2023 MC & KeynoteS

ASSEMBLY MC

Daniela Ritorto
Journalist | MC | Communications

Daniela Ritorto is a journalist, MC and communications professional with two decades of national and international experience, including presenting BBC World News from London, SBS Chief Political Correspondent in Canberra and managing communications for an ASX top 30 company.


KEYNOTE

Jimmy Rees
Content Creator | Social Media Personality

Jimmy Rees, aka Jimmy Giggle of ABC's Giggle and Hoot, is a household name whose videos became a public service during the pandemic, giving the Australian public a good laugh when the headlines were anything but amusing. A regular on Australian television and now with his headline comedy show 'Meanwhile in Australia' sold out across the country, Jimmy has become a multi-generational favourite and one of the most-watched social media personalities of recent years.

KEYNOTE

Saul Griffith
Engineer | Entrepreneur

Saul Griffith is an engineer and entrepreneur specialising in clean and renewable energy technologies. Saul has founded a dozen technology companies across 20 years in Silicon Valley. Saul is the author of 3 books including `Electrify', and `The Big Switch'.





2023 Speakers

His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)

Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia

His Excellency General the Honourable David John Hurley AC DSC (Retd) was sworn in as the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 July 2019.

David Hurley joined the Australian Army in January 1972, graduating from the Royal Military College, Duntroon into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. In a long and distinguished 42-year military career, his service culminated with his appointment as Chief of the Defence Force.

He commanded the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment during Operation SOLACE in Somalia in 1993, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross. Following promotion to Colonel, he was appointed Chief of Staff, Headquarters 1st Division in June 1994, attending the U.S. Army War College in 1996 and 1997. He commanded the 1st Brigade from 1999-2000 in Darwin, supporting Australian-led operations in East Timor. He was appointed the inaugural Chief of Capability Development Group from 2003-07, Chief of Joint Operations Command in October 2007, and Vice Chief of the Defence Force in July 2008. Promoted to General, he succeeded Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston as Chief of the Defence Force on 4 July 2011 until his retirement on 30 June 2014. In 2010, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the Australian Defence Force.

Prior to being sworn in as Governor-General, David Hurley served as the 38th Governor of New South Wales from October 2014 – May 2019.

David Hurley was born in Wollongong, New South Wales on 26 August 1953, the son of Norma and James Hurley. His father was an Illawarra steelworker and his mother worked in a grocery store. He grew up in Port Kembla and attended Port Kembla High School where he completed his Higher School Certificate in 1971. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1975 and with a Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies from Deakin University in 1991. He is married to Linda with whom he has three children: Caitlin, Marcus and Amelia. The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley have three grandchildren.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Wollongong in 2013; a Doctor of the University, honoris causa, from the University of New South Wales in 2015; made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering in 2016; and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Macquarie University in 2017.  

The Hon Catherine King MP

Member for Ballarat | Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government

Catherine King was born in Melbourne. She holds a Degree in Social Work and a Masters in Public Policy from the Australian National University and has recently completed a law degree from Deakin University.

First elected to Federal Parliament in 2001 to represent the electorate of Ballarat, Catherine has been re-elected as member at each subsequent Federal Election.

Following the 2019 election, Catherine was appointed to the role of Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development in the Shadow Cabinet led by the Hon. Anthony Albanese.

Prior to entering Parliament, Catherine worked in the social welfare sector in Ballarat and later in the public sector in Canberra, as a director for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and as a senior manager at KPMG’s Health Consulting Practice.

The Hon Kristy McBain MP

Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories

Kristy McBain proudly grew up on the NSW Far South Coast, and she is the first woman to represent Eden-Monaro.

Since being elected in 2020, Kristy has built a formidable reputation as a plain spoken, hard-working local member who advocates with all levels of Government and all sides of politics to get results for her constituents.

A former Mayor of the Bega Shire Council, Kristy advocated day and night for people through the darkest days of the Black Summer Bushfires in 2019-20.

Kristy studied law at the University of Canberra and as the first person in her family to go to university, she is passionate that all kids get the chance to go to university or TAFE and have the opportunity to build their careers and lives in the regions as she has done.

The Hon Peter Dutton MP

Member for Dickson | Leader of the Opposition

Peter Dutton is the Federal Member for Dickson and Leader of the Liberal Party.

For nine years, Peter served his community as a Police Officer. He worked in the National Crime Authority and Drug and Sex Offenders’ Squads, with a focus on protecting women and children.

First elected to Parliament in November 2001, Peter was appointed to the Ministry in 2004. In January 2006, he became Peter Costello’s Assistant Treasurer.

Peter is married to Kirilly and is the proud father of Rebecca, Harry and Tom and lives in Dayboro in the Dickson electorate.

Hon Darren Chester MP

Member for Gippsland | Shadow Minister for Regional Development | Shadow Minister for Local Government and Territories | Shadow Minister for Regional Education

Darren Chester was born and educated in Sale.

He was elected to Federal Parliament as the Member for Gippsland on June 26, 2008, in a by-election following the retirement of the Hon Peter McGauran. 

During his time in Parliament, Darren has served in multiple executive positions across both Government and Opposition such as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel, Assistant Minister for Defence and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Regional Transport.

Prior to entering Parliament, Darren worked as a newspaper and television journalist before becoming Chief of Staff to the Leader of The Nationals in Victoria.

Darren is a keen sportsman who enjoys boating, camping and running marathons. He lives in Lakes Entrance with his wife Julie and their four children.

Vasyl Myroshnychenko

Ambassador of Ukraine

Vasyl Myroshnychenko resumed the functions of the Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia on April 1, 2022.

He briefly served as an Advisor to the Minister of Defence of Ukraine in March-April of 2022.

Between May 2021 and July 2022, Vasyl served as a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Institute, a cultural diplomacy outfit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he was an active business and civil society leader in Ukraine.

From 2006 to 2022, he was a Partner at CFC Big Ideas, a Kyiv-based strategic communications company. He has 20 years of experience advising clients on corporate communications, public affairs and reputation management. Vasyl advised many multinational companies and domestic industry leaders across various sectors.

Vasyl is a co-founder of Ukraine Crisis Media Center, a media NGO set up in early March of 2014 aimed at amplifying Ukraine’s voice internationally. He was in charge of numerous projects and campaigns during 2014-2019.

In 2015-2016, he was a Head of Board of Professional Government Association, an NGO which has united Ukrainian alumni of the Western Universities with a goal of mobilizing talent for the economic, legal and judicial reforms in Ukraine.

In 2018, Vasyl was a Marshall Memorial Fellow, a prestigious leadership program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

He was a Chevening Scholar and earned MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (2006, UK). He also holds MA and BA degrees in international relations from Institute of International Relations, Kyiv National Shevchenko University (2002, 2003).

Vasyl has two children and is married to Liana Myroshnychenko.

Crystal Fleming

Chief of Partnerships and Impact, Resilient Building Council

Crystal is Chief of Partnerships and Impact at the Resilient Building Council, working towards making communities and the built environment more resilient to the effects of climate change and natural disasters. She is climate change and resilience leader with over 13 years’ experience in climate change issues with particular expertise in adaptation and resilience.

Previously the General Manager at the Investor Group on Climate Change, where she also developed and implemented IGCC's climate change physical risk and resilience work. She has also worked with NSW Government, helping agencies understand and prepare for climate risk, reporting and disclosure.

She has been a steering committee member of numerous collaborative national and international initiatives, including The Investor Agenda, the Global Investor Coalition on Climate Change, the Climate Measurement Standards Initiative, and a technical working group member of the Coalition for Climate Resilient Investment. She is also an Environmental Advisory Committee member of Parramatta Council.

She is passionate about climate change adaptation and the possibility of leveraging private sector capital to create resilience to infrastructure, assets, and communities.

Matt Oxlade

Innovation Lead, LGAQ

Tracy is a digital specialist with over 20 years-experience in creating customer-centric digital roadmaps and building high-performing, award-winning teams.

In 2021, Tracy won the Women in Digital Australian Executive Leader of the Year award, a testament to her commitment to delivering excellent digital leadership at every opportunity.

She has led digital and social media for some of the largest events in Australia over the last decade, including the Brisbane floods, G20 and the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

She is now the first Chief Digital Officer in 125 years at the Local Government Association of Queensland, with a state-wide remit to improve data and digital maturity for all 77 QLD councils.

Colin Wood

Manager – Certification & Compliance, Shoalhaven City Council

Colin Wood is an Environmental Health and Building and he has worked in local government since 1990. He has graduate degrees in Building Surveying and Environmental Science, a Masters in Building Surveying and a Graduate Diploma in Bushfire Design, and is currently the Manager of Certification and Compliance at Shoalhaven City Council.

Colin also teaches in Bushfire Planning at the UTS Centre for Local Government and Western Sydney University. 

Colin has been the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors National representative on AS3959 – Buildings in bushfire prone areas since 1995 and he is the current chair of the AS3959 Construction Sub-Committee.

Colin has witnessed a number of bushfires first-hand in both the Blue Mountains and Shoalhaven Council areas and was at Shoalhaven Council when the bushfires impacted that area in the 2019/2020 fire season. 

After the fires, Colin and his team at Shoalhaven assisted Western Sydney University Researchers in conducting a study of Conjola Park.  A total of 106 homes were lost in Conjola Park and this accounted for a loss rate of 48% of all dwellings.  Whilst the rebuilds are largely underway or finished in the Shoalhaven, there is concern for existing building stock and best way to make these more resilient for when the next fire happens.

Susi Tegen

CEO, National Rural Health Alliance

Susi Tegen came to Australia from her native Austria as a teenager and as an immigrant and carer, she understands the confusion that arises for patients in a new country and a complex medical system.

Susi has lived and worked in, as well as advocated for, rural Australia for most of her working life, while living in rural SA, NT, NSW and Victoria. Until recently, she was a partner of a sheep meat and wool, cattle trading and grain property in the Limestone Coast for 30 years. Her passion is in farm safety, mental health services, remote monitoring and telehealth to support medical and health service access to rural and remote communities. She recognises the value in rural medical training and placements as well as government and private approaches to serving communities sustainably.

She is currently a Member Community Observers Working Committee (COWC); National Health and Medical Research Council Independent External Committee member; International Medical Graduate training committee, and IMG interview panel member; Royal Australian College of Surgeons Federal Training Council member and interview panel; Orthopaedic Association of Australia She is the Hon. Austrian Consul for SA NT.

David Williams

Former CEO, Planning Institute of Australia

David Williams, PIA Strategic Advisor, until recently was Chief Executive Officer of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA).  He commenced with PIA in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer and stepped into the CEO in 2016.

Prior to joining PIA, David held general management and leadership roles for 15 years, including rising from Finance Manager to 3 years as National Chief Executive Officer for Greening Australia, Australia’s largest environmental not-for-profit.

Having worked at the executive level in both the built and natural environments, the key strategic challenges facing both sectors are broadly similar. Sustainability, liveability and resilience in the context of a growing population and changing climate are issues that David has been focused on throughout his career.

Liz Ritchie

CEO, Regional Australia Institute

As the CEO of the Regional Australia Institute (RAI), Liz is driving a new national conversation about the future of this country that recognises regional Australia in a new light. 

For over 20 years, Liz has worked across the nation with corporates, government and the not-for-profit sector, and she specialises in leading business transformation to build a sustainable future. Liz is a purpose-led leader who leans into bold ideas. She is a change agent, an innovator, a researcher, an influencer and an extremely passionate advocate for regional Australia, heralding from Deniliquin, in NSW.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp 

City of Melbourne

Sally Capp was re-elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne in October 2020 after having previously been elected in May 2018 and is the first woman to be directly elected as Lord Mayor.

Sally was the first woman to hold the post of Agent-General for Victoria in the UK, Europe and Israel. She has also served as the CEO for the Committee for Melbourne and Victorian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia.

A passionate Collingwood Football Club supporter, in 2004 Sally made history as the first female board member of Collingwood Football Club.

Sally began her career as a Solicitor, after completing Law (Hons) and Commerce degrees at the University of Melbourne.

She has held senior roles at both KPMG and ANZ, and co-founded a small business which she took to the ASX. She is involved in a number of charities, currently sitting on the board of the Olivia Newton[1]John Cancer Research Institute, the Mary Jane Lewis Scholarship Foundation and the Melbourne University Faculty of Business and Economics.

Dr Jonathan Carr-West 

CEO, Local Government Information Unit UK

Dr Jonathan Carr-West has been Chief Executive of LGIU (Local Government Information Unit) since February 2013, where he leads on all aspects of the think tank’s policy, membership and influencing work.

Some of his particular interests are in participative democracy, the evolving nature of public services and devolution. With extensive media profile and sector credibility, he has published on topics as diverse as localism and public service transformation, cognitive and behavioural science, and the politics of cultural memory.

Prior to being appointed as Chief Executive, Jonathan was Director of Policy at the LGIU where he led on research and consultancy, policy development and piloting, best practice dissemination, learning and development.

Tahlia Azaria

Director, Young Mayors

Tahlia Azaria is the Director of the Young Mayors program at the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA). Tahlia has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) from RMIT University and an MBA from Melbourne Business School, and has worked in the youth, media, arts and not-for-profit sectors for 15 years in senior leadership roles at institutions including SYN Media, Circus Oz and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. Tahlia is also Chair of the Board of Outer Urban Projects, a performing arts company in Melbourne's outer north.

Jennifer Michelmore

Chief Executive – Studio THI

Jennifer is an accomplished urbanist and designer, and has been part of the THI family for over 15 years. Having established her career with the organisation in community development, she’s also worked across strategy and change, and is now at the helm of the organisation. Jennifer completed her study in Industrial Design at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where she’s also been a guest lecturer. Her strong design and conceptual capabilities drive her aspirations for achieving bold and innovative outcomes that can shape urban places and practice. She’s a big believer in power of co-creation and collaboration, and has played a central role in securing THI’s position as an independent platform for urban professionals and communities to come together.

Jennifer has established respectful, long-term relationships within the global urban development sector and has worked across a number of major urban development projects. Outside of the studio, Jennifer is generally chasing the tails of her two children or creating culinary chaos–she’s never one to follow a recipe. She’s also been known to plough through a good book with voracious speed. Her guilty pleasure is listening to country music...no surprise given she grew up on 85,000ha of cattle country in Central Queensland! 

Brendan Moon AM

Coordinator-General, National Emergency Management Authority

Brendan Moon AM commenced as the first Coordinator-General of the National Emergency Management Agency in October 2022.

Brendan brings with him extensive expertise and experience in disaster response, recovery, preparedness and risk reduction.

He spent 10 years with the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA), starting as the General Manager, Operations in 2011 until his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in 2016.

Brendan is a regular contributor to national and international dialogue on disaster risk and resilience and has addressed the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction’s Asian Ministerial Conferences on multiple occasions. He is a passionate advocate for cooperation and collaboration across international, national, state and local agencies for disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

Nathan Dal Bon

CEO, National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation

Nathan has been Chief Executive Officer of NHFIC since its inception in 2018. He has more than 25 years' experience in economic policy development and advising across government. In his previous role as a senior Commonwealth Treasury official, he led the team that worked extensively on the establishment of NHFIC. As CEO, Nathan is focused on building an organisation that improves housing outcomes, particularly in affordable housing.

Prior to joining NHFIC, Nathan held senior executive roles in the Commonwealth Treasury, and the departments of Industry, Innovation and Science; Foreign Affairs and Trade; and Prime Minister and Cabinet. He has served as a non-executive director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).

In 2014, Nathan was Australia’s representative to the United Nations for the Report of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing.

Nathan holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Economic (Hons) degree from the University of Newcastle.

Wendy Hayhurst

CEO, Community Housing Industry Association

Wendy was appointed in March 2019 as CEO of the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA), the peak body representing not for profit community housing organisations across Australia.

Previously she led CHIA NSW – the state peak - for four years. Wendy has spent almost her entire career in social and affordable housing – working her way from the front line to a non-executive directorship and senior managerial roles in a wide range of housing provider organisations, regulatory bodies, specialist consultancies and performance benchmarking organisations.

She has in-depth knowledge and experience of the NSW, national and international community housing sector through her work with the NSW Regulator, in shaping and administering the National Regulatory System and her work in the United Kingdom.

Stephanie Crowe

First Assistant Director General, Cyber Security Resilience, Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australian Signals Directorate

Steph is head of the ACSC’s Cyber Security Resilience Division, which is responsible for delivering technical programs, services and publications across government and industry, as well as enabling the uplift and hardening of critical networks. Steph’s cyber security career spans almost 10 years – she has conducted various roles within junior operational ranks up to her most recent roles in senior leadership positions.

Steph has led the ACSC’s cyber threat intelligence and incident management functions and designed programs to enhance Australia’s cyber security situational awareness, national threat picture and incident response capabilities. Steph has been involved in cyber security efforts supporting key national events such as e-Census, elections and G20, and in facilitating national exercise programs. She has also directed Government’s technical response to numerous nationally-significant cyber security incidents.

Her Bachelor of Asian Studies Specialist (ANU) led to her to the graduate program in ASD in 2009.  Throughout her 13 year career at ASD Steph has performed in various roles across the organisation’s intelligence missions utilising her expertise in operations management.

Gary Okely

Head of JLT Public Sector – Pacific | President, National Insurance Brokers Association

Gary’s expertise in advisory, risk and insurance sectors has guided the evolution of innovative solutions tailored to meet government protection needs, with a sharp focus on the important local government sector.  

Having worked with insurance markets in Australia, Asia and London during a 40-year career, his approach has been trailblazing. Gary assists governments, businesses and not-for-profits to move beyond traditional insurance approaches and to take the reins for stronger risk management and claims results.

This work has resulted in modernising risk management for continuous change, including expanding opportunities in cooperative self-insurance. Gary is also leading conversations on disaster vulnerability and resilience-building in Australia.

Gary is Head of JLT Public Sector – Pacific, the President of Australia’s National Insurance Brokers Association and he holds a number of Board positions. He is a Qualified Practicing Insurance Broker.

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