Our Guest speakers from across Australia and New Zealand were able to share their culture and leadership journeys over the last two years. We examine the external challenges and significant impacts across many sectors including the demands of hybrid working for all employees. We visit organisational playbooks and journeys of growth and mindset, the power of the LSI and how it shapes leaders in the way they 'show up' everyday, the importance of onboarding and nurturing new individuals and teams through evolving workplaces, becoming 'future-fit' and sustaining profound and meaningful culture for your people going forward.

Amanda Bollans - Chief People Officer, NOVA Entertainment

Amanda Bollans has been NOVA Entertainment's Chief People Officer since August 2021 and is responsible for leading the People Experience function within the business. With over 14 years in people-centred leadership positions, Amanda has worked across fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), IT and the manufacturing industries, Amanda has a passion for creating environments which encourage people to thrive with a focus on engagement, innovation, coaching and career growth.

Joining NOVA Entertainment from SunRice, Amanda was Senior Human Resources Manager for five years, working across multiple geographies including Australia, the Middle East, UK and Asia Pacific. She successfully implemented transformational change during her tenure, partnering with leaders to enable business expansion through organic growth and M&A and led many development programs to enable sustainable high-performance teams. She also held leadership positions at Kimberly-Clark, partnering with multiple teams to drive performance, lead talent programs and business partnerships with leaders at all levels.

Tracey Slatter - Managing Director, Barwon Water

Tracey is the Managing Director of Barwon Water and Barwon Asset Solutions. Tracey is also a Board Director of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (Victoria); the Water Services Association of Australia; and Zero Emissions Water and the Deputy Chair of the Barwon Regional Partnership. Tracey has extensive and diverse executive public sector leadership experience including as Chief Executive Officer at the City of Port Phillip, Head of Claims at the Transport Accident Commission, Chief Executive Officer at Colac Otway Shire and Director of Primary and Community Health with the State Department of Health and Human Services.

Sarah McCann-Bartlett - CEO & Managing Director, Australian HR Institute

Sarah McCann-Bartlett is CEO and Managing Director of the Australian HR Institute – Australia’s professional body for HR practitioners. Sarah is a highly experienced leader of professional and trade bodies, with a passion to help members achieve their goals by providing world leading insight, support and advocacy. She is known as a transformational leader who drives change by bringing organisations, employees and stakeholders together to envision the strategy, agree the journey, and lead teams to deliver the desired outcomes.

Prior to joining AHRI, Sarah held the positions of Director General of the British Constructional Steelwork Association and before that, Deputy Commissioner of the Building Commission. She also held a range of senior positions at the Woolmark Company in Australia, the UK and the USA.

Dan Hunter - Chief Executive Officer, Business NSW

As the Chief Executive Officer of Business NSW, the state’s leading voice of business, Dan is committed to providing member businesses with the information, advice, products and services they need to grow and stay competitive.

Dan is passionate about the purpose-driven mission of the organisation, which aims to bring value to members, businesses, the economy and the overall community. Business NSW is uniquely placed to deliver this, whether it’s through advice, advocacy or the successful commercial businesses it successfully owns and operates. Dan strongly believes organisational culture and visible leadership are the key enablers to success.

His career has spanned finance and operational leadership roles, across both the private and public sector.

Shane Ellison - On behalf of Auckland Transport

Shane Ellison has over 12 years senior executive experience to CEO level leading diverse teams (up to 2,300 staff) with full P&L and capital expenditure responsibility (NZD$1.9b), responsibility for growth and NZD$22b+ of assets. Shane has built a reputable international career operating at the interface between private and public sectors which has enabled him to successfully navigate the nuances of culture, business, government, and challenging political landscapes - securing commitment to investment strategies and outcomes that have delivered both financial and social benefit. He also has 8 years+ sitting on Boards with established governance credentials and has recently been appointed to the board of Dunedin International Airport Limited. Recognised for lifting performance through applying authentic leadership and building constructive organisation wide culture Shane enjoys seeing his teams develop and grow capability to deliver some outstanding projects with significant community impact.

Shaun McCarthy - Chair of Human Synergistics Australia & New Zealand

Shaun McCarthy is the Chair of Human Synergistics Australia & New Zealand and is an internationally respected authority on Organisational Culture & Leadership with over 40 years in the industry.

In his presentation, Shaun addresses some of the key challenges facing organisations today and how culture plays a role in helping leaders minimise these challenges and achieve performance. Specifically, Shaun focuses in on the importance culture plays in an organisations ability to adapt to their challenging and ever changing environment.