IMPACT 2024 Conference Speakers

Katrina leads the Diversity and Inclusion team at the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions (DJSIR). She has over 15 years of public sector experience across a wide range of diversity, employment, organisational development, wellbeing and culture initiatives.

Katrina is passionate about supporting people and organisations to grow and develop more inclusive practices.

Working in partnership with DJSIR’s staff-led Enablers Network, Katrina led the co-design of a recruitment process that prioritised positions for people with disability. Since 2021, she has supported the Department to advertise more than 130 prioritised positions, from entry level to manager roles. Katrina has also led DJSIR’s accreditation as a Disability Confident Recruiter through the Australian Disability Network, the first Victorian Government department to achieve this milestone.

Through a range of efforts including prioritised recruitment, improved recruitment processes, and inclusive employment programs and pathways, DJSIR’s disability employment rate has increased from 6% in 2021, to 9% in 2023.

Katrina is passionate about co-designing inclusion initiatives and seeking regular feedback, to ensure that lived experience informs design, implementation and ongoing improvements.

Caroline Casey is the businesswoman and activist behind The Valuable 500, the world’s largest CEO collective and business move for disability inclusion.

Caroline launched the movement at the World Economic Forum’s Davos Summit in 2019 and since then has signed up 500 multinational organisations with a combined revenue of over $8 trillion, employing 20 million people worldwide to radically transform the business system. The membership includes 36 of the FTSE 100 companies, 46 of the Fortune 500 and 28 of the Nikkei.

As well as being President of the IAPB, Caroline sits on several diversity and inclusion boards to include L’Oréal, Sanofi and Sky and is a much sought-after speaker.

Caroline has received an honorary doctorate as well as multiple awards and accolades for her work as a disability activist.

Visit Caroline’s LinkedIn page

Primal Fernando is the Senior IT Officer at the Victorian Disability Worker Commission. Primal has over 20 years of experience in the information technology and services industry. Primal is a strong advocate for people with disability and champions diversity and inclusion in various public forums.

Last year, Primal created a pilot project and mentored four young people with disability to get meaningful employment for the first time in their careers as part of his advocacy work in Sri Lanka. Primal led the inaugural Career Development Workshop for people with disabilities organized by the VPS Enablers Network. This was one of the largest employment forums in the Victorian Public Sector.

At the age of 17, Primal moved to Australia permanently by himself after starting to travel at such a young age.

Paul is a supply chain industry leader, with more than 30 years’ experience, starting his career at 18 in customer service in the international cargo industry.

Paul comes to Australia Post from Woolworths Group, where he was Chief Supply Chain Officer and Managing Director of Primary Connect. He has held senior roles working across logistics in Australia, the UK, Taiwan, Singapore and Germany, including as Global COO and CEO for Europe, Middle East & Africa for DHL. Paul was presented with the Public Service Medal by the government of Singapore for services to the logistics industry and regional development in 2015.

Paul has also served as Chairman of a global digital marketing group based in London, served on various University and Government advisory Boards and also on Boards in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods and farming sectors.

Passionate about mental health and wellbeing, Paul is also Chair of the Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds Foundation, with a goal to improve mental wellbeing within the transport and logistics industry.

Emma joined the team at Australian Disability Network  in 2018 bringing with her 15+ years’ experience working in the community sector in both the disability and crisis services / homelessness fields.

Emma’s career path began at Kew Residential Services and has wound its way through the disability sector to include support work, coordination, leading teams and projects, and case management. Following the completion of a Master of Social Work (MSW), Emma shifted to work in the housing and homelessness sector first at The Salvation Army Crisis Services, then at Sacred Heart Mission’s Homefront (Women’s Crisis Accommodation). This pathway has shown Emma that there can be no real change for the individual without first breaking down the systemic barriers that impact on their situation.

As a woman with disability, Emma is passionate about disability representation and seeing her community thrive. As Head of Consultancy, Emma supports an amazing team whose goal is to build the disability confidence of Australian businesses through key Australian Disability Network programs and services.

A constant student, Emma holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Disability Studies), Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) and a Master of Social Work. She also happens to be a trained yoga and meditation teacher.

Email:  emma.henningsen@AusDN.org.au

Phone: 03 7032 3522

Vanessa Hudson commenced as Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director in September 2023.

Ms Hudson was previously Group Chief Financial Officer for four years, including through the pandemic and the airline’s recovery.

She served as Qantas’s Chief Customer Officer, with responsibilities spanning all aspects of the customer experience and strategy.

Joining Qantas in 1994, she has held a variety of senior commercial, customer and finance roles across the Group, in Australia and overseas, including Executive Manager of Sales and Distribution, Senior Vice President for Qantas across the Americas and New Zealand, Executive Manager of Commercial Planning and Executive Manager for Product and Service. In these various roles, her responsibilities ranged from sales channels, revenue management and network planning, to transformation in catering, airports and network.

Vanessa has a Bachelor of Business and was admitted as a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1994.

Graeme is the Chancellor of Central Queensland University, a member of the board of the National Disability Insurance Agency, and a member of the board of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority of NSW.

Graeme’s autobiography Finding a Way achieved popular acclaim in 2016.

He has been a human rights practitioner for more than forty years, and is a conference presenter and facilitator.

Graeme was a Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission for nine years, responsible for issues relating to disability, race and human rights. On the international stage, he was a member of the Australian delegation that participated in negotiating the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

Since 2014, Graeme has received four Honorary Doctorates in recognition of his human rights advocacy.

Graeme is married with two children, loves cricket as a spectator and sailing as a participant, and relaxes by enjoying fine Australian white wine.

David was appointed Chief Executive Officer in May 2021. He commenced at Medibank in 2014, holding the roles of Chief Operating Officer from March 2014 and then Group Executive – Chief Customer Officer from September 2016, where he was responsible for the performance of the Medibank and ahm Health Insurance and Diversified financial portfolios, and led the start-up of the Live Better program. David was also appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer between April 2016 and June 2016.

Prior to joining Medibank, David was Group Chief Commercial Officer at Jetstar where he was responsible for growing and sustaining the business and leading its customer facing functions across Asia Pacific, having joined as part of the start-up team, and served as a Director of Jetstar Pacific (Vietnam), Jetstar Hong Kong and NewStar (Singapore) JV airlines.

David has more than 25 years of strategy, innovation, commercial and operational experience, including previous work in the consulting and financial services industries. David is a Member of the Council of Management for the International Federation of Health Plans.

As Chief Accessibility Officer of Microsoft Corporation, Jenny champions inclusion, equity, and views accessibility as a fundamental right. Joining Microsoft in 2005 to work on Hotmail and Bing, Jenny’s passion for accessibility led to the creation of the Disability Employee Resource Group at Microsoft, and her current role as CAO. Jenny has spearheaded the company’s comprehensive approach to accessibility since 2016, driving accountability across the company, and fostering a disability inclusive culture. From engineering processes, physical accessibility to skilling and inclusive hiring, Jenny advocates for inclusion of disabled talent as a driving force to deliver next generation technology, programs, and partnerships. Jenny identifies as deaf and disabled and believes accessibility is essential to innovation.

Outside of Microsoft, Jenny is on the board of directors of Disability:IN and Team Gleason, was recognized as a Disability Employment Champion of Change by the White House in 2014, one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2017 and Forbes’ The Future of Work 50 in 2023. She created the Disability Answer Desk, which provides customer support for people with disabilities, created and hosts the annual Microsoft Ability Summit, an international event with 20,000+ attendees dedicated to advancing accessibility and disability inclusion, and was instrumental in the development of the Autism Hiring Program, Microsoft’s Ability Hackathon, the driving force behind technologies including SeeingAI, Immersive Reader, Windows Live Captions, and Eye Control.

Natasha Legge-Wilkinson is a chartered chemical engineer who is AGL’s Lead Principal Process Safety Engineer and is on the AGL Ability committee and retired AGL Ability Chair (2021-2023).

Natasha has worked in the energy, pharmaceutical, water and oil and gas industries in process engineering, project management and technical leadership roles over the last 14 years.

Randy Lewis, former Senior Vice President (SVP) of Supply Chain & Logistics, Walgreens, has received recognition worldwide for transforming one of America’s largest corporations into a workplace where people with disability could not only succeed but thrive.

After watching the world through the eyes of his own child with autism, Austin, Randy realised that we all have a greater responsibility to make the world a better place for everyone, including those with disabilities.

So, as SVP of Logistics for Walgreens, Randy bet his career that he could create an inclusive workplace where people with disabilities could not just succeed, but thrive. As a result of his efforts over 16 years, he saw the chain grow from 1,500 to 8,000 stores with the most advanced logistics network in its industry, while also creating thousands of full-time jobs for people with disabilities.

Catherine joined the Australian Disability Network in June 2023 as the Research Lead.

She has worked in the disability sector for 15 years. Catherine also has extensive experience in learning and development for support workers, specialising in person-centred practice.

At NSW Council for Intellectual Disability, she learned a lot from project workers about producing accessible materials in Easy Read and how to co-design training courses and policies and procedures.

Catherine completed her PhD at the University of Technology Sydney in 2022. Her research foregrounded the “insider perspectives” of people with intellectual disability and support workers. She also has a Master of Education, a post-graduate Diploma of Adult Education, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

Founding a broadcasting project in partnership with people with intellectual disability is a highlight of her career. ‘Making Airwaves’ promoted inclusion and the right to be heard and was a finalist in the NSW Disability Industry Innovation Awards in 2013.

Catherine volunteers at the Sewing Basket, Achieve Australia’s social enterprise that employs people with disability to sort and sell donated fabrics, machines, and other craft materials. This satisfies another of her passions – a sustainable environment – as these crafty goods are saved from landfill.

Outside of work, Catherine is very keen on the theatre, practising yoga, making her own clothes, and being creative. She loves walks with her fluffy rescue cats (yes, really!)

Amber O’Shea is Australian Disability Network’s Head of Strategy, overseeing the organisation’s Strategy Portfolio which includes Research, Strategic Planning, Partnerships, Projects, and Business Development. Amber joined Australian Disability Network (Australia’s peak body for disability inclusion in the workplace) in December 2017.

Amber’s career path has always focused on consulting where she enjoys deep analysis to understand a market and environment. Amber’s work has also focused on inclusion strategies, policy and system development, behavioural change and workshop training and facilitation. Amber’s previous roles include Associate Qualitative Research Consultant at ORIMA Research and Business Analyst at boutique consulting firm Growth Solutions Group.

Amber has extensive experience advising c-suite decision markers on change management strategies to improve organisations’ access and inclusion, increase market share and generate revenue growth. Utilising her project management skills, Amber designs national pioneering projects and theories of change to create lasting and sustainable impact in the not-for-profit sector. Some of her projects include Employing 100 – aiming to successfully place 100 job seekers with disability into roles in the Health Care and Social Assistance, and Food and Accommodation industries. Career Pathways Pilot working with 4 major retailers in Australia to improve career development pathways for people with disability and the Disability Observership Pilot creating a disability talent pipeline into The Observership Program to increase representation of people with disability on boards.

Amber has extensive media and public speaking experience and has presented at events including the International Labour Organisation’s Global Business and Disability Conference in Geneva, the Australian Banking Associations launch of the Accessibility Banking Principles, and both the National Disability Insurance Agency and Hanes Brands Australia’s Leadership Conferences.

Amber holds a BComm in Management and Marketing and a DipLang in Indonesian from the University of Melbourne.

Email: Amber.Oshea@AusDN.org.au

Phone: 03 7032 3521

Ms. María Soledad Cisternas Reyes is a Lawyer, Law Professor and Researcher, and has been promoting the rights of persons with disabilities at regional and global levels for decades.

With previous UN roles including Special Envoy of United Nation Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility (2017-2023), Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of the United Nations, recipient of the National Prize of Human Rights (2014-2015), she has been working closely with the United Nations on disability issues for the past two decades. This has also included serving as an expert before the ad hoc committee that developed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, for which she is also the rapporteur for individual complaints.

As a human rights lawyer by training, she also serves as the director of the Legal Programme on Disability in the faculty of law of Diego Portales University, and contributes to the promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities at national, regional and international levels. She was also awarded the International Human Rights Award, the American Bar Association of the United States (ABA), in 2022.

Ms. Cisternas has trained municipal judges, civil servants and members of civil society in various regions of Chile in different aspects of the rights of persons with disabilities, drawing on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; co-produced the documentary “Six Women in America” dealing with the process of the implementation of the Convention from a gender perspective; and advised the Human Rights Secretariat of the Latin American Union of Blind Persons (ULAC) and members of the Advisory Group of the Ibero-American Network of Non-Governmental Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and their Families (RIADIS).

She graduated from the Universidad Catolica de Chile with a law degree, and was awarded the title of Supreme Court attorney. Ms. Cisternas has also completed her Master’s studies in political science at the same university with a focus on political institutions and processes.

Paul has more than 25 years’ experience in transport, freight and logistics, travel, and aviation and was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Pacific National in 2021.

Prior to joining Australia’s largest private rail freight company, he was CEO of Virgin Australia, CEO of port and supply chain operator DP World Australia, and CEO of Queensland Rail. Paul also held senior leadership roles at Ansett and Aurizon. He was a former Board member of AWH and Australia Post.

Paul serves on the board of the Australasian Railway Association and is a Non-Executive Director of WHIZZ technologies and RPM Global.

Natalie Sheard is a socio-legal researcher in the areas of discrimination law, algorithmic decision systems and AI regulation. For her doctoral research, she conducted an empirical study exploring the use, operation and impact of candidate screening systems in Australia and examined legal responses to algorithmic-facilitated discrimination in hiring in Australia.

Ms Sheard is also a practising lawyer working at the intersection of law and technology. Until recently, she led innovation and product development at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, designing and developing digital legal solutions to increase access to justice. She is also a highly experienced public interest and class actions litigation lawyer and has held senior roles in law reform and policy development.

Ms Sheard is a member of the Australian Discrimination Law Experts Group and the digital equality group of the Berkeley Centre on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law. She has won academic scholarships and awards including the Transforming Human Societies Research Focus Scholarship.

Tracey Spicer AM BBus(Comm) GAICD is a multiple Walkley Award winning author, journalist and broadcaster who has anchored national programs for ABC TV and radio, Network Ten and Sky News.

The inaugural national convenor of Women in Media, Tracey is one of the most sought-after on stage and online keynote speakers and emcees in the region. In 2019 she was named the NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year, accepted the Sydney Peace Prize alongside Tarana Burke for the Me Too movement, and won the national award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership through Women & Leadership Australia.

In 2018, Tracey was chosen as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence, winning the Social Enterprise and Not-For-Profit category. She was also named Agenda Setter of the Year by the website Women’s Agenda. For her 30 years of media and charity work, Tracey has been awarded the Order of Australia.

Highlights of her outstanding career include writing, producing and presenting documentaries on women and girls in Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, Papua New Guinea and India. She is an Ambassador for ActionAid, Cancer Council NSW, QUT’s Learning Potential Fund, The Ethnic Business Awards Foundation, SISTER2sister and Purple Our World, and Patron of the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance.

Her first book, The Good Girl Stripped Bare, became a bestseller within weeks of publication, while her TEDx Talk, The Lady Stripped Bare, has attracted more than six million views worldwide. Tracey’s essays have appeared in dozens of books including Women of Letters, She’s Having a Laugh, Father Figures, Unbreakable, and Bewitched & Bedevilled: Women Write the Gillard Years.

Recently, the ABC highlighted Tracey’s #metoo work in the three-part documentary series Silent No More, which featured the stories of hidden survivors.

In between emceeing/speaking at live and hybrid conferences, working in corporate communications, and conducting media/presentation training sessions, Tracey has authored her latest book “Man Made” on the topic of bias built into the frameworks of technologies such as AI.

Corene joined the Australian Disability Network  as the Chief Executive Officer in July 2021.

An experienced CEO, Corene is passionate about improving the lives of others and building communities for good. A NFP specialist, with a marketing background, Corene was previously Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics Australia, part of the world’s largest disability sports organisation.

Her previous role was also in the sports sector as Chief Executive Officer for the NRL’s Men of League Foundation responsible for the welfare of the rugby league community. Corene was the first female of to be appointed.

Prior to that she was the inaugural National Marketing Manager for Legacy Australia, caring for the families of the fallen and ill Defence force Veterans. As a result of Corene’s efforts Legacy underwent major transformation and appointed their first National CEO, after 90 years of volunteer led administration. A great believer in the value of education her professional career included senior appointments at Tribeca (now Kaplan), University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM).

Corene is a South African born Aussie with a solid sporting pedigree and has been a citizen of ours since 1987. Corene is married to Peter, and they enjoy travelling in their motorhome, as well as swimming at her beloved Cronulla beach, playing golf, yoga and cycling in her spare time.

Email: rida.leung@AusDN.org.au (Executive Assistant)
Phone: 02 8270 9219

Tara Waller is an accomplished executive leader with over 20 years of experience driving organisational strategy and fostering inclusive cultures across education, not for profit and government sectors. With a passion for creating workplaces where everyone can thrive,

Tara has dedicated her career to championing positive change within organisations, communities, and industries. Her dedication to inclusion has earned her and her teams recognition from AHRI, the National Disability Awards, SEEK, the Institute of Public Administration Australia and Spinal Injuries Australia.

With bachelor’s degrees in psychology and commerce, a master’s degree in human rights and certifications in workplace coaching and leadership development, Tara brings a unique perspective to her roles that combines commercial acumen and values driven leadership to generate positive outcomes for individuals and organisations.

As the Head of Culture and Inclusion at RMIT University, Tara leads initiatives to enhance organisational culture and diversity by developing exceptional leaders, driving great and inclusive employee experiences and driving an organisation that is inclusive by design – for everyone, everywhere, all the time.

Leah Weckert became CEO and Managing Director of Coles Group on 1 May 2023.

Leah joined Coles in 2011 and has held several senior roles across the Coles Group. Most recently, Leah was Chief Executive, Commercial and Express leading the supermarkets business units and the Coles Express business. Before this, Leah was Chief Financial Officer and played a leadership role in the demerger from Wesfarmers in 2018. Leah has also held roles as Director Strategy, Director People & Culture, State General Manager Victoria Operations, and General Manager Merchandise, Strategy and Innovation.

Prior to joining Coles, Leah worked at McKinsey & Company, advising large private and public sector clients, and Fosters Group in Strategy and Business Development.

Leah’s qualifications include a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from Adelaide University and a Bachelor of Science from Adelaide University. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women.

Outside of work, Leah enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.

Peter was appointed Chairman of the Australian Disability Network Board in May 2015.

He was appointed Chairman of the Power and Water Corporation in the Northern Territory in March 2022, and Chairman and Director of the National Alcohol and Drug Foundation in December 2021.

Peter Wilson is the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee at each of – the Office of the Auditor-General in Western Australia; and the Department of Premier and Cabinet in Western Australia.

Peter is also the Independent Member and Chairman of the Australian Retail Credit Association and the Reciprocity and Data Exchange Administrator Limited which set respectively the credit reporting standards under National Privacy legislation, and also industry rules for credit reporting by financial institutions that are authorised by the ACCC.

He was President and Chairman of CPA Australia from October 2017-2020, and continued as a Director until his retirement in December 2021. He was a non voting board member on the International Federation of Accountants in New York from 2020-2021.

Peter was Chairman of the Australian HR Institute from 2006-2020, and chaired it’s National Certification Council until March 2022. He was a non-executive director and past Chairman of Vision Super from July 2012 – September 2022.

He is Chairman of the Victorian Institute of Strategic Economic Studies at Victoria University. He is also a panel member at the Centre of Excellence into Population and Ageing Research (“CEPAR”) at Sydney and Curtin Universities, and an Advisor to the International Consortium for Research into Employment and Work (“ICREW”) at Monash University.

Peter served as an Adjunct Professor in Management at the Monash Business School, Monash University, Melbourne from 2012-2020, and as an accredited PhD Supervisor at the Latrobe Business School, Latrobe University from 2015-2020.

Peter held senior executive roles in the Commonwealth and Victorian Treasuries, and group executive roles at ANZ Bank, Amcor Limited, and as CEO of Energy 21. He has held non-executive director appointments on Boards of Dalgety Farmers Ltd, Kimberly-Clark Australia, and both the Commonwealth Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission and Yarra Valley Water as Chairman.

Peter Wilson was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005 for services to workplace relations and safety and community service and was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2004.

Katie Wyatt brings over 20 years of leadership and business expertise to the forefront, with a passion for leveraging the influence of business to drive social change. Her career journey reflects a diverse range of experiences across various sectors, culminating in a profound understanding of driving organizational transformation and performance at both operational and board levels.

As a seasoned professional in organisation development and change management, Katie has left her mark within some of Australia’s most prominent organisations, including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Accenture, and Australia Post.

With a keen eye for business and social impact, Katie has also navigated the intersection of the private and purpose-driven sectors, serving as a driving force behind The Reach Foundation, a social enterprise dedicated to effecting positive societal change.

Currently, as the leader of the Culture and Inclusion team at Coles Group, Katie is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and culturally vibrant workplace for over 125,000 team members. Her dedication to driving meaningful change through business leadership makes her a compelling voice at the forefront of the conversation on organisational development and social impact.