Presenters

John Phillips

Senior Manager, Strategic RelationsBrighton Grammar School Trevor Wigney Award recipient, John Phillips, is Senior Manager of Strategic Relationships at Brighton Grammar School. John has particular expertise in the area of business development pursuing mutually beneficial cross-sectoral partnerships. John’s expertise also extends into community engagement and philanthropy,...

Jorge Garrido

Jorge is a seasoned digital marketer with years of experience driving growth for brands through strategic campaigns and data-driven insights. With a strong background in performance marketing, he thrives on creative problem-solving. Since joining Ardent in 2019, Jorge has led the agency digital capabilities and underpinned the success...

Julian Moore

Julian Moore is a skilled and entertaining speaker who provides practical and useful ideas through real-world examples and case studies. Julian is an unabashed technology geek who is thoroughly enjoying the process of adapting to an AI world. With extensive experience in Australia, New Zealand, and the United...

Julianne Brandon

Julianne commenced her career as an educator and went on to complete a Master of Education by research and postgraduate qualifications in Communications at the University of Melbourne. Her professional experience includes roles in education, educational publishing, and healthcare. For the past 16 years, she has worked in the area...

Karen Gately

Karen is a passionate optimist with unwavering belief in the power of the human spirit. An author, speaker, advisor and educator in the fields of human performance and leadership Karen brings a fresh perspective to what it takes to be a successful manager of people. Advocating an approach focused on...

Karen Whitten

Karen is the current Head of Admissions at Haileybury and has a demonstrated history working in the primary/secondary education industry. Karen is skilled in Student Recruitment, Strategic Waitlist Management, Admissions Counselling, and Event Management. She also has a demonstrated strength in ‘Big Picture Thinking’ with outstanding record results in enrolments...

Kelly Smith

A Leadership Consultant and Executive Coach passionate about helping organisations build high-performance teams, navigate change, and unlock leadership potential at every level. With over 15 years in senior leadership – including in education as Principal and Principal Advisor – I support both corporate and school-based leaders to lead with clarity,...

Kendra Jones

Kendra Jones is a results-driven strategist with extensive experience in international education, specialising in advancement, strategic partnerships, and community engagement. She brings a strong track record in educational operations—from strategic planning through to practical implementation—underpinned by a broad background in leadership, development, and stakeholder relations. With hands-on experience spanning classroom...

Kirra Pendergast

Founder and Chief Digital Safety & Governance Strategist Founder of Safe on Social and CTRL+SHFT, Kirra Pendergast maps the cultural, emotional, and legal fallout of emerging technologies and builds proactive frameworks to prevent it. Where traditional technologists forecast features, she forecasts impact. Where compliance asks, “Is this legal?”, she also...

Krista Slade

Krista’s experience includes the position of executive director of CASE Asia-Pacific in May 2007. In this position, Krista was responsible for professional development programs, conferences and other services to meet the evolving needs of the growing advancement profession throughout Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Krista has spent more...

Kristie Welsh BBusMan, BJ, M.EdPlus

Growing up on the Sunshine Coast, Kristie furthered her education at the University of Queensland, completing a Bachelor of Business Management (Marketing) and Bachelor of Journalism. Her career has taken her from a newsroom, to in-house and agency roles and her own consultancy business providing strategic marketing, communications and...

Linda Douglas

Linda Douglas is the Executive Governing Director of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools and a Board Member of Independent Schools Victoria, with extensive experience contributing to boards and educational committees. She is deeply committed to professional learning, holding a Master of Education from the University of Melbourne and having...