SPEAKERS

At Progress, 100+ speakers will host big conversations, share best practice skills and help us reimagine what’s possible together.

We will keep adding to this page as speakers confirm. Check back regularly.

Portrait of Ash Sarkar, a British journalist and activist, with long dark hair, wearing a dark blazer and a necklace with a pendant, set against a green background.

ASH SARKAR (UK)

Journalist, political commentator, activist and author of ‘Minority Rule’

Ash Sarkar is a British journalist, political commentator and activist. She is Senior Editor at Novara Media, where her work explores the intersection of politics, popular culture and social justice. Her writing has been published in The Guardian, The Independent and HuffPost UK, and she is a regular voice on UK broadcast media, appearing on programs like Question Time, Good Morning Britain and BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze.
Ash also lectures at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, contributing to critical conversations about media, power and resistance.
Her debut book, Minority Rule, examines how identity politics became a defining force in the 2010s, both a vehicle for liberation and a target of backlash, in the context of deepening economic inequality.

A white man with tattoos on his chest, wearing a brown suit over a black tank top. He is standing in front of a brown wall and is smiling.

DOM KELLY (USA)

Founder, President and CEO
New Disabled South

Dom Kelly (he/they) is the Founder, President & CEO of New Disabled South. A lifelong disability advocate and organizer, Dom has been building progressive infrastructure in the U.S. South since 2009. He’s a celebrated movement leader, organizer, speaker, and writer, as well as a former touring musician who has recorded and performed with artists like Indigo Girls, The Bangles, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and more. Born with cerebral palsy, Dom began advocating for disability rights at age four. He previously worked as a senior advisor on Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign and at her organization Fair Fight Action. He holds multiple degrees, including a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and is completing a Doctor of Public Health degree at The George Washington University. Dom is a 2025 Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity, a 2024 Rockwood Fellow, and a 2023 J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize winner. His writing has been published in Teen Vogue, The Hill, Mondoweiss, and more. He’s been featured on NPR, Sky News, Forbes, and TODAY.com. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and daughter.

NGARRA MURRAY

Co-Chair, First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria

Ngarra Murray is a proud Wamba Wamba, Yorta Yorta, Dhudhuroa and Dja Dja Wurrung woman who grew up in Shepparton, and is Co-Chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria (the Assembly). She has significant cultural and familial connections to many parts of Victoria and NSW. Living and working on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country, Ngarra represents the diverse Aboriginal Communities of the Metropolitan region.
As the elected Co-Chair, Ngarra is a spokesperson for the Assembly. Her role is to elevate the voices and priorities of Community members on the journey to Treaties in Victoria. She is committed to meeting with all Traditional Owner groups and spending time ‘talking Treaty’ with communities to foster nation-building and consensus-building throughout her term.
Ngarra is passionate about community mobilisation, the inalienable power of sovereignty and lore, and Treaties in our near future. Before commencing her full-time leadership role at the Assembly, Ngarra was the Executive Lead of the First Peoples’ Program at Oxfam Australia.Un her role, Ngarra worked across local, national and global alliances and led a team working across multiple national priorities; including building constituency for change, policy and influencing activities and the Oxfam Straight Talk program. Ngarra played a critical role in the success of the Straight Talk program, supporting hundreds of First Nations women to engage with political systems and forge important connections globally. Ngarra has made immense contributions to Oxfam Australia and devoted more than ten years of service to the organisation.
Ngarra has held a range of positions at The University of Melbourne, City of Melbourne, Co-Health and Museum Victoria. Ngarra was previously a Member of the National NAIDOC Committee and Member of Creative Victoria’s First Peoples Direction Circle. She is an Alumni of the Fellowship for Indigenous Leadership.

JAMILA RIZVI

Progress Emcee |
Deputy Managing Director at Future Women

Jamila is an experienced leader and social policy expert, best-selling author, opinion columnist and broadcaster. As Deputy Managing Director at FW, Jamila champions gender equality through professional development, storytelling and advocacy.

A published author for adults and children, Jamila’s most recent book is Broken Brains, co-authored with Rosie Waterland and published by Penguin Random House. She is a columnist for the Nine newspapers and host of several popular podcasts.

Jamila was previously Editor in Chief at Mamamia Women’s Network, and advised the Rudd and Gillard Governments on gender, early childhood education, media and employment participation.

In 2024 Jamila was named as one of 25 Emerging Global Workplace Culture Creators, she won the Women and Leadership Australia Award in 2020 and has been included in the AFR’s 100 Women of Influence. Jamila is an ambassador for PLAN International and the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation.

CRYSTAL SIMEONI
(Kenya)

Executive Director, The Nawi Collective

Crystal Simeoni is a Pan-African feminist activist and Director of Nawi – the Afrifem Collective (The Nawi Collective).

She works at the intersection of the technical and the colloquial, of critique and imagination, of knowledge and practice, of language and of the creation of community. She curates the work of the Nawi collective who, in community with other African feminists and organizations, work on analyzing, influencing and reimagining macro level economic policies and narratives.

In her understanding, in her critique and her imagining of a different way, her work is always at the service of life.

HUGH DE KRETSER

President of the Australian Human Rights Commission

Hugh de Kretser commenced his five-year term as President of the Australian Human Rights Commission on 30 July 2024. For more than two decades, Hugh has played a critical role advancing human rights in Australia.
Before joining the Commission, he was the CEO of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the first formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices experienced by First Nations people in Victoria. He previously worked as the Executive Director of the Human Rights Law Centre and the Executive Officer of the Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres.
Hugh has also served as a Commissioner of the Victorian Law Reform Commission and a Director of the Sentencing Advisory Council. He has held a range of not-for-profit board, governance and advisory positions including for Flourish Australia, the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations, knowmore and the National Association of Community Legal Centres. He has worked as a community lawyer, managing the Brimbank Melton Community Legal Centre and started his legal career advising companies on employment and anti-discrimination law.

PROFESSOR JACKIE HUGGINS AM

Historian, advocate and Elder in Residence, Australian Progress + Common Threads

Professor Jackie Huggins AM FAHA is Bidjara and BirriGubba Juru. She is currently Director of Indigenous Research, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, University of Queensland, Herston campus, Brisbane. She recently completed a role as Honorary Professor, Centre for Deep History, Australian National University. Her other roles include POU Atlantic Fellows Social Equity (Melbourne University); Director, National Centre for Reconciliation, Truth and Justice (Federation University Victoria); Co-Chair, National Apology Foundation; Elder in Residence, Australia Progress; Steering Committee Member for Passing the Message Stick and Common Threads; and Elder in Residence, Australian Broadcasting Commission. Professor Huggins is in demand as a speaker, mentor, writer, advisor with over four decades experience in community, academia, government and non-government sectors

GIRIDHARAN SIVARAMAN

Race Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission

Giridharan Sivaraman commenced as Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner in March 2024. Prior to becoming Commissioner, he was Principal Lawyer with Maurice Blackburn where he led the firm’s Queensland Employment Law department. He also held the position of Chair of Multicultural Australia from 2021-2024 and was a member of the Queensland Multicultural Advisory Council from 2019-2024, where he was an advocate for the rights of victims of racial vilification.

Commissioner Sivaraman was born in India and migrated to Australia as a child. His anti-discrimination legal and advocacy work is based on his strong passion for human rights, as well as his moral conviction to speak truth to power and fight for the rights of the marginalised, oppressed, and vilified.

SIOBHÁN O’DONOGHUE (Ireland)

Executive Director, Uplift

Siobhán (she/her) is an Irish based community organiser, campaigner, leader and storyteller. Her experience spans decades of grassroots, local, national and global struggles for justice and equality. She is the founding Director of Uplift, Ireland's largest people powered campaigning community, connected to 7% of the population.
Prior to this Siobhan was Director of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland where she led several successful campaigns including rights for domestic workers, criminalisation of forced labour, protections for people undocumented. She has held a wide array of leadership roles across civil society including as lead negotiator in social partnership agreements in the late ‘90s.
She currently serves on the board of the global network, Online Progressive Engagement Network [OPEN], is the Chairperson of the Hope & Courage Collective, Ireland's leading civil society space countering extremism, founder of CorpWatch, a new space for action for collective action on corporate power and co-founder of the Democracy Hub.

GABRIELLA ZUTRAU (USA)

Digital Strategy Advisor - MoveOn, Zohran for NYC; Content Creator

Gabriella Zutrau is a Digital strategy Advisor to campaigns and organizations, like MoveOn and Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. She specializes in organic social media, and has a background in community organizing, and she is best known for her social chatbot infrastructure builds.
In a very different lane, she is also a content creator in the pet niche, reaching millions of people every month through her dog’s accounts, @ednatherunt. Gabbi uses Edna's accounts as a lab where she experiments with new digital tools and tactics that she's interested in.

Viktor: a man with medium-length wavy brown hair, a short beard and round glasses standing outdoors, smiling softly at the camera.

VIKTOR MAK (AUSTRIA)

Co-Director, European Center for Digital Action

Viktor Mák is a Hungarian-American digital strategist and campaign director based in Vienna, working at the intersection of technology, organizing and democracy in Europe. He served as Digital Director for Jambor András, who won a parliamentary seat against Viktor Orbán’s regime, and later as Campaign Director for the teachers’ movement Tanítanék, which helped win a 50% pay raise for 100,000 teachers in Hungary.

Viktor is Co-Director of the European Center for Digital Action (ECDA), a pan-European hub that supports progressive parties, NGOs and movements to build large-scale digital organising programs, fundraising, and campaigning infrastructure across multiple countries.

He has also worked on the Harris campaign in the United States, bringing back lessons on distributed organising, narrative, and volunteer programs.

Across all these roles, Viktor focuses on combining strong narrative, organising and data-driven digital strategy to help progressive forces win and hold power in increasingly hostile political environments.

Noorulain, wearing a black shirt against an ocean background.

NOORULAIN MASOOD (PAKISTAN)

Founder, Center for Social Innovation in Developing Countries | Lead Trainer, Leading Change Network

Noorulain is Founder and CEO of CSIDC, a Global South organisation that specialises in providing training and facilitation services to enhance the practice of leadership and organising in campaigns, particularly those in the climate, energy, and gender spaces.
After getting a Master's degree in International Development from Harvard University in 2009 as a Fulbright scholar, Noor has trained and coached over 1,500 campaigners and social justice leaders across South Asia, East Asia, Australia, Africa, and the United States.
She first taught with Professor Marshall Ganz at Harvard in 2012, and since has been teaching and leading teams in the instruction of Marshall Ganz’s Organizing and Heifetz’s Adaptive Leadership with Harvard University, LCN, and other institutions. Prior to founding CSIDC, Noor ran a rural leadership program; led a 1.2M USD non-profit called Teach For Pakistan; worked in the poverty and equity practice at the World Bank headquarters; and supported the Pakistan Mission in United Nations General Assembly proceedings.

GEORGIE DENT

CEO, The Parenthood

Georgie Dent is the CEO of The Parenthood, Australia’s leading parent advocacy organisation representing over 80,000 parents, carers and supporters.
She is a best-selling author, former lawyer and prominent advocate for children, families, gender equity and mental health. The Parenthood champions paid parental leave, access to quality early childhood education and care and family-friendly workplaces.
She is a mum of three and lives in Sydney with her husband & co-partner in chaos.

Photo of Kassie standing in front of NZ Parliament. She has long brown hair on the left side with the right side of her head shaved.

KASSIE HARTENDORP (NZ)

Director, ActionStation Aotearoa

Kassie Hartendorp (she/her) is a Māori community organiser based in Aotearoa (New Zealand). She is currently the Director for people-powered campaigning organisation, ActionStation. Her team campaigned to stop the Treaty Principles Bill which broke historical records for Treaty justice. She's passionate about building movements for indigenous rights and economic justice.

JILL GALLAGHER

CEO, VACCHO

Jill is a proud Gunditjmara woman from Western Victoria who has spent more than 28 years advancing Aboriginal health and wellbeing through her work with VACCHO. As a respected Aboriginal leader, Jill has dedicated her life to advocating for Community. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2009 awarded the Order of Australia in 2013 and inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll in 2015. From 2017 to 2019, Jill served as Victoria’s first Treaty Advancement Commissioner and led the establishment of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria.

Image of Mohamed smiling at the camera holding Zohran for NYC flyers and a clipboard with a volunteering QR code.

MOHAMED ALHARBI

Former Muslim and South Asian Constituency, Zohran For NYC

Mohamed Alharbi (he/him), is a Yemeni born, New York raised community organizer. Formerly Zohran Mamdani’s Muslim and South Asian (MSA) Constituency Field Manager, he’s broken the record three times for the largest single day Muslim voter engagement in the US and increased MSA voter turnout by over 300% in New York City.

He spent years prior working in the nonprofit sector, from providing case management services to newly arrived Americans to supervising the largest office of New York’s leading environmental organization. Mohamed is deeply committed to improving the quality of life for New Yorkers and to empowering communities that have too often been left out of the political process.

JAN FRAN

Co-Founder, Ette Media

Jan Fran is a Walkley award-winning journalist, co-founder of Ette Media and host of the We Used to be Journos podcast. She is known for hosting several prime-time weekly television shows, including SBS's The Feed, Channel 10's The Project, and most recently ABC's Question Everything. She's also known for her sharp social commentary videos on social media, which attract millions of views. Across her 15-year career, she's produced documentaries from around the world, made a number of award-winning podcasts, and is currently writing her first book. In 2025, she co-founded Ette Media with fellow journalist, Antoinette Lattouf, to help tackle media misinformation and provide much-needed media literacy.

ANTOINETTE LATTOUF

Co-Founder, Ette Media

Antoinette Lattouf is an award winning journalist, presenter, author and human rights advocate whose surname has become a verb: Lattoufed. It describes being sacked or silenced, then refusing to fold.

Her landmark Federal Court win, Lattouf v ABC, became a national flashpoint, sharpening debates about free speech, employee rights, institutional cowardice, and what happens when a journalist speaks truth to media power. The case exposed how quickly large organisations retreat under pressure, and how costly that retreat can be for individuals.

Antoinette is the co founder of independent media company Ette Media and the not for profit Media Diversity Australia. She is a TEDx speaker and a regular fixture on lists including the AFR’s 100 Women of Influence, recognised for her work on media ethics, representation, and human rights.

Her second book, Women Who Win, explores women who saw the rulebook, chuckled, and used it as a coaster. It is out in April 2026.

ANDREW HUDSON

CEO, Centre for Policy Development

Andrew Hudson has 25 years of experience in the social change movement. He is an expert in building collaborations and changing systems to improve the lives of disadvantaged people.

Andrew joined CPD in June 2021 and has been CEO since April 2022. Before joining CPD, Andrew was CEO of Crisis Action in New York, leading a global team of 50+ people in 11 countries. Crisis Action builds coalitions to protect civilians in wars such as Syria, Yemen or South Sudan.

Prior to Crisis Action, Andrew worked at Human Rights First in New York, where he coordinated UN advocacy, managed the Human Rights Defenders Program and led Latin American work. Previously, Andrew was a lawyer in Australia representing disadvantaged clients and refugees and spearheading law reform projects.

He has also worked with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He was Australia’s first Youth Representative to the UN. Andrew holds honours degrees in politics and law from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Laws from New York University. He is a John Monash Scholar and Board member of Australian Progress.

CHRIS COOPER

Co-Founder, Research + Action

Cooper is a founder, social impact campaign director, and advocacy strategist. He has 15+ years of experience co-designing and implementing social impact programs and campaigns across six continents, working at the intersections of disinformation, climate, democracy, responsible tech, and public health.
He is co-founder of Research+Action (R+A) – which builds networked strategic infrastructure for understanding emergent fossil fuel narratives and tactics, and acting to outmanoeuvre them. R+A partners with diverse stakeholders across Latin America, Asia and Africa - providing intelligence, capacity building and support to advance just transitions.
He is a member of Climate Integrity's Expert Panel, and a board member of Sweltering Cities. Previously, he was co-founder and executive director of Reset.Tech Australia, and Head of APAC at Purpose.

JACQUELINE KING

General Secretary, Queensland Council of Unions

Jacqueline is the General Secretary of the Queensland Council of Unions, the state peak body for unions representing 400,000 union members.
Jacqueline has worked across a range of unions since her early 20s, in organiser, research, industrial, policy and education roles, as well as having been a senior advisor to Labor Governments, and established and ran industry training organisations in the power, electrical and construction sectors.
She has a particular passion for women's rights and work health and safety and in her role with the QCU has overseen a number of campaigns around psychosocial hazards, gender equity, mental health, sexual harassment and reproductive leave initiatives.
She holds a First Class Honours Law Degree and a Master of Business Administration along with several other qualifications.

AROHA NISBETT

Advocacy Campaigns Manager, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT

Aroha is Advocacy Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, where she believes communications can do more than inform, they can transform systems and lives.
With extensive experience in advocacy and strategic communications, she leads campaigns that centre lived experience and turn insights into action, from co-designing initiatives with community members to creating sensory campaigns and driving national collaborations.
Her work blends creativity with strategy to influence policy and shift perceptions. Aroha experiments with new techniques (from AI prototypes to inclusive storytelling) to make inclusion tangible and measurable. She is passionate about building campaigns that resonate, inspire, and deliver meaningful impact.

SAFFRON ZOMER

Executive Director, Australian Democracy Network

Saffron is a lawyer, campaigner and political strategist with more than a decade of experience leading law reform campaigns. Prior to the Australian Democracy Network, Saffron was Government Relations Manager at the Australian Conservation Foundation. She spent several years living and working in the US, where she held a range of campaign and government relations roles.

In 2017, Saffron co-founded and led the Hands Off Our Charities Alliance which secured critical changes to 2017 Electoral Act amendments to protect the rights of civil society organisations to engage in advocacy.

EL GIBBS

Disability advocate

El Gibbs is a person with disability with over fifteen years of experience in policy, strategy, and advocacy for the rights of people with disability. She has worked as a sought-after consultant in policy, communications, and strategy, and has held senior roles at various national disability representative organisations. Additionally, El is an award-winning writer, regularly published on NDIS and disability issues in leading publications. El lives on unceded Wiradjuri country, in regional NSW.

El has most recently been the CEO of the Disability Advocacy Network Australia. El also is a member of the Jobs and Skills Australia Ministerial Advisory Board.

JO SCARD

Founder + Chief Executive Officer,
Fifty Acres

As the Founder and CEO of Fifty Acres, Jo offers 20 years’ experience in communications and a wealth of knowledge in public relations and project management. Standing as one of Australia’s most highly sought-after strategic advisors, Jo has a proven reputation in the field across corporate and political advisory and journalism.
A trained lawyer and respected former journalist in the UK and Australia, Jo has worked with ITV, Associated Press, Seven Network, SBS, ABC and Fairfax, and previously acted as a senior adviser in the Rudd and Gillard governments as well as the British Labour Party.

GAUTAM RAJU

Global Director, Policy and Advocacy, Movember

Gautam is the Global Director, Policy & Advocacy at Movember. Gautam has over 14 years experience leading a number of public campaigns and advocacy strategies across Europe, Kenya, India, and the US on youth policy, health, democracy and digital rights. Most recently at Purpose, Gautam led the United Nations Secretary General campaigning response to combat misinformation on COVID-19 which has reached over 1 billion people. He is also Chair of the Board for Australian Democracy Network.

At Oxfam International, as Head of Digital Campaigns he headed the digital worldwide influencing strategy – an ambitious agenda to build the digital campaigning capacity of Oxfam and partners. There, he took on campaigns from Europe, Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, working with in-country teams, partners, and coalitions to mobilize around issues on land, climate change, inequality, and humanitarian crises. Under Gautam’s leadership, the digital worldwide influencing strategy has mobilized of 2.5 million supporters around the world and built tools and resources that were accessible to over 2,000 partners. Before joining Oxfam, Gautam co-founded OurSay.org – an independent organization started by a team of young people passionate about harnessing the power of social media to revitalize critical participation in democracy. He has also worked on public policy and external relations for Teach For Australia and in the Australian public service.

Gautam was Visiting Fellow at Oxford University (2022) and has a Master’s in International Development and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and Arts (Advanced Chinese Mandarin). In his spare time, Gautam loves to cook, travel and play the bass guitar. He is a native of Melbourne, Australia and has lived in Shanghai, New Delhi and London.

TOM MACLACHLAN

Filmmaker and Founder,
ChopChop

For the past 20 years, I’ve helped purpose-driven organisations tell stories that move people to act. I’ve founded three video production companies dedicated to the for-purpose sector, partnering with nonprofits, advocacy groups and governments to raise money, shift public opinion, and win campaigns.

Today, I’m the founder of ChopChop, an Australian video service built for comms and marketing teams who need high-quality, on-brand videos without the cost, delays or complexity of traditional production. ChopChop streamlines more than 300 steps of filmmaking into a simple system so organisations can turn important ideas into persuasive, accessible videos in minutes of their time.

My career began as a playwright and journalist before turning to filmmaking to make complex stories simple. Across hundreds of campaigns, I’ve learned that anyone trying to make a difference has a story worth telling. My job is to help tell it clearly, creatively, and with impact.

Image of Renee wearing jumper that says 'NIYEC Mob self-determining our education'

RENEE PHILLIPS

Co-Founder and Director of Learning and Programs, National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition

Renee is a Saibai, Kerema and Daru woman from Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait) and Papua New Guinea. She is a Co-Founder of NIYEC and currently serves as its Program and Learning Director. A trained Science and Maths high school teacher, Renee has taught at an Independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school in Gimuy - Yidinji (Cairns) and at a state high school on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country. She has also worked as a Primary Educator and Community Development Officer at Children's Ground on Arrernte Country.

Image of Lauren smiling she has long brown hair and is wearing glasses.

LAUREN BLUNDELL

Dream Design Summit Delegate, National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition

Lauren Blundell is a Gunditjmara young person who pours her passion for mob and the environment into her activism; starting conversations online and taking direct action in the streets.

Previously taking part in the NIYEC FNQ workshop, and Dream Design Summit as a delegate, Lauren continues to stay involved with NIYEC by attending, and participating in, our monthly Deep Dive Yarns.

Lauren hopes for a world where all aspects of Indigenous people’s lives are self-determined and believes NIYEC is a fantastic starting point.

DANEY FADDOUL

Campaign Manager, Human Rights Law Centre

Daney Faddoul (he/him) joined the Human Rights Law Centre in March 2020 and focuses on the campaign to create an Australian Human Rights Act.

Daney has a wealth of campaigning experience from his time within the union movement, and at GetUp where he was a Senior Campaigner and then their Political Director. At GetUp he developed and led campaigns on economic justice and oversaw all of their political engagement activities, and assisted with a wide range of high-profile campaigning, messaging, media, fundraising and policy work.

Before his time at GetUp he was negotiating enterprise agreements as an Industrial Officer within the trade union movement, and coordinating national industrial plans and campaigns. Daney studied law at Western Sydney University.

Fiona stands at podium with Housing for the Aged banner behind her.

FIONA YORK

Executive Officer, Housing for the Aged Action Group

Fiona York is the Executive Officer of Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG), an organisation dedicated to ensuring older people have safe, affordable, and appropriate housing.

With extensive experience advocating for social justice and community rights, Fiona has led HAAG’s efforts to highlight the challenges older people face in the housing system, particularly older women at risk of homelessness.

She is a respected voice in housing policy and brings a wealth of knowledge about the practical and systemic changes needed to support older Australians.

Person standing in front of a residence The person is wearing a jacket and t-shirt.

LEO PATTERSON ROSS

CEO, Tenants' Union of NSW

Leo (he/him) works to help renters, their advocates and the broader community navigate, understand and transform Australia's housing system.
After more than a decade of experience in community development, individual and systemic advocacy roles Leo became CEO of the Tenants' Union in 2020 and continues to provides analysis and commentary that focuses housing debate on making a difference in the real world.
He brings together social, economic and legal frameworks and the on-the-ground experience of the 30,000 renters the Tenants’ Union and Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services of NSW work with each year.

Noura after speaking at Invasion Day rally in Naarm, January 2025

NOURA MANSOUR

National Director, Democracy in Colour

Noura Mansour (she/her) is a Palestinian educator, political analyst, writer and community organiser and National Director at Democracy in Colour, an anti-racist national organisation that works for racial justice.

Noura studied Political Science and Education and received masters in International Relations from Haifa University.

Noura’s passion for racial justice and commitment to building people power are deeply rooted in her personal lived experiences as a Palestinian woman, academic training in politics and professional journey in international developpment. As an educator, organisational consultant and a strategist, Noura has worked with civil society and grassroots organisations on campaigning and advocacy in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia. As one of the leading figures in the Palestine movements, Noura has been working extensively on advocacy, strategy and movement building in Australia for 10 years, ever since she migrated to Wurundjeri country.

A woman with glasses and a blonde bob sitting at a desk smiling at the camera. She is wearing a bright floral top and has a black wrist watch on.

ALEXANDRA JONES

Co-Founder, Friends of Really Excellent Dentistry (FRED)

Dr Alexandra Jones is a dental practitioner, scientist and educator with more than 30 years’ experience working to improve oral health outcomes across Australia.

She is the Co-Founder and Board Chair of Friends of Really Excellent Dentistry (FRED), a national health promotion charity and advocacy body focused on prevention, health equity, and reaching communities that are systemically excluded from traditional models of care.

Alex’s career spans clinical practice, molecular biology research, and rural and remote service delivery, including with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. She has deep expertise in the biological and social drivers of oral disease, and is a strong advocate for integrating oral health into Australia’s broader health reform agenda.

At FRED, Alex leads work that uses digital tools, community partnerships and evidence-based prevention to reduce avoidable disease and strengthen systems so everyone can enjoy good oral health and the many benefits it brings.

A photo of a white woman wearing glasses standing outside near trees

EMMA BACON

Founder and Executive Director, Sweltering Cities

Emma Bacon is the Founder and Executive Director of Sweltering Cities. Since the beginning of 2020 Sweltering Cities has connected with thousands of people around the country, working directly with communities in our hottest suburbs to campaign and advocate for more liveable, equitable and sustainable cities.

Emma is a passionate organiser, campaigner and activist. She has worked across movements for social and environmental justice for over 12 years on campaigns including an international asbestos ban, 10 cent deposits on bottles and cans, and union campaigns with shopping centre cleaners. She has run successful political campaigns and been part of winning significant outcomes for progressive change at local to international levels.

Emma is committed to building a broad movement for climate justice.

Emma lives and works on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi wurrung people.

WIL STRACKE

Assistant Secretary, Victorian Trades Hall Council

Wil Stracke is the Assistant Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, the peak body for unions in Victoria, and a long-term campaigner for women’s and queer rights. She was previously an Associate Solicitor at Slater & Gordon before commencing as an organiser with the Australian Services Union where she worked with members on workplace and industry wide industrial campaigns. She was the Lead Organiser in Victoria for the ASU national ‘Equal Pay’ campaign that achieved wage justice for underpaid, predominantly women workers in the community services sector.

In 2017, Wil coordinated the Victorian field campaign for the ‘Yes’ campaign for marriage equality.
In her role at Trades Hall, Wil leads the ongoing work of the Victorian trade union movement in addressing the challenges faced by working women as well as the union movement’s work in occupational health and safety. Wil’s work was acknowledged with the 2018 John Cummins Award for Victorian Unionist of the Year and the Jennie George Award in 2024 for outstanding contribution by a woman to the Australian union movement.

WESA CHAU

Executive Director, Per Capita

Dr Wesa Chau is Executive Director of Per Capita and serving as a member of the Victorian Government Anti-Racism Taskforce and National Foundation of Australia China Relations. A respected leader with over two decades of experience across not-for-profit, government and university sectors, Wesa has dedicated her career to advancing progressive policy and system-level reform grounded in fairness, shared prosperity, inclusion and social justice. Her work has spanned policy areas including international affairs, gender, multicultural, climate, disability, education and philanthropy.

Wesa brings a unique blend of academic insight and practical experience to her work. She holds a PhD in Political Science, a Master of Business Management, and Bachelor degrees in both Software Engineering and Commerce.

Wesa Chau has received several awards, including education category winner for the 40under40 Most Influential Asian Australian 2020; Victorian International Education Internationalisation Award 2016; inductee to the Victorian Women Honour Roll in 2012; and named Young Victorian of the Year in 2010.

CARLI LEIMBACH

Leadership Programs Director, Women's Environmental Leadership Australia

Carli Leimbach (she/her) is a dynamic Learning Designer, Lead Facilitator, and Leadership Consultant with over a decade of experience in women-centred coaching, facilitation, and leadership. She works with individuals, teams, and organisations to unlock human ingenuity, build systems thinking, and grow regenerative leadership practices. Carli’s career journey includes spearheading the ‘Innovate to Regenerate’ national challenge at WWF-Australia and establishing the first emerging leaders program for the ABC. As a Design Thinker for Google, she focused on building a stronger future for the news industry in the Asia Pacific region and was the first Fempreneur in Residence, engaged to support, promote and celebrate women entrepreneurs at The University of Technology, Business School. As Leadership Programs Director at WELA, she cultivates collaborative ecosystems and equips participants to generate, test, and scale new approaches to leadership in support of a thriving planet.

Portrait of a person with short dark hair wearing a black collared shirt, standing outdoors in front of green foliage and looking calmly at the camera.

ANNA JACKSON

Communications and Strategy, For Purpose

Anna brings a background in communications, human-centred design, and social innovation to her work in advocacy and systems change. Her experience spans documentary film, co-design, creative technologies, and academia, including teaching design thinking as a senior lecturer. Passionate about narrative change and values-based messaging, Anna helps teams navigate complexity together, building shared understanding, clarity, and trust.

Joe Todd facing camera, seated on bus with sun angled in.

JOE TODD (UK)

Founder, Movement Research Unit

Joe Todd is a founder, organiser and writer. He was Head of Communications at the campaign group Momentum during the 2017 and 2019 UK General Elections, helping build a nationwide grassroots movement and organise tens of thousands of activists to knock on hundreds of thousands of doors.

He is part of the Social Practice, a collective founded by Bernie Sanders organisers, which support unions, candidates and campaigns to organise at scale.

He also helped found The World Transformed, Europe's largest festival of politics; Common Knowledge, a worker coop that designs digital tools for grassroots activists and The Movement Research Unit, a network of 650 researchers who support 80 grassroots groups a year.

He researches and writes on progressive parties for the Rosa Luxembourg Stifung, Novara Media and on Substack. He is the co-host of the Life of the Party podcast.

ELENA YI-CHING

Director, Research + Action

Elena Yi-Ching Ho is the Co-founder and Director at the Research + Action, an NGO dedicated to countering climate disinformation. She is also pursuing her PhD in Communication and Media Studies at Queensland University of Technology.
Her research interests include political communication, information integrity, and social media. She has extensive experience examining issues such as climate change, democracy, and human rights.

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SAM LEWIS

President, The Flying Bats Football Club

Sam Lewis (she/they) is the President of The Flying Bats Football Club, the biggest and longest-running LGBTQIA+ women's and non-binary soccer club in Australia.
She is also a women's football journalist, podcaster, and advocate, having covered all levels of the game from grassroots through to World Cups for organisations including the Guardian, ABC, ESPN, and SBS.

ROBYN GULLIVER

Co-founder, Advocacy Research Network | Founder, Influence Tracker and Environmental Movement Research Hub

Dr Robyn Gulliver (she/her)is an activist academic whose research focuses on the antecedents and consequences of environmental and pro-democracy activism. She aims to bridge the gap between research and resistance by developing a predictive tool enabling advocates to identify the specific tactics and pathways that have the highest chance of achieving their goals.

Robyn is also co-founder of the Advocacy Research Network, and founder of Influence Tracker and Environmental Movement Research Hub. She is the lead author of several key texts, including The Advocates, Civil Resistance against Climate Change, and The Psychology of Effective Activism. Outside her academic role, Robyn is a multi-award-winning environmentalist and writer who has served with numerous local and national environmental organisations.

LEANNE MINSHULL

Co-Chief Executive Officer, The Australia Institute

Leanne is the co-Chief Executive Officer of The Australia Institute.

Formerly the Institute’s Strategy Director, Leanne has built an extensive network across political, advocacy, and business communities, working as a senior strategist in social, environmental, not-for-profit, and political sectors.

Leanne was admitted to practice as a solicitor in NSW and holds degrees in politics, industrial relations and law.

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JOANNE SUTTON

Strategic Campaigns and Communications Coordinator, Electrical Trades Union

Jo Sutton is the National Communications Coordiantor for the Electrical Trades Union, a position she has held since early 2024. Jo has been working with unions and in the community activism and organising space since 2004. Prior to being employed by a union, Jo was a workplace delegate for the hospitality division of the then LHMU. She has held positions as organiser, lead organiser and political coordinator with the United Workers Union. And in 2023 she was one of the two South Australian Coordinators for the Yes campaign.

JESSICA BIRCH

Advocate/Lived Experience Advisor

Jessica is a national advocate and speaker living with FASD.

Since her late diagnosis, she has turned her attention to awareness building and education around this complex injury, to create a better understanding of the prevalence and consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure in Australia; She believes awareness and action is key to slow the rate of FASD in our communities.

Over 6 years Jessica has been involved in a number of projects and has appeared in a variety of news, radio and television interviews; Notably, she successfully campaigned alongside Australia’s peak bodies for clear pregnancy warning labels on all alcohol products within Australia, and currently works as a lived experience advisor as part of FARE's National FASD Program.

Jessica regularly consults with researchers, health professionals and decision makers, and sits on several expert and community advisory boards, including those for NOFASD, FARE and the FASD HUB.

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ALISTAIR SISSON

Research Fellow, Macquarie University

Alistair is a researcher whose work spans housing, planning and urban development.
His research has particularly focused on issues in public and private rental housing – issues which he regularly discusses in media and public events as well as academic publications.
As a research fellow in the Macquarie University Housing and Urban Research Centre, he has collaborated with the Tenants' Union of NSW, Shelter NSW, OFFICE and Action for Public Housing, and sits on the Shelter NSW Members Working Group. His current project examines how politics and policy is being reshaped by the housing crisis.

IKA TRIJSBURG

Director of Urban Analytics, ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society

Ika Trijsburg draws on diverse sector expertise to address complex challenges to democracy. She leads the Disinformation in the City global research project, and was lead author of the world first Disinformation in the City Response Playbook in 2024. Ika is Director of Urban Analytics at the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society in the Crawford School for Public Policy and Head of Democracy and Diplomacy at Municipal Association of Victoria.
She also holds positions with the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne. She has provided guidance on disinformation response to key actors globally including cities, national governments, international networks and UN agencies.

PAUL COSTELLO (GERMANY)

Senior Manager, German Marshall Fund of the United States Cities (GMF Cities)

Paul Costello is a Berlin-based senior program manager for GMF Cities. He leads the team’s City Directors of International Affairs (CDIA) Network and several initiatives on democracy, disinformation, and climate displacement. Paul has a background in public policy and prior work experience in sustainability and public diplomacy programs. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and a bachelor’s degree in political science from McGill University in Montreal. Paul speaks English, Catalan, Spanish, and French.

KRISTA FISHER

Research Fellow, Movember Institute of Men's Health

Dr Krista Fisher is a global thought leader in young men’s mental health and digital culture. As a Research Fellow at the Movember Institute of Men’s Health, she explores how online worlds shape young men’s wellbeing, translating evidence into policy and action to spark conversation, break down stigma and drive meaningful change to help young men live mentally healthy and socially connected lives.

BEN SPIES-BUTCHER

Deputy Director, Macquarie University Housing and Urban Research Centre

Ben Spies-Butcher is Deputy Director of the Macquarie University Housing and Urban Research Centre, Co-Director of the Australian Basic Income Lab, and is co-author of Housing and the 2025 Federal Election. His research explores the political and economic dynamics of social and ecological policy. Alongside his focus on housing, his funded research collaborations include The Climate Economy: Emerging Strategies for Australia (Australian Research Council), and Aboriginal led solutions: strategies for reinvestment (Australian Public Policy Institute). His most recent book, Politics, Inequality and the Australian Welfare State After Liberalisation, shows how our economy is changing and what governments and citizens can do to make it more equal.

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TOM SULSTON

Head of Policy, Digital Rights Watch

Tom (he/him) is one of the founders of Digital Rights Watch and is now employed as its head of policy. Here, he's responsible for working out how we can have an internet that allows us to freely participate online while remaining respectful of our human rights.

He likes cats more than AI.

LINDA PRZHEDETSKY

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Melbourne Law School and ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society

Lina Przhedetsky (she/her) is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society (ADM+S). Her academic work is at the forefront of Australian research into the regulation of emerging technologies, specifically, the use of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making in essential services markets. Her research interests include housing, consumer protection, platform governance, citizen science, and surveillance.

In 2025, Lina joined University of Melbourne node where she works on the ADM, Ecosystems and Multispecies Relationships', AI Regulation' and Ad Observatory' projects. Prior to this, she undertook a PhD at UTS Law School. Her doctoral research analysed rental application technologies through a sociotechnical lens, used doctrinal analysis to identify gaps in consumer protections and proposes solutions for effective regulatory interventions. Her academic research is informed by her previous work as a policymaker in government and an advocate in the consumer and union movements.

VISHAL PRASAD (FIJI)

Director, Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change

Vishal Prasad is a Fijian climate justice advocate and Campaign Director of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), the student-led organisation behind the push for an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change. Joining the campaign in 2019, he has helped craft the roadmap from a Pacific classroom idea to a global legal movement, coordinating coalition outreach, and ensuring frontline testimonies anchored this case. That strategy helped build momentum for the UN General Assembly to request the opinion and kept pressure focused on rights, equity, and accountability. In July 2025, the ICJ delivered its landmark Advisory Opinion on the “Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change,” widely welcomed as a major win and a new baseline for climate accountability. Vishal now works on turning the Opinion into practical leverage for policy, diplomacy, and justice.

JOSH KLEMONS

Digital Storyteller/Strategist, Reverbal Communications

Josh Klemons is a Digital Storyteller and Strategist, and the founder of Reverbal Communications—a digital agency that helps progressive campaigns, brands, and organizations win the internet.

He’s worked on 100+ political campaigns—from city council to US Senate—and helped just as many brands navigate social media, email, paid ads, and more.

He’s also the host of Hello Merge Tag, a podcast about the intersection of politics and social media.

Learn more at joshklemons.com.

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LARAH KENNEDY

General Manager, Quiip

Larah Kennedy is a seasoned community professional specialising in connecting organisations with their audiences through online community and social media. Larah is passionate about creating productive, equitable and safe online spaces through strong governance and active community management.

Over the past two decades, Larah has worked across government, NFP, and private sectors with clients such as Australian Ethical Super, Alcohol & Drug Foundation, Take 3 for the Sea, VicHealth and Movember.

ANASTASIA RADIEVSKA

Protest Rights Campaigner, Australian Democracy Network

Anastasia has worked as a campaigner on a number of social issues, including creating a fairer welfare state, enabling a fair and fast energy transition and promoting citizen participation in democracy.

As a founding member of Legal Observers NSW, she helped lead the campaign against NSW's 2022 anti-protest laws and worked with grassroots communities to widen the space for democratic expression.

Having experienced the importance of community involvement in political action in her native Ukraine, she is passionate about ensuring communities are empowered to have a say in the issues that matter to them.

EMMA SHORTIS

Director, The Australia Institute

Dr Emma Shortis (She/Her) is Director of the Australia Institute's International & Security Affairs Program. Emma is a historian and writer, focused on US history and politics and foreign policy. In a conversation often dominated by the same voices, Emma offers a fresh perspective on international relations grounded in moral questions about how we might imagine a post-America future. She's a regular media commentator and host of the popular podcast "After America". Her latest book is After America: Australia and the New World Order.

Kristin stands against a red wall, visible from the waist up, smiling at the camera. He wears a blue sweater.

KRISTIN GILLIES

Director, For Purpose NZ

Kristin is Director at For Purpose NZ and focused on supporting people working to make the world a better place. When not working, Kristin likes to ride bikes.

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KATHERINE TREBECK

Economic Change Program Director,
The Next Economy

Katherine’s (she/her) roles include writer-at-large and co-director of the Compassion in Financial Services hub at the University of Edinburgh and Economic Change Programme Director at The Next Economy.
She is a member of the Club of Rome and co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and WEAll Scotland. She is Distinguished Visitor at ANU’s Planetary Health Hothouse and was 2024 thinker-in-residence at the Australian Health Promotion Association.

JOSIE ALEC

First Nations Lead, Australian Conservation Foundation

Kuruma Marthedunera woman Josie Alec is the First Nations Lead for Australian Conservation Foundation, the co-founder of Save our Songlines.
“I have been blessed with an extraordinary life journey. From stolen generation, to growing up with a wonderful foster family, to making my way back home to my amazing family and culture.”
Spiritualism runs strong in both of my families and was the grounding I needed upon my return home. My Mum was a traditional healer and held many sacred gifts and knowledge. Our Lore and Culture has played a big part in the rejuvenation and longevity for centuries in my country and informs the way we connect and live our daily lives.

As the First nations Lead at ACF we created a documentary called Heart of Country, which explores different First Nations people across Australia and their plight to save their country.
I am pleased to share my journey about learning how important our connection with country is and the care for country practices, as first nations people we share.
Looking after the environment is key to our future.

JOSH DEVINE

Systemic Investment Lead, Regen Melbourne

Josh is a proud Wonnarua man based in Naarm (Melbourne). He is currently the Systemic Investment Lead at Regen Melbourne, an organisation driving systems-level collaboration in service of a regenerative economy. In this role, Josh is focused on the growing field of systemic investment (at the intersection of finance, systems thinking and place based approaches) where he is exploring investment models that enable capital to flow toward systemic initiatives in service of regeneration.

He also serves on the Advisory Board of The Nature Conservancy Australia and the First Nations Steering Committee of Dilin Duwa (Indigenous Business Leadership Institute).

JORDY NIJENHUIS

Director, Dare to be Grey

Jordy Nijenhuis is a storyteller, campaigner, consultant and trainer based in The Netherlands. He is the director of Dare to be Grey, an award winning organisation that aims to counter polarisation, disinformation and hate. He co-founded the European Observatory of Online Hate (EOOH) is the lead trainer of the Digital Media to Counter Disinformation and Hate course at Radio Netherlands Training Center (RNTC). He is involved in a variety of different projects, and trains media professionals from all over the world in (social media) campaigning, storytelling and countering radicalisation, hate speech and disinformation. He believes that media is a powerful tool for behavioural change, and that we need new creative approaches to achieve fundamental change.

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CARLY WALLACE

Director, Disability Dialogue

Carly is the Director of the Disability Dialogue – a national, disability led project that centres the voices, leadership and experiences of people with disability in conversations about social justice, human rights and systemic change.

A proud Dulguburra Yidinji Aboriginal woman from the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, Carly is based in Brisbane and is also neurodivergent.

Her leadership sits at the powerful intersection of disability justice, First Nations self-determination and human rights.

Carly brings decades of experience across media and communications, First Nations engagement, youth work and disability advocacy.

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KATE MAY

Health Promotion & Communications Consultant, Lived Experience Advocacy / Health & Disability Advocacy

Kate May is a communications consultant and registered health promotion practitioner based in Naarm/Melbourne. She brings both professional and lived-experience insights to her work, shaped by years of navigating chronic illness alongside roles in public health, communications, research, and policy. Kate currently freelances with organisations including Common Cause Australia and the Australian Women’s Health Alliance and is an active advocate for people living with chronic pain. Her work focuses on shifting public narratives and supporting health and social change through strategic communications and community engagement.

CHERRY MUDDLE

Partnerships Manager, Women's Environmental Leadership Australia

Cherry (she/they) is a passionate conservationist with over a decade of experience empowering communities to protect the places and wildlife they love. She has led grassroots and national campaigns with the Australian Marine Conservation Society, including the landmark Fight For The Reef campaign, and has represented Australia at the World Heritage Committee. Cherry has co-founded community organisations in regional NSW focused on climate action and stronger planning laws, and continues to champion collaborative, diverse and community-led solutions. She is a long-standing member of Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia and now works as Partnerships Manager, supporting and amplifying women and gender-diverse leaders driving change.

ZENAIDA BEATSON (NZ)

Director & Designer, For Purpose NZ

Zenaida is a Director & Designer at For Purpose Aotearoa, where she combines visual and collaborative design to help organisations engage people in the issues that matter. Her practice is grounded in participatory approaches, working alongside communities to co-create impactful campaigns, digital tools and identities. She has partnered with unions, advocacy groups and charities across Aotearoa and internationally. In this workshop, she brings skills that transform abstract challenges into tangible processes teams can work through together.

MAXINE BENEBA CLARKE

Poet

Maxine Beneba Clarke is the author of over fourteen books for adults and children, including the ABIA and Indie award winning short fiction collection Foreign Soil, the critically acclaimed bestselling memoir The Hate Race, the self-illustrated picture book When
We Say Black Lives Matter, which was longlisted for the UK’s Kate Greenaway medal, and the CBCA Honour Book The Patchwork Bike (illustrated by Van T Rudd), which won the 2019 Boston Globe Horn Prize for Best Picture Book. Her poetry collections include Carrying the World, which won the 2017 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Poetry, How Decent Folk Behave, and It’s the Sound of the Thing: 100 new poems for young people, which won the 2024 ABIA for Book of the Year for Younger Readers. Maxine was the inaugural Peter Steele Poet in Residence at the University of Melbourne 2023–2025.

YAARA BOU MELHEM

Director & Producer, Illuminate Films - Yurlu | Country feature doco

Yaara Bou Melhem is a two-time UN Media Peace and six-time Walkley-award winning Australian writer, director and producer who makes films that often tackle the most pressing issues of our time. Her debut feature, Unseen Skies (2021), interrogates the inner workings of surveillance and artificial intelligence screened in competition at dozens of festivals worldwide (SFF, SFFILM, CPH DOX). She recently wrote, directed and co-produced The Whiteley Art Scandal (2023), a 2 x 1hr series about one of Australia’s biggest art fraud trials for the ABC. Her award-winning shorts range from following the creation of a secular democracy in war-torn Syria to profiling disinformation campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa. Her latest film, the Walkley Award-winning ‘Yurlu | Country’ (2025) is currently on the festival circuit and is a collaboration with First Nations Elder Maitland Parker about his fight to heal his homelands in the Pilbara, WA - the largest contaminated site in the Southern Hemisphere. Banjima people have since launched the Clean Up Wittenoom campaign for the remediation of their lands.

A woman with Arabic calligraphy adorning her face. The background features traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery patterns along with decorative ornamental elements.

GENEVIEVE GRIEVES

Filmmaker & Educator

Genevieve Grieves is a proud Worimi woman, award-winning filmmaker, educator, and Co-Creator and Creative Director of GARUWA. A leader in Indigenous storytelling, she creates works grounded in First Nations knowledge, cultural authority, and systemic change. Her acclaimed projects include “Lani’s Story” (SBS), “Power to Country” (ABC), and “Motherhood in the Colony” (2025), as well as co-curating “First Peoples” at Melbourne Museum. Genevieve also leads sector change through initiatives like the annual “First Nations Impact Lab” (with Doc Society), building bridges across communities and mentoring the next generation of storytellers with a vision for justice, sovereignty, and enduring cultural resilience.

Genevieve’s commitment to social change is underpinned by her work as co-founder of enterprise Shifting Ground, and she serves on the boards of Arts Pay, Darwin Community Arts, Original Power, and Koorie Heritage Trust.

ADAM BANDT

CEO, Australian Conservation Foundation

Dr Adam Bandt is the CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation, the country’s oldest and largest nature and climate organisation. After a decade in the private sector including as a Partner in a major national law firm, Adam read climate science. Spurred on by the need to act, he ran for Parliament, was elected as the Member for Melbourne and served there for 15 years, including as Leader of the Australian Greens. A believer that people power can change the world, Adam recharges by going camping with his family and hitting the decks as an enthusiastic DJ.

This is only the beginning! More speaker announcements coming soon.

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