Wednesday, 27 August 2025
Karen Tighe is an award-winning sports broadcaster who retired this year.
After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and Psychology at Macquarie University in Sydney, Karen spent eight years as a TV sports broadcaster and presenter, anchoring golf, tennis and other major sporting broadcasts on the ABC network.
She made the move to ABC Radio in 1997 as the presenter of the weekend national sports program ‘Summer Grandstand’. She co-hosted ABC Radio’s cover of the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics, Kuala Lumpur and Manchester Commonwealth Games and has hosted six Paralympic Games (Lillehammer, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Beijing and London) with ABC TV.
Karen was part of the Friday night fun of ‘Live & Sweaty’ on ABC TV in the early nineties and for six years, presented sport on ABC TV’s weeknight news in Perth. She was the regular host of ABC TV’s annual coverage of the Hopman Cup tennis tournament from 1994 to 2010 and Media Award winner at the 2000 and 2001 Australian Sports Awards.
Dan Gregory helps leaders and teams explore critical trends in search of opportunities, to identify the meaning behind the data and turn information into actionable strategies. In short, he helps you READ and LEAD human behaviour.
Rated in “the top 25 C-Suite Speakers to watch” by Meetings & Conventions USA, Dan Gregory is a captivating speaker whose business acumen is matched by a rapier wit and rare human insight gained during three years on the road working on the US and UK stand-up comedy circuits – skills put to great use in front of millions of viewers as a regular on ABC TV’s “Gruen Planet” and Channel 7’s “Masters of Spin”.
He is the co-author of: SHIFT – The trends shaping how we shift products, people and perceptions, Selfish Scared & Stupid – A guide to harnessing human nature & Forever Skills – The 12 skills to future proof yourself, your team and your kids.
He has created leadership strategies for global technology firms, designed performance strategies for sales teams and C-Suite executives and driven engagement strategies for organisations as diverse as Coca-Cola, Unilever, the Royal Australian Navy and the UN/UN Women in Asia.
Michelle is co-founder and Director of People of Influence. She spends most of her time with executive teams and senior leaders, helping them to elevate their leadership impact. She works across a diverse array of industries from the likes of PepsiCo, Wesfarmers and CBA to government and educational institutions. Michelle (GAICD) also works with boards on organisational strategy and team development.
With over 20 years of experience with tens of thousands of leaders, Michelle is a nationally recognised and award-winning educational leader and has used this expertise to co-design all of People of Influence’s programs and leadership diagnostics.
Michelle is known for the energy and practicality that she brings to all client engagements, whether it be presenting the opening keynote to 1,300 leaders, facilitating an executive team offsite or designing and delivering a 9-month senior leadership program.
Outside of work, she is a wife, a mother, a runner (sometimes), a singer (sometimes) and Beyonce fan (always).
You can follow Michelle on LinkedIn Connect on Linkedin the People of Influence Youtube Channel, or subscribe to, where she shares insights and inspiration on leadership and high-performing teams.
Thomas Mayo is a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man based on Larrakia land in Darwin. He is the Assistant National Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia and has over 20 years of experience in leadership and advocacy.
Thomas is a signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and has been a prominent national advocate for its proposals, including a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament and a Makarrata Commission. He travelled across the country for 18 months with the Uluru Statement, engaging communities and building a movement for First Nations recognition.
He has served as a National Councillor for the MUA since 2013 and was a board director of Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition (2019–2024). Thomas also serves on the board of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and the steering group for the First Nations Clean Energy Network.
An accomplished author, Thomas has published seven books with Hardie Grant. His works include Finding the Heart of the Nation and Finding Our Heart, a children’s book on the Uluru Statement. In 2024, he released two new books, including one for children on the Torres Strait Islander flag.
He co-authored The Voice to Parliament Handbook with Kerry O’Brien, which became a bestseller and won multiple Australian Book Industry Awards in 2024.
Thomas continues to advocate strongly for workers’ rights and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through storytelling, public engagement, and policy influence.
Thursday, 28 August 2025
Dr Marny Lishman is a Health & Community Psychologist, Mindset Coach, Author, Keynote Speaker and Media Commentator. A nurturer at heart, Marny brings with her the valuable knowledge and experience of the vastness of the human condition and brings it to her powerful learning and development experiences where she entwines the philosophy and practicalities of positive psychology as well as her passion for prevention into a wide array of settings. Marny arms her audiences with the psychological tools to increase their own psychological capability, adaptability and flexibility to fit with todays fast-moving and uncertain world.
Marny has a vast amount of experience working in a variety of roles over the last two decades, from private practice, designing and implementing government health prevention programs, to training professionals in cutting edge evidence-based programs in the health industry. She has also worked at a number of Australian Universities as a sessional academic delivering a variety of psychology courses. She is also the author of “Burnout to Brilliant”, “A Beautiful Mess” and “Crisis to Contentment” and appears regularly on Today Extra and Sunrise talking all things mental health and wellbeing.
Mark McCrindle is a social researcher, best-selling author, influential thought leader and TEDx speaker. He is recognised globally as coining the name for the emerging generation, Generation Alpha. Mark’s advisory, communications and research company, McCrindle, count among its clients more than 100 of the nation’s largest companies and leading international brands.
Mark’s highly valued social commentary is presented through his engaging keynotes, research, reports, infographics, videos and media input. He is a trusted advisor and sits on the board of a number of different organisations, after having developed his regard as an expert demographer, futurist and social commentator.
Mark McCrindle, BSc (Psychology), MA, is the author of five books on emerging trends and social change. Generation Alpha, Work Wellbeing: Leading Thriving Teams in Rapidly Changing Times, The ABC of XYZ: Undestanding the Global Generations, Word Up: A Lexicon and Guide to Communication in the 21st Centry and The Power of Good.
Andrew Whitehouse is the Deputy Director (Research) of The Kids Research Institute Australia. He is also the Angela Wright Bennett Professor of Autism Research, the Director of at The Kids Research Institute Australia, and the Research Strategy Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC). Prior to coming to The Kids Research Institute Australia, Andrew was a Junior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.
At The Kids Research Institute Australia, he leads a network of clinical centres (called CliniKids) for children with neurodevelopmental differences that embeds clinical trials within everyday community practice. Andrew has published over 300 peer-reviewed journal articles and attracted over $80 million in competitive research grants. He currently presents an internationally syndicated video series called ’60 Second Science”, which has had over 2 million views. He is an advisor to State and Commonwealth Governments on policies relating to children with Autism Spectrum Conditions. He chaired the committee that generated Australia’s first national guideline for autism diagnosis, and co-chaired the committee that developed Australia’s first national guideline for early therapies and supports for autistic children.
Andrew has published one edited book with his twin-brother (Ben), and a popular science book that examined the science behind some of the myths of pregnancy and child development (Will Mozart Make My Baby Smart?). He has also been awarded a Eureka Prize for his research, and is the youngest person ever elected to Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. In 2023, he was a Western Australian of the Year award winner.
Kristen Douglas has worked for three decades with organisations, executives and teams across education, health, mental health, suicide, large scale incident response, and natural disasters.
Kristen has a Bachelor & Master of Education and over 27 years’ experience in the education, health, mental health, suicide, not for profit, and government sectors. Kristen has significantly contributed to the synergy between education and mental health in Australia. From guiding government policy to leading transformational change and national reform. Kristen has led many national and state initiatives in the critical areas of whole school approach, youth mental health, principal leader mental health and wellbeing, and leading teams through complex environments like COVID.
Kristen has authored several national resources and frameworks and specialises in the impact of suicide, complex events, trauma, and natural disasters on schools and communities and how they respond and recover. Kristen continues to lead a large multi-disciplinary national team of mental health and education professionals to support primary and secondary schools across Australia from promotion, prevention, early intervention, intervention to postvention. She is a highly respected and sought presenter nationally and internationally on the topics of educational leadership, health and wellbeing, suicide, mental health, critical incident response and recovery, and other related topics.
Friday, 29 August 2025
James Castrission is a famous Australian Explorer constantly pushing the boundaries of human endurance.
Most recently, on the 26th January 2012, he made history by completing the longest unsupported polar expedition of all time, alongside his best mate, Jonesy. In 100 years of polar exploration no-one had EVER walked from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back without assistance. Many had tried, none had succeeded. After 89 gruelling days they made it back to the coast after having skied 2275km with everything they needed to survive in the harshest environment on Earth.
Four years earlier they Crossed the Ditch – paddling 3318km without assistance across the Tasman Sea for another world first. They braved 10 metre swells, howling winds, endured severe food and sleep deprivation and adverse winds and currents. They became the first kayakers to cross the Tasman Sea as well as becoming the longest transoceanic double kayak expedition. Staggering upon the shores of New Zealand, the adventurers were sunburnt, bearded, underweight, and physically and mentally wasted… but most of all happy to be alive.
In 2013, he founded MyAdventure Group – business committed to providing Australia’s premier corporate Adventure-based development programs. Harnessing lessons learnt from the most hostile environments on earth, his corporate programs are designed to develop teams and drive competitive advantage in organisations.
He holds 2 Guiness World Records for his accomplishments and is highly regarded as one of Australia’s premier public speakers. He has written 2 bestselling books: Crossing the Ditch and Extreme South.
Dr Carrington was the Australian Institute of Management Business Leader of the year in 2016 and a finalist in the Qld Philanthropist of the Year 2016, 2018 and 2019. He was the Harvard Club of Australia Fellow for 2013. In June 2018 last he was one of only 22 Business Leaders selected from around the world to attend the London School of Business International Leaders Program in London. He has worked in schools across the globe.
Neil recently stepped down after 10 years as the CEO of a national charity ‘ACT For Kids,’ an organisation dedicated to supporting abused and neglected children. He most recently was the Director of the Leadership Centre for the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Dr Carrington was the Foundation Director of Learning and Organizational Development for Mater Health Services in Brisbane Australia (a group of seven hospitals). Dr Carrington spent over 3 years as Queensland University of Technology’s Director of Teaching and Learning with university wide responsibility for teaching quality, staff development and online learning services for over 40,000 students. Dr Carrington has held educational academic and leadership positions at a number of universities including, the University of New England and the University of Western Sydney.
He has presented at over 1800 conferences throughout Australia, the UK, Middle East, USA, NZ and across Asia. His featured presentation in the business strand of the ‘World Conference on Thinking’ in Malaysia sold out. He was invited to work with the New Zealand Elite Coaching Academy and the coach of the All Blacks commented Neil’s leadership workshop was the best he had ever attended. His PhD into perceptions of intelligence was judged one of the largest and most rigorous studies of its type ever undertaken in Australia.
Masterful storyteller, inspiring changemaker… Julie is one of the most inspiring keynote speakers in Australia. She recently received the ‘Keynote Speaker of the Year’ Award from ‘Professional Speakers Australia’. She is a masterful storyteller and inspiring change maker, combining powerful insights into human behaviour with practical strategies that leaves audiences with powerful tools for living their best life, reconnecting to their resilience, lifting their energetic frequency, and setting a higher standard in all aspects of their existence. Julie connects the information in our heads with the inspiration in our hearts.
Julie is an adventure seeker, an author, a mother and one of the industry’s most sought-after speakers thanks to her unique style and commitment to empowering her audiences. Her speaking business growth over 25 years is due to referrals, an indication of her huge impact on her audience. And while her business grew her personal life has offered many immense challenges and opportunities for growth. It is this ‘real life’ experience that forms a foundation of an authentic and relatable message – one that only Julie could deliver.
If you are looking for a long list of her academic qualifications then you will have trouble finding them… but you see, that is what makes Julie so inspiring and relatable. Her success comes from a foundation of applying disciplined self-leadership, focused self-belief, inspiring resilience and proven business skills and strategies. She truly has excelled in the university of real life. If you want your delegates to feel inspired, energised and entertained with an energy and practical strategies that can immediately make a difference both personally and professionally, then Julie Cross can add great value to your event.
Julie customises content to the events theme and outcomes, her genre of speaking is inspirational and motivational with themes around self-leadership, personal energy and mood management, resilience and emotional and mental wellbeing.
© WAPPA 2025
