SPEAKERS

Ryan Byrne has over a decade of experience leading the design and implementation of large-scale learning programs across government and private sectors. Renowned for his creative approach and empowering leadership, Ryan's teams have earned acclaim for excellence in employee engagement, innovative video-based and gamified learning, customer service training, frontline worker safety training, and blended learning solutions.

Ryan is passionate about performance campaigns being the future of workplace learning, prioritises increasing business performance over achieving learning outcomes, and is dedicated to implementing learning solutions that deliver tangible results.

Sonali Dsilva is the founder and lead facilitator at Equality Consulting, an inclusive leadership advisory and training service. With a background spanning over two decades in Learning & Development, Sonali has been a facilitator and content creator throughout. Sonali is currently a Certified Professional in Inclusive Leadership from Catalyst Inc. USA. These and other D&I credentials help Sonali to consult and advise organisations in Australia. Organisations often find themselves stuck with awareness and not able to successfully transition to action on inclusion and diversity. Therefore, Sonali plans to speak from experience of watching what gets in the way for teams and leaders to practice inclusion, and how L&D can enable that process. 

Ryan Gifford has been involved with short-term offshore VET projects as a trainer, designer and researcher for over a decade. His Ed.D thesis concentrated on ways to improve staff engagement with offshore projects.  Ryan is presently in the Royal Australian Navy as a Training systems Officer with ancillary duties as the manager for the Centre for Innovation at HMAs Cerberus.  Ryan is hoping to bring his work in VET to the RAN with regards to short-term deployments and long-term postings, as well as understanding transformative learning in the ab-initio space for both sailor recruits and officer training.

Marc is a learning and development practitioner with 17 years' experience in the NSW resources industry. Beginning as a Mines Rescue Cadet in the Hunter Valley in 2007, Marc has since held safety and training roles across multiple mining districts. He's currently the Education Manager at Mines Rescue and was deeply involved in the transition to blended learning. Marc is a proud Gomeroi man and dedicated to providing future generations with the foundations they need to succeed. Marc is an active AITD member, regularly engaging in webinars and functioning as a mentor for the AITD’s mentoring program.

Ian Handley is a change management leader with a technical background in training management, design and delivery, across 15 years in the defence, government and technology sectors. Currently, Ian is Vice President of Oceania at WithYouWithMe, an Australian social impact company reshaping the global employment landscape using technology. In this role, he works alongside leading Australian organisations in defence, government and industry to implement skills-based hiring, enable internal talent mobility and diversify workforces. 

Peter established the first Learning Technology System for a leading Australian university thirty years ago and assisted UNESCO to implement remote learning in Africa. Peter went on to found one of Australia's first learning technology companies and has provided solutions to government agencies and companies nationally. Peter founded the xAPI user group and the “Team Downunder” xAPI team. He delivers xAPI training for the Australian Institute of Training and Development, has overseen multiple high profile xAPI implementations here and oversees and is on the CMI5 standards panel.

With a passion and curiosity for human behaviour, learning, leadership, and talent development, Sarah has dedicated her career to discovering and applying evidence-based learning and behaviour theory to build inclusive learning cultures, strong leadership capability, and high performing teams. 

Mary has been working in adult learning for over 20 years. She is currently working in rail infrastructure– leading a team of professionals to develop training solutions for NSW related to a new technology standard called European Train Control Systems (ETCS). Some of her previous roles have been focused on healthcare, mandatory & compliance training, and IT systems training. Mary is always looking for ways to implement new technology into learning solutions, and at present is very focused in how Artificial Intelligence can improve learning outcomes for adult learners. Please feel free to come and introduce yourself at the event – you can probably spot Mary by her brightly coloured shoes. Or connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-hetherington-0597631a/

Victoria Jones is an experienced Learning & Development professional with over 20 years of experience in consulting, designing and delivering a diverse range of learning initiatives. Victoria has delivered leadership and capability initiatives across the higher education, retail and financial services sectors, both in Australia and the UK. She has also co-authored a book on human resource management, which was nominated for an Australian award, and has produced numerous research publications related to cross-cultural communication, emotional intelligence and diversity management through her work at Monash and Deakin Universities. In Victoria's current role at UniSuper, her goal is to create a learning culture. To support this, Victoria recently launched UniSuper’s inaugural Career Development Expo, an initiative designed to engage and inspire the business with their professional and career development. Victoria's presentation is a case study on this and why now, more than ever before, career development is critical to attracting and retaining a talented workforce fit for tomorrow, today.

Christine Khor is CEO and Founder of Peeplcoach which is a scalable leadership coaching and training platform created to ensure that coaching is accessible to all leaders in an organisation, not only senior executives. Christine has decades of experience in the executive recruitment and coaching industries partnering hundreds of organisations and thousands of manages and individual leaders over her career and is proud to support clients and emerging and developing leaders across Australia, New Zealand and the APAC region. Christine, and Peeplcoach have been recognised by HRD Magazine, CEO Magazine, Learn X Awards, Tech Diversity Awards, Tech Scale Up Awards and Australian Financial Review Fast Starter Company. Christine is a coach, writer, speaker, mother, wife, entrepreneur and National Board Director of The Hunger Project.

Across global markets, Cia is also a passionate advocate for enhancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace, forging partnerships with leading global organisations to drive D&I initiatives and level the playing field for diverse individuals with strategic workforce upskilling programs.

As the founder and driving force behind Red Wolf Group, Alicia Lykos is a renowned figure in the realm of leadership development and has bought the methodology of Talent Optimisation to Australia. With a distinctive blend of expertise and innovation, Alicia has made a significant mark in the industry. Her approach, deeply rooted in the Predictive Index methodology, emphasizes a unique blend of management skills and human behavioural insights. Alicia's 15 years of experience in transforming managers into inspiring leaders is evidenced by Red Wolf Group's recent recognition at the AITD awards, where they earned Highly Commended for Best Leadership Program. Her passion and commitment to developing cutting-edge leadership solutions have established her as a thought leader and a trusted advisor in the industry.

Catriona Malcolm is an accomplished Learning and Development professional with over 20 years of experience in designing and implementing innovative learning solutions to solve a variety of business problems from Induction and compliance to future skills and cultural transformation. With a passion for creating engaging and impactful learning experiences, Catriona has consistently demonstrated her ability to adapt to the changing needs of learners to meet organisational goals. Catriona will draw upon her extensive background in learning design, technology integration, and creative problem-solving to share valuable insights and practical strategies. She will address topics such as embracing resourcefulness, adapting to learner needs, leveraging technology, and assessing learning outcomes to optimize success.

Andrew is a Director of Elev8 Learning who provide the widest range of learning modalities in Australia to bespoke and integrated learning journeys, creating positive catalytic moments which generate behavioural change, lifting individual and organisational performance.  Creating connections has become more critical than ever and Elev8 Learning have risen to the challenge with innovative ways to develop people through bespoke solutions that are proven, practical and profound. 

VR learning is a proven modality for enabling development provides more powerful learning experiences in a safe environment, and it makes learning fun.

Greg Moriarty is Product and Quality Manager at Plain English Foundation, Australia’s leading plain language consultancy. He develops the Foundation’s training products and ensures their ongoing quality. His extensive teaching experience includes plain English training for thousands of professionals and before that, English language training in Madrid for seven years.

Greg has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts, and a Diploma of Training and Assessment. He also completed the College of Law’s legal practice course. He has run specialist training in government agencies, banks and major corporate law firms.

Greg is active internationally in plain language. He has presented at both international plain language conferences and plain legal language conferences. From 2014 to 2019, he was Secretary of the Plain Language Association International. His articles on plain language have appeared in the Clarity journal, the Michigan Law Journal and the Mandarin.

Greg is passionate about plain language in all fields of writing. He has independently published two crime novels.

Michelle Ockers is the co-founder and Chief Learning Strategist at Learning Uncut, helping organisations build high impact L&D functions.  She hosts the Learning Uncut podcast, sharing case studies of real learning solutions.  Michelle was the Australian Institute of Training and Development’s Learning Professional of the Year in 2019, and also received the 2019 Internet Time Alliance Jay Cross Memorial Award for contribution to informal learning.

Please meet, Wendy Perry who is the Managing Director of Workforce BluePrint, Facilitator for Sea to Valley Startups, for 4.5 years (2019-2023) the Entrepreneur Facilitator for Adelaide – West, Switch Start Scale.  An author, entrepreneur & educator, explorer & innovator, mentor & speaker on Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Strategic Workforce Planning & Development, Vocational Education & Training (VET) & TVET, International Capability & Capacity Development.  Mentoring & facilitation are strengths with Wendy working alongside entrepreneurs, founders, governments, individuals, industry sectors, organisations, regional development agencies, startups, scaleups, students & unicorn companies.

Lozanne has had a diverse career spanning multiple industries and organisations both in Australia and abroad. Her reason for being is to create a world where people feel inspired to use their skills and talents to make a meaningful contribution to the world around them. Doing work that aligns with this purpose sets her soul on fire, which is why Lozanne transitioned from a 10 year career as CA qualified accountant to a leader in learning and development.

An experienced people leader across both for-profit and for-purpose sectors, Ruth has dedicated her career to driving organisational success through clear communication and impactful leadership. A seasoned facilitator and coach, Ruth is passionate about empowering individuals to realise their potential. As a Leadership and Culture Consultant within the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), Ruth provides strategic direction, guidance, and practical support to drive organisational growth, catering to a complex and diverse workforce of over 11,000 people. With a focus on uplifting leadership capabilities and fostering an inclusive culture, Ruth has supported the integration and evolution of multiple leadership programs catering to leaders of all experience levels. Over the last 12 months, she has spearheaded initiatives to proactively address psychological safety, driving cultural change by refreshing traditional training approaches. Through interactive workshops, Ruth has facilitated dialogue and collaboration among leaders and teams, inspiring a culture where respectful behaviour is not only embraced but also desired. 

Wayne began his working life in the navy, where in addition to being a Hydrographic Surveyor and a operator, he was also an instructor on seamanship, small boat handling and Hydrographic Surveying. On leaving the navy, Wayne worked offshore as a Surveyor eventually becoming a Project Manager and later working in the commercial department. Wayne was one of the three original Trainers who created Fugro Academy (which provides technical internal training, leadership development, HSE training, Project Management training and more to Fugro offices in almost 60 countries) and he has also guest lectured at various universities. 

Under Wayne’s management and leadership, the Fugro Academy Technical Training team has developed, grown and expanded to 18 Technical Trainers, plus support staff and a fully equipped world-class Technical Training Centre, presenting almost 60 unique technical courses, 5 discipline-specific Boot Camps and two internationally accredited training programmes.

Kiersten is a seasoned L&D professional, with a diverse background in both the public and private sectors. She has a history of implementing successful learning initiatives, and leading high performing L&D teams to achieve results that drive organisational success and enhance workforce capabilities. In her current role as a Senior Advisor for L&D at the NSW Public Service Commission, Kiersten leads a team of L&D professionals to deliver learning initiatives to all of NSW Government employees. She also acts in an L&D advisory role to NSW Government agencies, providing strategic insights and guidance to shape the future of L&D in the NSW public sector.

Cathy Sanders has not stopped studying since she started preschool and as a result has completed over 20 qualifications ranging from certificate I up to post graduate degrees and is now studying a masters on a pathway to PhD - the total may be in the mid 20s now. Cathy is a very strong advocate for life long learning. She feels that some people may see her list of qualifications and think she is crazy, but for Cathy, each qualification plays a key role in her development. Cathy has an upbeat way of delivering her message of learning that presents well to an audience of all levels of the learning journey. Cathy was also featured on a podcast last year that focused on career development which can be found at karanandco.com.au.

Simone Sheridan is a dedicated Sexual Safety Nurse Consultant at The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), bringing over a decade of experience in educating nurses and health professionals. With a profound passion for tackling difficult and sensitive topics, Simone holds postgraduate qualifications in Critical Care and Education. In 2021, Simone's commitment to staff education and advocacy was recognized as a finalist in HESTA's Nurse of the Year award. Simone's collaborative efforts with the Zoe Belle Gender Collective resulted in the co-design of the Trans and Gender Diverse Inclusive Care Guide for Hospital Based Health Professionals. A contributor to the book #MeToo – Stories from the Australian Movement, Simone's piece "Not Our Job" sheds light on nurses' encounters with sexual harassment from patients.

Thomas J. Tobin helped found the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Teaching, Learning, & Mentoring, and he is an internationally recognised scholar, author, and speaker on technology-mediated education—especially copyright, evaluation of teaching practices, academic integrity, accessibility, and universal design for learning.

He holds a master’s and Ph.D. in English literature, an information science master’s, and certifications in project management (PMP), online teaching (MOT), Quality Matters (QM), accessibility (CPACC), and academic leadership (Penn State).

On Ed Tech Magazine’s 2020 Influencers “Dean’s List,” honored with the 2022 Wagner Award for Leadership in Distance Learning Administration, and one of Eduflow’s 2023 global Top 100 Learning Influencers, Tom serves on the boards of Advances in Online Education, InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, and the Oklahoma University Press Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Ed series.

His books include

•  Evaluating Online Teaching: Implementing Best Practices (2015).
• The Copyright Ninja (2017).
• Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education (2018).
• Going Alt-Ac: A Guide to Alternative Academic Careers (2020).
• UDL for FET Practitioners: Implementing Universal Design for Learning in Irish Further Education and Training (2021).

 Find him on various social media and at thomasjtobin.com.