More speakers and program to be announced. Event details and registration here.
 | Keynote Presentation Robert Potter, Head of Policy & Advocacy, Smart Energy Council Rob is a national leader in energy, policy and system-level reform, bringing decades of experience shaping major economic transitions across Australia. His career spans senior executive roles in the energy sector, national policy leadership, and governance positions. Rob is driven by the scale of Australia’s clean energy opportunity and the belief that the transition is a nation-building project that will reshape industries, create new markets and define Australia’s economic identity for generations. Read more. |
 | Keynote Presentation Kylie Porter, CEO, Queensland Farmers' Federation Kylie Porter is the Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF), Queensland’s peak body for agriculture. Through QFF, Kylie works with member organisations to support farmers, strengthen policy and contribute to the future of Queensland’s regional communities. Kylie is known for bringing people, industries and ideas together to tackle complex challenges, unlock practical solutions and strengthen regional resilience. A respected regional and industry leader, she is committed to ensuring regional and rural voices are heard in the decisions that shape their future. Kylie is also a founding Director of C-Res, one of Australia’s largest social enterprises, which delivers a local buying platform in remote and regional locations across Australia in partnership with BHP, and a member of Queensland Treasury’s Clean Expert Economy Panel helping guide Queensland’s low-emissions future. Read more. |
 | Suzanne Thompson Founder, Yumbangku Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development Aboriginal Corporation (YACHATDAC) Suzanne Thompson is a proud Iningai woman from Central West Queensland, an advocate for respectful cultural knowledge-sharing, and a highly respected Elder rooted in her land and community. In 2019, she founded the Yambangku Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development Aboriginal Corporation (YACHATDAC), and is currently expanding this immersive tourism experience. Suzanne is an artist, a traditional dancer, a researcher and a strong voice for Traditional Knowledge throughout her work across government, private enterprise and community. In 2025, Suzanne was awarded a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, in recognition of her cultural and scientific knowledge. |
 | Professor Kerrie Wilson Queensland Chief Scientist, Queensland Government Kerrie commenced in the role of the Queensland Chief Scientist on 1 November 2023. She is responsible for supporting the generation and translation of globally significant science to ensure sustainable economic growth in Queensland. With a distinguished career in academia and conservation, Kerrie has held prominent positions at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), including Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability and Research Integrity) and Executive Director of the QUT Institute for Future Environments. Read more. |
 | Dr Liz Fellows Executive Director - Emissions Policy and Analytics Queensland Treasury Dr Liz Fellows has spent over a decade in climate, energy and industry policy in the Commonwealth and State Governments covering climate change, energy, agriculture, natural resources, industry, and infrastructure; across policy, legislation and regulation. She is currently the Executive Director – Emissions Policy and Analytics at Queensland Treasury, where she leads whole-of-government emissions reduction policy; research partnerships to support industry and communities to take climate action; and emissions modelling to drive evidence-based decision making. |
 | Rebecca (Bec) Halliday Director, First Nations Clean Energy Network Bec is an Aboriginal leader and nationally recognised authority in First Nations governance, cultural heritage and environmental protection, and the clean energy transition. With over two decades of Executive leadership, she has led major policy reforms, strategic partnerships and initiatives that strengthen First Nations leadership and embed cultural knowledge across Australia's environment, energy and infrastructure sectors. As Director of Engagement and Programs at the First Nations Clean Energy Network, she leads national initiatives that strengthen First Nations leadership and ensure communities are active partners and beneficiaries in Australia's clean energy transition. Read more. |
 | Thom Woodroofe Author of Power, Prosperity & Planet: Climate & Energy Policy for All (Monash University Publishing, 2026) Thom played a key role in securing the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015, including helping establish the High Ambition Coalition of progressive nations. He has since worked as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, for the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade in Washington DC and forged a backchannel for US–China climate talks during his time at the Asia Society in New York. Read more. |
 | Lizzie Webb CEO - The Next Economy Lizzie has 20 years of experience leading for-purpose organisations across Australia and South-East Asia. With a background in humanitarian engineering and work with First Nations entrepreneurs. Lizzie’s core skills include organisational leadership and governance, enterprise design and business model development, partnership brokering, strategic planning, and fundraising. Read more. |
 | Saideh Kent Program Director - Energy - The Next Economy Saideh leads The Next Economy’s Energy sector work, supporting communities to manage Australia’s transition to renewable energy. Saideh has 20 years of experience delivering major infrastructure projects across the energy, water and agriculture sectors. She specialises in remote and regional community engagement and bringing diverse stakeholders together to navigate complex problems. Read more. |
 | Professor Jeremy Moss Professor Political Philosophy and Lead Chief Investigator on ARC Linkage Project, ‘A Just Climate Transition’, The University of New South Wales Jeremy is Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of New South Wales. He is the author of several books on climate change including: Carbon Justice: the Scandal of Australia’s Biggest Contribution to Climate Change; Climate Justice Beyond the State (with Lachlan Umbers), Climate Change and Justice (Cambridge University Press). His current projects include: ‘A Just Climate Transition’ and ‘Dealing with Climate Disasters’. He is the recipient of the Eureka Prize for Ethics and the Australasia Association of Philosophy Media Prize. Read more. |
 | Professor Belinda Wade Chair in Climate Action and Ethical Transitions and Co-Lead of the Net Zero Observatory, The University of Queensland Belinda holds the Chair in Climate Action and Ethical Transitions at the University of Queensland Business School. Belinda's research promotes organisational progress on climate and sustainability issues with a focus on decarbonisation and organisational climate transitions. Her recent research has highlighted decarbonising actions taken within Australian companies and best practices in climate reporting and management. She has worked with the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB), the Future Fuels CRC (hydrogen adoption and biomethane), the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub (net zero roadmap planning); and Princeton University under the Rapid Switch initiative (decarbonisation). Read more. |
 | Justine McLeod Chief Executive Officer, CHRRUP Ltd | Founder, Regional Futures Round Table (RFRT) and Executive Leader | Sustainability & Regional Transition Justine is the CEO of CHRRUP Ltd, a community-driven, not-for-profit regional development organisation. In this role, Justine leads the Regional Futures Round Table, fostering cooperation between industry, government and local community priorities across Central Queensland. Justine is a dynamic, results-driven executive leader with over 18 years of experience spanning mining, heavy minerals processing, supply chain logistics, and agriculture. Justine is passionate about changing the narrative around regional Australia—repositioning regional communities from passive "transition recipients" to the primary wealth-generating engine of the national economy. Read more. |
 | Professor Tavis Potts Personal Chair in Sustainable Development and Environmental Governance, The University of Aberdeen Tavis is a Personal Chair in Sustainable Development and Environmental Governance at the University of Aberdeen. His interests include understanding just transitions and the social dimensions of climate and energy; marine resource governance and planning; participatory and community-based approaches to managing natural capital; and the political economy of environmental policy and decision-making. Read more. |
 | Rachelle Cooper Kulkarni Founder, Sustainify Rachelle is a climate and energy strategist, futurist, and just transition practitioner working at the intersection of renewable energy, strategic foresight, and Indigenous-led solutions. As Founder and CEO of Sustainify, she works with governments, communities, and industry to navigate the energy transition with integrity — using long-range thinking to ensure the benefits of the transition are shared equitably and that communities are active participants. In particular, Rachelle works closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations on energy sovereignty and climate resilience. With 15 years of experience translating strategy into impact across organisations, geographies, and sectors, Rachelle leads Sustainify's consulting for good model: driven to deliver impactful projects for people and planet without compromise. She works with global and local organisations to deliver climate resilience, community solutions, and systemic insights. As the founding steward of Community Energy Queensland, she is advancing community-owned energy models across the state. Rachelle also serves as a sessional academic at the University of the Sunshine Coast, teaching organisational change and research methods. |
 | Leanne Phillips Founder & Managing Director, The Sanctuary of Embracing Difference Leanne is a visionary healer, teacher, mentor, guide, and connector who has dedicated her life to empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as migrant Australians. A passionate advocate for holistic approaches to humanity, she is a creator and serial entrepreneur whose work is grounded in collective healing, cultural safety, and social transformation. As Founder and Managing Director of The Sanctuary of Embracing Difference, her leadership consistently focuses on creating spaces of acceptance, resilience, and growth. Leanne’s career spans government and community agencies, where she has developed programs supporting education, employment, and life skills for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As an Aboriginal womyn, she brings lived insight and experience into the challenges facing her communities, shaping services that emphasise personal responsibility, cultural connection, and resilience. Read more. |
 | Dr Liz Young Research Director, Queensland Decarbonisation Hub, The University of Queensland Liz is the Research Director of the Queensland Decarbonisation Hub at The University of Queensland. Before joining the Hub, she spent more than 20 years in government, with a focus on policy, the environment and climate change. Her work at the Hub focuses on the practical challenges of decarbonisation and the changes needed to support Queensland’s transition. Liz is committed to finding solutions that respect people, communities, industry and nature, and to working through the difficult trade-offs that come with change. Read more. |
 | Jason Nielsen Director Strategic Initiatives, Climate KIC Australia Jason Nielsen is Director Strategic Initiatives at Climate KIC Australia, working within UTS’ Institute for Sustainable Futures. Jason designs and leads large multi-stakeholder projects. Prior to Climate KIC, Jason spent almost a decade in leadership positions at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. Jason’s current focus is the Industrial Regionals Network which brings together business, industry groups, government, not-for-profits and research organisations to help accelerate the transition to net zero through shared learning and collaboration. Read more. |
 | Kim Wilkins Associate Dean (Research), The University of Queensland Kim Wilkins is a humanities researcher and acclaimed creative writer who specialises in the intersection of creativity, technology, and cultural industries. Currently Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at UQ, she leads innovative research into the socio-material dimensions of creative industries and the application of creative thinking to complex technological challenges. Read more. |
