Speakers

Rosemary is an internationally recognised leader, director and strategist in impact, sustainability and innovation. She brings a unique combination of commercial acumen, strategic insight and foresight and transformational leadership that has shaped breakthrough innovations, organisations and markets.

Rosemary is Managing Partner of Mondiale Impact, a global, practitioner-led partnership of trusted advisors with a distinctive approach to guiding leaders on how to respond and be ready for the future of business and investment in a changing world and is Enterprise Professor of Impact, Sustainability and Innovation in the Faculty of Business & Economics at the University of Melbourne. These roles complement a portfolio of Chair and Board roles, including Chairing the Board of Advisors of investment firm Sweef Capital.

B Lab is the nonprofit network transforming the global economy to one that is inclusive, equitable, and regenerative, and is the organisation behind B Corp Certification. As CEO of B Lab Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand, Andrew Davies is responsible for leading the growth of the B Corp community and movement in this region. 

Andrew joined B Lab as CEO in 2019 following more than twenty years of experience spanning commercial law practice and executive management roles, and more recently founding and leading small business and start-up enterprises in the finance and recreation industries. With diverse experience across large and small business, in ASX-listed, family-owned and start-up models, Andrew is passionate about the powerful role that all businesses have to be a force for good for people, the planet and communities. 

Anna is a social change and impact specialist, operating across the spectrum from facilitating grass roots community change with Indigenous elders, leading one of Australia’s first social enterprises to working with premium brands and government on environmental behaviour change programs and products. 

Anna is the Head of Social Impact with Royal Far West charity and is very experienced engaging with remote communities and amplifying the impact of child development services and support at every level. 

A Fellow of Social Leadership Australia, Anna’s driving passion is to create equitable, just & resilient communities. She believes that the social justice challenge that sits with us now is to enable access to the supports and communities which nurture healthy development for our children. 

Shelley Ware is a proud Yankunytjatjara and Wirangu woman from Adelaide, South Australia, who currently lives in Melbourne.

For the past two decades or so, Shelley has worked in the media as a radio, podcast and television presenter on both local and national AFL football news shows. She is a member of Broad Radio and writes fortnightly columns for the Koori Mail.

Shelley is a well sought after MC and keynote speaker. She has also been a teacher for 25 years and now works tirelessly as an education consultant helping other educators, embed First Nations history and culture into the curriculum and their daily classroom.

NIDALA’s work dedicates itself to creating reconciliation; of ourselves with our emotions, of our daily lives with our natural environments, and of Indigenous wisdom with innovative ideas. Born of the Aboriginal Djugun [ju-g-oon] people of the Kimberley, her words are anthem for open hearts and raised fists.

She holds a Master’s of Sustainability from the University of Sydney as well as a double degree in Public Policy and Social Justice Law from Macquarie University. Nidala currently sits on the board of Green Music Australia and The Returning Indigenous Corporations.

Musically, she self-produced and self-released her first single ‘Howl at the Moon’ in late 2019, and in 2021 produced a fundraising carbon neutral EP named ‘Colours of my People’.

Yasser is an experienced and inspirational executive leader with strategic vision to grow a commercially sustainable and ethical organisation. He has a passion for developing high performing teams through a collaborative and engaging leadership style.  

Yasser has implemented bold strategies and initiatives that have transformed TLC’s performance and reputation. Under his leadership, TLC has expanded into new markets and achieved record-breaking growth and profitability. By focusing on customer and employee experience, Yasser develops and delivers on growth and strategic direction. 

Yasser serves on boards of several non-profit organisations supporting causes such as education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and accolades, including being named APAC CEO of the Year, 2023. Through his inspiring leadership, visionary insights, and unwavering commitment to excellence, Yasser has become a role model and inspiration to countless people around the world. 

Pete is the Founder of Remarkable whose mission is to harness technological innovation to bring to life a world that is accessible, inclusive and equitable for everyone. So far Remarkable has invested more than $10m into startup technologies.

Pete is a leader for global change on disability inclusion and is one of the co-founders of +N Inclusive Innovation Network, a global ecosystem of partners who shape future technologies that lower barriers to disability inclusion. He has more than 15 years experience in the disability sector across a variety of roles. Pete started his career as a landscape architect and sees the potential for design and innovation to build a better world.

Arminé Nalbandian is the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Social Impact. She is a public policy leader who has spent her career advising governments and for-purpose organisations on social policy and economic development strategies.

Most recently, she was Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Policy to the New South Wales Premier. Arminé’s previous positions within the NSW Government included Head of Social Policy, Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Adviser to the NSW Treasurer. Arminé is a US Fulbright Scholar and graduated summa cum laude as a Presidential Scholar from Northeastern University in Boston.

She also holds a Master of Science in International Development from the London School of Economics as a Luys Scholar, and a Master of Commerce in Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Sydney as a Business Leaders Scholar. 

Matt unintentionally became an international speaker after becoming a paraplegic when he attempted suicide at 16.

Now he is best known for his humanitarian work surrounding suicide prevention, resilience and mental health. His initiatives have been featured on 7 News, ABC, SBS, Channel 9, The Daily Telegraph and many other media sources while bringing him two separate (NSW) state-wide awards.

An Indigenous leader from the Southeast Queensland and North East NSW regions, Mark Yettica-Paulson was formerly the Strategic Business Manager and key presenter for Australians Together’s workshops and presentations. Mark brings decades of wisdom from his career in leadership development and community education across the corporate and government sectors. He has advised organisations such as NAB, the AFL, Medibank Australia, Australia Post and The Foundation for Young Australians. 

 

Mark was Joint Campaign Director for Recognise, the recent campaign for a National Referendum to amend the Australian Constitution to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and remove discrimination. Mark was the founder and Director of The Yettica Group, specialising in facilitating Indigenous leadership and assisting groups to work better as Indigenous and other Australians. 

 

He is also a co-author of Lost conversations: “Finding new ways for black and white Australians to lead together” launched in November 2014 

Anna Powell is the CEO of Collaboration for Impact. Since her early career working with global networks and movements for change in active citizenship, gender justice, peace building and economic justice, Anna has led thriving collaborations and organisations across internationally and in Australia.

With a background in psychology and working at large scale systems change, Anna has hands on experience creating collective change processes that strive to be equitable, truthful and transformative. This has included leadership roles in the education system, philanthropy, community-led collaborations, research and national field building organisations.

Fiona has spent her career designing and supporting systems change initiatives and founded Orange Compass in 2018 to focus on transformational work. She believes that systems transformation requires the challenging of deeply held beliefs and paradigms and applies a unique blend of systems and futures thinking to navigating complexity.

Her work crosses a wide range of issues from housing and health through to youth empowerment, early childhood development, wellbeing and the energy transition.

Fiona’s practice is informed by her qualifications as a human geographer, with a PhD on innovation and expertise in both public policy and academic research. Fiona has a rich tapestry of 20 years’ experience across academia, business, government, non-government sectors including supporting numerous United Nations collaborations and advising organisations for impact in Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. 

Rumbi was appointed Executive Officer for Chain Reaction Foundation in 2018. She holds an Honours Degree in Economics, and a Master’s Degree in Marketing. She has worked in the not-for-profit sector in Australasia and internationally. With expertise in not-for-profit organisational management, her particular interest is in adolescent social and emotional wellbeing and the impact of this on adolescent mental health outcomes.

Rumbi overseas the operational management of Learning Ground, an award winning program in behavioural change whose head office is in Mt Druitt NSW. Rumbi is the final year of her PhD in Adolescent Social Cohesion with the University of Technology Sydney. She is a people person who conducts her present role with considerable empathy, determination and skills, particularly in organisational strategic planning, corporate governance and stakeholder engagement. She was appointed Secretary to the Board of Directors in 2019. 

Laura is SIMNA’s Executive Officer. SIMNA (Social Impact Measurement Network Australia) exists to rapidly connect the ideas, people and resources that will drive positive social and environmental impact into the core of organisations and decisions. She works with SIMNA’s members, partners and volunteers to build a powerful community of practice that can lead and shape the development of social impact measurement.  

Her background is in strategy, events and marketing and she loves connecting and collaborating with fellow changemakers who are working to bring about positive change. Working in the social impact space globally for the past two decades, Laura keeps finding herself coming back to the same two questions: what problem are we trying to solve and how do we know that we’re actually making a difference? 

Hanna Ebeling is CEO at Sefa, working with purpose-driven organisations on capital solutions and capability support to suit their needs, and helping these organisations build organisational resilience and access resources from a range of impact investors.

From traditional banking with HSBC to venture philanthropy in the Philippines, Hanna brings a global practice lens to Sefa. Her passions include blended finance in partnership with foundations, community-led enterprises, and ground-breaking housing models.

She is on the board of disability service provider Woodville Alliance and social enterprise Vanguard Laundry, and as a member of government and sector reference groups contributes to improving collaboration between government, the private sector and philanthropy.

Toby is the Principal of Tomorrow Together. He is passionate about tackling the wicked problems that impact individuals, families, and communities. He has two decades of experience working in public health, not-for-profit and social impact settings in a range of different roles covering leadership, governance, strategy, innovation, investment, and implementation. He is commercially minded, purpose-driven and is forever striving to bring more organisations into an ecosystem that deliver positive social impact. 

Tomorrow Together is an impact advisory firm that started in 2019 with a vision for a world where businesses, communities and people prosper in harmony. Their mission is to leverage business’s capabilities to deliver positive impact aligned with strategy. 

Lisa is passionate about helping create a fairer world through increased diversity and sustainability. Lisa joined Alberts in 2021 after a decade of investing experience. She began her career in equity research sales at Credit Suisse before moving into a range of finance roles spanning value investing (at Montgomery Investment Management), venture capital (at Reinventure), and venture debt (at Marshall Investment Management).

She brings a strong track record across both her operational and investing experience. Lisa holds a B Comm/ B Sc majoring in advanced mathematics, computer science, and econometrics, from the University of Sydney and completed her final semester at HEC Paris. In her spare time, Lisa does aerial acrobatics, paints, and spends time with friends and family. 

As Head of Customer, Shey drives a customer centric approach to the ongoing evolution of GPT Office portfolio and product offerings.

She is responsible for helping customers understand what The GPT Group stands for, focusing on Workplace Solutions and Flexible Workspace Strategy. Shey has a deep passion for creating great spaces that enable people to do their best work and deliver memorable customer experience. 

Min Seto has led the development of the Australian Social Value Bank and its management under the not-for-profit social enterprise, Alliance Social Enterprises. 

Min’s background is in the Management of Community Services, but she has spent the last seven years advising and supporting hundreds of organisations on their social impact measurement journey.

Min’s area of expertise is in social value and the wellbeing valuation methodology. She believes that we need to transition to a wellbeing economy where the impacts to people’s wellbeing and the planet become a central part of our decision making and sit at the heart of what we value. 

Sam Reinhardt is the Deputy Secretary, Fiscal Group in Treasury. 

Fiscal Group provides advice to the Government on the budget, fiscal strategy, and policy proposals across a number of portfolios with a view to achieving sustainable and effective economic outcomes. Work of the group includes Measuring What Matters and place-based community investments. 

During her career Sam has worked across a range of areas in the public service, including on the secretariat for the Henry Tax Review; as the Division Head of the Foreign Investment and Trade Policy Division, the Commonwealth-State Relations Division, and Corporate and International Tax Division. Sam worked at the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources leading the Northern Australia and Major Projects Division and prior to taking up the role of Deputy Secretary in Treasury, Sam was the Head of Office at the Productivity Commission. 

Sam has also worked in a number of roles outside the public service, including at the Cape York Institute under Noel Pearson, in the Papua New Guinean Treasury and as Prime Minister Gillard’s Tax and Fiscal Policy Adviser. 

Professor Bronwen Dalton is the Head of The Department of Management and Director of the Masters of Not-for-Profit and Social Enterprise Program at the University of Technology Sydney.

She is also the founder and CEO of the charity Ruff Sleepers, a service that washes the dogs of homeless people while also advocating for greater awareness of the value of pet ownership for mental and physical wellbeing, and for improved housing options for homeless people with pets. 

Bronwen has conducted extensive research in the field of Not-for-Profit sector studies and authored book chapters and journal articles on NFP childcare, NFP business venturing, social enterprises and advocacy.

She has also created evaluation software and materials on the Social Impact Toolbox in partnership with Bendigo bank, published studies on international NGOs and recently co-authored a book on the role of NGOs in combating Sex Trafficking.

Laura Dixie is an experienced actuary and a director at Taylor Fry consulting. She works in Taylor Fry’s Government practice using quantitative analysis applied to a range of datasets to understand how people interact with services in the health, education and social sectors. This often means using linked datasets and statistical analysis to highlight people’s service pathways or to evaluate outcomes across all wellbeing domains.

By assisting in tailoring initiatives, understanding outcomes and the costs associated with poor outcomes her work aims to supports government in making sustainable decisions that benefit community. 

Kylie Daniels is the National Community Development Manager at Beyond Bank, with nearly 30 years in the finance industry, Kylie is committed to financial literacy, social justice and inclusion for everyone. 

Kylie has led a national community development team in the last nine years, building a sustainable business model that supports the not-for-profit and for-profit social enterprise sectors.  

Kylie is committed to developing and inspiring women to take on leadership roles at the Bank and co-created the Beyond Women Program. And she currently sits on the Bank’s Diversity and Inclusion committee. 

Layusa Isa-Odidi is a Partner working across Asia Pacific and leading Dalberg Advisors’ presence in Australia. Dalberg is a global social impact advisory firm that works to champion inclusive and sustainable growth. 

Layusa is passionate about helping actors think about their unique role in contributing to a sustainable world. From her studies across an MBA and an MPA in international development to her roles across the private, public, and civil society sectors, her career has reinforced the importance of cross-sector collaborations. In particular, she has extensive experience in private sector engagement and development with a human rights lens and has advised donors (e.g., DFAT, USAID), DFIs (e.g., KfW, the African Development Bank), and not-for-profits (e.g., Save the Children) on leveraging non-grant and innovative financing in service of their SDG-related agendas. 

Donnie Maclurcan is executive director of the Post Growth Institute, an international, not for profit organisation exploring how we collectively thrive within ecological limits.

As a social entrepreneur, his initiatives include the Offers and Needs Market, Free Money Day, the Post Growth Fellowship, and the Post Growth Alliance. As a consultant, he has worked with more than 500 projects, across 36 countries, with considerable time based in Egypt, the U.S., Australia (where he was born) and Argentina (where he lives).

An affiliate professor of economics at Southern Oregon University, Donnie initially trained and worked as an exercise physiologist, before completing the world’s first PhD assessing nanotechnology’s global implications. A fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, and adjunct professor with the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney, Donnie holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest journey on foot across Australia and is working on his fourth book: How on Earth: our future is not for profit.

Heidi is a Partner in Corrs’ Responsible Business and ESG practice and is a highly regarded employment lawyer.  

  She leads the Human Capital work stream within the Responsible Business and ESG practice, supporting clients to implement governance frameworks, contractual arrangements and internal processes that appropriately address risks of adverse human rights impacts.  

  Heidi assists clients locally and internationally to implement systems to identify, assess and address risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains, including implementing grievance processes using a human rights framework.

She works closely with clients to develop governance frameworks and action plans to address cultural and systemic drivers of risks of sexual harassment, discrimination and other negative workplace behaviours. Heidi also conducts, or supports clients to conduct, complex workplace investigations in victim centric and culturally sensitive ways and respond to human rights-based complaints in relevant tribunals. 

Pat is a Manager in SVA’s Impact Investing team, with a specific focus on Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) and outcomes based contracting. He works with a range of service delivery and government partners to develop SIBs and outcomes-based contracting arrangements. 

Pat is a strong advocate for Housing First approaches, which have been adopted by a number of SIBs. Pat has also worked as a management consultant, where his focus was helping government agencies to operationalise outcomes-focused commissioning approaches and policy reforms. He has also worked as a banking and financial services lawyer and as an accountant. 

Kurt has over 20 years’ experience in business, social impact, impact investing, strategic design and B2B sales. With education in Health Sciences – Nursing (Sydney University), Diploma of Theology (School of Christian Studies), Graduate Certificate in Social Impact (AGSM) and MBA in Social Impact (AGSM), he is adept at the intersection of social impact, business operations and governance. 

Experience gained through work at 3M Pharmaceuticals, Executive search firm Aquila, running his own business and consulting to SME’s for over 20 years have given him a breadth of understanding of the challenges facing business and social enterprise alike.  

Add to this roles as partner and COO at a strategic design firm for 10 years, advising and working on the supply of commercial solutions for social infrastructure at Grace Mutual and sitting on several NFP and private company boards as an non-executive director and chairman, Kurt has worked with large public companies, and the full spectrum of government from local to Federal. Kurt is passionate about doing good and making money.  

Tara is the CEO of Social Traders, the trailblazers of business for good through social enterprise procurement.  

She has worked with hundreds of social enterprises and for-purpose businesses across Australia, the UK and Europe.  

Tara has led key research on social enterprise business models globally, through her MBA in the UK. She has a deep understanding of how businesses and government can create meaningful social change. 

Tara is passionate about seeing corporate Australia take up the opportunity of the switch to good – to create a more equitable world. Tara is also a Founding director for Social Enterprise Australia and Dragonfly Collective.  

For over 20 years, Tanya has designed and delivered diverse community benefit projects, spanning continents, non-government, government and intergovernmental organisations. Her work has ranged from addressing system failures and performance barriers within institutions, to working with individuals and communities to tackle issues of importance to them and building personal and collective agency for people to flourish together.

Tanya is driven by a desire for all people to have the foundations and environments to thrive, and that she is involved in endeavours that result in meaningful and lasting change. Coupled with a curiosity about human behaviour and the need to dig deep and understand “why”, she has acquired a deep appreciation for the need to incorporate key principles of behavioural change, empowerment and active citizenship into activities seeking positive community change, to achieve change that is lasting and enables communities to thrive.  

Simonie has a background in nursing and occupational rehabilitation and has over 20 years’ experience working in the insurance industry in both workers compensation and life insurance. She joined AIA 8 years ago. Simonie has a strategic role and is responsible for the claims wellbeing customer value proposition and for the strategic partnerships that ensure it to comes to life. She is passionate about supporting customers with mental health conditions, cancer and chronic pain. 

In 2021 Simone’s contribution to the shared value community was recognised when she was named the Shared Value Practitioner of the Year. 

Sarah was one of the 100 young people who testified at the 1987 Burdekin National Inquiry into Youth Homelessness. Through continuing to share her life experiences from both social and economic perspectives, she has successfully advocated for policy changes at both a Federal and State/Territory level regarding housing, homelessness and violence against children, specifically those in our child protection systems.

In April 2023, Sarah gained full bipartisan support in our Federal Senate and House of Representatives for decisive action to end violence against children. Sarah is passionate about creating a future that learns from the failures of the past. 

Keith has been a finance and projects partner at MinterEllison since 1990 and has extensive experience in the real estate and infrastructure sectors.

Keith heads up the firm’s Sustainable Finance team and is part of its Climate Risk Governance team, advising on sustainable finance, social finance and impact investment, climate risk and ESG issues. He is on the ISO’s Sustainable Finance Technical Committee and NSW Law Society’s Climate Change Law Group.

Keith brings this commercial expertise and interest in social justice issues together as the firm’s Pro Bono & Community Investments Partner and in this role, advises over 150+ social enterprises and Indigenous businesses. Keith has been involved in many capacity building initiatives, including Westpac’s Board Observer program and establishing social enterprise peak bodies, such as Social Enterprise Australia.

Keith is a trustee and director of the Westpac Foundation and is chair of social enterprise incubator – White Box Enterprises and Humanitix – the humane ticketing platform, with an education aligned mission. He is also a board member of Constellation Project – seeking to end homelessness in a generation.

Davina Dressler is the CEO of the Constellation Project, a charity and cross-sectoral collaboration with a vision to end homelessness in Australia. She has built her career working on some of society’s most pressing social challenges including suicide prevention and the rights of people with disabilities.

Previous to her not for profit experience, Davina held strategic stakeholder and policy roles in international development and for the federal government. She is passionate about bringing people with lived experiences to the forefront of policy and programs and seeks projects that use innovative and accelerated ways of working to deliver impact. Davina holds a Bachelor of Economic and Social Sciences and a Masters in Human Rights Law and Policy.  

Emma Watton is a globally experienced brand and purpose strategist who has committed the rest of her professional life to only working with organisations who are prepared to face into their relationship and impact with society. She is the strategist for Shared Value Project. 

 
She is a Non Executive Director for the socially minded enterprise, Town Team Movement that provides the under-arching support for the growth and development of local do-ers, and is Board Chair for Circle Green Community Legal. She is passionate about building change-makers and communities of people who think differently and, most importantly, do better. She has previously worked with both PWC and KPMG in their collaboration environments and hubs, and with brand and advertising agencies in Sydney, London and Perth. 

Jane is a co-owner of Campfire Coop, a self-managing organisation contributing to the future of work in healthy and meaningful ways. She lives on Gamilaraay Country in north-west NSW.

An experienced Art of Hosting and Circle practitioner, Jane brings these and Going Horizontal practices into organisations and community to help shift the way we show up and work together.

Jane deeply believes that practices of curiosity, kindness and working with natural rhythms help everyone thrive. She has had long involvement with the national Landcare movement, particularly urban food farms, and is a committed advocate for people with special needs and for the earth.

 She brings great passion and authenticity to her work designing and hosting regenerative and transformative spaces.

Alexa Peggie is a dynamic and energetic person living on Djiringanj country on the south coast of NSW. She is passionate about environmental and outdoor education, somatic practices, participatory leadership and system dynamics.

Her interests and formal education in media and communications, creative arts, permaculture, outdoor Leadership and horticulture have led her to work in different ways towards a more equitable and generative way of living.

In partnership with her colleagues in Campfire Coop and as a participatory practitioner, she explores and practices collective sense making to foster conditions for a more authentic, caring, creative and peaceful future for all.

Paddy Power is currently studying a Bachelor of Engineering (honours) with a major in Civil and Environmental Engineering, as well as a Diploma in Innovation. He is currently working as an Undergraduate Civil Engineer and Project Coordinator at Vinculum Advisory.

His research disciplines and interests focus on Humanitarian Engineering, Environmental and Civil Engineering, Engineering for sustainable development, Innovation, Diversity, and Inclusion for all.

He has collaborated in the development of Engineering WITH People – the first board game in the Humanitarian Engineering field. In the future, He wants to further pursue gamification for learning, and sustainable and innovative development opportunities. 

Sarah is an accomplished executive and strategist, with a particular talent for transforming, leading and activating purpose-led organisations.

As CEO for the Shared Value Project Australia and New Zealand (SVP), she builds on 20 years’ experience in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors to champion a better future for business and society collectively, through shared value. Driven by the belief that corporate assets, resources and innovation can unlock unrivalled social progress – whilst increasing business prosperity and sustainability – Sarah is committed to advancing a new kind of capitalism; fit for the times. 

A member of the Shared Value Global Steering Committee, she directs the SVP team to deliver the evidence, tools, education and inspiration required make this urgent shift. Established in 2014, SVP has grown into a thriving and influential network of members including AIA Australia, IAG, NAB, PwC Australia, Nestlé Oceania and Optus. 

She has completed the Sustainable Business Program at Harvard Business School (2019) and the Harvard Executive Program, Profit and Purpose: Creating Shared Value (2021). 

Shane Arthurson is a financial modeler, teacher, and entrepreneur, and currently experimenting with a new funding framework to be an alternative to traditional capitalism. He is resident finance expert at Ethical Fields where they are running a pilot for community wealth building.

Shane is a guest lecturer at UTS for the MBAe and works with Primary Ethics teaching ethics to primary school kids. Shane’s 20 year finance career started with the Public Private Partnership structure in Australia where he was part of a team that developed highly optimised capital structures and then he spent 5 years in the USA further working with complex capital tools such as Tax Equity, Tax exempt bonds and TIF.

With a deep knowledge of the current finance system, Shane is acutely aware of its power and its destructive capabilities and is committed to correcting the errors of the past with a capital system that is responsible with its power, one that is inclusive, fair and transparent. 

Dr Scott Daniel is Senior Lecturer in Humanitarian Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney. His current research focuses on the development of socio-technical thinking and co-design expertise in the context of humanitarian engineering, and humanitarian engineering education and practice in general. 

A former high school mathematics and science teacher, he has worked in 10 countries on five continents, and as a consultant and facilitator with UNESCO, Australian Volunteers for International Development, Engineers without Borders Australia, Unbound, the Macquarie Global Leadership Program, World Vision, the University of Sydney, the Victorian Department of Education and Training, and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.

Previously, he had a regular radio segment as “Dr Scott” on ABC Gippsland, and on ABC Central Victoria, answering listeners’ questions about science. 

Mark Burdack is the CEO of the Healthy Communities Foundation Australia. He worked with the NSW Government for a decade leading the establishment of LawAccess NSW, CaseLaw NSW and electronic court hearings. The Productivity Commission found that LawAccess NSW is a model that should be implemented in every jurisdiction.

Relocating to the regions he was appointed a senior executive in the University sector, leading projects to address rural economic and social development including the successful establishment of a rural dental school, medical school and life sciences research hub.

As CEO of the Foundation he has spearheaded a shift in focus from the treatment of disease to addressing the underlying causes of disadvantage that contribute to poor health outcomes deploying a community development approach.  He also led the creation of HealthAccess, a blended Telehealth model that is recognised for enhancing patient experience and health outcomes in rural and remote areas.

Mark has a proven track record of ‘cutting-through’ the noise, engaging with group-think to reframe assumptions that have limited consideration of alternatives, and leading passionate teams that are enthused by the opportunity to explore new ways of addressing old problems (and old ways of addressing new problems). 

 

Elfa Moraitakis is the CEO of SydWest Multicultural Services, the leading Multicultural Community Organisation operating in Greater Western Sydney and the Outer West. She is a Director of the NSW Council of Social Services, NSW Council on the Ageing and the Wash House, a local domestic violence provider.  

Elfa has been actively involved in the community sector for the past 30 years and has an extensive background in developing services for culturally & linguistically disadvantaged communities with a strong track record in strategic direction and innovation. She was awarded with the 2017 Blacktown Woman of the Year title for supporting women from CALD background establishing their businesses and was one of the 2020 UNSW Alumni finalists for Social Impact and Service and a finalist of the 2021 Social Impact CEO of the year.  

Doug has over 10 years working in the fields of anti-racism, cultural diversity and inclusion and storytelling.

After working in government and the community sectors and advocating for lived experience storytelling while studying a PhD, Doug found himself reaching a crossroads due to the common extractive storytelling processes and practices which were and are perpetuated through the legal and political systems.

This led to Doug working with the Our Race team and community to work with experts across the legal, community and higher education sectors to co-create the Transformational Ethical Story Telling (T.E.S.T.) Framework, which acts as a tool for community-centred storytelling.  

Tamara Pararajasingham is the General Manager of Impact and Innovation at Uniting, a role that brings together the organisation’s creativity and evidence to deliver its bold ambitions for systemic change through partnership.

Tamara’s foundations in commercial finance, Human Rights Law, International Development and Economics have led to a career focused on the design and evaluation of social innovations and deeply embedding lived experience to do so.

A proud Gamilaraay man living and working on Wiradjuri country. Kevin speaks passionately about his experiences as being part of the first generation of his people born outside of mission management in the small township of Walgett NSW.

Boosting 20 years’ experience working in the field of social justice in regional and rural NSW, Kevin is strong leader in his community and family and understands the value of equity. He  has a deep connection to the challenges faced by people of varying intersectionality.

Kevin is currently working as the Regional Programme Manager, for Uniting Western and Far West Early Intervention Services and has championed the need to make systems that fit people rather than force people to fit systems.

Lizzie commenced as CEO of WeAre8 in July 2022 to lead their Australian launch.  

Lizzie has over twenty years experience in the media sector across all platforms in Australia and the UK and most recently spent 12 years at Nine culminating in her appointment as Managing Director –Group Marketing and Local Markets in 2020 where she has executive responsibility for audience acquisition and growth across the group, key commercial partnerships and leading Nine’s team of state based Managing Directors to grow Nine’s footprint in each metro market. 

In addition Lizzie was a Non-Executive Director of Domain from February 2020 – June 2022 and Future Women from July 2019 – June 2022, she now continues as a Mentor and Advisor to Future Women and has been an Advisory Board Member of Two Good Co Foundation since 2017 and a member of Chief Executive Women since 2021. 

Jenny Ware was elected to the Federal Parliament in the seat of Hughes at the May 2022 election.  Prior to this, Jenny practised as a lawyer predominantly in planning, local government and environmental law.  Jenny’s legal career has given her a detailed understanding of the importance of proper planning of our cities, housing affordability, as well as balancing environmental and economic priorities to deliver housing, infrastructure and services to the community. 

Jenny is a life-long resident of the Sutherland Shire and has been committed to the area throughout her life through various sports, as well as volunteer work at Sylvanvale and through leading her sons’ Community Preschool and School’s P&C Association.  Jenny’s experience as a partner with her husband in a local small business together with her own partnership in a national law firm have provided her with an excellent grasp of the challenges faced by Australian businesses. 

 Jenny is committed to keeping the government to account and developing policies, using skills developed throughout her legal career and extra-curricular activities to assist make Hughes and Australia a better place. 

Theresa Ardler is a proud First Nations descendant of her seaborn and mountain bloodlines; Gweagal, Gadigal, Bidjigal, Wangal, Cammeraygal, Wallumedegal and Gandangarra Clans of the Eora Nation, Sydney Australia, and her mother’s country where she was born. 

Theresa’s working life has been in education in many roles including teacher, consultant, advisor, research officer and lecturer. At the Australian Catholic University, she was the first Research Indigenous Liaison Officer of the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education. 

Theresa is the Director and Owner of Gweagal Cultural Connections which provides Aboriginal cultural learning and engagement services for schools and educators across Australia. Her vision is to work towards educating universities, school communities, teachers, students and religious organisations about the richness of Aboriginal Culture and Spirituality within Australian society and beyond. 

As an experienced marketing and business growth professional, Cr Cowell has worked extensively across corporate and not-for-profit sectors. 

Cr Cowell is eager to ensure comprehensive plans are in place to enable the Sutherland Shire to continue as connected and safe community where residents young and old can maintain active lifestyles. 

Cr Cowell seeks to draw from her skills in executive leadership, coaching and mentoring business operations, strategic planning, financial process improvement and change management to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and establish positive, transparent working relationships. 

With a passion for civic service, Cr Cowell enjoys contributing to the community as a volunteer, as well as sport, travelling, reading, spending quality time with family. 

Cr Cowell is Vice President of Sutherland Shire Football Association, Director of a NFP organisation – Fibrous Dysplasia McCune Albright Syndrome Australia, Board Member – Genetic Alliance,  Non-Executive Director -Community Minds,  and a Member Protection Information Trainer at Office of Sports.