Launa is a professional Non-Executive Director having sat on the Boards of several ASX listed companies including CBA and Super Retail Group.  She has significant governance experience on both Remuneration and Audit committees.

Launa is a member of the Australia Post Board.  She is also on the Advisory Board of Fantastic Furniture, a large national retailer.

Launa is the Chair of the Melbourne Fashion Festival, which is the largest fashion festival engaging the public in the world.  This festival promotes Melbourne as the fashion capital of Australia.  She also sits on the Board of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, which protects children against cyber bullying and family violence.

Launa is a former CEO/Managing Director of three iconic Australian companies, Target Australia, which she ran for 7 years, Billabong International and Officeworks.

Past awards include the Telstra Australian Businesswoman of the Year in recognition of her business achievements and in 2015 was awarded the Sir Charles McGrath Award for her significant contribution to the field of marketing and wider industry achievements.

Cathi Scarce is the General Manager Customer Operations at Priceline. She is an experienced retail multi site executive with a reputation for bringing an unstoppable energy and commanding presence to her chosen organisations. A true shop floor to boardroom story Cathi started her career journey as a supermarket delicatessen manager and
rose through the ranks to finish her career at Coles as the Acting Chief Executive of
the Liquor Division leading 5600 team members and over 900 stores.
Now leading the teams at Priceline as part of WesHealth in Customer Operations
across more than 450 stores, both Franchise and corporate , she is taking an
innovative approach to driving true cultural change whilst delivering great
commercial outcomes and a relentless customer focus to every challenge she
undertakes.
Her innovative approaches to finding ways to give less time to task and more time to
customer care and training of teams has shown improvements in both employee and customer satisfaction. A driving force in all that she does she loves to support other women in business to realise their potential. Cathi champions and celebrates
diversity and inclusion in all its forms and takes pride in her ability to use her platform improve the employee experience of those around her.

Baishakhi Connor is the Head of Supplier Management at Coles. Born in small town India, Baishakhi carved a diverse career spanning four continents and continues to stretch limits in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Apart from her busy corporate role- she is a NFP Board member, community volunteer, mentor, writer, speaker, and currently flexing her muscles into Powerlifting.

Baishakhi lives in a tri-cultural tri-religious family with her Australian Catholic husband and Afghan Muslim foster daughters. As foster mum of 2, step mum of 4 and step grand mum of 5, her life is a busy blur of family, fun and food.

Let me introduce you to Tracey Hughes who is a keynote speaker, celebrity hairstylist and the General Manager of Just Cuts Franchising.

From humble beginnings as a hairstylist, Tracey’s career showcases her as a global trendsetter. After building her profile through vast media exposure and countless award wins Tracey stepped into corporate leadership as Global Vice President in haircare development.

Tracey is now an inspirational Mentor who has trained over half a million Salon Professionals worldwide. Tracey’s contribution to the hairdressing industry was recognised in 2018 when she was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

As General Manager for Just Cuts she leads the largest hairdressing franchise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Emily is the Head of Category and Content Strategy at Kmart Australia Limited. Her why is; “To be a dynamic marketer within a company that has purpose and is an industry leader. I am energized when I maximize my strengths in brand and product management to drive outstanding results. I hold myself accountable to lead the way with passion, creativity and innovation.”

Head of Merchandise Planning  at Kathmandu.

Deb Donehue is a seasoned retail professional with a diverse background spanning various roles across multiple esteemed retailers; these range from Target Australia, t Super Retail Group, MECCA Brands and Mozi. Today, Deb consults within the Customer & Strategy Team, aiding in the enhancement of merchandise capability through insightful solutions and education initiatives.

Deb’s dedication to gender equity is highlighted by her role in judging the Gender Equity Awards, showcasing her commitment to fostering inclusive workplaces. She is well-versed in the impact of different cultures on productivity and performance and will be able to offer some valuable insights.

Narelle Hutchesson – CEO

With three decades of strategic marketing experience behind her – plus a PhD in relationship quality – Narelle is as rigorous as she is insightful.

Across her career, Narelle has worked on all sides of the retail experience: from shop owner to market researcher – and beyond. Today, she uses this deep knowledge to nurture the next generation of digital marketers.

As CEO, Narelle is the strategic force behind all things business development, customer relationship management and client media strategy. Her mantra is simple: use data to drive decisions and communicate them transparently.

Under Narelle’s stewardship, RQMedia has achieved extraordinary outcomes for brands that want to challenge the status quo and become leaders in their field.

Beverley, Founder and CEO of Numensa and IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.COM, boasts over 30 years of global retail expertise, having worked with prominent companies such as Marks & Spencer, Next, Arcadia, and Coles in the UK and Australia. With a focus on buying, product development, and people management at a senior level, Beverley utilizes her extensive experience for diverse retail projects.

Known for her exceptional creativity and results-oriented approach, Beverley’s infectious enthusiasm for retail is evident in her roles as a facilitator, trainer, and mentor. Passionate about nurturing young talent, she has lectured at RMIT, consulted for the Australian Retail Association (ARA), and developed accredited merchandise management programs for Monash University and the University of Melbourne Business School.

In the past decade, Beverley has played a key role in training and mentoring entire merchandise teams for ASX200 companies, creating trainee buyer/planner programs, and launching a unique work-integrated learning initiative through IWANTTOBEAFASHIONBUYER.COM, and the NUMENSA INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. Beverley holds qualifications in BA (Hons) Fashion, Sustainability, and Vocational Education and Training.

The retail sector, rooted in tradition, may struggle to captivate the interest of Gen Z, who seek dynamic and innovative career paths. Attracting and retaining this generation in retail poses a challenge, as the industry may need to evolve to align with Gen Z’s desire for excitement, innovation, and purpose in their professional pursuits.

· Zurich Insurance reports that Gen Z comprises 30% of the global population and is projected to constitute 27% of the workforce by 2025. Despite constituting half of the retail workforce, primarily in ‘fill-in’ roles for students, the challenge is to transform retail into an appealing long-term career choice for Gen Z. We discuss what you need to do to make retail an enduring career option for this generation?

· In an era where looking up words, finding businesses in the Yellow Pages, or searching through encyclopedias are foreign concepts, and information is instantly accessible, the virtue of patience may not have been cultivated by our youngest workforce. How does this phenomenon affect the Gen Z employee?

· Exploding Topics discovered that 61% of Gen Zs experienced feelings of nervousness, anxiety, or being on edge in the past two weeks. Employers should focus on raising awareness, destigmatizing mental health, and making accessible services available for Gen Z.

· McKinsey notes that Gen Z places high importance on values such as diversity & inclusion, gender equality, and environmental concerns. A socially focused business that aligns with these values not only attracts Gen Z employees but also fosters greater loyalty amongst them.

· According to Culture Amp research, the primary factor influencing employee retention is learning and development, a trend observed across all generations, including Generation Z. Gen Z members are particularly drawn to meaningful work that offers opportunities for skill acquisition, involvement in challenging projects, and making a positive impact.

Chandell is a best-selling author, Master Trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Sales Strategist, and Confidence Booster. Her personal sales close rate is over 100% thanks to satisfied client’s persuasive referrals and her clients experience measurable increases in their own sales success almost overnight as a result of her empowering approach. “Success comes from the inside, so I start with mindset,” says Chandell. “If you don’t fix your mindset, it doesn’t matter what techniques you use you’ll still be stuck on the sales rollercoaster.” Confidence leads to empowered decisions, wise choices, and profitable transactions which help you create the life you want and deserve even in times of uncertainty and tumult.

 How to have conversations that inspire action.

In this new era where the many are fighting to ‘win the war on talent’ you will learn how to create an environment that paints brightness of future for your team and attract quality candidates. Our Leaders are Confident to Communicate their Messages, Collaborate and Lead their Internal and External Stakeholders with Influence and Integrity.

In this workshop, Chandell will cover:

• How to Create Confidence in your Communication abilities to deliver with authenticity & integrity.
• Learn a simple methodology for solving problems and get results with Self/Others.
• Reduce the Complexity of Emotional Conversations while Harnessing Human Connection in Leadership and Eliminate ‘Confused’ Messaging in top down, bottom up reporting structures.

Danielle has been working in the Brand and Licensing field for over 20 years and has in depth knowledge of the fashion and licensing industry.

Danielle has a university background in Product Development and Marketing and a career history that includes the management of DTR licenses, International properties and global licensing programs, and now manages Caprice’s inbound and outbound licensing relationships across the categories of apparel, footwear, homewares and travel goods.

Growing businesses today is challenging. It is not easy to bring new products to market that have real impact at retail. To be quick, creative and meet consumer demands you need to have great relationships and collaborative mindsets.

Key takeaways are:

1. Expansion – two families coming together to form Caprice (historical lens)
2. Resourcing – factory joint ventures, growth through and innovation (talking to sourcing)
3. Licensing and Brand Alliance – talking to the longevity of our licensing partnerships and networking to grow new.
4. Industry Progression and Development – Ethical sourcing and sustainability, our learnings through partnerships to take a lead in this field
5. The Future – passing it on, our relationship with RMIT and the importance of giving back
6. Speed Networking

Now, reflect on some of the relationships and connections that you have in your current network and how you can further leverage those whether for personal growth or business opportunities.  What other networking opportunities exist within your workplace and social communities are untapped and how will you find the time and courage to move forward and forge new relationships and grow your network.

Since the beginning of time women have been socialised and conditioned to “wait to be asked”. We are taught to be patient, to wait for be asked out, to wait to be asked for your hand in marriage and to wait for your promotion.

Whilst we are waiting, less qualified but confident people are moving ahead of us whilst we feel unheard, unrecognised, and exhausted.

In this session Christine will share:
• What are the fears making us wait and stopping us from asking?
• Tools and language to help you to ask for what you without shame or guilt.
• Understanding the cost and consequences of not asking for yourself and those around you.