Talent Development at Adobe APJ, is a strategic business executive with extensive experience creating and delivering impactful people and organisational change outcomes that build success. I have built a strong reputation for delivering value to the business with a professional approach that is commercial, creative and collaborative.

I have worked in Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and across Asia with multi-national businesses and iconic Australian organisations.

Aurora Sassone is the Head of Communications for Oracle ANZ, where she is responsible for the regional brand and reputation of the company.  With a unique blend of digital marketing and b2b storytelling expertise, Aurora has an impressive track record of building world-class brands and teams from fast growing start-ups to globally iconic companies.

Prior to joining Oracle, Aurora lead marketing and communications for ABB Australia Process Industries. She also spent time on the agency side at Edelman where she lead account teams for clients such as Adobe, GE and Unilever.

Aurora is a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion, and passionate about mentoring and helping others to be successful. She is also passionate about corporate social responsibility, sustainability and the environment and regularly volunteer her time and skills to several conservation orgnaisations.

My name is Bronwyn Reid, and I am a small business enthusiast, or nut, depending on your perspective. I’m a serial small business owner who has started three award-winning businesses from Regional Queensland, proving to myself (and others) that being a woman small business owner in a regional area is actually a valid lifestyle choice.

Apart from starting and running businesses, I was a part-time university lecturer for 12 years. Now, I can combine my two main drivers – education and small business success (particularly in regional areas), through my speaking, writing, workshops, training programs, and advocacy.

My specialty, and the subject of my first book,Small Company, Big Business, is the relationship between big companies and their small company suppliers. These two parties need each other, but they speak different languages. My job is to help them understand each other, and create valuable commercial relationships.

I believe that without a vibrant small business sector, our societies have no heart. It is small businesses that make communities successful. My second book ‘Small Company, Big Crisis: How To Prepare For, Respond To, And Recover From A Business Crisis takes on that theme – creating sustainable businesses.

LINKS

Website:                       https://bronwynreid.com.au/

LinkedIn:                       https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwynreid/

As the Head of Federal Government Region at Oracle, I lead a team of technology and sales professionals who help public sector clients leverage the power of data and cloud to achieve their goals. With over 18 years of experience in the IT industry, I have a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions, exceeding expectations, and building lasting relationships.

I am passionate about empowering my team, mentoring emerging leaders, and promoting diversity and inclusion in the technology sector. I am also an ambassador for Women in Technology, a social influencer, and a speaker at various events and forums. My mission is to inspire, connect, and support others in their personal and professional growth.

Parents At Work Founder and CEO Emma Walsh is recognised globally as a pioneer in the development and implementation of inclusive workplace policy. For over two decades, Emma has been a clear voice on the social, economic and business benefits of inclusive workplaces, advocating for the widespread implementation family[1] inclusive workplace policies and practices to improve gender equality, child and work-life wellbeing outcomes.

As the CEO of Parents At Work, Emma helps employers navigate the changing expectations of business to address barriers to an inclusive workplace, and to bridge the evolving work/home divide, providing the framework, tools and training to help workplaces and families build a better future together. In 2021, Emma was instrumental in developing a set of National Work + Family Standards providing employers with a benchmark to foster a family friendly culture. She led the charge in launching the Family Friendly Workplaces Certification program to recognise employers who meet the Standards.

Emma has been formally recognised by the Australian Human Rights Commission with a finalist business Award in 2015, has been shortlisted for the Telstra Business Woman of the Year and was a Winner of the Visa Business Awards. Parents At Work has also been named as a top 200 ‘Businesses of Tomorrow’ by Westpac. Emma herself is a mum of three – twin boys and a daughter. She lives in Sydney, Australia and is an author, international speaker, advocate and campaigner for improving parental leave rights for families.

I have 25yrs leadership experience in the not for profit sector This includes working with new leaders to support them to develop their leadership style, to understand why they lead the way they do and to see what else is possible.

As a mentor I enjoy listening to the stories of others, supporting them to think about what else is possible, asking powerful questions that challenge their thinking and give some examples within my experience that relate to the issue the mentees wants support with. This includes where I have got it wrong, where I have got it right and those in between.

I want to be a resource to others, a tool in their tool kit. A support that can identify with the mentee their strengths and provide some practical outcomes that work for the mentee. I will be agile in my mentoring, that is I can change my style to suit the mentee. I will be open, honest and respectful. As a mentor I want the mentee to come away with, new skills, understanding their values, have clarity about their direction, and be curious about what is possible in the future.

Kylie Hull has been Head of Regional Branches for Gallagher Australia Broking operations since April 2021. Based in the regional town of Dubbo, Kylie brings not only over 30 years of insurance experience to the role but a deep understanding of the intricacies of rural broking.

Along with a strong rural background Kylie has had more than 30 years’ experience in delivering insurance solutions for a diverse range of clients. She believes that success comes from leading from the front and inspiring through example to achieve organic growth goals and client service excellence.

Kylie’s dedication, passion and results have seen her recognised by the business for key awards such as, Branch Manager of the Year for Australia in 2016 & 2019, Best Leader of the Year in 2018 and attendance at the elite Gallagher Presidents Club held in Chicago in 2019.

Professional Experience

Kylie began her career in 1988 with Commercial Union Insurance. Her roles there included claims executive and technical farm underwriter, before she made the move to a broking role in 1995.

She joined Gallagher in 2012 as Dubbo Branch Manager and was promoted to Area Director for the region in 2016. Using deep insight into what it takes to make a branch successful and working from the ground up she is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and goal-oriented culture.

COO of Business in Heels, today she works with professional & business women to understand and articulate their value and how to make a difference in their profitability.

Kistin Gunnis has worked internationally and domestically in the Telco Industry and knows how hard it can be to succeed as a woman and on your merit. 

Kistin is passionate about supporting women to get the rewards they deserve. With over 25+years of experience within Operations Management, she has seen it all.

She is an experienced mentor working with professional women to carve out the career they desire and encouraging them to negotiate for the rewards they deserve.

People and Culture Expert and Founder, Human Art – Career and Leadership Coaching

Leesa has over 15 years in Human Resource and Organisational Development with a strong track record leading strategic business partnering, diversity and inclusion, and culture transformation projects in complex, challenging and ambiguous circumstances.

Her key strengths are helping leaders and organisations navigate change and uncertainty, connecting people, ideas and opportunity.

Leesa has worked in multiple industry sectors including IT, government, private education, financial services, property, telecommunications, and managed services.

Prior to working in HR, Leesa managed a number of key change projects and led high performing operational teams in sales and customer service. Leesa is an IECL Level 2 Certified Executive Coach, and is also Certified in Career Coaching, Mental Health First Aid, Psychological Safety, DiSC and the Hogan Personality Inventory.

Leesa set up her own consulting, career and leadership coaching business – Human Art, 6 years ago. Her coaching practice is heart centred and leverages the latest research in neuroscience, and future of work studies. She loves working with forward thinking leaders, emerging talent and start up founders, helping them create and craft their own style of leadership and entrepreneurship.

Leesa is passionate about enabling individuals and organisations to reimagine and create a more positive and productive relationship with work. Leesa also enjoys mentoring women, youth and refugees on a pro-bono basis. She is an accomplished speaker and facilitator.

Leesa is highly experienced in workplace coaching and mentoring for individuals, teams, management and executive leaders going through change due to vocational progression, career transition, performance, restructure and for those preparing strategies to work differently or set up a new business venture.

She has a proven ability to deliver short individual programs right through to designing and delivering large scale people and culture transformational projects.

She is an absolute advocate of nurturing win:win relationships for all stakeholders, using multimodal techniques including experiential learning, systemic wisdom and co-creation as tools to stimulate conversation and positive change.

She is the CEO of Business in Heels, daily she works to fast-track women on their journey. She has 4 1/2 years of small business experience and well understands the transition from corporate to business owner.

Her expertise includes strategic planning, marketing, expansion through digital marketing, she is a strategic connector.

Her background is 25 years of corporate buying experience with expertise in strategic planning, sourcing, online retail,  negotiation and she well understands the hurley burley of a corporate career.

She is passionate about making a difference for women & on a daily basis works to find solutions to levelling up the playing field. This year having launched mentoring, access to new women’s professional indemnity & superannuation solutions.

She is the Regional Director for South-East Asia and Oceania at WEConnect International, a global nonprofit network that works with multinational corporations and multilateral organizations to generate market-access opportunity for women’s business enterprises in over 125 countries through supplier diversity.

The organization identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women’s business enterprises based outside the U.S. that are at least 51% owned, as well as managed and controlled, by one or more women, and then connects them to qualified buyers across the globe. WEConnect International’s network of corporate members, primarily Fortune 500 companies, represent over $1 Trillion in annual purchasing power.

Over the last twelve years, Mrinalini has engaged with large corporates, government agencies, SMEs and community organizations to provide them with a platform to create measurable social impact. She speaks regularly at community events, corporate events, and conferences about the role that gender equality plays in achieving a more sustainable world for everyone.

Mrinalini has been awarded the Singapore Women’s Weekly’s Great Women of Our Time award in the Public Service and Education category and has been nominated as one of Cleo Singapore’s 2016 top ten Changemakers.

GAICD  Program Communications LeadProgram Communications Lead  University of Technology Sydney

I am senior business marketer with an agile and solutions-orientated approach and proven expertise in leading and delivering complex programs, events, and campaigns to effect change, build advocacy, enhance brand reputation, and generate strong ROI.

With more than 10 years’ experience in strategic communications, publishing, and brand experiences, I have a strong commercial orientation, and am adept at developing enduring and mutually rewarding relationships.

Nikki Taylor is a Certified Career Transition Coach and Women’s Change Coach who is passionate about empowering women to excel in both their personal and professional lives. She is a trusted advisor who guides her clients toward self-actualization and helps them identify essential connections that lead to fulfilment.

Nikki brings a wealth of experience to every conversation, having worked with international recruiting agencies and run successful recruitment companies that have assisted individuals at all stages of their personal and professional development. She is also the founder of Nikki Taylor – Be Inspired, a coaching and unique brand empowering women to thrive offering her own label “Be Inspired”

Through Be Inspired, Nikki helps women feel empowered, capable, and worthy of achieving their dreams. She firmly believes that every individual is unique and has something special to offer the world. As the author of Be Inspired, a compilation of insights from 50 women globally, Nikki has a deep understanding of the knowledge and passion necessary to propel individuals forward.

SandyMcDonald.com and charity, CreateCare Global, Sandy McDonald is an author, a TEDx speaker, and a storytelling trainer, working with business and academia to improve and enhance communication through purpose-led story.

ArtWords in started out in 1992 and Twenty two years later, it had become an award-winning marketing communication solutions destination for some of Australia’s most successful enterprises. In 2008, Sandy started her first charity Knit-a-square which led to her next career. She delivered a standing ovation TEDx talk about this extraordinary adventure in 2014.

The intersection of these two experiences was to prove pivotal to the work she does now. In ArtWords, if they couldn’t get their clients clear on what they were positioning, why, and for whom, they’d failed. This became the single most important component of their work. During the formative years of Knit-a-square, they learned that online stories with a focused purpose touched lives everywhere.

They helped build a worldwide community of 20,000 people in 71 countries which is still growing. Sandy wrote the book, Get It Right Online to detail the framework for how this was achieved.

The principles that informed this govern what she did then, and still does: Clarity: getting people clear on purpose, principles, people, product, and positioning Curiosity: keeping them in pursuit of their truth Coherence: helping them articulate their purpose and brand promise truthfully and consistently. In 2012, Sandy started to coach others as a clarity guide. Soon people asked for her help to tell their stories which lead to her career today.

She has spent a major portion of her career life in the United Arab Emirates as a serial entrepreneur & a creative thinker. She has been contributing to the creative advertising & events technology industry for the last 23 years, with her current position as the Global Executive Vice President @option1live.

Besides her professional career, her passion for arts & craft is showcased through her brand, Candescent Art Connoisseur; an artistic candle company. Sheetal’s creative mind has helped her pave her path in the entertainment industry catering to corporates & government entities through Option 1 Group, an illustrious events technology & content company.

Being part of the founding member of this organization has helped her grow and explore her entrepreneurial skills over the past 2 decades as she actively contributed to the global growth and spearheaded several business verticals.Her passion and exposure to the knowledge and experience in the industry has motivated her to facilitate women empowerment and guide those who need a little boost to increase their confidence in being successful.

Sheetal has a knack for making meaningful connections with audiences and an insatiable appetite for helping others maximizes her potential, to rock a platform, connect with a crowd and provide guidance so that others can effectively do the same.

Sian is a regular volunteer mentor with:

• Institute of Managers and Leaders ANZ
• Business in Heels.

And is a Committee Member for Melbourne Business Network, supporting all business across Melbourne and Victoria.

Tania grew up in the wine industry; her parents were distributors for one of the First Family wine brands and her grandparents owned wine bars in inner city Melbourne in the 1950’s.

She completed a Diploma of Financial Planning and a Bachelor of Business before establishing MacPhee’s with her husband Craig in 2001.

Today, Tania is the Managing Director of MacPhee’s, a privately owned Australian company that specialises in fine wine and creating thousands of beautiful wine cellars utilising the highest quality wine cabinets, wine cooling equipment and wine racking products in the world.

A pioneer in the wine storage and service industry with unrivalled experience and expertise, the MacPhee’s team of wine cellaring specialists works closely with leading Architects, Designers, Property Developers, and hospitality clients, assisting with the selection and supply of the world-class equipment, whilst providing essential technical and engineering specifications and professional advice for residential, multi-residential and commercial wine cellar projects from concept through to completion.

Tania enjoys working with MacPhee’s VIP clients and partners, has established close professional relationships with key suppliers and leads a team of about 22 people.

MacPhee’s has experienced double digit growth over the past few years, with further growth projected based a strong strategic plan for the future.

With more than 10 years’ experience in strategic communications, publishing, and brand experiences, I have a strong commercial orientation, and am adept at developing enduring and mutually rewarding relationships.

In her current capacity as Broker Solutions Manager QLD, Tiana Iuvale leads a team of market-facing Account Partners and Business Relationship Partners, who are the face of the CGU brand in broker offices as far north as Cairns and as far south as Northern NSW.   Her role encompasses key metrics focused on building strong partner relationships, sustainable growth, and profitability through authentic leadership, to bring to life the IAG purpose of making our world a safer place.

After graduating with a Degree in Communication she gained leadership experience in operations, finance, project management, sales and marketing across a range of industries including advertising, retail, wholesaling and premium funding. Prior to taking on a state leadership role, Tiana gained valuable experience working as a BDM and National Key Account Manager at CGU.

As a working mother of two wonderful young gentlemen, Tiana has a deep personal interest in all aspects of diversity and inclusion.  Speaking from the heart, she is determined to share her career and life experiences truthfully and honestly in the hope of inspiring future generations of leaders to create balanced, equitable and flexible workplaces where everyone can thrive.