Meet the inspiring lineup of researchers, business professionals, story tellers and community leaders joining us to explore the benefits of leading with humanity on Thursday 5 September.

We’re bringing 12 speakers and experts for an outstanding series of presentations, workshops and panels designed to offer an antidote to our collective sense of overwhelm. Find out how together, we’ll explore the value of human connection, curiosity, vulnerability and creativity.

You won’t want to miss this exceptional event.

Symposium MC

Introducing Dr David Onu MD and Dr Rebecca Chabot, our two Symposium MC’s. They’ll expertly kick things off so we can settle in and orientate ourselves to the theme of Leadership + Humanity. 

Dr Rebecca Chabot

Pure Wellness Tasmania
With over 25 years in the field of wellness and a PhD in science, Dr Rebecca Chabot provides a scientific approach to restoring balance to the mind, body, and emotions through wellness, first for the individual and subsequently for the community as a whole. She can help you strengthen connections, re-build confidence, adjust mindset and improve overall wellness for a more harmonious, efficient and stress-free life.

Dr David Onu MD

David Onu
Originally from Nigeria, David migrated to Tasmania with his family in 2011. Over the past 25 years, David has devoted his life to delivering high-quality medical care to his patients across three continents. He is the current Statewide Specialty Director of the Correctional Health Service, a Certified Relationship and Life Coach, and a Lifestyle Blogger. David is a dynamic and energetic community leader. He served as the inaugural President of the Nigeria Community in Tasmania Inc. from 2017 to 2023, as a board member of many community organizations, and as a mentor to individuals, supporting them on their transformative journeys. He is a graduate of the TLP 2023 cohort.

Keynote Speakers

Petah Marian and Dr Anthony Howard will examine across two keynotes the global and local trends shaping workplace disruption, and discover what it means to lead and care for other humans with meaning, purpose and impact.

Petah Marian

Foresight and Communications KPMG Australia
As director of foresight and communications at KPMG Futures Petah works to uncover opportunities around future technologies and business models to drive the firm’s long-term strategy. She works at the intersection of signals of change across society, technology, economics and politics to identify and understand emerging trends and their potential to reshape and reimagine our world. Prior to joining KPMG, Petah spent more than fifteen years forecasting emerging trends and behavioural shifts across the USA, Europe and Australia for WGSN and The Future Laboratory. She has advised many of the world’s largest organisations across technology and FMCG. She has spoken at conferences around the world, including World Retail Congress, Web Summit and The Next Web, and is regularly quoted in publications including the BBC, Financial Times, The Economist, The Guardian, Vogue, i-D, The Telegraph and Broadsheet. She has degrees in Psychology and English from the University of Melbourne.

Dr Anthony Howard

The Confidere Group
Anthony Howard, known as the ‘CEO Whisperer,’ is a philosopher, writer, entrepreneur, and acclaimed business mentor with twenty years of global experience. He guides CEOs in business, government, and civil society, fostering personal and organisational transformations, based on higher order values, to drive sustainable performance. As CEO and Founder of The Confidere Group he leads teams of seasoned executives who provide independent counsel to chief executives in publicly traded companies, private organisations, and associations. Anthony has engaged in reflective conversations with hundreds of leaders, enriching his global perspective and insights on leadership. His book, Humanise—Why Human-Centred Leadership is the Key to the 21st Century, and his PhD research introducing Personalist Leadership have significantly influenced the field. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame (Australia).

Workshop Presenters

Linda Manaena and Leanne Holdsworth host you for two not-to-be-missed workshops:

  • The case for a human-centred approach – where we will explore the essence of psychosocial safety in the workplace, and how it transcends mere compliance
  • Five leadership mindsets for humanising workplaces – drawn from the book co-authored by Leanne Holdsworth, focusing on how to humanise workplaces through belonging and systems thinking

Linda Manaena

LeaderLab Global
Linda is on a mission to amplify humanity in leadership. With over twenty years of leadership experience, she helps leaders create inclusive environments to bring out the best in their teams. Linda believes that leadership success lies in understanding oneself and others—how we communicate, connect, and collaborate with character. She works with leaders and teams across ten countries to build psychological safety, emotional intelligence, workplace resilience, and compassionate candour, encouraging them to show up resourcefully and accountably. Linda’s spirit animal is the lion, symbolising heart, courage, strength, and assertiveness. One of her favourite quotes is, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill.

Leanne Holdsworth

Cultivating Leadership
Leanne envisions a future where work environments enable human beings to thrive, allowing organisations to succeed while building social capital through how individuals engage with their families and communities. She co-authored Human Work: Five Leadership Mindsets for Humanising Workplaces and authored A New Generation of Business Leaders. She has fifteen years of experience advising organisations across all sectors in sustainability strategy and leadership. Leanne is also an associate with the global firm Cultivating Leadership. There, she leads immersive, transformational leadership development experiences and consults with organisations to humanise their workplaces. Sometimes she even uses the L (love) word when talking a

Panel Facilitator

Leon Compton, presenter of Statewide Mornings on the ABC facilitates a dynamic panel discussion around the challenges posed to humanity by the modern world.

Joining Leon on the panel to unpack the role of leaders in navigating complexity for a better future are Kate Chambers APM, Commander at Tasmania Police,  Kym Goodes, Director at 3P Advisory and Dr Aiden M.A. Thornton, Menzies Senior Research Fellow in Leadership and Complexity at ANU.

Leon Compton

ABC Statewide Mornings
Leon has been presenting Mornings on ABC Local Radio across Tasmania since 2011. A twenty-year veteran at the ABC he’s worked on-air in Victoria, New South Wales, and as the Mornings presenter in Darwin and the Northern Territory for seven years before moving to the Apple Isle. When away from the microphone Leon can be found parenting, or on, in or under the water chasing fish or a wave. He will continue trying to get listeners excited about discussing tax reform… despite all the evidence that it’s a dud talkback topic..

Panellists

Kym Goodes

3P Advisory
Kym has two decades experience in social and economic development across Tasmania. She specialises in impact assessments for developers, B Corp support for micro through to large orgs and can work with you, your team and your Board to help create sustainable change. From sustainability improvement reports through to social licence advice, Kym can assist you to achieve a better Tasmania!

Commander Kate Chambers APM

Tasmania Police
Kate joined Tasmania Police in 1997 and has spent 26 years working in intelligence and drug investigation, early youth intervention, family violence, legislation development and review, and district administration. In March 2023, she became the first female Commander in Tasmania Police’s Northern District. Kate leads with compassion and kindness, emphasising the importance of enabling conversations and fostering trust. A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, Kate is passionate about developing future community leaders who hold firmly to their values. She focuses on creating a reflective, respectful, and connected community and workplace culture. Kate is a member of the Mental Health Council of Tasmania Board and the Australasian Women and Policing Committee.

Dr Aiden M.A. Thornton

Integrative Leadership
Dr. Aiden M. A. Thornton is a leadership scientist, management consultant, amateur epistemologist, and entrepreneur. He holds an interdisciplinary PhD in leadership, complexity, and cognition and currently works as the Menzies Senior Research Fellow in Leadership and Complexity at Australian National University’s School of Cybernetics. With over 25 years of international experience as a management consultant, Aiden runs a consulting practice in leadership and organisational development. His interests in epistemology focus on the nature of truth, its significance, and how to establish it. As an entrepreneur, Aiden is establishing a psychometrics company aimed at providing world-class instruments that measure different aspects of leadership.

Lightning Session Presenters

Lightning sessions hosted by Scott Ko, Founder of Curiosity Mindset, Dr Rebecca Chabot, Director of Pure Wellness Tasmania and Jordan Emery, Chief Executive at Ambulance Tasmania offer up bite-sized opportunities to explore how we can lead from love, gratitude and curiosity.

Scott Ko

Curiosity Mindset
Scott is a strategist, executive, social entrepreneur, and philosopher with over two decades of experience in business, government, non-profits, and startups. He excels at translating big ideas into real-world outcomes. Formerly the Acting CEO and Chief Operating Officer of Leadership Victoria, he founded ColourSpace Gallery, a social enterprise transforming offices into galleries and contributing over $200k to local artists. Previously, as a management consultant, Scott established the project management framework for the Victorian NDIS rollout and wrote the public discussion paper for gender equality legislation.

Jordan Emery

Ambulance Tasmania
Jordan is passionate about leading with heart and transforming organisational cultures to help people achieve their fullest potential. As Chief Executive of Ambulance Tasmania, he is dedicated to delivering world-class, compassionate, and dignified healthcare across the state. Jordan previously worked in various clinical and leadership roles with NSW Ambulance and spent two years in global mental health in New York and East Africa. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Tasmania, a Board Director of the Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA), and Chair of the CAA Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Forum.