SPEAKERS

Warwick is an economist, writer and policy analyst. His current professional interests include employment, inclusive and sustainable economic development, democracy, and climate change. He also has a background in evolutionary and conservation biology.

A regular speaker at conferences and in the media, he also publishes opinion pieces in outlets such as The Guardian, the ABC, The Age and The Conversation.

Warwick is also Program Director at the Centre for Policy Development, where he leads a team working on wellbeing economy and an Honorary Fellow at the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Melbourne.

Liz is a versatile urban and regional planner who holds a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Melbourne. Her professional experience includes a wide range of projects, but she specialises in social analysis and infrastructure planning. She occasionally also crosses over into economics, advocating for a people-centred approach to economic analysis and development strategy. Liz was named the Planning Institute of Victoria’s Victorian Young Planner of the Year 2020.

Outside of work, you can find her either on the soccer pitch or on the couch with a good novel.

Jacqueline Brinkman is an economic development specialist and CEO of Economic Development Australia (EDA), the national peak body for economic development.

Jacqueline’s leadership of EDA commenced in 2017 and since that time, EDA’s membership has more than tripled and revenue has increased exponentially. Jacqueline was responsible for the development and launch of the highly successful National Economic Development Education and Training Program in 2020. This program has proven to be a step change in career development for Australian Economic Development profession. Jacqueline is also leading a range of research and advocacy projects with the aim to raise awareness of the impact of the Australian economic development sector.

Through a career spanning 20+ years, Jacqueline is recognised as one of Australia’s most experienced industry cluster managers, and has facilitated industry development and investment across a range of sectors. Her advocacy and lobbying has resulted in legislative change at a Local, State and Federal Government level.

Jacqueline has held Chief Executive roles across a range of sectors in QLD and NSW, is an award-winning copy writer and an experienced company director having Board positions on a range of Government bodies and NFP organisations. Jacqueline is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

Leigh Holford is a Principal in Hatch’s social advisory and urban prosperity group, with extensive experience in project planning and delivery in urban and regional development, infrastructure, and the environment. She specialises in working on projects at the intersection of economic and social value which consider long-term sustainable outcomes. Leigh has extensive experience working with international institutions, including the World Bank, UN-Habitat, UNCHR, and the private, public, and charitable sectors to address problems of sustainable and inclusive community development. She has worked across the globe including in Africa, America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.

Leigh is a Global Reporting Initiative qualified professional and holds a Master’s degree from University College London in Environment and Sustainable Development and a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.

Jon has amassed an impressive portfolio that includes work in Japan and Western Europe and in the U.S., from New York to California.

He was vice-president with the Oregon Technology Fund and lead investor for the Hood River Brewing Company. He managed two start-up technology companies and founded a mountain bike company in Portland, Oregon (the Fat Tire Farm).

He received his MA degree from the University of Hawaii with post-graduate work at the University of Oregon.

Born and raised in Germany, Jon now resides in Austin and summers in Bend, Oregon.

Richard has more than 20 years’ experience in property research and is co-founder of Plan1, a property project management and consultancy firm. Having worked with global real estate agencies, fund managers and financiers, Richard is one of Australia’s leading property market research analysts. During his career, Richard has been responsible for forecasting trends and outlooks in all sectors (residential, office, retail, industrial and hospitality) of the real estate investment market. Richard has established a reputation as a reliable trend forecaster and his views are regularly sought after by property institutions, private investors, government and media.

Douglas D’Antoine is Bardi and Jawi from country 200km north of Broome, Western Australia.

Douglas was a native title lawyer and then became the deputy CEO at the Kimberley Land Council, a corporate oil and gas lawyer at Woodside and then BP (upstream), roustabout and wool presser, and a police officer.

At the time of the Kimberley floods in 2023, he was the CEO for Bunuba Dawangarri Aboriginal Corporation that holds native title on trust for the Bunuba language group, he was then thrust into the community advocate role and is now the Recovery Executive Officer.

Todd Babiak is co-founder of the strategy consulting firm Story Engine. In 2018, after three consulting trips to Tasmania, he thought he would come back someday as a tourist. But in 2019, when the Tasmanian Government launched Brand Tasmania, they wondered if he might be up for implementing a strategy he had created. He competed for a “real job,” won it, and moved his family to Tasmania. Today he is CEO of Brand Tasmania and the worst surfer in Australia.

Emily Tomsett is an expert in waste education and the circular economy, specialising in integrating design and systems thinking to enhance sustainability practices. With a solid foundation in environmental behaviour change and social psychology, she focuses on advancing recycling, resource management, and circular initiatives. Passionate about driving a resilient regional approach, Emily is a keen advocate, leading efforts to transform the region’s image into a model of circular efficiency and an asset to the community. Her work centres on networking and connecting people to circular activities, fostering a collaborative environment that supports global change towards sustainability.

Stuart Speirs is a place identity specialist that partners with local and state Governments to work on their major event strategies. The owner and director of Silver Lining Strategy, Stu has more than 15 years’ experience exploring how a sense of collective identity and civic pride feed into Place Brand, and in turn support a community’s prosperity.

Starting his journey in the world of events as part of the team that planned and delivered Vivid Sydney in its nascent years, Stu has almost 20 years’ experience working in the events industry and exploring what lies at the heart of long term success.

Read Stu’s interview with Place Brand Observer here.

Stu is firm believer that regenerative economic and social development can only be achieved by a grounding a community’s collective efforts in a deep understanding of place. He brings this place-based approach to his work, helping create a platform and direction for his clients to enjoy truly sustainable success. This approach has seen him become an important contributor to the place branding conversation in Australia in his role as MC and curator of Place Branding Australia.

Some of the clients Stu has worked with in recent years include state and federal organisations such as Events Tasmania, Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Fiji and Singapore Tourism Board, through to local governments and Regional Tourism bodies including the City of Adelaide, City of Casey, Logan City Council, City of Whittlesea, Ballarat City Council, Mackay Regional Council, Kangaroo Island, Bega Valley Shire Council, Snowy Monaro Regional Council, and Parkes Shire Council.

Dave Parsell is co-founder of Localintel, an award-winning government technology company helping hundreds of economic developers across the US and Canada showcase their location’s strengths more effectively.

Dave’s professional background includes senior roles in consulting and local government where he specialised in economic development and strategic planning. Dave’s career also includes roles with Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of Scotland and the Australian Army.

He holds a Master of Public Administration, Master of Environmental Planning and Bachelor of Commerce and has guest lectured at Macquarie University and the University of NSW.

Dr Chad Renando is a Research Fellow (Innovation Ecosystems) with the Rural Economies Centre of Excellence at the University of Southern Queensland, focused on understanding the contribution of innovation and entrepreneurship on community resilience in rural economies. His work includes innovation and policy mapping for the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub, evaluating impact for the Southern Queensland Northern New South Wales Drought Innovation Hub, and assessing leadership program impact for the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and Red Earth Community Foundation. As co-founder of the Ready Communities two-year place-based program, Chad applies his experience in practical outcomes for local impact and global relevance.

Linda is from the Community Partnerships team at Mable. She grew up in country regions and has a passion for supporting communities to develop place-based solutions. Their model of community-led aged care not only solves the challenge of accessing home care services in rural areas but has proven to have a broader impact on social and health outcomes as well as generating significant economic benefits that support the sustainability of rural and regional communities.

Prior to joining Mable, Linda held roles in community engagement and management consulting with a particular focus on evaluating federal government programs including those focused on regional development such as the Stronger Communities Program and the National Stronger Regions Program.

Brad Grieve is a member of the Community Partnerships team at Mable. He was raised in Griffith, NSW, and has family in small farming communities in regional NSW and SA. Alongside Linda Doolan, Brad manages the community program at Mable, which empowers rural and remote communities to develop and operate their own aged care coordination services, and supports local individuals to become service providers. Prior to his role at Mable, Brad led the Wagga Wagga Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as the CEO of the Altitude Scholarship, a charity dedicated to supporting young people through education.

Peter’s been building business relationships and turning them into productive partnerships across Victoria’s regional centres, Peri urban growth zones and metropolitan destinations for over two decades. Peter uses his innate understanding of local strengths to passionately pursue ways to maximise local economic outcomes through a variety of initiatives in the development of policy, strategy, business, investment, workforce and marketing. Currently coordinator of the Economic Development team at Brimbank City Council and a recent Committee Member and Chair of EDA’s Victorian SPN, Peter often discusses issues and opportunities with other economic development practitioners and is always looking for new insights into political, social and economic processes that can elevate communities to greater prosperity and sustainability. Outside of work, Peter has traded in his running shoes and football coaching clipboard to master golf clubs and is resisting the urge to don Lycra and a push bike as cafés have suffered enough recently!

Meaghan is dedicated to enabling local places and communities to take hold of their economic agency and thrive. She is an Executive Director for Ethical Fields, Adjunct Industry Fellow with the Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation and a recognised leader in Community Wealth Building and Place Based Capital in Australia. She recently completed a twelve-month National Community Wealth Building Tour where she visited over fifty communities across Australia to learn and share about community wealth building and place based capital solutions. She holds a Masters of Government Law and Regulation, Post-Graduate Diploma in Environment and a Bachelor of Commerce.

Susan Stone is the Credit Union SA Chair of Economics at UniSA, where she provides expert analysis and new thinking about South Australia’s economic position and how global economic factors impact local businesses. Prior to joining UniSA Dr. Stone was a division head at the OECD, a Director for the UNESCAP, a Senior Research Fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo, and a Research Manager at the Productivity Commission in Melbourne. Her work has been published as national and multinational government reports, edited volumes, and in peer-reviewed journals. Ms. Stone holds a PhD in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Business and Finance, from Drexel University in the United States.

Alexia is the Head of Economic Development in the City Futures Team at Georges River Council. She has a diverse background spanning innovation and technology; design and marketing; and community and industry development across not-for-profit, public private partnerships, corporate and local government environments.

Alexia has delivered local and national programs promoting art practice as community engagement, the democratisation of technology and building opportunities for community-led placemaking.

Alison Whitten is the Director of Research at Regen Melbourne, a not-for-profit platform for collaboration in service to Greater Melbourne. She is also a Director at the Castlemaine Institute, a research hub focused on regenerative futures in regional Victoria. Alison has a varied background including previous professional roles in urban resilience, international development and strategy consulting, with global experience across public, private and not-for-profit sectors. She holds a Bachelor in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Master of Urban Planning from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Deborah has been with the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM) since the Secretariat was set up in Canberra in 2006 and became the Executive Director in 2017. She is very interested in urban development and has been managing the CCCLM’s study of the Night Time Economy since it commenced in 2012.

Before joining CCCLM, Deborah worked with various industry bodies, gaining experience in advocacy and representation. Her background and leadership have been crucial in supporting the Lord Mayors of Australia’s capital city councils in their efforts to ensure sustainable growth and vibrant communities.

Jane Laverty is a self-confessed regionalist with a personal mission and passion for sustainable economic development, genuine community engagement, and building a bright future for young people in the Northern Rivers.

As the Regional Director for Business NSW, Jane’s work revolves around advocacy for business, positioning the region for business and Government investment, and championing policy that supports job creation, innovation, and liveability.

She is a committee member for Brand Northern Rivers and has taken a deep dive into the exciting and courageous world of place branding best practices globally – with the lessons learned influencing the future strategic direction of the Northern Rivers NSW place brand.
Jane has headed up economic development teams in Local Government, authored place based economic development strategies and been involved in town centre master planning projects and currently a member of the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s Advisory Board.

Dr Nicola Watts is passionate about clusters and the opportunities they present for addressing challenges and unleashing opportunities through purposeful collaboration and innovation.

Nicola is a former cluster founder, who currently facilitates collaboration, co-innovation, communications and capacity-building. She has extensive global experience matched with a strong focus on ‘acting locally’.

Dr Shashi Karunanethy is Chief Economist at Geografia, specialising on the future of cities, work and technology. For over 15 years, he has worked with a variety of national, state and city government entities, both in Australia and internationally, and provides economic commentary to media outlets such as the Australian, the ABC and Al Jazeera. Prior to this, Shashi was an adjunct lecturer in economics at University of Melbourne, lecturing on subjects such as the application of artificial neural networks to economic analysis. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Melbourne.

Shoaib Burq is CTO at Geografia and has over 20 years of experience as a full stack geospatial software engineer. Shoaib has been working at intersection of geospatial technology and humanitarian work. He also advises start-ups and helps them develop their tech and business strategy. He is a Board Member of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and has served on the board of Australian Chapter of Open-Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo).

Laura is currently the Principal Economic Advisor for the City of Adelaide. In 2022, Laura received a PhD from the University of South Australian Business School on The Impact of Airbnb on Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Housing Markets in Australia. 

Having previously worked at the Local Government Association of South Australia as a Policy Officer, an Associate Lecturer in Public Policy at Flinders University and Project Officer at the University of South Australia, Laura has extensive research experience in academia and the public sector. Laura’s work specialises in housing, Airbnb, tourism, local economic development, regional health workforce and Australian local government. 

Laura is the Deputy Chair of the SA branch of Economic Development Australia, Deputy Chair of the Victor Harbor Horse Tram Audit Committee and Director of the Mentoring Program for the Women in Economics Network. Laura also has decade of experience as a yoga teacher and yoga business owner.

Merryn is currently working with Mount Alexander Shire as Manager of Economy and Culture, with a portfolio that includes Economic Development, Tourism and Arts and Culture. Her work-life has evolved as a unique adventure through theatre, music, community, arts, connection, change, communication, events, marketing and strategic planning.

Merryn has worked in leadership roles across Government, Higher Education, Events Management, Arts, Health, Community and Cultural Development. Her expertise revolves around service and leadership, and developing strategy that provides people with clear roadmaps that links to a solid set of values. An expert at managing complex stakeholders from cross organisational global relationships to community gatherings Merryn has a passion for personal development and influencing community change.

Mohammad leads Long Street Advisors, an advisory firm he founded in 2023 focused on supporting clients in Australia and globally to enable meaningful digitisation. He served as a Partner at PwC globally and led the firm’s Telecom, Media and Technology practices in India, SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. He is also an author – with Border Crossings published around the world.

Michelle describes herself as a clinical trial innovator, entrepreneur, speaker, advocate, founder, and optimist. She is currently CEO of Cerulea Clinical Trials Pty Ltd, a spin out from Centre for Eye Research Australia. She’s also the former CEO of BioMelbourne Network, an industry association.

Donald Betts, Jr. served as a U.S. Kansas State Senator, Kansas State Congressman in the Kansas House of Representatives, and prior to moving to Australia, Donald was nominated to represent a major U.S. political party for a bid to the United States Congress.

As Managing Principal of Betts Law Company, he has extensive knowledge in dealing with business transactions, organizational structure, legal disputes, advocacy, Indigenous law and an overall view of the Australian Legal System.

Donald serves on multiple boards and committees. His strengths are governance, relationship building, and leadership development. Before joining Kinaway Chamber of Commerce as Acting CEO, he served as CEO of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, Jaramer Legal (Australia’s first national Indigenous owned law firm) and global #4 law firm Norton Rose Fulbright in Australia.

Donald specializes in commercial transactions, corporate advisory and corporate structuring in the energy and resources and agribusiness sectors. His strengths are economic development, governance, relationship building, and leadership development. He is driven to help Indigenous communities around the globe to be self-governing, independent, and growing.

Ash Bartley joined the Trust for Nature Executive team in early 2024 as our First Peoples Partnership Manager.

Ash is a proud Bwgcolman Ewamian woman deeply committed to Indigenous-led conservation efforts, working alongside First Peoples to promote cultural, social, and economic sustainability. She believes that empowering and embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge is pivotal to fostering sustainable futures for all.

With a career rooted in her dedication to her people and Country, Ash has passionately contributed to land and water rehabilitation, leveraging her skills in marketing and project management. She has enabled initiatives focusing on Indigenous-led conservation, emphasising the importance of preserving traditional lands and ecosystems.

In addition to her conservation work, Ash has been actively involved in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation within Indigenous communities. Her recent endeavours include leading accelerators, mentoring women in business, and pioneering social enterprises across diverse sectors, including tourism.

Ashleigh has been instrumental in delivering cultural awareness programs, fostering dialogue, and promoting understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Her ongoing engagement in this space reflects her unwavering commitment to promoting Indigenous culture and heritage while championing sustainable practices for the benefit of all.

Sean’s traditional lands are located at Padthaway in South Australia from the extended Potaruwutj family of the Tatiara region and has worked serving Indigenous communities around Australia over the past decade.

Sean joined IBA in June 2020, he is an experienced executive in corporate, community and not for profit sectors. He has managed and delivered nationally award-winning programs impacting communities throughout Australia in collaboration with Federal and State governments resulting in the employment of more than 900 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people and tens of millions of dollars procured through Indigenous businesses.

His community engagement involved co-founding CareerTrackers, and board membership across multiple foundations. Sean is a member of the alumni council at the University of Melbourne.

Greg Bowden is a regional Queensland based economic development executive and brings a diverse range of experience in Economic Development, Local Government, Stakeholder Engagement, Resources and Energy Infrastructure, Agriculture, Mediation and Negotiation.

He has spent the past 20 years working in public and private sector engagement focused upon the economic development of cities and regions. Greg has a particular focus on the progression of the economic development profession, building regional economic growth and increasing the social and economic contribution for communities across Australia.  This follows a career in procurement, supply chain, logistics and negotiation in resources and infrastructure development.  

Greg has held roles that have seen him lead highly dedicated teams of economic development professionals focused upon industry development, investment attraction, major event attraction, tourism, destination marketing and communications in metropolitan and regional Queensland. 

Greg also has a keen interest in sustainable global supply chains, the circular economy and future energy projects and he is lucky enough to spend his working life using his skills to bolster and grow the economic contribution from Regional Australia.

Shannan Little has spent the last 10 years working in economic development in Gippsland, Victoria. He is currently the Manager of Economic Development & Investment at Bass Coast Shire Council and serves as Board Director and Chair of Latrobe Valley Enterprises, a social enterprise that provides meaningful employment to people with disability.

Shannan led the creation of Council’s Economic Development Framework 2030 that applies a principle-based approach to driving positive economic growth. Recognised nationally in 2019 by Economic Development Australia in the rising star category, Shannan will explore how regenerative practices can build sense of place and drive economy.

Matt is an experienced economic development professional employed by local government authorities over the past 15 years across capital city, metropolitan and regional settings to research, devise, develop and implement programs and activities that grow local economies. Matt has undertaken tertiary studies in Management, International Politics and Urban Geography with his principal areas of expertise and interest being business and investment attraction, international relations, marketing, digital strategy and transformation, retail analysis, placemaking, and event and activation strategies. He has a strong interest in embracing the digital and virtual economy and its practical application to improve the community’s standard of living and wellbeing.

Matt is the Executive Director Growth & Strategy at the Lower Eyre Council, South Australia. Spanning an area of 4,771 km² diverse in environment and industry and with over 700km of the most pristine coastline on Eyre peninsula, the Lower Eyre Council is in an exciting period of transformation and continuous improvement inspired by its purpose to strengthen rural and coastal communities.

Matt leads the development of strategies that support this transformation including the development of a Growth Plan for the region that considers opportunities for sustainable Economic Development through new, and existing, industries and working with Council to establish the best governance and operational management structures for the Port Lincoln Airport that drive economic benefit to the local community and broader state.