MEET YOUR MC
Jessica Ridley
Television presenter, media coach and entrepreneur
Jessica Ridley boasts more than a decade of experience in some of Australia’s busiest newsrooms. She’s a journalist, broadcaster and presenter having worked on Channel 7’s Sunrise, Nine’s Today Show, 2GB radio Sydney and 7News, covering a range of diverse topics from finance to health and entertainment. Jessica is the founder of BTW Media, a renowned Sydney-based media training, PR and content business, and is a widely in-demand speaker, presenter and corporate trainer for prominent organisations across Australia.
MEET OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr Jason Fox
Dr. Jason Fox is a wizard-philosopher masquerading as a motivational speaker and leadership advisor. He works with clever teams seeking meaningful progress—beyond the default.
His many happy clients include the senior leadership teams of Fortune 500 companies around the world including Microsoft, HP, Novartis, Red Bull, Cisco, Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, Honda, Sony, Oracle, Honeywell and Salesforce, to other multinationals such as Beam Suntory, Vodafone, Tableau, Gartner, Xero, HP, Bupa, Red Cross, Bulgari, Pandora, Arup, Aon, PWC, Ricoh, Honeywell, KPMG, The World Tourism Forum and The International Institute of Research (not to mention: university chancelleries, government agencies, software developers, decentralised autonomous organisations, and so on). Much of his work is as a leadership advisor to teams questing amidst complexity.
Jason has lectured at three universities (systems and behaviour), and is the bestselling author of The Game Changer and How to Lead a Quest. Despite his intentional ineptitude at any and all social media and marketing—his monthly ‘museletter’ is read by more than 11,000 leaders around the world.
In addition to serving as a leadership adviser, Dr. Fox is also a globally in-demand keynote speaker who works particularly well with senior leaders and sceptical audiences who have ‘seen it all before’. In 2016 he was awarded “Keynote Speaker of the Year” by Professional Speakers Australia (the highest honour of this craft).
Dr. Fox lives with an illustrator-veterinarian, a chihuahua named Snorri and a cat called π in an old chocolate factory in Melbourne, Australia. When not liberating the world from the delusion of progress, Jason enjoys partaking in extreme sports such as reading, sun-avoidance and coffee snobbery.
Gabrielle Dolan
Gabrielle Dolan can tell a story or two.
In fact, it was while working in a senior leadership role at National Australia Bank that she realised the power of storytelling in effective business communication. Since that epiphany, Gabrielle has found her calling as a
global expert on strategic storytelling and real communication.
A highly sought-after keynote speaker and educator, Gabrielle’s extensive client list includes Uber, EY, Accenture, VISA, Australia Post, ANZ Bank, Salesforce, Amazon, Vodafone and the Obama Foundation.
Gabrielle holds a master’s degree in management and leadership, an associate diploma in education and training and is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education.
In 2024 she launched the successful podcast Keeping it Real with Jac and Ral, which was rated in the top 3% of shared podcasts on Spotify.
Gabrielle is also the bestselling author of eight books. Her latest title, Story Intelligence. The Craft of Authentic Storytelling, Made Smarter with AI debuted at Number 1 on Australia’s Business Books in 2025.
Bringing authenticity to the way business people communicate isn’t just a career, it’s a calling. Her dedication to the industry was recognised when the International Association of Business Communicators Asia Pacific region awarded Gabrielle the 2020 Communicator of the Year.
The ultimate expression of her passion for the cause is her Jargon Free Fridays global movement (jargonfreefridays.com).
Dr Claire Madden
Dr Claire Madden is a renowned Australian social researcher, author and keynote speaker, widely regarded as an expert on Gen Z and the changing social, cultural and work landscape. With a PhD exploring what motivates Gen Z in the workplace, and extensive experience analysing social trends and demographic data, Claire’s work helps leaders understand the forces shaping the next decade – technology, generational shifts, workplace, learning, and the future of work.
A sought-after commentator across television, radio and print, Claire brings clarity to complex trends, translating them into practical strategies for organisations, educators and government. She is the author of Hello Gen Z and founder of the research and advisory firm Hello Clarity.
Known for her dynamic presenting style, Claire has delivered hundreds of keynotes to audiences across industries – corporate, education, government and not-for-profit -helping teams engage emerging talent, design future-ready cultures and navigate rapid change with confidence.
Driven by a passion for equipping leaders with insight and foresight, Dr Claire Madden is recognised as a trusted voice on the trends redefining our society and workplaces, and an essential guide for organisations preparing for the next generation.
Kate Munari
Imagine flying a helicopter in a war zone with 18 peoples’ lives in your hands. Suddenly, the enemy opens fire on you. How do you maintain both your and your team’s focus? How do you continue to make optimal decisions, minimise the disruption and effectively complete the mission? And how do you motivate your team to face this threat day after day?
Kate has extensive experience leading both herself and her team through all sorts of challenges, often as the only female amongst her team and peers. From life-or death moments being fired upon in Afghanistan while a helicopter pilot for 17 years, to the challenges of confined life on-board a Navy ship – Kate understands better than most the everyday pressures of a busy, reactive workplace.
Effective leadership combined with individual resilience and a positive mindset can overcome any moment of adversity, big or small and keep your team operating effectively though any challenge. Kate’s experience will enhance your team’s ability to remain focused and effective as you and your team tackle challenges big and small.
The principles Kate used to overcome the personal and professional challenges of life in the military are principles she continues to use throughout her professional and personal life. These principles can be scaled for any situation and are an instant go to when things don’t go to plan.
Her speaking clients include Amazon Web Services, SAP, Spotify and more. From a small intimate audience to a crowd of hundreds, Kate will captivate and connect with each and every one, leaving them with a lasting memory of just what they are capable of achieving with the right mindset.