SPEAKERS 2019 /

RONNI KAHN AO/

Founder & CEO OZ HARVEST

Driven by a determination to find purpose in her life, the simple act of rescuing good food and delivering it to people in need quickly caught on, and in 2004 OzHarvest was born. Ronni Kahn is renowned for her boundless energy, infectious enthusiasm and not taking no for an answer! Her ability to inspire and motivate everyone she meets has seen OzHarvest grow from humble beginnings to become Australia’s leading food rescue organisation. Her journey in the fight against food waste became the feature of an independent film Food Fighter and in 2019 she was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia.

PETE CEGLINSKI /

CEO at SEABIN PROJECT

Pete has a background in both Industrial Design and high performance boat building. A surfer, father and ecopreneur, Pete has been around the ocean his entire life and now has the chance to help lessen the negative impact plastics and pollution has on the environment.

ANN SHERRY AO /

Chair UNICEF & advisor CARNIVAL CRUISES

Ann is one of Australia's leading business executives with a career that spans Government, Banking and Cruise Tourism. Ann is the Chair of UNICEF Australia. ​ The Australian Government awarded Ann the Centenary Medal in 2001 and in 2004 she was awarded an Order of Australia. In 2015, Ann was named as the overall winner of the Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence Award. Ann devotes considerable energy to her passion for women’s rights (currently as convenor of the MCC STEM group), supporting opportunity for Indigenous communities, personal philanthropy and support of the arts.

NIPUNI WIJEWICKREMA /

GG FLOWERS

A young woman trying to change the world “one flower at a time”, Nipuni Wijewickrema runs a floristry business designed to create employment opportunities for people with special needs. Nip, as she is affectionately known, first established GG’s Florist with her family to ensure her 16 year old younger sister Gayana would have fulfilling work after graduating from high school. Gayana, who has was born with Down syndrome, is now famous around Canberra for her floral deliveries that always come with a big hug. From a backyard garden shed, Nip has shown other local organisations how to create safe working environments for people with disabilities

CIARA STERLING /

CEO THRIVING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

As the Director and CEO of the Thriving Communities Partnership Ciara leads a cross-sectoral collaboration of organisations tackling the root causes of hardship and inequality. She collaborates widely across the corporate, government and community sectors to design and deliver innovative shared-value programs. This is supported by over 20 years’ experience working across these sectors addressing issues around hardship and vulnerability.

DAN GRYNBERG /

Board Member BREAD AND BUTTER PROJECT

Daniel is an experienced lawyer and CEO. Much of his career was spent as General Counsel for the Meriton Group, spanning property acquisition, development, and management, as well as the serviced apartment industry. Daniel also lead hotel development projects with ASX-listed Ariadne. Prior to that Daniel worked at Freehills, and was head of Business & Legal Affairs for the Macquarie Radio Network. Most recently Daniel has served as CEO of the Jewish Communal Appeal, and sat on or chaired a large number of not for profit boards and committees. He currently is a Director of LongView Property, and The Bread & Butter Project consults to a number of commercial and social enterprise start-ups. He is a member of the Social Impact Hub’s advisory board.

BERRY LIBERMAN /

CD of SMALL GIANTS and Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of DUMBO FEATHER

Berry is the co-founder and Creative Director of Small Giants, the Publisher of Dumbo Feather. The vision for Small Giants is to nurture and invest in entrepreneurial projects with the potential to change the world. She is also the mum to the three cutest kids in the world (according to her!). Berry loves the garden at work. Especially the roses. A few years back, Berry used to write screenplays in LA and directed a few short films but decided to come home, get married to Danny (CEO of Small Giants) and start Small Giants.

HER EXCELLENCY VICKI TREADELL CMG MVO /

JEREMY MELTZER /

Founder i=Change

British High Commissioner to Australia

One of Australia’s leading social entrepreneurs, Jeremy Meltzer is Founder of i=Change, Australia’s fastest-growing social enterprise tech startup. i=Change is turning e-commerce into a force for good, by making it simple and powerful for brands to give back. As 93% millennials want to shop brands that give back, i=Change bridges the gap between retailers and customers who are increasingly seeking brands that reflect their values - and shopping accordingly. In partnership with over 80 retailers, including iconic brands like Pandora, Camilla, and Clarins, i=Change has already raised $1.2m and counting, impacting over 279,000 women and girls in Australia and around the world.

TOM DAWKINS /

Founder/CEO StartSomeGood

Tom is passionate about how social technology and purposeful business can be harnessed as tools to build a better world for everyone.

He is the co-founder ‘Startsomegood' – a crowd-funding site dedicated to social change makers. As social-change consultant he works alongside social enterprise and corporate organisations to help them make measurable profit from humanity in business. Tom's pioneering work in the non-profit space has been recognised with numerous accolades including Innovator of the Year Award by the Nexus Summit and the innovation award at the Australia and New Zealand Internet awards.

MAGGIE O'NEILL /

Head of Marketing and Operations at HEARTS AND MINDS INVESTMENTS

Maggie joined Hearts and Minds Investments (HM1) as Head of Marketing and Operations just as the fund was listed on the ASX. She now directs the fund’s communications strategy, working closely with the board, investment committee, management team and beneficiaries. An alumni of the UBS cadetship program, whilst studying she spent four years full time at UBS in various roles across Asset Management, Corporate Actions, Wealth Management, Corporate Communications, Events, Strategy and Marketing. During this time, she was also a key contributor of the core team delivering the Sohn Hearts & Minds Conference.

LIESEL MADDOCK /

Strategy & Partnerships at SOLAR BUDDY

Liesel is a skilled strategist who is passionate about building support for ethical businesses. She has extensive partnership management, campaigning and advocacy experience and holds a Post-Graduate in Marketing Communications and a Bachelor of Arts.

ANDREW KLEIN /

Professional MC / Trainer/Writer