accelerating pace and complexity of the 21st-century marketplace.
KATRINA BARRY - CEO ME&U, FORMER MD OF CONTIKI
As CEO of me&u, a global tech business transforming hospitality, and Chair of Hollard Insurance, the former MD of Contiki Katrina Barry is an expert in Gen Z and Y, digital transformation, and breaking through glass ceilings.
Katrina is sought after for her leadership and cultural change, brand and marketing, business, and strategy expertise. From a Kiwi farm girl, to a McKinsey consultant, then launching start-ups for Richard Branson, Katrina's personal story is interesting and inspirational. Her insights are nothing short of fascinating, and her delivery is highly engaging and entertaining.
MATT JONES - CO-FOUNDER OF FOUR PILLARS GIN & BRAND EXPERT
Matt Jones is one of Australia's leading strategists and storytellers regarding the intersections of brand, business, leadership, experience, culture, technology, human behaviour and storytelling. He is a phenomenal, strong speaker, dynamic, colourful, engaging, and engaging with critically applicable messaging. He takes people on a journey at speed and makes sure they get somewhere useful for themselves and their businesses.
Matt is also a co-founder of Four Pillars Gin “ so can share the secrets to their phenomenal growth and success.
JANINE ALLIS - FOUNDER OF BOOST JUICE BARS & RETAIL ZOO
Janine is not your everyday self-made businesswoman. She grew her juice and smoothie empire in 2000 from her kitchen bench to an international success story (Boost Juice Bars are now in 13 countries with two new brands of Salsas Fresh Mex Grill and Cibo espresso totalling over 500 stores).
She has a great passion and love for business, translating from inception into sales of over 2 billion dollars globally. These sales squeeze and blend through thousands of tons of fresh fruit and veg every year.
Janine's business approach has made her a leader in her field, with BRW listing Janine as one of the top 15 people who have changed how business is done in the last 25 years.
