Ellen Sandell is serving her third term as the elected representative for Melbourne in Victorian Parliament. In 2018, she was appointed Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens and in April 2024 she became the party’s leader. Before entering politics, she trained as a scientist and was the CEO of a national climate change non-profit organisation. Growing up in country Victoria during the drought motivated her to do all she could to tackle the climate crisis. Now she fights for action on climate change, housing affordability, and a fairer society in Victorian Parliament. Ellen is also a mother to three young children.

Jill is a proud Gunditjmara woman from Western Victoria and an accomplished strategic leader, championing the needs and self-determined outcomes of First Nations communities in Victoria. She has spent more than 27 years advancing Aboriginal health and wellbeing through her work with VACCHO. As a respected Aboriginal leader who has dedicated her life to advocating for Community, Jill has been inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women (2009), awarded the Order of Australia (2013), and inducted into the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll (2015). From 2017 to 2019, Jill served as Victoria’s first Treaty Advancement Commissioner and led the establishment of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria. In recent years, Jill championed the establishment of the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Ageing & Aged Care Council (NATSIAACC), Ied the Cultural Review of the Adult Correction System for the Department of Justice in 2022 and was an influential figure in Victoria’s ‘Yes’ campaign in the 2023 Voice Referendum.

Leading Beyond Boundaries

In today’s changing and challenging work environments, effective leadership means thinking beyond previous boundaries to inspire transformative change. Effective leaders must embrace innovative strategies that prioritise adaptability, foster collaboration, and enhance communication to drive team success. In this session, our expert panel will share their personal journeys and lessons they have learned as flexible, adaptive and innovative leaders. Through their experiences, you’ll gain practical insights and actionable tools to navigate the complexities of modern leadership.

	Angela Davies (She/Her) Wellbeing Speaker & Founder, Mind Your Grit Angela Davies is a seasoned expert in corporate wellness with over 16 years of experience spanning various industries, including senior roles in HR and banking. Passionate about fostering strong mental health at work, Angela understands the critical link between wellbeing and performance. After facing burnout herself, she is now dedicated to helping organisations build supportive, thriving environments. Currently pursuing postgraduate study in psychology, Angela leverages her lived experience and expertise to deliver impactful wellbeing workshops with measurable results. Her unique insights and proven strategies have established Mind Your Grit as a trusted partner for enhancing both employee wellbeing and business success.
	Mayase Jere (She/Her) Software Engineering Delivery Manager, Flybuys; Senior Advisor – RMIT Online Mayase is a seasoned Agile professional with a passion for empowering teams and fostering a culture of innovation. She brings a wealth of experience leading cross-functional teams in delivering software solutions. A co-founding member of Blacks in Tech Australia and a staunch advocate for Women in Tech, Mayase is dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and perspectives within the Tech industry. She also shares her insights as a podcaster, blogger, and storyteller on “The Art of Otherness” and “BIT Australia Tech Talks.” With a multifaceted skill set encompassing Agile methodologies, project management acumen, and product development, Mayase is a leading voice at the intersection of technology and inclusive leadership. Her leadership journey is a testament to her belief that organisational transformation begins with empowering individuals and continuous improvement.
	Tanja Kovac Co-Founder & Director, Gender Lens Australia; Board Member, Her Place Women’s Museum Tanja has over twenty years’ experience as a gender equity change specialist, bringing together disciplines of law and justice, political campaigning and gender data visualisation, for equality and social change. A trained lawyer, Tanja commenced work in public interest and human rights litigation. She is a former CEO of Gender Equity Victoria, a Director and National-Convenor of feminist political leadership EMILY’s List Australia and served as Chief of Staff for Australia’s first Family Violence Prevention Minister. Tanja is a Board Member for Her Place Women’s Museum and Senior Fellow for think tank Per Capita.
	Fabiola Campbell (She/Her) Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Professional Migrant Women Fabiola Campbell is a community leader, inclusion advocate, and the founder of Professional Migrant Women (PMW), a social enterprise dedicated to advancing the leadership and career visibility of skilled migrant women in Australia. Originally from Venezuela, Fabiola migrated to Australia at the age of 27 and experienced firsthand the isolation, identity loss, and barriers that many professional migrant women face. Her response was not just to overcome, but to transform those challenges into a movement. Through PMW, Fabiola has created safe and empowering spaces for women to reconnect with their professional identities, share their stories, and access the tools, networks, and confidence to lead. Her work champions storytelling as a powerful leadership practice and reframes cultural identity and language as assets—not barriers.

This interactive development session will explore the role of artificial intelligence in business and leadership. Through discussions, activities, and real-world examples, we will examine how AI can be used effectively and ethically, and when to proceed with caution. You will gain practical insights and decision-making strategies to navigate AI’s impact in your organisation.

Bedi is a passionate and seasoned public speaker, dedicated to creating a more inclusive future of work. With over 10 years of experience in Human Resource management within Banking, Law, and the Victorian Public Sector and currently serving as Acting Head of Corporate Services for the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, Bedi brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to identifying diversity, equity, and inclusion gaps within workplaces. As a South Sudanese Australian migrant who has overcome employment barriers, Bedi is a fervent advocate for diversity and inclusion. In 2020, she co-founded DivTal, a startup aimed at improving employment opportunities and creating culturally safe and inclusive work environments for underrepresented minority backgrounds. Bedi’s involvement in numerous diversity and inclusion committees reflects her commitment to providing people from marginalized groups with the right opportunities, culturally safe environments, and inclusive leadership to thrive and fulfill their potential.

Receiving The 2025 VIC Award for Excellence in Women’s Leadership

Suzie Betts is the founder of Boob Protect (formerly Boob Armour), a company dedicated to providing essential breast protection for female athletes and women in high-impact professions. Inspired by her own breast injury and her daughters’ experiences in contact sports, Suzie launched Boob Protect (formerly Boob Armour) in 2020 to address the overlooked issue of breast injuries, which can have long-term health effects, such as fat necrosis that mimics breast cancer.

Samantha has 16 years’ experience leading HR functions across Mining, Oil & Gas, Transport, Technology, Defence and Utilities sectors and has brought her knowledge of complex operating environments to the aviation sector, joining Virgin Australia in 2023. Samantha is a Member of the Industry Skills Australia Strategic Workforce Planning Committee for Aviation, addressing the considerable workforce challenges across the Aviation sector. Samantha is passionate about the global, demographic and technological forces that continue to reshape how we work and live, and is particularly invested in fostering inclusive workplaces where diversity is truly celebrated.

French born-Australian, Julia Zemiro is an acting graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and a beloved Australian television personality. Arguably best known as the host of the long-running SBS hit TV program RocKwiz, Julia’s success includes hosting and co-producing the hugely successful Julia Zemiro’s Home Delivery for the ABC, which recently completed their ninth and final series and Logie winning Fisk seasons 1 & 2. Her co-hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest (2008-2016) led to an unprecedented success for SBS. She has been host for international touring artists such as documentary-maker Louis Theroux, author Bill Bryson, Stephen Fry and medical guru Michael Mosley – Australian Tour 2017. She was the Artistic Director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival for 2019 and 2020. Julia is a proud ambassador for Our Watch and the Victorian Actors Benevolent Trust and is a proud member of her union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance.