SPEAKERS

Dom is a renowned Australian entrepreneur and technologist who has Co-founded multiple successful businesses including Up (Australia’s leading and most trusted digital bank), Pin Payments, Ferocia, Clear Interactive and most recently, Triple Bubble (Oceania’s first fit-for-purpose fintech fund). Dom has received numerous awards, most recently named “Australian Startup Investor of the Year 2025”. Dom serves on the board of Fintech Australia and is deeply involved in his family office, Euphemia. Euphemia’s mission is Go Big and Grow Home - focused on investing in tomorrow’s startup scene, nurturing a diverse, progressive, intelligent, ambitious community. We don’t just want to make awesome. We want to make the awesome that makes the awesome

CO-FOUNDER, UP | FOUNDER, EUPHEMIA | DIRECTOR, TRIPLE BUBBLE

Peter Helliar is one of Australia's best known entertainers, with a career spanning stand-up comedy, television, film, and children's literature. He was a long-time co-host and panellist on Network 10's The Project, appearing on the show from its launch in 2009 until its end in 2023. Helliar created and starred in the comedy series How to Stay Married and has appeared in films including I Love You Too, which he also wrote. Beyond the screen, he's the author of the popular Frankie Fish children's book series and the founder of Sprook, a platform helping creators build and monetise their communities. His ability to move between comedy, creativity, and entrepreneurship makes him a unique voice at the intersection of entertainment and innovation.

Comedian, founder, television presenter, writer, producer, and author

Ronni Kahn AO is a social entrepreneur and founder of Australia's leading food rescue charity, OzHarvest. She has been a driving force in reducing food waste and tackling food insecurity across Australia.

Founder/Visionary In Residence

I’ve been a musician, circus performer, entrepreneur, and speaker. I’m a slow thinker, explorer, xenophile, and love a different point of view. Author of 5 books. Guest on 250 podcasts. I have no boss and no team. California native, I now live in New Zealand.

free

Award-winning actress Marta Dusseldorp has worked extensively in theatre, film and television for over 30 years and is one of Australia’s most recognised performers. She is also a producer, having founded Archipelago Productions in lutruwita/Tasmania with Ben Winspear. The company creates distinctive theatre and screen projects, including BAY OF FIRES Seasons One and Two, co-created, produced by and starring Dusseldorp. Season One was the ABC’s #1 most-watched drama in 2023, Season Two is now on ABC iview, and the series has exceeded 6 million streams on ITVX in the UK, with sales to multiple territories. Marta has received numerous nominations and awards, including the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a TV Drama for Janet King, in which she also served as Associate Producer. She starred in A Place to Call Home, Jack Irish, Wentworth, Stateless, and Foxtel’s The Twelve. Bay of Fires was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Drama. On stage, she has been a member of Sydney Theatre Company’s Actors Company and won a Helpmann Award for War of the Roses. She has worked with major theatre companies nationwide, earning acclaim for A Doll’s House Part 2, The Deep Blue Sea, Gloria (Sydney Theatre Award), and Archipelago’s The Bleeding Tree, The Maids, and Women of Troy. Her film credits include Paul Cox’s Innocence, Praise, Paradise Road, Ellie & Abbie, With or Without You (Netflix), and the upcoming NZ feature Caterpillar.

Producer/Creator/Actress

Thomas Jeng is part of OpenAI's go-to-market team, where he leads startup and venture capital relationships across Asia-Pacific. An experienced builder and operator in the global startup ecosystem, Thomas has led Aspire's global Startups segment and Singapore market, helping scale the YC-, Lightspeed-, and Peak XV-backed fintech. He has also supported founders and ecosystems through roles including Head of Global Business Development at 500 Global, and VP & Head of Commercial at Gnowbe (EdTech). Alongside his operating roles, Thomas invests actively in the region as a Venture Partner with Headline Asia, a Scout with Iterative, and as an angel.

Start Ups

Professor Anton van den Hengel is the Chief Scientist at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) and Director of the Centre for Augmented Reasoning. He is the Chair of the Kingston Group of AI Professors, a Chief Investigator of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Healthy Housing, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, and was inducted into the CORE Academy in 2025. Professor van den Hengel was a Director of Machine Learning in Amazon for 4 years where he founded their International Machine Learning group in Australia. He was also the founder of AIML, Australia's largest machine learning research group, with over $80m in research funding from Google, Facebook, Canon, BHP Billiton, and the ARC.

Chief Scientist

Elli Hanson is a Principal at Side Stage Ventures, a founder-led seed fund backing the top 1% of early-stage startups in Australia going global. Prior to investing, Elli was Global Director of Design Strategy at Ogilvy Worldwide, where she designed and deployed Ogilvy's transformational Operating System across WPP. She led brand strategy for Fortune 500 clients including American Express, Starbucks, and Nestle, and her creative work has been recognised with over 25 Cannes Lions. Elli was also a co-founder at Flaus, where she led the design and market launch of the world's first patented electric flosser. During her tenure, Flaus was named one of Fast Company's World Changing Ideas and featured in TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2023.

Principal

Angad Soin is Managing Director Australia and New Zealand and Global Chief Strategy Officer at global small business platform Xero. In his role, Angad is responsible for leading Xero's Australia and New Zealand business, as well as leading the development and execution of Xero's global strategy and driving operational excellence. Having joined Xero in 2021 following 13 years at Deloitte, Angad brings deep expertise in strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and technology.

Managing Director AU/NZ and Global Chief Strategy Officer

Leigh McLeod helps companies turn good intentions into meaningful action. As Global Step Two Lead at Canva, she builds programs that create genuine community impact and gives staff a reason to get involved. With experience spanning corporate powerhouses like The Walt Disney Company and grassroots organisations including Habitat for Humanity, Leigh knows what it takes to build purpose-driven cultures that actually work. Leigh holds a Master's in International Development from RMIT and is on a mission to prove that doing good and doing business aren't mutually exclusive.

Global Social Impact Lead

Rod is a dad, husband and brother. He’s a below-average mountain biker, an enthusiastic homebrewer, and excels at driving his kids to basketball games. He loves building teams and products that solve worthwhile problems. Rod is a Co-founder and a Board Director at Culture Amp, where he spent over 12 years as Chief Product Officer, leading the creation of its Employee Experience platform—now used by more than 7,000 companies to improve working lives. As a Venture Partner at Rampersand, he helps some of Australia’s most ambitious tech startups navigate product and people challenges. Rod is also a Co-founder Easy Hello, a venture making it radically easier for people to build meaningful, local, face-to-face connections in their communities. He’s a coach, investor, advisor, and volunteer.

Cofounder and Board Director

Athlete: #1 in Australia and top 10 in the world in 3 different sports: Trampolining, CrossFit and Beach Volleyball. Investor: Managing Director at Techstars Sydney, one of the top global accelerators. Formerly an investor at Blackbird Ventures and Athletic Ventures Speaker: On stages including the Paris Olympics, Superbowl events, TechWeek SF, SXSW Sydney, TEDx, multi-national companies, and Necker Island. Founder: Co-founded FC32, a company that acquired professional football teams globally.

Managing Director

Kate is a leader is Australia's tech and innovation sector working across AI, biotech, and energy and public policy. She is the Chair of RNA Australia, and serves on the Boards of Essential Energy, the Powerhouse Museum, Amplify and the Tech Policy Design Institute. She was previously the inaugural CEO of the Tech Council of Australia and led an independent review into the innovation system in NSW. She's also been a Partner of a start-up, a tech policy specialist consulting to a range of leading Australian and global companies, including OpenAI, and a McKinsey consultant.

Board Director

Anthony is a co-founder of Linktree, the category-creating tech company enabling brands, creators and businesses to grow, develop and monetise their audiences. Linktree has grown from a simple solution to an industry-defining platform with more than 50 million users and 50 billion lifetime views.

Co-founder

Carolyn is a leader in empowering organisations to drive inclusion and equality through technology and accessibility. With over 25 years of experience in telecommunications, technology, eCommerce, and fintech, she has received numerous accolades for her work, including CEO Magazine's IT and Telecommunications Executive of the Year in 2018, Business Insider's top 21 Women in Fintech, and the Advocate for Women award at the 2019 Woman in Payments Symposium. Most recently, Carolyn was recognised as Fintech Leader of the Year at the 2021 Woman in Finance Awards. As an executive leader at Scalare, Zepto, GoCardless, Braintree, PayPal, and eBay, Carolyn is known for driving digital innovation and commercial success.

CEO

Jack Withinshaw is the co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Airspeeder, the world's first electric flying car racing league. He leads global partnerships, technology, and business strategy.

Co-Founder and CCO

I'm a strategic connector and ecosystem builder with 25+ years of experience across the global healthtech landscape - spanning biotech, medtech, pharma and government-backed innovation programs. From strategic roles in global pharmaceutical companies to leading Intermediary and global market access programs at Australia's Life Sciences Innovation Accelerator, I've worked across the Innovation lifecycle - from research to early stage startups to large scale ecosystem programs. I specialise in building strategic alliances, ecosystem capacity building and accelerating commercialisation through stakeholder alignment. I help researchers, founders, investors and institutions unlock the value through ecosystem thinking - locally and globally. Whether you're scaling a healthtech startup, launching a biotech cluster or driving innovation strategy, I bring global insight, systems thinking and an expansive global network to the table. My style is described as dynamic, authentic and courageous, with a strong ability to align and mobilise stakeholders.

Director, SA

Trust & Reputation Lead

Kate is an Investment Manager at Airtree where she focuses on seed to growth investments in tech across Australia and New Zealand. She has worked on a number of Airtree's recent investments including Airwallex, HotDoc and more. Prior to Airtree, Kate was a Management Consultant at Oliver Wyman working on a range of projects from wargaming potential merger strategies for large oil and gas businesses, to APRA regulation implementation for insurers and banks.

Investment Manager

Ariella is a medical doctor and PhD candidate at The George Institute for Global Health, researching AI and women's health, focusing on running clinical trials with Ovum. Drawing on her medical background and deep commitment to closing the gender health gap, Ariella leads Ovum with a vision to harness AI in delivering personalised, tech-driven healthcare for women.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

With experience at leading global founder-led businesses such as Klarna (fintech), Zalando (e-commerce) and Clue (femtech), I have a proven track record of working with executive teams to shape brand reputation and drive business impact. Known for bringing order to chaos, I have delivered countless global communication strategies and large-scale change initiatives to enhance operations, employee engagement and public perception.

Head of Communications

Pauline Fetaui is the Director of ACS Labs which is the home for Tech Innovators and passionate Entrepreneurs. Pauline oversees the strategy and delivery of the Labs including Innovation locations across Brisbane at River City Labs, Sydney at Harbour City Labs, Maroochydore Queensland at Ocean City Labs as well as the Virtual ecosystem of ACS Labs for Entrepreneurs and their communities solving global problems through technology.

Director

As Mentor In Residence at ACS Claire works with our founders in both the Kickstarter Program and Elevating Female Founders program to meet them where they are at on their journey.

Head of Growth & Investment

I am a scientist, turned entrepreneur, turned venture capitalist, who has never completely shed any of these roles. I believe deeply in taking a human approach to extract the best out of people, technology and our emerging industries.

Principal

Ben Owen is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He joined RAA in January 2023 as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and General Manager Home & Energy, where he is responsible for developing and executing RAA’s strategic plan and organisational initiatives, as well as driving the next growth business of Home and Energy. He works closely with the CEO, Executive Team, and Board to forge new business opportunities and synergies across key partnerships, and to translate the strategy for people across functions and business units. Ben is passionate about making a difference for RAA members and the local community in South Australia. He has a successful track record in formulating, developing, and executing enterprise-wide strategy, business planning, innovation, and transformation. He has led scale teams across some of Australia’s largest banks and, prior to joining RAA, he was State General Manager, Consumer and Business Banking at BankSA and Westpac SA & NT. He is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia (FINSIA) and Chair of FINSIA SA/NT Regional Council. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from Deakin Business School and has completed Design Thinking for Innovation at University of Virginia, Darden School of Business. He has a Bachelor of Business (majoring in International Business) and a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in International Studies) from the University of South Australia, and has studied internationally at Nanyang Technology University in Singapore.

Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and General Manager Home & Energy

Steve Grace has built his career across the UK and Australia, founding and successfully exiting two recruitment businesses before turning his focus to the world of startups and scaleups. He is the Founder & CEO of The Nudge Group, a recruitment partner dedicated to high-growth companies, Nudge Productions, a media arm helping founders tell their stories through video, and The Pillars, Australia's first members club created for industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries shaping the future.

Founder

For more than a decade, Annie Pullar worked as a broadcast journalist across Australia and Europe, reporting for major networks on stories that shape how people understand the world. Most recently, she spent 9 months reporting across Europe with Seven News, filing from Paris and London on major international developments. She is now joining Sunday Gravy to help brands and organisations tell sharper, more meaningful stories.

Journalist & Storyteller

Lisa Talia Moretti is a Digital Sociologist and Responsible AI Practitioner working at the intersection of innovation, design research and governance. She is the Co-Chair of the AI Council at BIMA, a board member of the Conversation Design Institute Foundation and an Adjunct Senior Industry at RMIT FORWARD. Lisa was named one of the top 100 people in Britain changing the digital and technology landscape. Her talk, 'Technology is not a product, it's a system' is available for viewing on TED.com.

Digital Sociologist and Responsible AI Practitioner

Matt Pfahlert is a pioneering social entrepreneur and field builder, with a long-standing commitment to rural Australia and its young people. As co-founder and CEO of the Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE), Matt is driving the renewal of Australia's rural communities so that future generations may thrive. Last year, in partnership with the Social Enterprise World Forum, ACRE established the Global Rural Social Enterprise Network.

Co-founder and CEO

Sid is a Principal at Airtree Ventures where he focuses on early-stage investments across ANZ. Prior to Airtree, Sid was an early employee of Deferit, where he launched the company's US operations. Sid started his career working at Blackstone in New York, and studied Electrical Engineering & Economics at Duke University.

Principal

Dr Sarah Jane Pell known as the artist-astronaut is the Founder and CEO of Bending Horizons, an Australia-based venture advancing human-centred capability for the emerging space economy. With a background spanning art, occupational diving, spaceflight analogue operations, and a PhD in human performance, she translates extreme-environment expertise into scalable systems for safety, usability, and human-technology integration.

CEO / Explorer

Matthew Wright-Simon is founder of Engage Change, a collaboration consultancy that connects people with impact. Matthew works with leaders across diverse networks to deeply explore problems, co-create strategy, grow knowledge, share stories and take pragmatic action for the places and people we love.

Founder

Jerrod Lew is a content creator and educator focusing on creative Gen-AI tools. Partnered with major AI platforms to create educational content and resources on AI media tools, safety and online reputation management.

Content Creator, Education and Consultant

Jeremy Loftus is the Managing Director of Radium Capital, Australia's leading provider of R&D finance to innovative companies. He has significant strategic and operational experience in the tech sector, deploying more than $1 billion of funding to over 1,500 businesses.

Managing Director

Noah is the Founder of We Are Mobilise and currently serves as CEO. Challenged by the understanding of the climate crisis, he started We Are Mobilise to unlock systemic change and innovation around climate.

Founder & CEO

Allys Todd MAICD is the cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of VALAI, a globally recognised climate fintech, helping institutions and households make better climate-aligned decisions.

Founder Director

S-J Kurtini is the founder of PitchSlap.me, a spicy AI tool that roasts your business story, then rewrites it so it slaps, not flops. Before PitchSlap, she co-founded Tinybeans (ASX:TNY), once dubbed "the most loving space on the internet" by New York Magazine, and became one of the few female founders to take a tech company public on the ASX. With years of experience turning "hard to explain" ideas into stories that stick, S-J now helps founders cut through the noise with clear, compelling positioning that wins over investors, customers, and teams alike.

Founder

I’m Laura—Chief of Staff by day, podcast host by night. I run Calling Operator, a podcast sharing in-the-trenches stories from the operators who keep tech companies running.

Chief of Staff / Podcast Host

Dan Kurlapski works at the intersection of nervous system regulation, embodied leadership, and human development. With a background in physiotherapy, he spent over a decade working in elite sport at the national level and founded multiple physiotherapy clinics, supporting high-performing individuals across rehabilitation, performance, and long-term capacity. This foundation informs a practical, body-led understanding of stress, recovery, adaptation, and sustainable performance. Dan is an NLP Master Practitioner and is trained in Integral Leadership, Semantic Facilitation, and Facilitated Breath Re-patterning (FBR) Breathwork, integrating physiology, developmental psychology, language, inquiry, and embodiment into his work. He is the founder and co-founder of multiple businesses, including YES& Conscious Leadership and Breathwork Byron, and facilitates 1:1 work, retreats, and leadership immersions globally. His work supports founders and leaders to recalibrate their nervous systems, integrate success, and cultivate long-term healthspan, clarity, and embodied leadership over decades.

Founder & Facilitator - Conscious Leadership, Nervous System Mastery & Breathwork

Antonia is Managing Director, Australia for Pledge 1%, empowering companies to be a force for good. Alongside this role she is CEO of StartGiving, a not-for-profit that encourages tech founders to start and scale their personal giving. Antonia is a director of UNICEF Australia, chairs The Giving Academy at the Centre for Social Impact, and is a director of several charitable foundations.

Managing Director, Australia

Greg has two successful startup exits, 22 years apart, and held Asia Pacific, COO roles with major global tech players including Siebel Systems, PeopleSoft, Unisys and SAP. His first startup scale to exit journey was in the heart of the dotcom boom in San Francisco - the first databot of its kind, measuring & publically rating the world’s leading internet providers. Then in 2017 he co-Founded Faethm AI, one of Australia's early AI success stories - Faethm helped employers navigate the impact of external forces like tech automation and covid on skills & jobs. Faethm was acquired by Pearson in 2021 after scaling to government and enterprise customers in 21 industries and 26 countries. Today, as co-Founder and Partner at Arena Mars, Greg works with tech start-ups to help them scale, by building Australia's first scale-up ecosystem, by investing directly and via VCs, and by joining startup boards as an NED. Greg's deeply engaged in corporate social responsibility and remains a National Ambassador and advocate for The Australia Indigenous Education Foundation and Young ICT Explorers, a national youth STEM program, encouraging students in grades 3-12 to pursue careers related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Co-founder & Partner

Head of Operations at an Australian construction tech startup, ProcurePro - Managing People, Finance and Operations - scaling the company across AU, NZ, UK, Ireland, Middle East and helping grow revenue by 3,233% (8 figure revenue) since joining during their seed stage. ProcurePro has consistently been an AFR Fast Starter and LinkedIn Top 10 Startups in Australia. Shilpa is also an active member of the startup community, mentor and angel investor for emerging startups/founders: curator for TEDxSydney, Mentor & Advisor for Startmate, organiser of a micro community for startup operators, advisor for AirTree’s pioneers community, an Airtree Explorer and advisor for SXSW Sydney. Prior to joining the tech world 4 years ago, Shilpa was a national award winning Interior Designer.

Head of Operations

Chief of Staff at brand tracking company Tracksuit - joining at seed stage and scaling to 200 people through Series A and B. Managing the exec team through constant change: turning the CEO's strategy into execution, building accountability structures, and creating the systems that enable high-trust, high-performing teams as Tracksuit scales globally. Tracksuit topped the Deloitte Fast 50 in 2025. Liani is also an active member of the startup community: Airtree Explorer, member of Airtree Pioneer's community, and Chief of Staff Society. Prior to her Chief of Staff role, Liani worked in Business Operations, with a background in Industrial Engineering.

Chief of Staff

Paul is a global sales and growth leader with 15+ years’ experience helping tech companies expand across the UK, APAC, and the US. He partners with founders on go-to-market strategy and international growth, with a track record spanning market entry, scaling teams, and ecosystem partnerships.

In a diverse IT career over the last twenty years, Jon has worked in infrastructure, cloud, managed services, software as a service, and IT education ... across roles in marketing, sales and management. Jon has been a founder, raised capital, navigated successful trade sale exits and has worked for global Tier 1 IT vendors. This diverse experience informs an innovative and outcome focused approach to Jon's marketing practice. Jon has a BA in Economics from University of Michigan, a Masters from University of Technology Sydney, and has three patents to his name. Outside of work, you'll find Jon enjoying sailing on Pittwater with his family, or trying to improve his golf swing.

Head of Marketing

Having worked in tech his whole career, Troy is passionate about helping Startups and Enterprises harness their own AI Technology for that competitive edge. Owning your own AI stack is more accessible than you might think, and you don't need to live at the mercy of the cloud Hyperscalers - lets build your own AI today!

Enterprise AI

Whitney Cali is the Group Executive – Product, Technology and Data at LMG, where she specialises in the art of scaling: helping large organisations act with the agility of a startup, and helping startups build the foundations for scale. Throughout her career, Whitney has operated at both ends of the spectrum. At 28 Group, she served as CPTO, nearly tripling the subscriber base in just 24 months and launching four new brands in a single year through high-velocity, low-code strategies. Previously, at REA Group, she led a cross-functional organisation of over 800 people, managing $100M+ in technology investments while successfully transforming product delivery to ensure teams remained lean and fast. Whitney’s leadership is defined by a relentless focus on customer impact and operational speed. She is a firm believer that innovation isn’t a matter of team size, but of mindset.

Group Executive - Product, Technology & Data

I’m a multi-exit, award-winning founder with over two decades of experience at the intersection of technology, media, and talent. I've built and sold companies including theright.fit, #Gifted, Wink Models, The Influencers Agency & Online Model Academy, raised venture capital both in Australia and internationally, and helped over 50 founders scale, raise, and exit. My current portfolio spans SaaS, marketplaces, DTC, ecomm, traditional agency models, and education. I sit on the boards of Australia’s leading start up hub Fishburners, think tank Next25, and cultural festival Sydney Fringe, and am a Graduate of the AICD (GAICD) and a Harvard alum, having completed the Competing in the Age of AI programme. I’ve worked as a strategic advisor to VC-backed startups, PE groups, global brands, and government bodies - helping drive commercial strategy, brand growth, and digital transformation. I bring a systems- thinking lens, real-world execution experience, and an unmatched ability to connect people and opportunities.

Founder

George is a UX designer and entrepreneur who built and exited SmartrMail to Relay Commerce and scaled Bluethumb into Australia's largest online art marketplace. A Computer Science postgraduate with a passion for creative tech, he has guided products from the first line of code to multi-million dollar outcomes. He currently serves as a mentor and investor for early-stage startups at Startmate.

Co-founder

After 20 years as a founder, building, scaling, and exiting two companies, including a high seven-figure exit, Mike Scott realised something most entrepreneurs never say out loud: You can build a thriving business but still feel completely depleted in life. That insight led him to co-found The Intentional Leaders Network (ILN), a curated community for established business owners who want to build ambitious companies without losing themselves in the process. ILN brings leaders together in high-trust circles to sharpen strategy, accelerate growth, and level up both business and life performance through world-class facilitation, tools and accountability. Mike also works as a growth coach and facilitator, partnering 1:1 with founders and leadership teams (typically $1M–$50M revenue) to create clarity, align teams, and execute with confidence. He is the first Certified Bloom Growth™ Coach in Australia. Alongside this, Mike is an Investor & APAC Director at Warp Development, a 120-person software and AI consultancy that helps companies build scalable technology and high-performing software teams. He hosts the podcast 'How to Be Moderately Successful'. He has two beautiful young kids and won the lottery with his wife and they live together in the Adelaide Hills.

Co-Founder

Joe Szakacs MP was first elected as the Member for Cheltenham in February 2019, in a by-election. He was appointed Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services in March 2022 after the election of the Malinauskas Government. He currently holds the portfolios of Trade and Investment, Industry, Innovation and Science, Local Government and Veterans’ Affairs. Before entering politics, Joe held leading roles in the trade union movement, practised law, and was a company director in the superannuation and insurance industries. In 2013, Joe was elected Secretary of SA Unions, the peak body for trade unions in South Australia, and lead the organisation for five years. During his tenure he held national positions with the Australian Council of Trade Unions, including the National Executive and National Growth and Campaigns Committee. Joe was a member of the Board of Directors of Statewide Super, and served as Chairman of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, and on the Investment Committee. He participated in global forums for workers capital and pension funds, including the Global Union’s Committee on Workers’ Capital and the United Nations Principals of Responsible Investment. Joe has also held director roles on the boards of South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission and Return to Work SA. Joe was born at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and raised in Royal Park. He attended local primary and secondary schools, and studied law at Flinders University. Joe was a competitive swimmer, holding multiple state titles and representing Australia at the 2002-03 FINA Swimming World Cup. He won swimming scholarships to the South Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Missouri. Joe loves spending plenty of time with wife Hannah and children Patrick and Olivia. He is an avid supporter of the Woodville-West Torrens Eagles and tries to get to games when possible.

Minister for Trade and Investment & Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science

As a creative entrepreneur, I am motivated by delivering sustainable growth across wholesale and retail markets, locally, nationally and internationally. My formidable practical and astute commercial acumen has provided me with the opportunity to successfully launch my business and continue to grow in a highly competitive market. As a Co-Founder of Fearless Females and the Fearless Innovator Grant Program, I am invested in building and fostering strong business relationships and authentically engaging with all stakeholders to drive transformational business outcomes. Grounded in my values of integrity and trust, I am dedicated to building connections, collaborating and mentoring of startups, enabling them to scale up and this has been further amplified by our Fearless Females Podcast, supported by Westpac.

Managing Director

"Joel McKerrow is the go-to speaker for creativity-driven transformation. He has spent the last fifteen years on global stages, captivating hundreds of thousands of people with his passionate performative style, highly inspiring keynotes and strategic training. The CEO of Village Roadshow lauds Joel as, ‘a true creative genius’ and says of his work with their executive, 'His impact on my team was nothing short of extraordinary.’ Joel is the VIC/TAS President of PSA (Professional Speakers Australia), Director of The School for Creative Development, an author with Penguin-Random House, an award-winning writer of eleven books and Australia’s only certified Applied Narrative Intelligence specialist. A CREATIVITY and STORY expert, Joel passionately believes that both creativity and story are far too important to be confined only to ’the arts.’ He works with visionary professionals in many different industries to bring about creative momentum and see real-world transformation in their work."

Creative Director

Dr Samantha Pillay OAM is a Polymath Changemaker operating at the vital intersection of medicine, cutting-edge technology, and social advocacy. As a pioneering surgeon, multi-award-winning author, and the Founder of AIFilm4Good, the world's first AI-native film studio dedicated to social impact, she synthesizes the analytical rigor and ethical grounding of the operating room with the disruptive power of AI to accelerate progress for women and girls globally. Dr Pillay is a leading voice on the ethical and high-impact application of technology in advocacy, turning the difficult lessons of her career into a powerful, scalable mission. She is a recipient of the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her service to urology.

Founder, Surgeon, Author, AI FIlmmaker

Experienced entrepreneur, startup coach and venture investor. Co-founder of Redwood, a private community for high-growth founders. Venture Partner at Black Nova Venture Capital. Executive coach to startup founders looking for an experienced sounding board. Previously co-founded and grew Startup Victoria, a non-profit aimed at helping Melbourne develop into a world class startup ecosystem.

Co-Founder

A member of the Ngarrindjeri, our people comprise 18 distinct Lakinyeri (clans). My heritage is deeply rooted in the Ramindjeri, Yaralde, Meintangk, Warki, and Tangani Kukabrak Tribes. Our families are custodians of the Coorong region, the lower lakes of southern South Australia, the Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, and all their encompassing lands, waters, and cosmology.

Founder

Working with leaders and teams to transform their relationship with stress and build resilience. Helping them master their internal state to maximise energy, impact, and performance — from the inside out. Facilitates meditation, breathwork, and contrast therapy at Melbourne’s leading wellness clubs.

Founder / Facilitator

Rebecca is a heart-centred, sound therapist and vibrational alchemist who gently invites you to explore your inner world with loving awareness. During her sound baths, she guides participants towards deeply restorative states of peace, clarity and joyful connection. Feel yourself opening from within as you soften, awaken to inspired possibilities and ground into a new way of being. In addition to sound baths, Rebecca offers transformative one to one sessions featuring a specialised blend of modalities that support emotional wellbeing, mindset and alignment. She also creates soul-resonant art, encoded with healing energy.

Sound Therapist

Dave is a certified Flow State and Breathwork facilitator, providing programs to help leaders and teams access greater levels of clarity, creativity and connection. Blending timeless wisdom with modern neuroscience, Dave advises businesses how to access flow state - the optimal state of consciousness for creativity, wellbeing and performance. Dave runs programs for businesses such as Canva, BCG, Blackbird, VaynerMedia, TikTok and SoHo House.

Founder

Mike Kelly is a poet, meditation teacher, and contemplative guide whose work bridges inner transformation with the changing landscape of modern life and technology. Formerly immersed in the tech and innovation world, he now brings this creaitve lens to ancient contemplative traditions, exploring how mindfulness, Dharma, and somatic awareness can support individuals navigating complexity, creativity, and uncertainty. He has completed mindfulness and meditation teacher training with the Greater Good Institute (UC Berkeley) and is currently completing a four-year Insight Dharma Teacher Training. Mike’s writing and teaching emphasise presence, spaciousness, and the art of living well - inviting people into deeper connection with themselves, each other, and the wider systems we inhabit."

Founder & Host

"Henry Shukman is a poet, author, mindfulness teacher and Zen master. He has studied meditation for 35 years, principally in the Sanbo Zen lineage and is the Co-Founder of acclaimed meditation app The Way. His most recent books are Original Love and the Zen memoir One Blade of Grass. He has taught at Google, the New York Times, Harvard Business School, and the Institute of American Indian Arts. He has written several award-winning books of poetry and fiction, and his poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Guardian and Sunday Times. He has a degree from Cambridge and an MLitt from St Andrews."

Co-Founder and Zen Master

Stavroula Adameitis is Artistic Director of SA Futures Agency, an artist and designer working under the alias Frida Las Vegas. Stavroula's cross-disciplinary visual practice centres around graphic art, textiles, design, illustration and installation. She uses a toolbox gleaned from her 15 year experience working across the Australian visual art, fashion and film industries to deliver all sorts of creative projects, remixing aesthetics from the past with ideas formed in the present to inspire optimism for the future.

Artistic Director

Professor Ariella Helfgott is Foresight Director of SA Futures Agency. She is also a Professor at the University of Adelaide and Program Director of Foresight and Decision-making for the One Basin CRC, a member of the Futures Council of the ANU National Security College and Director of Collaborative Futures. Ariella has more than 20 years experience enabling future-focused dialogues, decision-making, collaboration and systemic change. She has worked across 26 countries in 8 global regions guiding governments, industries and communities using foresight to create resilient, healthy and prosperous futures.

Foresight Director

Blair lives in the North Eastern suburbs of Adelaide with his wife and three daughters. He grew up on the family farm in rural South West Victoria, not far from Mount Gambier. He was elected to represent the State electorate of Wright in 2018 and was appointed Minister for Education Training and Skills in March 2022 and Minister for Police in September 2025. Blair is passionate about education and believes that a strong, affordable and accessible public education system is the key to equality.

Minister for Education, Training & Skills and Minister for Police

Eloise Hall is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of TABOO Period Products, a social enterprise selling organic cotton period care, established to eradicate period poverty in Australia. She is a passionate social entrepreneur, committed to making long-lasting, structural changes to bridge the inequality that exists in our communities. Eloise has been recognised with various awards including EY's Entrepreneur of the Year, (Impact category, 2023), Westpac 2023 Social Change Fellow, InDaily’s 40 under 40 and The Advertisers Woman of the year Rising Star award. Eloise has double bachelors degrees in Business and International Relations and has sat on various boards including the South Australian Social Enterprise Council and the Robinson Research Institutes Advisory Board. Eloise has most recently been appointed as the Social Enterprise Expert in Residence at Flinders New Venture Institute.

Social Enterprise Expert in Residence

Tom Dawkins is the Chief Impact Officer at LendForGood, a platform connecting impact investors with purpose-driven borrowers. With a background in social enterprise and community finance, Tom is passionate about deploying capital for good.

Chief Impact Officer

Anna-Louise Coppock is the Growth Marketing Director for Australia and New Zealand at JLL, a leading professional services firm specialising in real estate. She brings deep expertise in marketing strategy, brand development and growth across the property and technology sectors.

Growth Marketing Director ANZ

Emily Hart is the Co-Founder of Pink Shorts Press, working to build a platform for independent authors and underrepresented voices in the publishing industry.

Co-Founder

Margot Lloyd is the Co-Founder of Pink Shorts Press, a publishing venture dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and stories through independent publishing.

Co-Founder

Paul Seymour is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Patient Zero and 10,000 Spoons, a health innovation venture focused on improving patient outcomes through technology and community-driven solutions.

Co-CEO / Co-Founder

Demelza Green is the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Patient Zero and 10,000 Spoons, working at the intersection of health innovation and social impact to improve outcomes for patients and communities.

Co-CEO / Co-Founder

Desmond John is the Founder and Vibe Guide at Vibe Guide Ventures, helping individuals and organisations unlock their full potential through culture, community and purposeful leadership.

Founder & Vibe Guide

Deepak Singh is a serial co-founder and entrepreneur with a passion for building purpose-driven ventures. He co-founded PeopleStack, Mission and Rhythm, and Just Sing Out, working at the intersection of technology, community and social impact.

CoFounder

Megan Luttrell is a founder and recruiter passionate about connecting great people with great opportunities. As founder of PeopleStack and Kairos Recruitment, she helps startups and scale-ups build exceptional teams. She also runs the Aussie Founders Club, a community for Australian entrepreneurs.

Founder & Recruiter

Vinisha Rathod is the Managing Director of p3 studio, a creative and innovation consultancy. With a background spanning design, strategy and entrepreneurship, she works with organisations to drive meaningful change through human-centred approaches.

Managing Director

Emma Haller is the AI Industry Program Manager at the National AI Centre, supporting Australian businesses and organisations in understanding and implementing artificial intelligence solutions to drive productivity and innovation.

AI Industry Program Manager

Eloise Leaver is the AI Industry Development Manager at the National Artificial Intelligence Centre, working to connect industry with AI capabilities and support organisations in adopting and scaling AI solutions.

AI Industry Development Manager

Georgie Healy is an AI Translator helping individuals and organisations navigate the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. Through In The Blink of AI, she bridges the gap between complex AI concepts and practical business application.

AI Translator

Chanelle Le Roux is the Founder and Director of NINKI Content Marketing, an Adelaide-based marketing agency helping brands grow through strategic, story-driven content. With over a decade of experience in marketing, Chanelle specialises in marketing strategy, social media, and mentoring small business owners to gain clarity and confidence in their marketing.

CEO of NINKI Content Marketing - Marketing Specialist

With over two decades of experience in technology innovation in the USA and Australia, Manjula has played a pivotal role in helping Fortune 500 clients leverage ICT for organisational growth. As a founding member of successful high-tech startups, raising over $30M and a co-author of over 10 US patents, he has made significant contributions to the technology landscape.

ThincLab Academic In Residence

Malcolm has over 18 years of experience in HPC and AI/ML domain. He has successfully contributed to numerous large-scale deployments, including projects with the Bureau of Meteorology, UK Met Office and University of Bristol's Isambard-AI, and has also worked for the National Computational Centre (NCI) in Australia. Malcolm has a deep expertise in AI/ML, MLOps, and Kubernetes to design and deploy scalable, production-ready machine learning systems.

Solution Architect

Will is the co-founder of Overnight Success, a weekly newsletter covering the Australian startup and tech ecosystem. He has scaled the newsletter to 5,000 highly engaged subscribers. Will has spent the last year working with scale-ups and VC funds on their communication strategy including PR, content and social media.

Founder

Anthony Liveris is CEO of Proto Axiom, an Australian life sciences company-creator and investor that builds next-generation biotech firms from first experiment to scale. Proto Axiom partners with leading researchers to form, fund, and grow companies including Endo Axiom, SWAN Genomics, JumpStart Fertility, Onyx Axiom, and Advancell. Anthony serves as Chair of the St Vincent's Hospital Discovery and Innovation Fund.

Chief Executive Officer

Geoff Main has over 20 years of marketing & commercial experience managing creative agencies, leading multiple global projects, scaling various startups to success, and working with large scale budgets to deliver client results.

Founder and Fractional CMO

Gemma Clancy is the Co-founder & Head of Marketing at Stella Startups. With over a decade of marketing experience, including several years at leading advertising agencies and as a startup marketing lead, Gemma is passionate about demystifying marketing and making expert guidance accessible to ambitious founders.

Co-founder & Head of Marketing

Remco lives and breathes startups. He's not your typical accountant, which is why he founded Standard Ledger to operationalise the finance functions for startups and scaleups. He has worked with startups as a CFO/virtual CFO for more than 10 years, following four years in venture capital and 10 years in multinational consulting/services companies.

CEO

Bridget is a senior communications professional with expertise in brand, strategy, creative and media relations gained at high levels in agency, corporate, government and startup settings. Originally a journalist, Bridget has worked across the full media and communications spectrum as a Fairfax journalist, Editor at Hardie Grant Magazines, PR consultant at Porter Novelli, and Communications Adviser/Manager for the Victorian Government, City West Water and the National Transport Commission in Australia. After having children, Bridget focused on brand and creative writing for behaviour change agency, The Shannon Company, while also leveraging her broader marcomms skills for startups, including supporting Standard Ledger's growth over 5 years. Upon moving home to New Zealand, Bridget co-founded Stella Startups to solve marketing for startups and scale ups in Australia and New Zealand.

Co-founder & Head of Brand and Communications

Researcher turned AI and SaaS builder and senior tech executive, with a track record in founding, building, scaling and exiting deep tech businesses.

Founder and CEO

Craig has a deep interest in the commercialisation of Australian research and innovations. He is passionate about enabling entrepreneurs to succeed and make a difference by empowering them with the right skills, mindset and connections. He is GM Growth Programs at the Canberra Innovation Network, runs the GRIFFIN accelerator which he cofounded, leads workshops, innovation programs and more. He has been involved in startups as co-founder, CEO, director, investor or mentor for over 20 years. Craig co-founded TakeABreak, an online accommodation business that was sold to Fairfax in 2011. He led the integration with Fairfax's competing business Stayz and the group was later on-sold for $210M. Craig is a former Chair of Capital Angels.

GM Growth Programs

Petr is an innovation and business growth expert. He is passionate about supporting innovation, building innovation communities, business incubation and growth programs, clusters and innovation networks. In these areas Petr has 30+ years of international experience that have seen him provide assistance to companies and communities across Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

CEO

An experienced COO, CFO and commercial advisor with 25+ years experience working within large corporates and with fast growing start-ups in a wide range of sectors including property funds management, proptech, technology, life sciences, agriculture, food & beverage, manufacturing and mining.

COO

Jason Cameron is an experienced Coach and Founder of ScrumCraft with over 20 years of helping teams find their best way of working.

Founder, Chief Product Owner

Rob is the Managing Director at Think & Grow. He has scaled multiple digital businesses from $5M to $500M revenue across diverse industries.

Managing Director APAC

Kev Jochelson is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and startup coach who works with early-stage startups to build their first product, discover their first customer, and get a taste of their first revenue. He is the Founder and Head Coach at OPSIZE.

Founder & Head Coach

Zara Fulton, PhD, is Head of Investment at Remarkable, part of Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA), where she leads investments in technology scaleups delivering impact for people with disability. She brings a cross-sector perspective, with global strategy leadership experience spanning sustainable materials innovation, pharmaceutical development, and innovation policy. Zara is committed to backing ventures grounded in lived experience—helping teams build more inclusive products that can expand their market by 25%, while driving deep individual impact and social change.

Head of Investment

Mark Ogden is Managing Director of 11point2, where he helps large organisations work at startup speed by validating ideas, reducing risk, and creating practical pathways from discovery through to scale. He brings experience from both sides of the table: more than 15 years in senior sales, marketing and strategy roles at global corporates, including Mars, Amcor and Carlton & United Breweries, combined with a decade leading and advising technology businesses and scale-ups. Mark has also held national leadership roles in emerging sectors and holds an MBA in Strategic Management.

Managing Director

Shaun Davies is the founder and principal of The AI Training Company, a new venture dedicated to closing the gap between AI intention and execution in Australian workplaces. He has spent 20 years at the forefront of major technology shifts, starting in digital journalism in the early 2000s. At Microsoft, he led AI safety and quality for a content feed seen by over a billion people. More recently, he worked with Google and Bastion Digital to train newsrooms across Australia and the Philippines in how to use AI. He is also the independent reviewer for the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation.

Founder

Alison Lloydd-Wright is Managing Director of the Good Trouble Group, a consulting firm that helps organisations get bolder results through sharper strategy, stronger leadership and smarter engagement. With a focus on strategy and leadership, Alison builds brave organisations, that make clear choices, communicate with intent, and lead confidently in uncertain, ambiguous, politically complex systems. Before starting Good Trouble, Alison was Deputy Chief Executive at the South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet, which means she has survived the centre of government and understands exactly how decisions get made, delayed and occasionally derailed. She has led major reforms, managed big and opinionated teams, and worked closely with ministers under intense scrutiny. She co-hosts The Westminster Tradition podcast.

Managing Director

Mo Hamdouna is the Managing Director of Mo Works. An Australian Small Business Champion Entrepreneur of the Year (2023), Mo works with businesses in complex industries and purpose-driven organisations to turn challenges into clear, human-centred solutions. His work sits at the intersection of communication, experience and impact, helping brands grow, improve customer experience, and stay discoverable as search and decision-making evolve.

Managing Director

Zac Bailey is a prominent Adelaide-based technology founder and social impact entrepreneur, known for building award-winning assistive communication technologies that improve inclusion for older people and people living with disability. As Founder and Managing Director of Empathy Studios, Zachary leads the teams behind CareWindow and Konnekt—solutions now used across aged care, home care and NDIS settings in Australia and internationally. With a background in software engineering and human-centred design, Zachary focuses on creating technology that removes barriers rather than adding complexity. His work has been recognised through multiple industry and innovation accolades, reflecting a strong commitment to accessibility, dignity and real-world impact. At SouthStart, Zachary brings a practical perspective to the Remarkable Tech panel, sharing lessons from building inclusive products that serve diverse users—from older Australians to people with sensory, cognitive and mobility challenges—while proving that inclusive design creates better outcomes for everyone.

Director and Founder

Scarlett McDermott is the founder of Longitude Advisory, an independent tech advisory firm serving organisations across Australia. With over a decade of experience, she specialises in helping boards and executives of growth companies leverage technology to enhance operations and drive growth. Scarlett has experience as a Chief Technology Officer, software developer, and at industry level, having worked at the Tech Council of Australia and contributed to major industry initiatives. An ongoing focus on the diversity and capability of Australia's technology workforce drives her volunteer work on various committees and groups, including as a board director at the Australian Information Security Association.

Managing Director

A secure future for all. As CEO and Co-Founder of CYBR, Jasmin Ilic guides organisations in confronting complex cyber threats, protecting critical assets, and embedding security as a foundation for innovation and growth. With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, CYBR helps clients harness their potential while addressing new risks, ensuring that AI becomes an enabler of resilience rather than a source of vulnerability. Jasmin's work is driven by the belief that a secure digital future, where AI is applied responsibly, is fundamental to economic growth, social resilience, and individual opportunity. CYBR's impact extends beyond commercial outcomes, with a social impact model that includes pro-bono initiatives and programs designed to support the wider community. Jasmin's focus on impact is matched by her commitment to industry development and civic contribution. She serves as a Chapter Lead for the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN) and as Chair of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) Advisory Committee. Her vision: a future where security, innovation, and AI go hand in hand, for the benefit of all.

CEO & Co-founder

Ashleigh is a business leader and founder of simplefy.ai, an AI consulting business helping companies adopt AI in ways that are secure, useful, and grounded in real outcomes. Her career began in New York after graduating summa cum laude from NYU's Stern School of Business, before spending several years at J.P. Morgan in the Corporate & Investment Bank, managing relationships with hedge funds and quantitative trading managers. Since returning to Australia, Ashleigh has established a reputation as a trusted advisor to boards, executives, and founders, combining strategic thinking with a pragmatic and hands-on approach. Her diverse experience spans creative brand work at Sass & Co., launching ideas at 11point2 (an entrepreneurship-as-a-service business), and leading investor relations at Tribe Global Ventures. At simplefy.ai, her work focuses on making AI useful and accessible for time-poor leaders and teams, from executive AI education and governance, to strategy sprints, to securely embedding AI into workflows with clear ROI. She thrives at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and execution and is passionate about helping leaders make faster, better decisions as they navigate the future of work.

Founder & CEO

Amanda is a recently exited founder with a strong background in financial services, project delivery and operational management. With nearly 40 years experience in commercial enterprises, Amanda has delivered projects large and small, turned around under-performing businesses and run day-to-day operational business operations. Before launching her own ventures, Amanda served in senior management roles in banking, working at the forefront of fintech development and integration. Her foundation in financial services and operational excellence informs her strategic approach to building ethical supply chains, which she applies to her current venture, Fair Seafood. As Owner and Co-Founder of Fair Seafood, Amanda has created an innovative market and merchant model that prioritises origin transparency, traceability and ethical practices while supporting Australia's last true hunters—our fishers. Amanda is a conscious consumer and passionate advocate for education. With a long history in tech and financial services, Amanda's unique blend of business acumen, operational expertise and genuine passion for environmental stewardship makes her a compelling voice on these topics as well as sustainable business practices, supply chain transparency, ethical consumption and entrepreneurship with purpose.

Founder

The barriers to building software have collapsed. Anyone can ship an app, spin up an MVP, or demo a prototype that looks production-ready. Which means tech quality can no longer be taken at face value. Beau founded Astraeus Labs to bring rigour back to the equation. His South Australian firm provides software due diligence for tech investments, examining the resilience, security and scalability so investors know exactly what they're buying into. It's a practice born from necessity: as deal velocity accelerates and AI-generated code floods the market, the gap between "looks good" and "actually good" keeps widening. Beau and his team close that gap. A multifaceted consultant with a number of business units under his banner, Beau also advises founders on product-market fit and growth. He is a regular judge in national and state innovation awards and remains an enthusiastic advocate for the Australian visionaries building what's next.

Software Due Diligence Consultant

Reuben works closely with the ARIIA staff, Board, partners and stakeholders to deliver on our mission to grow the capability of the aged care sector in order to improve care through innovation. He brings expertise and experience in strategy, executive management, business development, stakeholder engagement, commercialisation, operations and research working in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

CEO

Mark is the founder of Forever Projects, a non-profit enabling Tanzanian women to create income, nourish their babies and keep families together.

Founder

Paz has dedicated her life to building impactful communities. As the Co-Founder of The Community Collective, she accidentally started a company that went viral in 2021 in Melbourne during the pandemic. Afterwards, she quit her job and turned a 17-person meetup into a global movement with a 17.8k+ audience & 700+ community across 18 countries. She believes in the power of community, having trained 320+ businesses to master community building including Google, Canva, MYOB, Notion and Founders Factory Africa. She's a renowned International Speaker having appeared on stages worldwide from London, to SXSW Sydney to San Francisco, as well as landed interviews with global icons including Seth Godin, Derek Sivers & Steph Claire-Smith. Based in a 5000-person surf town in Australia, Paz loves wearing orange, speaking Spanish (and French!), drinking chai and composing relaxation music for her personal music brand Paz Sounds, which has touched the lives of over 10 million+ people.

Co-Founder

Fiona Goodsite is the Co-Founder and CEO of Tutbob, an inclusive AI tutor and analytics platform supporting university students with ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, and other learning differences. What began as Fiona solving her own challenges as a university student has grown into an award-winning startup, now piloted across institutions and engaging with major tech partners. A recognised young founder and student voice in responsible AI, Fiona has contributed to government roundtables and national discussions on ethical AI in education. A graduate of the University of Adelaide's Innovation & Entrepreneurship program, she is driven by the belief that education was not built for everyone, and as AI reshapes learning, she is on a mission to ensure inclusivity is the foundation, not a feature, and that AI in education needs to be built for ALL.

Co-Founder and CEO

A Social Impact Leader, I help companies to build community as they implement their social impact goals as members of Pledge 1%. How do I support organisations achieve their social impact goals? 1. Pledge 1% - as part of the new AU team supporting 2,000 local members to be "companies for good", helping them to bring their commitment to give 1% of Equity, Product, Time or Profit to life; 2. Airwallex - I reconfigured their Volunteering programme, resulting in a 58% uplift in leave use (globally) within 6 months; 3. Atlassian - I built global pathways to work programmes, resulting in more diverse talent pipelines; led the People stream of the first Reconciliation Action Plan at Atlassian, resulting in the rollout of cultural awareness training, the first RAP and the pathway to a second RAP; built their inclusive hiring approach and training for recruiters and hiring managers; 4. IKEA - I designed a refugee work experience programme, which is still running today with a 75% retention rate; 5. Apple - I reconfigured the sales and engineering hiring processes, resulting in 52% female representation of hires.

Director, Member Impact

From enterprise to startup, Symon Madry has shaped communications that has launched and elevated brands, shifted products, distinguished individuals, and spread ideas. Symon was a senior communicator at McKinsey & Company and Edelman, and Head of Technology and Business at Red Havas. He now works with clients to underpin communications discipline with perception science, to create faster and deeper connections, and impactful change.

Founder and Director

Kayla Johnson is the Managing Director of the Good Trouble Group, a consultancy dedicated to helping businesses with strategy, culture, and leadership. A natural disruptor (the good kind), Kayla challenges organisations to think differently, embrace change, and build workplaces where people want to be. With a fresh, high-energy approach, she helps shape the leaders of tomorrow. Having moved to Australia in 2015, knowing nobody, she has practical experience in finding, creating, and growing welcoming spaces and communities. Combined with her experience leading change in government, navigating complex stakeholders, and creating long-term engaged stakeholders, she's all about building people's networks and community.

Managing Director

I help consultants (actually) stop doing $5 tasks at $200/hr with AI

Director

Pete Horsley is dedicated to harnessing technology to elevate all human potential. As the Founder of Remarkable, the global startup venture arm of Cerebral Palsy Alliance, he is investing in and accelerating the next generation of Disability Tech solutions that build better technologies, break down barriers and drive equity. With over 20 years in the disability sector, Pete has led global collaborations across industry, NGO, and academia, to foster systemic change. As a co-founder of the +N Inclusive Innovation Network, he brings together global technology leaders to scale impact.

Founder

I’m Deputy Editor of InDaily, Adelaide’s independent digital news service, where I oversee coverage of South Australia’s business, technology and cultural landscape. My focus is on stories that matter to the community, from the forces reshaping the economy to the creative industries that give Adelaide its identity. Over my career I’ve built experience across breaking news, long-form features and editorial leadership, developing a knack for finding the local angle in national and global issues. I’m especially interested in how innovation, policy and culture intersect, and how those intersections affect everyday South Australians. At the heart of my work is a belief in the role of independent media: to connect people and hold power to account.

Deputy Editor

I operate at the junction of founders, funding, and the networks that surround them: connecting capital, grassroots communities, industry partners, and policymakers to ensure high-potential startups have the resources and relationships they need to grow. As Head of Partnerships at Tractor Ventures, I work to expand access to non-dilutive funding across Australia and New Zealand.

Head of Partnerships

Tim is the Chairman & CEO of GPN Vaccines. He has extensive expertise in the life sciences, executive management and finance sectors. He is also an active angel investor working with investment groups throughout Australia and US to assist early-stage companies to raise capital and develop their innovative technologies and in 2022 was named Australian Angel Investor of the Year. Tim is also Chairman of Brain Changer Pty Ltd.

CEO

Cameron Sinclair is Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Director, Private Markets and Infrastructure at Funds SA. Cameron contributes to a broad range of investment related matters at Funds SA, with a focus on asset allocation, portfolio construction and risk across the Funds SA portfolio. He also leads the strategic direction and oversight of Funds SA's private markets and infrastructure investment programs.

Deputy Chief Investment Officer

Always first hand up to help tech founders and the startup ecosystem, Josh is co-founder of Eastend Ventures, an Adelaide-based VC investing in early-stage tech across South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. He co-founded Southern Angels in 2018 and has facilitated more than $15 million into early-stage companies. 2026 is all about bring more high-quality LPs into Eastend Ventures Fund 1, backing sharp founders with global ambitions, and use disciplined due diligence to attract value-adding co-investors to each round.

Founding Partner

Manon is an Investment Manager at Gandel Invest, a Melbourne-based family office investing in early-stage technology companies across Australia. She manages the portfolio of c. 50 startups, including EatClub, Good Pair Days, Pay.com.au, Sapyen and UpCover. With a background in tax and transaction services, Manon brings a commercially grounded approach to investing and is driven by a desire to support ambitious founders building meaningful, scalable businesses.

Investment Manager

Sharon has more than 25 years of broad international experience leading strategic growth initiatives including mergers, sales, acquisitions, private equity and strategic partnerships. Sharon is the Executive Chair and majority shareholder of InterFinancial; has been a partner of Clairfield International for 19 years and was appointed to the global board of Clairfield in 2022. Her local and international experience extends across many sectors, including engineering, mining services, technology, healthcare and financial services. Clients consistently value her ability to think creatively and solve complex problems in transactions, and her genuine interest in, and proven ability to create, more value for both parties in a transaction. Prior to joining InterFinancial, Sharon was General Counsel, and then Vice President of Strategic Planning and Integration at Mincom Limited, a global enterprise software company. Sharon started her career as a corporate lawyer with Allens. Sharon is also a non-executive director on Technology One (ASX50) and Auto & General Insurance Company (Budget Direct).

Executive Chair

Gavin Artz is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience building innovation economies at the intersection of government, research and industry. At South Australia's Department for Trade and Investment, he developed a technology investment strategy that secured commitments for over 11,000 tech jobs and $5 billion in economic impact. His career spans from CEO of a national Arts and Science organisation to Director of Critical Technologies in State government and roles at CSIRO's Data61, where he orchestrated technical teams across cybersecurity, AI, quantum technologies and data architecture. Through extensive international trade work, he has developed a deep understanding of the geopolitical dynamics that shape technology ecosystems and cross-border collaborations. He holds an MBA from the University of South Australia.

Investment Attraction Advisor

"Patrycja Slawuta is an Australia-based, NYC-educated and Poland-born behavioural scientist, successful entrepreneur, and life-long learner. After spending 10+ years in academia, Patrycja founded SelfHackathon, a NYC-based global boutique behavioural consultancy of scientists that applies evidence-based research to help organizations and enterprises navigate the complexities of human nature in the face of disruption, change and uncertainty. After being chosen specifically by the Australian Government to migrate to Australia in March 2020 as a part of its Global Talent Program, Patrycja founded Unlab, a Sydney-based company whose mission is to take behavioural science out of the laboratory and into life through in-depth research initiatives, immersive learning programs and evidence-based consultations. Patrycja believes the human mind is the world’s most untapped natural resource. As such, her mission is to give people and organizations clear frameworks and practical tools to meaningfully and efficiently mine their own minds in order to find purpose, clarity and alignment. In her free time she runs marathons (32 so far), reads (audiobooks) and meditates. In that particular order."

Behavioural scientist