Main Stage Speakers

Colleen Callander, global bestselling author, business advisor and renowned former CEO of iconic Australian brand Sportsgirl, takes the stage as keynote speaker for 2026. Widely recognised for her transformational leadership and talent for building standout brands, Colleen is a true industry powerhouse. 

Donna is an HR Director at Google with over two decades of HR experience. Having spent the past 10+ years in various HR leadership roles within Google, her work currently focuses on driving employee engagement, performance, and organizational transformation. Donna is dedicated to building resilient structures and fostering high-performance cultures. She holds a Master of Labour Law and Relations from the University of Sydney and remains a dedicated advocate for continuous professional growth, consistently investing in advanced leadership development to stay at the forefront of the evolving HR landscape. 

 Lauren Pendergast is the Leadership & Competence Leader for IKEA Australia & New Zealand with over 15 years’ experience in People & Culture, specialising in organisational development, leadership capability, workforce planning and strategic business partnering. She has spent nine years at IKEA contributing to national people strategy, organisational transformation and leadership development. Previously, Lauren held HR leadership roles across tourism, hospitality and the not-for-profit sectors in Australia and the UK. An empathetic, people-centred leader and MBA graduate from the University of Technology Sydney, she is passionate about building future-ready teams and enabling organisations with strong purpose and values to achieve sustainable, long-term success. 

Rebecca Moulynox is the General Manager for Great Place To Work Australia and New Zealand, where she leads efforts to help organisations build high-performing, people-centered workplaces. Rebecca partners with companies to enhance employee engagement and create sustainable business outcomes that align with Great Place To Work's mission of fostering exceptional workplace cultures. 

Jackie is a senior HR leader with extensive experience driving organisational transformation, workforce strategy and leadership capability in large, complex organisations. She specialises in partnering with executive leaders to align people strategy with business outcomes, enabling organisations to adapt to changing customer needs, regulatory environments and tech disruption.

With deep expertise in strategic workforce planning, leadership development and organisational design, Jackie has led large-scale transformation initiatives across national branch networks and customer facing workforces. She is focussed on building high performing, inclusive cultures and equipping leaders with the skills needed to navigate change and deliver sustainable results.

Jackie is also undertaking legal studies, bringing a unique perspective at the intersection of employment law, governance and people strategy. 

Anand Narayanswami is the CEO of Centelon Solutions, a technology advisory and delivery firm focused on helping organisations apply data and artificial intelligence to real operational challenges. He works closely with executives across financial services, energy, government, and mid-market enterprises to design and implement AI-driven systems that improve how organisations make decisions, operate, and serve customers. 

Over the past two decades, Anand has led large-scale digital, data, and enterprise platform initiatives, with a particular focus on translating emerging technologies into practical business outcomes. His current work centres on AI-native applications, intelligent agents, and new software development models that dramatically reduce the time and cost required to build enterprise systems. 
Anand is especially interested in the intersection of AI and the workforce, how organisations rethink roles, skills, and operating models as intelligent systems become embedded into everyday work. 

Anat Hassner is a senior executive in strategy, people and enterprise transformation, currently serving as Global Chief Operating Officer at OneSchool Global. She brings extensive experience across EMEA and APAC, with a career spanning consulting, technology, retail, transport, agriculture, property, construction and government. A trusted advisor to CEOs and executive leadership teams, Anat has led large‑scale strategy and transformation initiatives across complex, fast‑paced organisations, with expertise in organisational design, strategic workforce planning, HR operations and change management.

She holds a PhD in Change Management and a Master of Organisational Psychology and is a published author and international conference presenter.

Matthew Kane is Vice President of Solution Advisory, APJ at Dayforce where he leads a cross-functional presales team across the Asia-Pacific and Japan region. With deep expertise in Human Capital Management software, he is passionate about helping organisations transform how they engage and empower their people. An AI enthusiast in both his professional and personal lives, Matthew actively explores how artificial intelligence can elevate decision making, enhance employee experiences, and shape the future of work. 

Julian is a leading employment and industrial relations specialist with over a decade of experience advising employers across Australia. He is an expert in the Fair Work Act, enterprise bargaining strategy and complex workplace disputes and investigations. Julian has acted in high-profile test cases, including in the childcare industry, pandemic leave, penalty rates, and casual and part-time test case to name a few. He regularly represents employers before the Fair Work Commission. A sought-after speaker, he delivers practical insights on workplace law, compliance and negotiation strategies that help employers manage their workforce lawfully and compliantly.

Angelina joined WiseTech Global in 2014, progressing her career from leading global talent to a company-wide remit focused on advancing performance, engagement, and capability across the organisation. 

Angelina brings a passion for enabling people and teams to excel in a dynamic, high-growth environment. She champions WiseTech’s performance culture, working collaboratively with leaders and team members at all levels to connect people strategy with everyday employee experiences. Angelina plays a central role in elevating the behaviors, practices, and mindsets that define high performance, building the skills, accountability, and performance focus of individuals and teams. 

Her work reflects WiseTech’s broader commitment to a high-performing, people-centered culture that values development, accountability, and collective achievement.

Deepshikha currently serves as Principal Global People Technology team within Telstra. Her function is responsible for managing the HR Digital ecosystem within Telstra. She has extensive experience in leading complex digital transformation programs with strategic focus on building AI solutions in order to deliver signature experiences for Telstra’s workforce. These include (but are not limited to) Payroll transformation program, Learning / skills transformation program and Talent Acquisition programs of work. Her function has delivered cutting edge People Tech making Telstra market leaders in Asia Pacific for early adoption of these Tech solutions. These include Paradox AI platform, Workday NLU Assistant in Microsoft Teams, Workday Extend Apps, Gen AI models for HR Business Processes etc. She also had the opportunity to represent Telstra at Workday Rising Barcelona sharing the great work done across the People Tech landscape.

Kate Jolly is the Global Head of Talent & Enablement at Employment Hero. Kate has over 10 years experience hiring on a global scale for both start-ups and FTSE100 businesses. She's worked with candidates from graduate level through to senior leadership and is passionate about building high-performing, high-velocity recruitment teams.     

Shruti has been with Unilever ANZ for 10 years, taking the reigns as Head of HR for Australia and New Zealand in 2023 and in 2025, she took on the additional responsibility for the APAC cluster.

Shruti loves partnering with teams to help drive their strategic business agenda, redefining work, unlocking performance and productivity while also helping organisations build an inclusive culture where everyone belongs. This is deep rooted in her purpose to “Create Belonging for myself and others” by living her values of positivity, curiosity & connections.

Some of Shruti’s key achievements at Unilever include landing organization transformations, driving a change agenda, spearheading progressive policy changes like Gender affirmation leave, leave for pregnancy loss & fertility treatments while experimenting with new flexible working models.

Shruti has 20+ years of HR experience, in both developing and developed markets, across a variety of roles including Organization Transformation, Change Management, Learning, Talent Management, Wellbeing, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) and HR Business partnering.

On a personal front, Shruti gets her energy from spending time with her husband and daughter, reading, doing yoga, and staying connected with friends and family all over the world!

Liam Mahon is the Head of People & Culture for Supermarkets Operations at Coles, supporting 100,000+ team members across Supermarkets and Supply Chain. With over 12 years’ experience in HR, workforce strategy and transformation, Liam previously worked as a management consultant advising on organisational design and talent strategy across diverse industries. Since joining Coles in 2021, he has led major change programs, including the Coles Express demerger and Operations redesign, and shaped a national workforce strategy improving flexibility and engagement. Known for a practical, data-driven approach, Liam partners with leaders to build capability and deliver sustainable change. He is completing an MBA at Deakin University.

Ali Adey is the Founder and CEO of She Mentors, an on-demand mentoring platform that makes mentoring accessible, flexible and relevant for women at every stage of their careers, partnering with organisations across Australia and New Zealand to support women to stay, progress and lead at work. 

With 15+ years in digital and ecommerce, Ali has worked with global women’s lifestyle brands including Elle Macpherson Body, Kayser Lingerie and Women’s Health & Fitness, bringing international perspective on brand, audience growth and community building. 

Ali is a passionate advocate for women in leadership and is known for creating spaces where ambitious women can connect, make confident decisions and lead with impact. 

Jess is the Executive Manager for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Westpac Group. She joined Westpac Group in 2016 after spending her early career in strategy consulting to HR & Finance executives. She leads several streams of Westpac’s DEI portfolio, with a particular focus on gender equality and is a member of the Australia Human Rights’ Commission’s Agenda for Action on Age Discrimination. She has advocated for many new and enhanced policies at Westpac such as the introduction of paid fertility leave and support for menopause, and led the launch several flagship initiatives, including the Illuminate sponsorship program, Mentor Walks and the STEM PhD program.

Stephen Smith is the Executive General Manager of Safety, Wellbeing and Sustainability at NBN Co, with over 20 years of experience across international markets in real assets and infrastructure. A senior executive and people leader, Stephen drives business outcomes, resilience, and organisational excellence across Health, Safety, Wellbeing, Environment, Quality, and Sustainability portfolios.

He is a professional Engineer, a Certified Environmental Practitioner (CEnvP), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). Stephen has held influential roles in global networks including the IOSH Global Business Leaders Forum, World Green Building Council Corporate Advisory Board, BCO ESG Committee, and UK Green Building Council Leaders Network. He was also a founding member of Building Responsibly, advocating for worker rights in engineering and construction.

Brett Ey is a seasoned people leader and is the Head of People Partnering at KFC. He leads safety, culture, capability and industrial relations strategy across a franchise network of more than 800 restaurants. Brett’s background spans leadership roles across large-scale manufacturing, industrial and corporate environments. 

Brett is passionate about the belief that taking a people first approach to business is not separate from performance — it is the driver of it. A key focus in his current role is on proactively designing safer, stronger workplaces through practical systems, leadership capability and clear accountability. 

Through KFC’s national restaurant network, Brett proudly plays a role in shaping the first employment experience for thousands of young Australians each year — curating workplaces that build confidence, capability and safe, positive foundations for lifelong careers.

Kristy Arnold is a results-oriented HR leader with over 15 years of experience in driving strategic outcomes in leadership, talent, performance, and capability within complex organisations. Focusing on human-centred design and data-informed approaches, Kristy has a proven track record of translating business objectives into tangible people strategies to drive sustainable growth and enable high-impact teams. Her expertise is in designing scalable and innovative enterprise solutions—such as new performance frameworks —that move beyond traditional reviews to foster high-performance cultures and build continuous capability across all levels of leadership.

Tamsin Bate is an enterprise organisational development and talent executive with more than 20 years’ experience helping organisations build stronger leadership, high-performing cultures, and future-ready workforces. She works closely with CEOs and executive teams to shape people strategy, employee experience, and organisational design in ways that strengthen performance and enable sustainable transformation. 

Her expertise spans leadership development, talent and succession, performance, and enterprise capability building across the full employee lifecycle. Tamsin is particularly interested in how organisations can redesign work, leadership, and culture for a future shaped by AI, changing workforce expectations, and new models of performance — turning strategy into practical action that delivers measurable impact.

Dr Amantha Imber is an organisational psychologist and founder of the award-winning behaviour change training consultancy Inventium. She has worked with companies such as Google, Apple, Disney, LEGO, and Microsoft to help boost productivity, innovation and wellbeing.

In 2021, Amantha was the first Australian to win the Thinkers50 Innovation Award (described by the Financial Times as the 'Oscars for Management Thinking'). She is also the host of the number one ranking business podcast How I Work, which has had over 6 million downloads.

Amantha's thoughts have appeared in Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, and Forbes, and she is the author of four bestselling books, including international bestseller Time Wise and her most recent book, The Health Habit.

 Sharon Richens, a Physiotherapist with a Masters in Mental Health, brings over 25 years of expertise in personal injury and workplace wellbeing. As Head of Customer at Altius, she leads strategy and customer solutions, advocating for wellbeing in the workplace with a focus on implementing evidence-based practices tailored to workplace needs. A seasoned speaker at national conferences, mediator, and program developer, Sharon has delivered award-winning national wellness programs for ABC Commercial and has been recognised in the Insurance Business Elite Women 2024 report. She is also a dedicated community member, serving as chair of Young Regional Conservatorium for over a  decade, and is a board member of Margaret House, providing emergency accommodation for at risk families and individuals in regional NSW.