The WOBMeet events - on the Sunshine Coast, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane - will be hosted by WOB’s state representatives and include presentations from guest speakers.
Here is a rundown of the WOBMeet dates, locations and guest speakers.
Sunshine Coast, 8 August | Babette Bensoussan
Advisory Board Member of the Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows, Babette Bensoussan will be hosting this special Sunshine Coast WOBMeet. A ‘decision-making maverick’, Babette is an inspirational speaker who has served as an advisor to organisations and business leaders around the world. Previous board roles include President and Chair of the Board of Directors, Volunteering Sunshine Coast; Non-Executive Board Member, Eastside Radio 89.7FM; Board Member, NSW Board of Adult and Community and National Australia Day Council
Register HERE
Canberra, 15 August | Jessica Bulger
Non-Executive Director & Co-Chair of Outward Bound Australia and CEO of the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute, Jessica Bulger grew up in a big proud Aboriginal family. She began her career as a teacher and has worked in education, employment and the not-for-profit sector for over 13 years and is passionate about Indigenous governance, leadership and capacity building, and seeing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities thrive. This event will be hosted by WOB’s ACT rep, Dr Kath Hall.
Register HERE
Perth, 15 August | Dr Sandy Chong, Emma Garlett & Mary Verschuer
WOB’s WA rep, Kylah Morrison, will host a panel discussion with United Nations Association of Australia Vice President, Dr Sandy Chong, First Nations leader Emma Garlett and experienced Chair and NED Mary Verschuer.
A Harvard alumnus, Dr Sandy Chong is the founder of Verity Consulting and Vice President of the United Nations Association of Australia (WA). Sandy earned her PhD (2003) in Information Systems and specialises in the area of global business communication. A strong advocate of international trade and economic empowerment as a way to peace and security, she is the Winner of 2017 Stevie Awards for Women in Business, USA; 2015 Singapore Management Consultant of the Year Award, and 2016 Western Australia Multicultural Recognition Awards.
Emma Garlett is a First Nations leader who has held roles in the private sector, minerals industry, legal services, and academia. Emma is an Industry Fellow at the Sustainable Minerals Institute at the University of Queensland and an Adjunct Professor and advisory board member at the National Centre for Reconciliation, Truth and Justice at Federation University. Emma has presented her legal research to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as at international and domestic conferences. She is a regular First Nations legal and business social commentator and writes weekly columns in print and online for The West Australian and is the host of Paint it Blak on YouTube.
Mary Verschuer is an experienced Chair and NED of listed industrials, SOCs and NFPs. She has previous CEO experience in complex global industrial businesses with significant time on the ground in Asia and has deep experience in industrials including, chemical processing, distribution, mining services and packaging with a focus on manufacturing and supply chain plus extensive international strategic, non-financial risk, operational, R&D and governance expertise.
Register HERE
Melbourne, 16 August | Jacqueline Pascarl OAM
Awarded the UN Special Commendation for the International Year of the Family, and two recognition awards from the national Center for Missing and Exploited Children, USA, Jacqueline Pascarl is a writer, award-winning documentary maker and high profile lobbyist on human rights and refugee issues. She is also an experienced CEO and NED in the NGO/NFP sector consulting widely in the sphere of government and media relations, advocacy & leadership. She was appointed a Director of RSL Australia in March 2023 and Governing Board Member of International Social Service in Geneva in April.
Appointed by the Australian Government as National Vice Chair of the Australian Defence Force Reserves (making her the first woman on the Executive) Jacqueline also served as Chair of Clinical Research, Endocrinology (fundraising) at the Royal Children's Hospital, along with several other hospital & medical boards including the Alfred Hospital Prostate Cancer. She was asked by the Chief of Australia's Defence Forces to advise him on mental health & welfare for partners and spouses of all 10,000 Defence Members across Army, Air Force and Navy.
Jacqueline is recognised internationally as an expert on the Hague Convention and International Parental Child Abduction, and has lectured at the US State Department and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the European Union, UK and the International Congress on Family Law and the Rights of Children.
Nominated six times for Australian of the Year, she was awarded the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal in 2012 by the Governor General of Australia for her work in conflict zones. 2011 saw her named as an Ambassador to His Holiness, The Dalai Lama
Register HERE
Brisbane, 23 August | Georgia Henry
Georgia Henry is the founder and CEO of Henry Reed, a specialist culture and leadership consulting and advisory business that partners with organisations and people leaders to drive positive culture change for meaningful and measurable impact. As a culture expert, with global knowledge and more than 30 years of experience in organisation culture, leadership, organisational design and human resources, Georgia understands how important the human experience of work is to the success of any business and is an advocate for the positive impact of culture on organisation and individual success.
Register HERE
Sydney, 23 August | Radha Kuppalli
Radha Kuppalli is a Non-Executive Director with Accounting for Nature and Greening Australia and an Advisory Board Member with the Centre for Business and Environment, Yale University. As a business and investment leader, Radha has been developing innovative finance and commercial solutions to addressing climate change and restoring and protecting nature for over 20 years.
Her career has spanned executive leadership in the asset management industry, investment in real assets and private equity, business development and growth execution, and board roles in the finance, manufacturing, and environmental sectors. She is on the executive of New Forests, one of the world’s largest asset management businesses in forestry and natural capital. She has been an investment committee member for strategies covering Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Southeast Asia, and Africa and has been an active investor in carbon and biodiversity markets.
Register HERE
Adelaide, 24 August | Professor Caroline McMillen AO
Join South Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Caroline McMillen AO, as she talks about driving collaboration between science, innovation and business in this exciting WOBMeet hosted by WOB SA rep Wendy Teasdale Smith.
Caroline will share her insights and experience in developing the Excite Strategy - SA’s 10-year plan to grow the economy through R&D and the advancement of future industries, and maintain the state’s reputation as a centre of scientific excellence.
Caroline is also a Director of Compass Housing Services, the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, the Australian Science Media Centre and a member of the Council of the University of South Australia. She has also served on industry boards including the Automotive Industry Innovation Council, CRC for Advanced Automotive Technology and the CRC for Rail Innovation. An active champion for science education, Caroline was a member of the Expert Advisory Group for Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE).
Register HERE