Conference Speakers

The 2nd National Diversity on Boards Conference was fortunate to secure the following speakers, panellists and workshop presenters. Women on Boards extends a warm thank-you to these individuals who contributed to the Conference. To read the biographies of any of the speakers please click the hyperlinks on individual names.

Keynote Presenters

  • Arni Hole, Director General Ministry of Children and Equality, Norway
  • Elizabeth Broderick, Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner
  • David Gonski AC, Chair ASX, Coca-Cola Amatil and Investec Bank (Australia) Limited
  • Katie Lahey, Chief Executive Business Council of Australia
  • Chris Thomas, Partner Egon Zehnder International
  • Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, CEO of 20-First & Honorary President European Professional Women’s Network
  • Renee Adams, Professor of Finance, University of Queensland & Research Associate at the European Corporate Governance Institute
  • Sarah Cornally, Sarah Cornally Enterprises

Plenary Session Speakers

Concurrent Session Speakers

Workshop Presenters

 

Arni Hole

Director General Ministry of Children and Equality, Norway

Arni has held the position as Director General in the Royal Ministry of Children and Equality, Norway, the Department of Family Policies and Equality for six years. She previously held positions as Director General in the Ministry of Agriculture and deputy DG in the Ministry of Science and Education, as well as heading the National University of Sports and planning departements in the Research Council of Norway.

Arni has been engaged in international cooperation throughout her career, mostly within the science and technology-policy sector, but in the past six years in the areas of gender equality, family /work/ life policies, violence against women and female leadership in the contexts of the UN, Council of Europe, the EU/EEA-agreement, Nordic Council of Ministers, UNECE and others. She is frequently invited to give speeches and interventions on the above mentioned topics in international settings.

Her degrees are in Philosophy and History of Economics from the University of Oslo and she has studied at other European universities.Arni has been a research fellow in philosophy at the University of Oslo, held several positions as board member and chairman of boards in scientific and research institutions and is a member of the board for the comprehensive program of Welfare Research in the Research Council of Norway.

Elizabeth Broderick

Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination, 2007 - 2012

Elizabeth Broderick is a lawyer, mentor and innovative leader, 2001/02 Telstra NSW Business Woman of the Year and Australian Corporate Business Woman of the Year.

Prior to her appointment as Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination, Elizabeth was a partner at one of Australia’s leading law firms, Blake Dawson and developed the firm’s business case for flexibility in the workplace.  Her efforts contributed to creating a workplace where more than 25 percent of the law firm’s workforce now uses flexible work arrangements. 

Elizabeth has travelled the length and breadth of Australia listening to women and men’s concerns about gender equality and age discrimination. In 2009, she took a group of aboriginal women to the Commission on the Status of Women in the United Nations to tell their story of rebuilding their community following years of alcohol abuse.  This enabled community women’s voices to be heard on a global stage.   

Elizabeth is an adviser to the Australian Chief of the Defence Force on women’s issues and a member of the UTS Advisory Board and the Vic Health Advisory Board.  She is patron of the Tasmanian Education Foundation.
Elizabeth is married and has two young children Tom and Lucy
 

David Gonski AC

Professional Non-Executive Director

David Gonski is Chairman of the Australian Stock Exchange, Coca-Cola Amatil and Investec Bank (Australia) Limited, an investment and advisory bank. Investec acquired David's corporate advisory firm, Wentworth Associates Pty Ltd, which he established after leaving Freehills where he was a partner.

David is a director of the Westfield Group and Singapore Airlines, Chancellor of the University of New South Wales and Chairman of the UNSW Foundation, Sydney Grammar School Trust and National E-Health Transition Authority.
He was previously a member of the Takeovers Panel, President of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Director of ANZ Bank Ltd and Chairman of the Australia Council for the Arts.

Katie Lahey

Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia

Before joining the BCA in 2001, Ms Lahey was the Chief Executive of the State Chamber of Commerce (New South Wales) from 1995 to 2001, Chief Executive of the Sydney City Council from 1992 to 1995, and Chairman and Chief Executive of the Victorian Tourism Commission from 1989 to 1992.

Katie is a Director of David Jones, Chairman of Carnival Australia (the world’s largest cruise company) and an Ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. She is a former member of the Australia Council Major Performing Arts Board, Director of Australia Post, Hills Motorway and the Garvan Research Foundation.

In 2003, Katie was awarded a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian Society in the area of Business Leadership. She has a Bachelor of Arts (1st Class Honours) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Melbourne. She was awarded the prize for top student in the MBA for her year.

Chris Thomas

Partner Egon Zehnder International

Chris Thomas joined Egon Zehnder International in 1979 and became Managing Partner of the Melbourne office in 1986, a responsibility that he retained until 2003 when he moved to Paris where he was based for 2 ½ years. He was Leader of the Firm’s Global Board Consulting Practice Group from 1998 to 2006 and he chaired the Firm’s twice yearly international Partners' Meetings for 10 years from 1997.

Chris is a member of the Board of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. He was previously a member of the Council of the Australian (Government’s) Film, Television and Radio School, the Board of the Heide Museum of Modern Art for nine years (and was its Chairman for three years); Chairman of the Victorian Community Foundation (now the Melbourne Community Foundation) and President of the Melbourne Business School Alumni.

In recent years, Chris has been responsible for the development of Egon Zehnder International’s board review activities and has personally participated in reviews of a considerable variety of boards in countries such as Australia, France, Singapore, Finland, Chile and the Netherlands. He has advised boards of many Australian listed companies and other forms of organizations on the appointment of their CEOs and board members. While based in Europe he initiated a project in conjunction with the European Professional Women’s Network which has led to the production of their Bi-annual EuropeanPWN BoardWomen Monitor.

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox

CEO of 20-First

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox works with progressive companies interested in building gender ‘bilingual’ organisations that capture the opportunities offered by the other half of the talent pool and the other half of the market – the female half. The firm’s renowned Bilingual Leadership programmes help executives – men and women – manage difference more effectively.

Avivah is also the Founder and Honorary President of the European Professional Women’s Network www.EuropeanPWN.net, a certified executive coach and was a Visiting Coach at INSEAD. She is a popular speaker on leadership and gender issues across Europe and has had articles and interviews published in publications such as the International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times. Canadian, French and Swiss, she lives in France with her husband and gender balanced children (a son and a daughter). In 2007, ELLE Magazine recognised her as one of the TOP 40 Women Leading Change.

Renée Adams

Professor of Finance, University of Queensland & Research Associate at the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI).

Renee Adams is one of very few female finance professors in Australia. She is an internationally recognized expert on corporate boards and the governance of financial institutions. Amongst other publications, she is the co-author of a forthcoming Journal of Economic Literature survey of the literature on corporate boards with Michael Weisbach and Benjamin Hermalin. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago and an M.S. in mathematics from Stanford University.

Sarah Cornally

Sarah is one of Australia’s most sought after strategic leadership advisors. She is also a mentor, facilitator, speaker, trainer and executive coach with a finely honed ability for spotting maximum leverage points in businesses, people and organisations. Over the past 20 years Sarah has worked at executive and board levels in many multinational organisations, government departments and small businesses in the areas of:

  • Strategic leadership advice and mentoring
  • Organisational change and issue resolution
  • Effective group dynamics
  • Executive coaching

Sarah has extensive experience across all areas of industry, commerce and government. Her client list includes Coca Cola Amatil, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ernst & Young, Macquarie Bank, Network 10, Pearson Education, Phillips Fox Lawyers, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Vodafone, to name a few

Erica Smyth

Erica started work as an exploration geologist with BHP Minerals then moved into project management, government approvals and community consultation. This led to similar roles in the oil and gas industry in WA with BHP Petroleum and Woodside Petroleum Ltd. She was the General Manager External Affairs for Woodside from 1999 to 2004 before she left to further develop her career as a non-executive company director.

Erica is currently the Chairman of Toro Energy Ltd, Scitech, ScreenWest, the Diabetes Research Foundation of WA and the UWA Centenary Trust for Women. She is also a non executive director of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing and Diabetes Western Australia.

She is the project manager of the very successful book “Red Dust in Her Veins – Women of the Pilbara” which has become a significant fund raiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In her spare time she has developed two businesses with her colleague Melva Stone – “Global Sheila” which focuses on services and products for the women traveller and “RingthingZ Pty. Ltd.” the owner of a patent-pending product which guards and protects finger and toe rings from dirt, finger shrinkage and scratching. It will be launched on the Australian market soon.

Erica has a Bachelor of Science from UWA and an Applied Master of Science from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. In 2008 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Western Australia. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  

Peter McCarthy

Peter is the Managing Director of AMC Consultants. He was President for 2007 and 2008 of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, is a Non-Executive Director of Castlemaine Goldfields Limited and Non-Executive Chairman of Bendigo Mining Limited. He is a Life Member of the Sovereign Hill Museums Association.

Peter’s primary technical expertise is in mine planning, feasibility studies, technical assessments and valuations. His broad experience within the mining industry includes management, education, project development, mine production and contracting.

With more than 38 years experience in the mining industry, Peter has been responsible for underground and open pit mine feasibility studies, mine valuations and technical studies for projects in Australasia, Asia, Europe and Africa. He has published more than 30 technical papers and articles in his areas of interest and has served as a director of three public companies.

Peter became a full time consultant in 1986 with the firm that is now AMC Consultants Pty Ltd. After a period running a related contract mining business he was appointed General Manager of the consultancy in 1990 and Managing Director in 1997, overseeing its growth into a significant international business.

Peter has held Mine Manager’s Certificates in Victoria and New South Wales and has degrees in Mining Engineering and Mineral Economics.

Emma Wimberley

Emma is Manager, Careers Marketing and Strategy with the Queensland Resources Council. Emma specializes in the attraction and retention of Generation Y through emerging Web 2.0 technologies integrated with traditional media.

Emma is experienced in developing and managing state-wide marketing campaigns in the resources sector, successfully overseeing the evolution of QRC’s careers strategy from traditional one-way media to a superior Web 2.0 platform. Emma has experience in addressing resources sector skill shortages more broadly including through higher education partnerships, skilled migration policy and the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. Emma has a Bachelor of International Business and Marketing from Griffith University. 

Liz Cacciottolo

Liz is Senior Advisor, UBS Wealth Management, APAC.  Her prior role was as Chief Executive Officer, UBS Wealth Management Australia Ltd.

She is currently the Chairperson for a number of UBS companies including UBS Wealth Management Australia Pty Ltd, UBS Wealth Management Australia Nominees Pty Ltd and UBS Cash Management Australia Ltd.  Additionally she is the Chairperson of  All Bar None, Australia which has responsibility for diversity and charitable initiatives within UBS. 

Megan Della-Camina

Megan Dalla-Camina is the Director of Strategy for IBM Australia and New Zealand. In this role, Megan is responsible for developing both the short and long term IBM business strategies, including competitive strategy, growth projects and operational excellence.
 
Ms Dalla-Camina is a direct report to IBM’s CEO and is a member of IBM Australia and New Zealand’s Senior Leadership Team. She is an active member of the Diversity Council with a focus on the advancement of women, workforce flexibility and work life balance initiatives. She is the Executive Chairperson for Serious Women’s Business, which is the premier conference in Australia for women in business.
 
Prior to IBM, Ms Dalla-Camina held marketing and business leadership roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and GE in Australia, Asia and the US. She has over 18 years experience in the professional services and information technology industries as well as numerous consumer and SME businesses.
 
Ms Dalla Camina was awarded the Marketing Employer of The Year for 2006 and 2007. In addition, she has won more than 20 marketing awards worldwide. She has a passionate interest in wellness and work life balance. As an accredited Executive coach, she works with people in corporate Australia to attain wellness and balance in their lives, and in line with this passion and focus, Ms Dalla-Camina is also a qualified yoga teacher.

Kate Rimer

Kate joined Mallesons as Executive Director, People and Development in 2004, reporting to the Chief Executive Partner, Robert Milliner. Kate is part of the firm's leadership team and her role covers all aspects of HR including talent management, resourcing and remuneration, learning and development and EEO/flexibility.

Prior to joining Mallesons, Kate worked at AMP for almost seven years and has previously worked at Allens Arthur Robinson and Westpac. Kate has a Bachelor of Education from the Australian Catholic University and a Master of Commerce (HR Management) from UNSW. Kate has two young children. 

Jane Caro

Jane is the co-author of two books. “The Stupid Country; How Australia is Dismantling Public Education.” a book on the future of Australian schools co-authored with Chris Bonnor and The F Word: How we Learned to Swear by Feminism.” A book on women, families, life and work co-authored with Catherine Fox (Deputy Editor AFR Boss magazine)

Jane spent 28 years as an advertising copywriter, working for such agencies as Forbes, Macfie, Hansen, The Campaign Palace, JWT, Saatchi's, Principals, her own creative consultancy; Caro & Barnes, and FCB. She now runs her own communications consultancy; Jara Consulting and freelance for a wide variety of agencies and clients,

Her creative work has won numerous awards, including Cannes Bronze (2004) AWARD x 3, Caxton x 3, ATV x 9, Chicago's Mobius x 4, New York's One Show, London International, Ireland's Kinsale (bronze), Asia Pacific (gold), the Unilever Grand Prix, and Golden Stylus (gold and silver).

Jane is a past Chair and Committee member of the AFA (Advertising Federation of Australia) Women in Advertising Awards (96 & 97), Deputy Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Body Image and Disordered Eating (97 &98), Chair of Judges for 1998 AWARD (first and only woman) (Australian Writers and Art Directors Association), Member 1999 AWARD Committee, and Chair of Judges 1999 Adelaide Art Directors (first and only woman), Chair of Judges 2005 Brisbane Art Directors (BAD), and past board member The Song Company.

More recently she has served on the AFA Ethics Committee, the AFA Agency Accreditation Advisory Board, The Benevolent Society’s Sydney Leadership Alumni Association Committee, The New Matilda Policy Development Group, NAPCAN (National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) Media & Communications Committee, The Bell Shakespeare Education Advisory Board and the 2007 NSW Anti-Poverty Week Organising Committee. Currently she is on the board of The Public Education Foundation.

Peter Shergold AC

Peter Shergold was a CEO in the Australian Public Service for two decades. For five years from February 2003, Dr Shergold was Australia’s most senior public administrator, serving as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Dr Shergold is now the Macquarie Group Foundation Professor at the Centre for Social Impact.

Dr Shergold has significant Board experience. In government he served on the Board of CSIRO and Centrelink. Since leaving the Australian Public Service he has become a non-executive Director of AMP Ltd (a listed company), Corrs Chambers Westgarth (non-listed) and is the Chairperson of a small venture capital start-up, QuintessenceLabs. He is also actively involved in the non-profit sector and is Chair of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and a Director of the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence and the Sir John Monash Foundation.

Joanne Grainger

Joanne Grainger is a primary producer and irrigator from the Border Rivers Region of NSW/Qld and has been a partner in a successful farming enterprise for the past 27 years. She is currently Chair of Cotton Australia and Vice President of Qld Farmers Federation and represents the Cotton industry on National Farmers Federation Policy Council. She has recently been appointed to the Qld Workplace Health and Safety Advisory Board.

Joanne is involved in policy development and advocacy for the cotton industry at a state and national level and recently led a review of and developed a change management process for grower representation in the industry. She is the inaugural recipient of the Cotton Industry Partnerships Initiative - Corporate Governance for Rural Women, 2002 and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also a graduate of the Murray Darling Basin Leadership Program 3. Joanne has a special interest in capacity building in rural industries and communities and in advancing the achievement of sustainable farming practices.

Paul Binsted

Paul is a professional company director. Prior to this he was a Managing Director in the Global Investment Bank Lazard, having joined in 2004 to establish the Australian business.

He was a Director of Sydney Ports Corporation from 1995 to 1998. He served as Chairman of the State Rail Authority from 1998 to 2002 over the Olympic period and was appointed by the New South Wales Government as Chairman of the Board of the Sydney Ports Corporation in December 2006.

Prior to joining Lazard Paul held senior positions in Corporate Financial Advice and Mergers and Acquisitions at Salomon Smith Barney (now Citigroup Investment Banking), Schroders Australia and was formerly a principal of Lloyds Corporate Advisory Services. He is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia and a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales as well as one of Australia’s most experienced takeover advisors.

Melinda Snowden

Melinda is a director at Grant Samuel, a leading Australian independent corporate advisory firm and a non-executive director of Vita Group Limited,  Melinda has over 15 years investment banking
experience in corporate finance including mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt finance both in Sydney and New York.   

Prior to joining Grant Samuel, Melinda held corporate finance roles with Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs  in Australia and New York and worked on numerous strategic advisory and financing assignments.  Melinda was also formerly a solicitor with Freehills in both the corporate division of the firm as well as the tax group, Greenwoods & Freehills.

Melinda’s qualifications include Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws, Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, GAICD, and Fellow of FINSIA.  She has 3 children.

Rebecca Davies

Rebecca is a lawyer and company director. After 26 years as a partner of leading national law firm, Freehills, Rebecca is soon to retire from the firm to pursue a non executive career. In her time at Freehills, she ran major cases and projects, was a member of the firm’s board, managed a key section of the business and chaired the Women at Freehills steering committee, which aims to increase the proportion of women in the partnership and to assist all women lawyers to achieve at their best.

A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Rebecca was a member of the board of MLC Nominees (trustee for MLC and NAB public offer super funds) from 1996 to 2003, and chair for most of that time. She is a board member of PHIAC, the Commonwealth regulator for private health insurance, on the board of LCM Healthcare and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Lynn Ralph

Lynn spent over 15 years in funds management in the United States and Australia.  As Deputy Chairman of the Australian Securities Commission from 1993–97, she led the “Good Advice” project, a major review of the Investment Advisory industry.  From 1998 – 2002, she was the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Investment and Financial Services Association.  During her tenure she was integrally involved in the release of the second edition of the IFSA Guide to Corporate Governance.  She is currently co-founder of Cameron Ralph Pty Ltd (in conjunction with Alan Cameron), a firm which assists boards to improve their effectiveness.

She is currently a Director of the Sydney Swans Limited and The Sydney Institute.  She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.  Lynn has previously been Chairman of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, and of the AMP Foundation as well as a Director of the AFL (NSW/ACT) Commission Pty Ltd, NRMA Limited,  Financial Industry Complaints Service, and Chunky Move Ltd.

Pip Downes

Pippa  Downes is a Managing and Director and Equity Partner of Goldman Sachs JB Were based in Sydney. Pip works in the Proprietary Strategies division within Goldman Sachs, where she opportunistically invests the firm’s capital. With over 17 years experience in global equity markets trading Pip has lead the local trading arms of several of the Worlds leading Investment Banks.

Prior to joining Goldman Sachs in 2004 Pip was a Director and the Head of Equity Derivatives Trading at Deutsche Bank in Sydney. When Morgan Stanley were starting their equity franchise in Australia in 1998 Pip was hired as the Head of the Equity Derivative and Prop Trading business based in Hong Kong and Australia. Pip started her career working for Swiss Bank O’Connor on the Floor of the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange in San Francisco and after, the Philadelphia Stock exchange before returning to work in Sydney as a Director for UBS.

Pip is currently on the Board of Swimming Australia and the Swimming Australia Foundation. She has a Master’s in Applied Finance from Macquarie University and Bachelor of Science (Bus Ad) from University of California, Berkeley. Pip is also a keen sportsperson being a former member of the Australian Swim Team and has represented Hong Kong at the International Rugby Sevens. She has a young son Matthew.

Jennifer Reynolds

Jenny has been an executive at ANZ within the Payments and Cash Management business since 2004. Jenny has over 27 years experience in International Banking and is a passionate promoter and developer of talent and diversity at ANZ.

In 1994, Jenny joined JPMorgan as a Vice President working in Australia and eventually Asia where she specialised in Product Innovation and eCommerce responsible for Cash Management and Working Capital Solutions for Global Multi-National Corporations. Whilst in Asia she was the Engagement Manager responsible for the design, build and implementation of the first commercial Web-based global ePayment system which was rolled out globally for major global Oil Company and eventually became a major line of business for JPMorgan.

Prior to JPMorgan Jenny worked at Westpac for 14 years in various businesses including the Institutional Transactional Business in Sydney, Financial Markets/ Treasury Operations in Sydney and Melbourne and retail across the Illawarra area where she grew up and her family still reside.

Jenny is on the Board of the Melanoma Institute of Australia and a member of the Board Finance Committee of the NSW Girl Guides. Jenny is also a keen sports person, and is currently Treasurer of the Blues Point Yacht Club Ltd.

Jenny is a graduate of The University of Technology Sydney in Master of Business Administration (Management). She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Monique Beedles

Dr Monique Beedles holds a PhD in Corporate Strategy, with a special interest in the strategic choices of multinational pharmaceutical firms for the commercialisation of innovation in biotechnology. With a background in pharmaceuticals and healthcare, Monique’s first Board appointment was to the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Queensland Council.

Monique has since served as a Director of a number of Small to Medium Enterprises, including her own Strategy Consulting company, Teak Yew Pty Ltd. Monique’s recent consulting experience includes substantial work with Thiess Australian Mining in the Asset Management area.

In 2008, Monique was appointed to the Health Quality and Complaints Commission, Clinical Advisory Committee, and the Committee of the St Peters Old Scholars‘ Association. Along with her Board roles and consulting work, Monique is a Sessional Academic in the University of Queensland Business School, and the QUT School of Engineering Systems.

Pauline Carr

Pauline Carr is an experienced mining executive with over 25 years management, commercial and governance experience in the highly cyclical resources industry with both Australian and international listed companies.

Working closely with the Chairman and Board of Normandy Mining Limited (then Australia’s largest and the world’s fifth largest gold company) she was actively involved in the Normandy group’s growth, its corporate activities and its international expansion. As a member of Newmont Mining Corporation’s regional executive team she held several roles including Executive General Manager – Group Secretariat and Services and Director of Business Development and Continuous Improvement.

She was an executive director of Newmont Australia Limited and its many subsidiary boards as well as Chair of the Trustee Board of the Newmont Australia Employees Superannuation Plan (a corporate superannuation plan with 1,100 members and $65 million  funds under management) for over six years. She has served on several South Australian government bodies and presently is a member of the South Australian Mining and Petroleum Expert Group (SAMPEG) and the Resources Industry Development Board.

Helen Wiseman

Helen has spent 20 years in professional services and is a Partner at KPMG.  Helen specialises in Tax in the Mining and Energy sectors.

Having originally studied languages, economics and politics, Helen qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1992, and has subsequently gained qualifications in counselling and psychology.  

Helen is passionate about contributing to the Third sector which includes experience as a crisis telephone counsellor, board and committee roles as well as mentoring several Not-For-Profit leaders.  Since 2004, Helen has chaired Shine for Kids, which supports children of prisoners – a much overlooked vulnerable group of children.  Helen is also a Director of the Sydney Community Foundation, which is an independent, charitable community foundation that manages and distributes funds on behalf of individuals, families, companies and other charitable trusts to meet the needs of their community.

Recently, Helen was appointed to the Board of the Melanoma Institute of Australia.  Helen is also a member of the Advisory Council of Vibewire, a non-profit youth media and arts organisation.  

Helen hugely enjoys being able to bring her professional experience to the Third Sector whilst bringing back to KPMG her significant learnings from her Not-For-Profit board roles – inspiring her colleagues to “give back” in the process.

Jane Toohey

Jane Toohey is a company director, and a strategic sales & marketing communications consultant. She sits on the board of the Australian independently owned company, Mini Movers, a high growth innovative business, providing professional low cost local moving. She is on the advisory board of Embracing Motherhood and advisor to the board of the Silverlining Foundation.
Jane was the owner and managing director of Marketing Angels for seven years and Managing Director of Emery Vincent Design in Melbourne, a highly successful graphic design agency, owned by the Clemenger Group. She has worked for Compaq / Hewlett Packard developing the marketing strategy for the top 100 clients. She was part of the internet marketing revolution from early days, including launching On Australia (now the MSN), a joint venture between Telstra and Microsoft. 

Workshop Presenters

Fiona Shand

Fiona has represented directors and professionals in private practice and industry in Australia, Switzerland and Hong Kong for more than 20 years. In Switzerland, she was Commonwealth Legal Counsel for F. Hoffmann La Roche Pharmaceuticals, and as a result was involved in worldwide legal and strategic issues reporting to the board governance and compliance committees.

In 1999, Fiona was chosen by six non-executive directors of the GIO to represent them in the $760 million AMP takeover shareholder class action. Judgment was entered in favour of the GIO non-executive directors. Fiona has represented clients in various inquiries and investigations including Sydney’s Cross City Tunnel collapse and fatality, the recent Building Royal Commission and the HIH Royal Commission for Grocon and Ray Williams respectively.

In 2006 Fiona formed Shand & Associates which specialises in the strategic resolution of corporate and directorial governance, shareholder and commercial issues. Fiona’s expertise lies in identifying and aligning the driving forces behind complex issues to maximise positive outcomes.

Fiona, as a senior facilitator with the Australian Institute of Company Directors, trains directors and directorial aspirants in corporate governance and directors’ duties in both the domestic and international AICD courses. During 2008 Fiona facilitated AICD courses in Sydney, Canberra, Sanctuary Cove, Singapore and Dubai.

Kerry Chater

Kerry is a writer, trainer and consultant. Her areas of expertise include:

  • Written business communications – all aspects of business writing, including reports, proposals, tenders, letters, emails and resumes
  • Presentation skills – including train the trainer
  • Management skills – including communication skills and conflict resolution

Kerry is a preferred supplier to Women on Boards (writing Executive and Board CVs and coaching presentation skills) and Women in Finance (writing CVs).

She has an Honours degree in Economics, a Masters degree in Education, and is a nationally accredited Workplace Trainer & Assessor. In 1995 she co-authored The Equality Myth, a book focusing on strategies for business women.

Kerry has a wealth of experience spanning over 30 years in a range of settings. Before establishing her consulting business in 1995, her career had encompassed a number of industries. Her work experience began in the retail industry with an active involvement in a family retail chain. Since then, her experience has been extensive, from small business to multi-nationals in areas ranging from management and marketing to human resources and training. She has been a CEO of an SME and has also held senior management roles in larger organisations.

Judeth Wilson

Judeth Wilson, Managing Director and Lead Trainer, Upfront Communications Pty Ltd and founder of “The Trainers Ultimate Business in a Box”.

In the past twelve years Judeth Wilson has started, and continues to run, four successful companies on three different continents. This is impressive considering she is only 33 years old!

As a corporate, and business trainer, when she talks the likes of Cambridge University, Sanofi Aventis, Minter Ellison,  Grant Thornton, DHL, Hewlett-Packard, BT, 3M, USAID, Johnson and Johnson, De La Roux Currencies, Tate and Lyle, Novartis and Thomas Cook, to name but a few, listen!

She is the author of  “The Inside Secrets of Powerful Presenters Revealed – How to get enthusiastic applause, even a Standing Ovation, every time you speak” and her newly released second book is entitled “Become a Millionaire Working Just Two Days a Week.”

With qualifications to complement her years of experience, Judeth has a degree in journalism from Rhodes University in South Africa (majors in journalism, English language and linguistics), is an Advanced Toastmaster, a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner and holds an Australian Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Denise Aldous

Denise is a non-executive director and chairman holding board and committee positions with KEA Australia, UnitingCare NSW/ACT, Cronulla-Sutherland Leagues Club, Cronulla Sharks Football Club, Enterprise Challenge Fund and the NSW Bar Association. In addition she runs her own business delivering practical solutions to individuals and businesses in the areas of governance and leadership. She has nearly 40 years of business experience, including at CEO level, in both large and small businesses in financial services, international consulting, retail and professional services. Her speciality areas at board level are in governance, finance, risk, audit and strategy.

Denise has worked primarily in the private sector and her industry experience extends across more than 50 sub-sectors including financial and professional services, agri-business, manufacturing, fisheries, sustainable energy, biotechnology, social services, sport, tourism, education, healthcare and infrastructure. She  worked for many years in the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - the private sector arm of the World Bank Group -  facilitating public, private and civil society sector partnerships to build sustainable commercial business in more than 20 countries. Her last executive role was as CEO of the IFC Sydney – the only woman in Australasia to have held this position.

Denise is a dual citizen of Australia and New Zealand, currently living in Sydney. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese language and a Master of Business Administration (with Distinction) degree in International Business, Marketing and Human Resources Management. She is also a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been a professional member of the Human Resources Institute of NZ since 1984.