Our distinguished speakers represent the forefront of civil society leadership, bringing expertise from foundations, not-for-profits, government and public service to interrogate the types of leadership needed now and into the future to steer through these turbulent times.
More speakers to be announced in the coming weeks.
Pre-Summit Dinner Address
The Hon. Julia Gillard AC
Julia Gillard was the 27th Prime Minister of Australia and the first and only woman to serve in that role. Since leaving office, she has dedicated her time to advocacy, governance roles and writing. In 2021, Julia was appointed Chair of the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the UK. Julia is also the founder and inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London. Her leadership portfolio includes chairing Beyond Blue (2017-2023), leading the Global Partnership for Education (2014-2021), and leading the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education in South Australia. Through her book, Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons, she continues advocating for women's advancement in leadership across all sectors.
Pre-Summit Dinner Moderator
Dr Michelle Ryan
Dr Michelle Ryan is a world-renowned gender equality expert, Professor of Social and Organisational Psychology, and the inaugural Director of Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University. Her work centres on understanding the psychological processes underlying workplace gender inequality, and designing and implementing innovative and evidence-based interventions to increase gender equality. Her research examines a range of constraints on women’s careers such as the impact of COVID-19 on gender inequalities, backlash, the motherhood penalty, sacrifice, risk taking, work-life compatibility, impostor syndrome, and men’s support for gender equality.
Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon
Thomas is founder and Executive Director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. One of Canada’s foremost public intellectuals and a best-selling author, his award-winning books include The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization and his latest is Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril. Considered among the world’s leading experts in how global affairs intersect, his research focuses on threats to security, including economic instability, climate change and nationalist authoritarianism – and on how people, organisations and societies can better solve complex problems.
Georgina Byron AM
Georgina is CEO of Snow Foundation, and since 2006 has significantly grown the Foundation's reach and impact from its origins in Canberra. Under her leadership, the Foundation has expanded its commitment to Sydney and South Coast regions while backing dynamic social entrepreneurs with bold national agendas. She has championed social change projects including marriage equality, Raise the Rate campaign, the Voice Referendum and eliminating rheumatic heart disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. She serves as Co-Chair of Deadly Heart Trek, Deputy Chair of Sydney Community Foundation and Chair of Sydney Women's Fund Advisory Council.
Michelle Steele
Michelle is a Kamilaroi/Gomeroi Yinarr from Moree, NSW, and is the Chief First Nations Officer at the Paul Ramsay Foundation and is a Board Member of Hands Across Canberra. Prior to joining PRF, Michelle worked in the public sector for more than 18 years, leading in key policy areas delivering for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly in health and aged care. Michelle has represented Australia at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She is also an inaugural Fellow of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity program, an Indigenous-led lifelong collaborative fellowship program and platform for systemic change.
Dr Rebecca Huntley
Rebecca is one of Australians foremost researchers on social trends. She is the author of books including How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference and Sassafras: A Memoir About Love, Loss and MDMA Therapy. She is a Fellow of the Women’s Leadership Institute of Australia. Rebecca has led research at Essential Media and Vox Populi and was a director at Ipsos Australia. She is now Director of Research at the agency 89DegreesEast. Rebecca is a member of the Advisory Group for the Climate Solutions Centre at the Australian Museum and the Sydney Environment Institute, and is on the board of The Dusseldorp Forum.
Carol Schwartz AO
Carol is highly regarded as a commentator and agitator on issues of gender equality, women’s leadership, governance and business. She was named one of Australia’s most influential women in the Australian Financial Review and Westpac’s Inaugural 100 Women of Influence Awards. In 2020 Carol was recognised with the Leading Philanthropist Award by Philanthropy Australia and her board roles include the Governance Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, EQT Holdings Limited and the Climate Council. As Chair of the Trawalla Foundation and the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, she has catalysed practical solutions including the Pathways to Politics Program for Women, the Panel Pledge and the Women for Media database. She is a member of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women’s Leadership Board and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership Advisory Board, Kings College.