We believe in the power of stories to drive real change.
Saxton Live kicks off in Melbourne on Thursday, 18 July at The Commons QV. This showcase is an exclusive event limited to 60 attendees and will not be live-streamed.
Our lineup, featuring 4 incredible Speakers includes:
- Antarctic Expedition Leader, Adventurer, Isolation & Resilience Expert, David Knoff
- Dr Michelle Dickinson, Nanotechnologist & Expert on Innovation
- Chyloe Kurdas, an Expert on Driving Institutional Change & Developing Cultures of Belonging
- and Army Major, Mental Health Advocate and 2-time Cancer Survivor Hugo Toovey
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See more information about our 4 speakers below.
Chyloe Kurdas
Chyloe Kurdas is a highly regarded leader with significant expertise in inclusion, belonging, high performance and transformative change. She is celebrated for her significant contributions to the inception and execution of the AFLW, the regeneration of Australian women’s golf, and inclusive sporting communities.
As a child of migrants from Hungary and Turkey, Chyloe experienced the value of sports in building community, the impact of sports on belonging, and the power of having an ally on your side. It also proved to be where she realised she would never be deemed good enough to play football professionally because of her gender. This realisation as a 5-year-old girl set Chyloe on a course to finding her ultimate purpose and powerfully informed her career, driving inclusion and belonging. She still credits being one of the first women to play football on the MCG as one of the best days of her life.
David Knoff
David Knoff is an Antarctic Expedition Leader, Author, and leadership expert who specialises in remote leadership, hostile environment diplomacy, and resilience.
David's international career has taken him across the globe with experiences as an officer in the Australian Army, diplomatic postings in Pakistan and Iraq, and most recently with the Australian Antarctic Program. In 2019, David was given a leadership challenge unlike no other in modern history, as the Station Leader at Davis Station, Antarctica, he was leading a team of just 24 through the isolation of an Antarctic winter when the COVID-19 Pandemic broke out. The impact of the pandemic on Antarctic operations saw David's team without a ride home as planned and facing one of the longest periods of isolation in modern Antarctic History.
David's book, '537 Days of Winter: Resilience, Endurance and Humanity while stranded in Antarctica during the Pandemic' tells the story of what it was like to lead a team through unprecedented uncertainty and how to find resilience in the most extreme environments.
Michelle Dickinson
Dr Michelle Dickinson (MNZM) is a force of nature in the world of nanotechnology and materials engineering. Her career is a testament to her unwavering commitment to innovation, education, and empowering others.
For over two decades, Michelle has been at the forefront of technological breakthroughs, tackling challenges across various fields - from medical applications to cutting-edge solutions for startups and established corporations.
Driven by an insatiable curiosity and a lifelong love for science, Michelle established New Zealand's only nanomechanical testing laboratory. Here, she dives deep into the intricate world of the minuscule, helping companies translate groundbreaking ideas into tangible realities. Her expertise is highly sought after by investors and venture capitalists who rely on her insights to navigate the high-tech investment landscape. However, Michelle emphasises that true success in technology transcends the brilliance of the innovations themselves; it hinges on clear communication of science and fostering diversity within engineering teams.
Marjor Hugo Toovey
Yes, you can face multiple life-threatening diseases and still share your story with grace and humour in order to help others. Hugo Toovey is a 31-year-old Army Captain, Founder of 25 STAY ALIVE, a two-time Cancer Survivor and a Mental Health Advocate.
If you didn’t know Hugo, you would assume that he was your typical everyday young Australian. And yes, from the outside, he appears to be exactly that. However, the last 10 years of his life have been everything BUT normal. He is missing a testicle, part of his reproductive system, all of his abdominal lymph nodes, his large bowel, his rectum and part of his small bowel.
