Conference Speakers

Sharon Warburton
Opening Keynote Address
08.45am Thursday 5 November
 

After an executive career in strategy and finance roles based in Perth, Sydney, London and Abu Dhabi, Sharon is now a full-time Non-Executive Company Director. She is the 2014 WA Telstra Business Woman of the Year and was named in the 2015 Westpac AFR 100 Women of Influence. She is a Non-Executive Director for ASX200 Listed Wesfarmers Limited, Worley Limited, and Gold Road Resources Limited; as well as a Director of the fundraising NFP Foundation for the Perth Children's Hospital. She chairs the Audit & Risk Committees for both Wesfarmers and Gold Road Resources. She is also a part time member of the Takeovers Panel, an Adjunct Professor in Leadership and Strategy at Curtin Business School and the Patron of the Women in MBA Scholarship Programme at Curtin. She served as a Non-Executive Director of Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) from 2013 to 2020 (Co Deputy Chairman from 2017). Educated in Exmouth and Perth, Sharon holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Curtin University and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Building. Sharon is mum to 10-year old Chloe. She champions flexibility, diversity and work-life balance and places a high priority on sharing her own experiences.
David Burfoot
Plenary Session
10.30am Thursday 5 November




David Burfoot is an accomplished governance professional, consultant and trainer who provides integrity and ethical governance advice and training to not-for-profit, public and private sector bodies in Australia and abroad.

David's clients have included many of the top 50 ASX listed companies (including CSL, BHP, Telstra, AGL and the NAB), government regulators and some of the most well-known non-profit organisations. He is currently an Associate of The Ethics Centre after spending four years as its Senior Advisor. This included him project managing some of the Centre's most high-profile engagements, including he governance review of Cricket Australia after the ball tampering incident in 2018 and the governance review of the Australian Olympic Committee in 2017.
Joel Levin
Plenary Session
11.15am Thursday 5 November 2020



Joel Levin is the Managing Director of Aha! Consulting. With a background in community services and management, Joel brings over 30 years' experience working with a range of sectors including Resources, Health, Indigenous, Human Services, Planning, CALD, Environment, Commerce, Sports and Recreation, Education, Local Government, Utilities, Waste Management, Arts, Aged Care, Disabilities and Justice.

Working with corporate, government and community organisations alike, Joel's facilitation, strategy and engagement skills have seen the work of Aha! Consulting expand from metropolitan and regional Western Australia, to other states and territories. More recently Joel's work has gone international, working with the United Nations, supporting the engagement on the implementation of the Sustainable Development goals.

In all instances Joel brings his unique style of working with and engaging communities, which puts people in the centre of decision-making and the heart at the centre of people.
Dr Stefan Hajkowicz
Plenary Session
1.30pm Thursday 5 November
Dr Stefan Hajkowicz currently leads CSIOR Futures. This captures a diverse portfolio of foresight projects to examine future trends and assist strategic planning by government, industry and community organisations.

Stefan's interest in strategic planning emerged during his first job with the Caboolture Shire Council as Land Information Officer. During this time Dr Hajkowicz witnessed bushfires within the Shire which destroyed property, forest plantations and ecological habitates. Dr Hajkowicz thought about ways to mitigate future risks and was later awarded first class honours from The University of Queensland for developing a bushfire hazard mapping system in his final-year undergraduate thesis. In his doctoral thesis he continued to work on decision-making by examining how people, as individuals and groups, make environmental decisions using intuitive versus structured and analytical approaches.

Since starting with CSIRO as a post-doctoral scientist in Adelaide over a decade ago Dr Hajkowicz's decision models have guided government and industry investment choices worth hundreds of millions of dollars. His work has influenced critical policy choices relating to Australia's Murray Darling Basin, Great Barrier Reef, the Swan and Canning River Estuary and other environmental assets.
Alison Fan
Closing Keynote Session
4.00pm Thursday 5 November
Alison Fan has been a reporter, presenter, columnist, interviewer and producer in both the print and electronic media since 1963.
She has been tear gassed during the violent anti-Vietnam protests in California. She has been shot at in San Francisco during the riots between police, students, protestors and the National Guardsmen. Working for a top Californian newspaper in the sixties and early seventies...she covered the transition from Haight-Ashbury hippies, through the rise of the Black Panthers...the fatal confrontation between the Black Panthers and the Rolling Stones...the historic Woodstock Festival...with personal interviews with stars like Jimi Hendrix.
Alison has spent more than 40 years reporting for Channel 7 Perth for both Channel 7 News and Today Tonight. She has also been an interviewer/panelist for Channel 7's Telethon since its inception. She has been a columnist for the Weekend News, Oakland Tribune California, and Perth Weekly. She was newsreader for Channel 7 News from 1978 to 1991.
Alison has covered every major court trial in WA since 1965. She covered the Costigan (Bottom of the Harbour) Royal Commission in the early 1980s...did daily and nightly live reports from the WA Inc. Royal Commission from 1991 to 1992, and was a key witness in the Carmen Lawrence-Easton Royal Commission.
She has covered the rise and fall of Alan Bond, Dallas Dempster, Laurie Connell and Robert Holmes a Court...the trials and jailing of former Premier Brian Burke, Premier Ray O'Connor and Deputy Premier David Parker.
She covered the horrendous serial killings by David and Catherine Birnie...one of the victims was a schoolmate of Alison's son. She has also covered the Claremont serial killings from the nineties with the first disappearance of Sarah Speers through to the 2020 trial and guilty verdict for the killer Bradley Robert Edwards.
In 1989 Alison gained national and international recognition when a million dollars' worth of gold was sent to her personally at Channel 7. This was following more than a decade of stories she'd done on the controversial conviction and jailing of the Mickelberg brothers for the Perth Mint Swindle.
Also in 1989 Alison had an unwelcome encounter with breast cancer. Since then she has featured in a number of women's magazines, daily newspapers, TV programs and in on-going campaigns to encourage women to have regular mammograms and check-ups.
In recent years a man wanted by police for holding his female lawyer and her husband hostage at gunpoint, and threatening to kill her, gave himself up to Alison at Channel 7 after being on the run from police for several days.
Liam Bartlett
Closing Keynote Session
4.00pm Thursday 5 November
A Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Australia and one of Perth's highest profile journalists and public broadcasters, Liam has spent almost 30 years working in Australian media. During that time he has enjoyed a series of high profile positions across all three major platforms - television, radio and print.
His roles have included new anchor at Channel Nine in Perth, hosting the state-based 7.30 Report on ABC TV (WA), reporting from the Melbourne bureau of A Current Affair, a columnist and feature writer for News Limited through the Sunday Times and the host of prime-time talkback shifts on Radio 6PR and 720 ABC Perth.
Indeed for six years, when Liam hosted the ABC's flagship statewide morning current affairs program, it became the only morning program in the ABC's Australian network that consistently out-rated its commercial opposition, a record that still stands today.
He is best known however to national audiences as the journalist who was asked to join the Nine Network's most prestigious current affairs program, 60 Minutes, following the death of stalwart Richard Carlton. For almost seven years Liam lived mostly out of a suitcase, gathering interviews and information from scores of international destinations in what can only be described as the best ride any foreign correspondent could ask for.
His first assignment was the Israeli-Hezbollah war in 2006 and after dodging incoming Katyusha rockets in Israel and being bombed in Beirut, the baptism of fire was complete. Since then he has covered war zones on Iraq, Afghanistan, South Ossetia and Syria. In less risky parts of the world he has been tear gassed on the West Bank, stoned by a mob in Nigeria and lost in the middle of the Congo. He has felt many emotions, including extreme claustrophobia in the tunnels of Gaza, extreme discomfort being licked by a large Alaskan black bear and extremely bruised after a serious car crash in Siberia. Respected by his peers for covering stories that others don't want to do, Liam has ignored strenuous advice from an Australian prime minister to 'stay away', inadvertently taken the wrong advice and been bitten by a deadly snake as a result and wished he's had better advice before helping to raid the nest of a three metre mother crocodile!
On a more positive note, he has enjoyed several pints with Tom Jones and a heap of laughs with Billy Crystal. Spending time with Tom Hanks, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Jack Black and Dame Helen Mirren wasn't half bad either.
In 2012 Liam left the program to spend more time with his then school-aged children. He accepted an opportunity to help set-up a global creative development department and worked as an expat with Shell International in London for two years - before returning home to rejoin the Nine Network in Perth in January 2015.
Gary Adshead
Closing Keynote Session
4.00pm Thursday 5 November
Gary has been a journalist in print, radio and television for the past 30 years including ten years with The West Australian as one of WA's leading investigative journalists.
He joined Radio 6PR as host of their morning current affairs program for three years before returning to The West Australian as their State Political Editor in 2016. His regular columns pulled together more than three decades of experience. Gary often uses humour to dissect current affairs, but takes no prisoners on either side of politics in finding the truth. Gary is currently State Political Editor for Channel Nine, Perth. He began his career after finishing at Balcatta Senior High School and moving to New Zealand where he worked voluntarily for an Auckland radio station.
During the same year (1984) he was employed at a regional newspaper and after almost 12 months he moved back to Auckland where he joined the Sunday News. He returned to Perth via an eventful yacht trip in 1986 and went to work for Community Newspapers and then The West Australian. In 1990, he began a television career that included Channel 10, Channel 9 and Channel 7 both as a reporter and Chief of Staff. His television news reporting experiences included coverage of the dramatic Southern Ocean search for yachtsman Tony Bullimore. Gary was the only television reporter on board the navy ship when Bullimore was rescued and his broadcasts went around the world. He was also the reporter for Channel 9's A Current Affair during the controversial rescue of lost American Robert Bogucki in the desert east of Broome.
Over almost three decades Gary has won numerous awards for breaking exclusive stories about organised crime, politics, sport and business in Western Australia.
Gareth Parker
Closing Keynote Session
4.00pm Thursday 5 November

Gareth is one of Western Australia's leading journalists, news breakers, commentators and columnists.
A working journalist since 2004, he was The West Australian's State Politicial Editor, a reporter at Seven News and currently hosts 6PRS's top current affairs / talkback Morning program where he provides razor sharp analysis for listeners, using his contacts to break news and score the big interviews on all the important issues that matter to the people of Perth.
Fearless and fair Gareth takes on the big talking points to inform and entertain his listeners. Gareth has covered general news, local state and federal government, sport and business news for The West Australian, including as The West's Melbourne correspondent and bureau chief. Born in Geraldton and raised in Perth, Gareth's personal interests are headlined by irrational devotion to the New York Mets. A former WAFL and VFL Australian Rules umpire, he enjoys the culture of sport, travel, books, cook, technology and a well-made margarita.
An extremely poised and polished presenter, Gareth is a much-sought after corporate master of ceremonies and facilitator of the highest repute. He is also an informed and engaging speaker who is well qualified to address politics, current issues and world affairs.
Jonathan Pain
Opening Keynote 
8.30am Friday 6 November


Jonathan Pain is a Director of JP Consulting NSW Pty Ltd and has 32 years international investment experience, leading investment teams in London, Bahrain and Australia.
Jonathan holds a joint honours degree in Economics and Politics from Keele University and a Masters degree in Finance from Exeter University.
He is the author and publisher of a widely read investment newsletter, The Pain Report. He is well known for his contrarian views, is a regular guest on CNBC TV and speaks at conferences and seminars all around the world.
Jonathan is a member of the Advisory Council of China Matters (www.chinamatters.org.au).
In 2006, he highlighted the unsustainable levels of debt and the housing bubble in America that led to the global financial crisis - warnings that have been acknowledged by respected commentators Alan Kohler and Graham Rich.
He contends that the most significant and defining economic phenomenon of our lifetime is the rise of the Asian middle classes.
Lynda Folan
Concurrent Sessions 2 and 5 
11.45am and 2.15pm Friday 6 November





Lynda is the Managing Director of Inspired Development Solutions. 
Lynda has extensive experience in Leadership and Organisational Development with a highly successful track record of strategically developing organisations and managing International Human Resource teams.
For the past eight years Lynda has worked as a consultant in both the public and private sector assisting organisations to enhance the people aspects of their operations.
With over 25 years of experience working with businesses across the globe, Lynda has considerable expertise in: Strategic Human Resources, Leadership Development, organisational Change, Organisational Development, Team development, Facilitation and Executive coaching.
Dr Ian Martinus
Concurrent Sessions 3 and 6 
11.45am and 2.15pm Friday 6 November
Dr. Ian Martinus is a trade and investment specialist with experience in technology-related ventures across government and industry.
With a strong background in entrepreneurship and innovation, he has founded start-ups in digital visualisation, e-commerce and online music. He has worked on cross-border economic empowerment projects for USAID, the World Bank, EBRD and AusAID include countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Africa and been a consultant to Japanese land development companies in Australia and Japan.
As an active member of the economic development community in Australia and the United States, Ian has delivered successful projects in the urban and land development sectors (Tokyo Corporation Yanchep and Two Rocks project) and co-created the Railsmart project in WA which received a National smart Cities award in 2019 while he worked for the City of Wanneroo. Ian founded two digital start-ups and has Tech Crunch DISRUPT pitch experience in NYC and SF events @ Startup Alley.
His latest role within the Australian cybersecurity ecosystem as the Director WA AustCyber Innovation Hub promotes Australian sovereign cyber opportunities through government, industry, research and third sector covergence. The primary of his current role is Australian capability and local jobs.
Brad Birt
Concurrent Sessions 1 and 4 
11.45am and 2.15pm Friday 6 November

Patrick Walker
Plenary Session
12.00pm Thursday 5 November




Brad Birt has successfully conceived and delivered strategy, technology and organisational change initiatives in Australia, the United States and Canada. His career spans management consulting, startups and innovation that fosters public value.
Brad has worked for WA Department of Health, and helps train WA government innovators through the Switch Program.
Brad spent a decade in Canada, where he worked in a number of roles that focused on creating public value: as a management consultant in healthcare and higher education; as Director of Product & Service Strategy for a provincial regulator of technical equipment and systems; and as a Non-Executive Director of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police. In these roles Brad worked with federal, provincial, municipal and First Nations governments. He has also co-founded new ventures and is active with Perth's startup community.
Brad holds a Bachelor of Arts in English (Hons), MBA and the PMP designation. Brad is undertaking PhD research exploring the nature and role of wisdom in entrepreneurs navigating uncertainty.

Patrick Walker commenced his current position as Executive General Manager, Advocacy and Members at the RAC in July 2011. Immediately prior to this, he was the Director General, Department of Indigenous Affairs from 2008.

Patrick was a Commissioner at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Commissioner for Consumer Protection and Prices Commissioner in Western Australia for 10 years and during this period he was also a member of the Legal Aid Commission of Western Australia, the Medical Board of Western Australia, a Trustee of the national Travel Compensation Fund and Chairman of Workpower Incorporated, which provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Patrick has also had extensive management experience in local government, with his most recent position being Chief Executive Officer at the City of Subiaco (1993 to 1998). During this time he was elected as State President and as a National Director of Local Government Managers Australia.