Jessica Fox OAM

3 x Olympic Gold Medallist and 10 x Canoe Slalom World Champion

There aren’t many athletes who can lay claim to being the greatest of all time in their sport by the age of 27. If she weren’t so humble, Jess Fox OAM could do just that.

Jess is one of our all-time great Olympians. She now has six individual Olympic medals including three gold, one silver and two bronze, more than any Australian in history.

The most successful paddler (male or female) in history, Jess has a long list of achievements including 51 World Cup gold medals, 10 World Championship titles, and 3 Olympic gold medals (a total of 6 Olympic medals across four Games).

Born in Marseille, France, Jess moved to Australia at age four. With an elite paddling pedigree, her parents, both accomplished paddlers, inspired her passion for the sport. Coached by her mother, Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, a bronze medallist in K1 at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Jess quickly rose through the ranks, joining the national junior team in 2009. Her early career was marked by four junior World Championship titles, eight under-23 world titles, and a Youth Olympics gold medal.

Jess made her Olympic debut at 18, winning silver in K1 at the London 2012 Olympics. Four years later, she secured a bronze in K1 at the Rio 2016 Olympics. However, it was at the Tokyo 2020 Games where Fox underlined her greatness when she won gold to become the C1 Olympic Champion. Earning the headline ‘Australia’s Golden Girl’ Fox also won the heart of the nation. Her technically flawless performance, without a single-time penalty, led to what was hailed as one of Australia’s greatest Olympic moments.

In July 2024, Jess cemented her legacy at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games leading the Australian Olympic Team as Flagbearer and claiming double Olympic gold. First up was the K1 event. In an exhilarating final, racing in eighth position out of twelve finalists, Jess maintained the fastest time (96.08) as she waited to watch seven athletes proceeding her.

After chasing gold at the previous three Olympic Games, Jess had finally secured that elusive K1 gold in Paris and became the only Australian to win four consecutive medals in the same event. Just days later, she defended her 2020 title, to again become C1 Olympic Champion.

These achievements bring Jess’s tally to a historic six individual Olympic medals, propelling her into the upper echelon of Australia’s most successful athletes of all time. To finish off her most successful Olympic Games, Jess was one of four athletes globally to be elected to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Athletes’ Commission where she will serve an eight-year term leading into the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.

In addition to her athletic achievements, Jess has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science Psychology and is currently studying her Master of Business Administration through Griffith University.

Jess is an advocate for women in sport and a firm believer in balance of sport and education, achieving an ATAR of 99.1 while training for the Olympic Games. She is an inspiration to young children and business people around the world.

Justin ‘Jonesy’ Jones

Australia’s pre-eminent Explorer,
keynote speaker & adventure thinker

Justin Jones – otherwise affectionately known as Jonesy, is Australia’s pre-eminent Explorer, keynote speaker, adventure thinker and storyteller.

His expeditions have taken him to the very corners of the world. From the depths of blizzards in Antarctica, to the terror of 10 metre waves towering above – in a storm at sea and the suffocating heat in the heart of the Outback. He currently holds two Guinness World Record and a place as one of Australia’s 50 Greatest Explorers of all time.

Jonesy is a passionate story teller. Over the past 18 years he has made a career of undertaking huge, epic, record setting expeditions around the world and sharing these on the stage and the screen.

A humble, charismatic and inspiring character…he is the perfect example of how determination, detailed planning and foresight can enable the most ‘normal’ of us to undertake the most extraordinary feats.

Michael Kim

Head of HR JAPAC & SAMEA
Spotify

Michael is a highly accomplished global Human Resources leader with over 20 years of experience in strategising and implementing global talent initiatives that drive business results and improves both employee and company performance. He is a trusted business partner to C-level and executive management teams with an extensive record of executing high-impact global talent solutions.  
 
Michael currently serves as Spotify’s Head of HR for JAPAC & SAMEA (Japan, South East Asia, South Korea, Australia/New Zealand, India, South Asia, Middle East, and Africa), where he is responsible for driving the overall people strategy of the region. His innovative design of Spotify’s revamped parental leave program has received global recognition for taking the #leadonleave for companies supporting families, establishing work-life balance, and driving inclusivity within the workplace.  
 
Michael has worked across a broad spectrum of industries including Technology, Investment Banking & Markets, Media, and Advertising. Prior to joining Spotify, Michael was a Vice President of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs, where he was responsible for leading strategic people initiatives across the Technology & Engineering division globally. 

Melanie Cole

former Head of People & Culture
Uber Carshare

Melanie Cole, ex. Head of People & Culture, and member of the Executive team at Uber Carshare, has extensive experience leading purpose-driven technology startups through significant growth across a range of unique industries. Melanie is also skilled across all facets of the employee experience: from talent acquisition, engagement, learning and development, through to separation. As Carshare operations came to a close in September, 2024, Melanie shifted to a Strategy & Planning role working directly with the GM-Consumer Vehicles at Uber. 

Jessica Campbell

Market HR Lead, Australia & New Zealand
Google

Jess leads Google’s People strategy across Australia and New Zealand, where she’s building a workplace that continues to attract and empower some of the world’s top talent. She champions diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, fosters organisational health, and ensures Google remains a leader in the dynamic Aussie and Kiwi tech landscape. 

With over 20 years of HR experience across diverse industries—from consumer goods and airlines to tech—Jess has partnered with teams ranging from sales and customer service to pilots and engineers. Her decade at Qantas sharpened her strategic thinking, particularly in navigating complex agreements and leading through major organisational change. 

Jess is passionate about driving positive change, developing future leaders, and creating inclusive environments where everyone can thrive. She’s a firm believer in understanding what motivates her team and fostering a culture of belonging. 

Outside of Google, you’ll find Jess exploring new destinations, immersing herself in music, and enjoying quality time with her husband, kids, and friends. 

Harleen Oberoi

Group Head of Talent & DEIB
Crown Resorts

Harleen Oberoi is a seasoned Talent and Diversity & Inclusion strategist dedicated to fostering positive change. As the Group Head of Diversity, Inclusion, and Talent at Crown Resorts, she plays a pivotal role in the company’s transformational journey under Blackstone Inc.’s leadership.

Harleen’s career began in HR operations, quickly evolving into HR consulting with prestigious firms such as Ernst & Young, Hewitt, and KPMG, where she managed large-scale programs for global clients. She has led multi-award-winning teams and has a wealth of experience in Human Resources, Organizational Development, and Diversity & Inclusion.

Her expertise in program management, policy development, and change management has consistently driven successful organizational transformations. Harleen’s proven track record in implementing long-term strategies underscores her commitment to creating impactful and sustainable change

Angela Lewis

Executive Transition Lead
Suncorp

Angela is a seasoned Strategic People, Culture & Transformation Leader with over two decades of experience driving HR innovation and organizational change across diverse industries. Recently leading the successful separation of Suncorp Bank to ANZ, following roles as Director with Deloitte, KPMG and her own business Org. Culture Bites, Angela thrives in providing guidance through complex transformations, M&A integrations, HR and culture optimisation. Her roles have effectively linked organisational and HR strategy, with practical deployment, leadership enablement, whilst also ensuring a focus on customer and employee experience. Angela’s collaborative approach has consistently delivered high performance and engagement, making her a sought-after speaker on balancing the new wave of AI transformation with human-centered innovation. She holds a Masters Degree with HR Strategy specialisation and is a Fellow Certified Practitioner with the Australian HR Institute.

Ida Pulic

VP, Human Resources, Toll Global Forwarding ANZ
Toll Group

Ida Pulic is an experienced HR professional with over 10 years of expertise in strategic human resources management. With a passion for fostering organizational culture and optimizing talent development, Ida has led HR initiatives in predominately the logistics industry. She specializes in driving employee engagement, performance management, and leadership development, while ensuring alignment between business goals and HR strategies. Known for her collaborative leadership style, Ida excels in building strong, inclusive teams and implementing HR solutions that promote growth, innovation, and employee well-being. 

Mary Hogg

Senior Director of Human Resources, Australasia
Hilton

Mary Hogg is the Senior Regional Human Resources Director for Australasia at Hilton. Based in Sydney, she supports a diverse portfolio of 34 hotels with 14 hotels in the pipeline across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. With 24 years of international HR experience, Mary has worked across a number of service orientated sectors, finding her home with Hilton three years ago. Away from work she is a keen runner, child wrangler and exploiter of Hilton hotel discounts. 

Luis Izzo

Managing Director
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors

Luis oversees ABLA’s Sydney and Melbourne Workplace Relations teams and has over 15 years’ experience practicing as a specialist employment and industrial relations lawyer.

Acting only for employers or employer associations, he is well regarded in the industry for providing comprehensive and practical legal services for complex matters. This has included the conduct of investigations involving numerous allegations from multiple complainants; handing of workforce-wide underpayment claims; a judicial review application before the Full Court of the Federal Court; and being a lead employer advocate in test case proceedings relating to annual leave provisions and penalty rate provisions in over 100 modern awards.

In the public sector, Luis has previously been the principal legal advisor on department-wide enterprise agreement negotiations for the AFP and ATO.

Luis is regularly recognised by peers and clients as an expert in this field and was named a leading practitioner in employment law for the 2023 Doyles’ Guide.

Nikita Agarwal

Executive Manager, HR - Technology
Commonwealth Bank

Nikita’s career has been a mix of consulting at professional services and HR. Nikita has worked in 4 countries. Nikita enjoys learning about new cultures through travel and learning to cook local cuisines.

Bo Manamperi

VP People Enablement ANZ
SUEZ

Bo is currently the VP People Enablement for SUEZ in ANZ. Bo has over 15 years experience in complex global organisations. Bo has been with SUEZ for 6 years and leads a team of HR and IT professionals across Australia and New Zealand.

During his time at SUEZ, Bo has supported the growth of the business and led through periods of significant change.

Prior to joining SUEZ, Bo has worked across Australia and the Pacific regions as well as roles in the United Kingdom and Central Europe.

Tracey Johnson (Gibson)

Organisational Development Manager
Jumbo Interactive

HRD Australian HR Awards: Best Learning & Development Program – WINNER!

Tracey specialises in designing learning and development strategies that align with business goals and engage a tech-savvy workforce. Passionate about enhancing leadership capability and driving employee engagement, she recently led the creation of Jumbo University, a dynamic learning program that upskills employees while aligning with company strategy. The program has received multiple accolades for its innovative approach and measurable impact. With a background in psychology and business, Tracey combines strategic insight with a people-centred approach to empower individuals and teams to thrive.  

Mathew Paine

Executive General Manager - People and Culture
Australian Financial Complaints Authority

Mathew Paine is a leader in human resources, organisational culture, diversity, inclusion and belonging spaces for over two decades.

His pro-bono life is reflected in his passion for best-practice and industry leading people and culture practices and his passion for social justice and equality. This includes his work with The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Australia’s oldest community-based HIV organisation, and his work with the Australian HR Institute (AHRI).

His business acumen has been driven by his passion for helping Australian workplaces to be the best they can be and creating world-class people and culture teams. His vision is “to create safe, inclusive and productive workplaces where everyone belongs, one workplace at a time”.

He is Executive General Manager – People & Culture, at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, Chair and President of the Board of Directors at The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Founder and Executive Director of HR Expert Australia, and Member of the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Panel, and Co-convenor of the NSW Industrial/Employee Relations (IR/ER) Committee at the Australian HR Institute (AHRI).

Mathew’s leadership has resulted in numerous industry awards, including the highly coveted Australian HR Team of the Year, Australian HR Employee of the Year, Best Talent Development Program, Best Recruitment Campaign, Most Inclusive Workplace Awards, NSW Training Award, National Training and Education Award, just to name a few.

Mathew Paine boasts a distinguished career spanning over two decades, marked by his leadership in human resources, organisational culture, diversity, inclusion, and belonging domains. His altruistic endeavours are evident in his passionate advocacy for

best-practice and pioneering initiatives in people and culture, alongside his unwavering commitment to social justice and equality. Notable among his philanthropic contributions are his collaborations with The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, Australia’s oldest community-based HIV organisation, and his involvement with the Australian HR Institute (AHRI).

Driven by a deep-seated passion for enhancing Australian workplaces, Mathew has continually championed the optimisation of organisational dynamics and the establishment of world-class people and culture teams. His overarching vision is centred on fostering safe, inclusive, and productive work environments, progressively shaping one workplace at a time.

Currently serving as the Executive General Manager of People & Culture at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, Mathew also assumes pivotal roles as the Chair and President of the Board of Directors at The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, the Founder and Executive Director of HR Expert Australia, and a Member of the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Panel. Additionally, he co-convenes the NSW Industrial/Employee Relations (IR/ER) Committee at AHRI.

Mathew’s leadership acumen has gained widespread recognition, culminating in numerous industry accolades. These include prestigious honours such as the Australian HR Team of the Year, Australian HR Employee of the Year, Best Talent Development Program, Best Recruitment Campaign, and Most Inclusive Workplace Awards, among others, reflecting his exceptional contributions to the field.

David Bellas

Director, LinkedIn Talent Solutions
LinkedIn

David Bellas is a Director for LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions business for Australia and New Zealand. David and his team are responsible for helping organisation the way they plan, hire, and develop talent. This is possible through the disruptive technology and unique data and insights from LinkedIn’s 875+ million members and 57 million companies.

He is passionate about investing in people, everything sales, turning business visions into reality and working with customers to meet their business objectives.

Over the past 10 years at LinkedIn, David has had the opportunity to lead the growth and distribution efforts across all sectors at LinkedIn. When LinkedIn acquired Lynda.com in 2015, an online learning company, David was appointed as Head of Learning for Australia and New Zealand and helped oversee the successful transition to LinkedIn Learning.

Over the past several years David has been recognised with awards such as Diversity and Inclusion Manager of the Year and LinkedIn Manager of the Year and has a reputation for inspiring, coaching and developing talent.

Georgia Tsamis

Head of Learning and Leadership (Organisational Capability)
Allianz

Georgia Tsamis is the Head of Learning and Leadership at Allianz, bringing over 15 years of experience in building and driving strategic initiatives across diverse industries. She has successfully led transformative initiatives in both blue and white-collar sectors, driving growth and innovation. Georgia excels in aligning organizational strategies with business goals and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Her expertise spans talent management, leadership development, change management, and capability uplift. 

Dr. Peter Prasad

Head of Workplace Health & Safety
Qantas Group

Pete is the Head of WHS for the Qantas Group and a medical doctor. He believes that aviation and health have more in common than they in how they differ, and sees how both fields require high performance and carry the responsibility of human life in their respective safety critical work environments. He also sees how success and failure factors arise from the performance and vulnerability of people. So, Pete works passionately in humanising systems of work – by managing the confluence of WHS, psychological safety and moral safety towards trauma informed and inclusive safety cultures.

Fiona Murphy

Chief People Officer
mycar

Fiona Murphy is the Chief People Officer at mycar Tyre & Auto. In this role, Fiona is responsible for HR, Safety, Talent, Internal Communications, L&D and Sustainability. Prior to joining mycar, Fiona held senior HR roles across many industries and three continents, including education; community services; not for profit; retail; media; technology; and engineering. With qualifications in psychology and law, Fiona’s expertise spans employee relations, employee engagement, learning and organisational development, and workplace health and safety. She is passionate about building great cultures and ensuring organisations have a people first focus. In addition to her role at mycar, Fiona was Deputy Chair of the Automotive Light Vehicle Industry Reference Council for a number of years, and is now a proud member of AAAAWomen, championing careers for women in the automotive aftermarket.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionakellingtonmurphy/

Josh Rozairo

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Leader
IKEA Australia

Growing up in Western Sydney as the son of Sri Lankan migrants, Josh has experienced both the benefits of diversity and the barriers to inclusion. Sparked by this lived experience, Josh has forged a career empowering underrepresented communities including Multicultural and Disability Inclusion Leader at AFL NSW/ ACT, launching programs like Kickability and wheelchair AFL. At IKEA Australia, Josh drives strategic initiatives to embed equality, diversity, and inclusion into business operations, fostering an inclusive culture where co-workers can thrive. His work ensures IKEA Australia contributes to our global ambition to be a leader in equality and inclusion. 

Nadia Taylor

Chief Executive Officer
Mapien

Nadia Taylor is the CEO of Mapien, a people consultancy with offices in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. 

A sought-after speaker and genuine thought leader, Nadia’s expertise includes industrial relations, negotiation, advocacy, disputes, enterprise bargaining, leadership, culture and the people side of scaling businesses. 

On top of leading Mapien’s core team of 65+ staff, Nadia serves on a not-for-profit board and is a mentor for Queensland Leaders and the Australian Owner Manager Program.  

Nadia has spent more than 25 years helping to build Mapien into what it is today — from her first role as a graduate consultant, to her current role as CEO. She played a critical role in the company’s interstate expansion, merger, financial growth, flexible work culture, and more. Under Nadia’s leadership, the company has achieved awards for Best Workplace and Change Champion, was officially recognised as a Great Place to Work, and was featured in workplace design book, The Next Workplace. 

Leading with her famous optimism and flexibility, Nadia has helped make Mapien a workplace of choice, while enabling the team to deliver best-in-industry people solutions for every client. 

David Brudenell

Executive Director
Decidr

David is a seasoned leader in AI, machine learning and high-growth businesses, with executive experience spanning startups to global enterprises. He led Global Solutions & Advanced Research at Appen, driving AI innovation worldwide, and held leadership roles at Pureprofile, Eclipx, and Flare. As co-founder of C2 Investments, he backs cutting-edge startups in market research, e-commerce and greentech. With a track record of scaling companies from Sydney to San Francisco, David thrives at the intersection of technology, strategy and growth.

Steve Corney

Head of Transformation
Learn Awesome

Known as the Batman or Robin Hood of the learning world, Steve is obsessed with empowering L&D teams and practitioners to learn new tools and tech, save time and get the recognition they deserve. Steve challenges the “WAY” things are built and designed and looks for out of the box methods that can be used to creatively solve L&D challenges.

Jim Heeney

Country Manager, Australia and New Zealand
First Advantage

Jim is currently the Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand at First Advantage, an employment background screening company, catering to over 200 countries and territories on behalf of more than 30,000 customers. Since 2015, Jim has held several regional leadership positions before assuming his current role. Prior to joining First Advantage, he worked with Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis in different Asian markets, where he led teams deploying compliance, legal, and risk management solutions for top tier enterprises. Jim started his career as an attorney in the United States, where he focused on litigation and complex commercial transactions.

Sorrel Kesby

Co-Founder
EvenBetter.ai

Former Head of Global Commercial Operations for GumGum who acquired Playground xyz, where she was Head of Business Operations, HR & Recruitment, in December of 2021.  

Post acquisition, Sorrel oversaw the integration of the businesses across the JAPAC and EMEA regions before moving to the newly established global commercial operations function. 

Prior to joining Playground xyz in 2020, Sorrel was COO of Australian independent publisher Conversant Media before moving to martech start up Audience Republic as VP, Operations & Commercial, where she launched their UK and US offices. 

Sorrel is the chairperson of IAB Australia’s Talent & Careers Working Group, sits on the IAB Australia Tech Executive Council and mentors with the Australian chapter of the Founder Institute on growth, recruitment and investor relations. 

She has worked with businesses in the cleantech, proptech, healthtech and beautytech industries as a board advisor and consultant, focusing on GTM strategy, finance and growth. 

Sorrel graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney (AU) with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (Journalism) and in International Studies and has an MBA from UTS  with a finance and business law double major. 

Sonya Law

General Manager People and Culture
D&E Air Conditioning

Sonya Law is the General Manager of People & Culture for D&E Air Conditioning. 

With over 35 years of experience, D&E Air Conditioning provides unequalled air conditioning and mechanical services across a wide range of sectors, including large-scale construction projects, commercial, residential, data centres, education, defence, and healthcare industries. 

I am incredibly proud to collaborate with such a talented team in delivering sustainable solutions. Our workforce has grown to over 650 employees across Victoria, Geelong, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide. 

Our team is made up of experts in Engineering, Drafting, Estimating, Construction, Service, Project Management, and Professional Services. 

Joshua McKenzie

CTO
ELMO Software

Josh is the CTO at ELMO, leading the technical strategy and delivery of its product suite. With 20 years in technology, primarily in FinTech, he has a track record of driving innovation, efficiency and growth. Before joining ELMO in 2024, he held senior roles at Lendi Group, OFX, ASX and Westpac. Passionate about cutting-edge solutions, Josh excels at aligning technology with business goals to solve complex challenges and push innovation forward.