CIAN MCLOUGHLIN
Opening keynote speaker
Cian McLoughlin is a bestselling author, award-winning blogger, MC, leadership facilitator and sales and business expert. With a business career spanning 25 years, including senior management roles in a number of the world's largest software companies, Cian provides a unique perspective on what motivates (and demotivates) people when making a buying decision or influence attempt.
Author of Amazon #1 bestseller Rebirth of the Salesman' and co-author of the bestseller Secrets of Business Success”, Cian is a regular sales and marketing commentator in the mainstream media. His blog was voted one of the Top 50 Sales Blogs for the fourth year running, and his book was voted one of the Top 50 Sales Books for the third year running by Top Sales World. Cian also had a brief stint as a TV comedy writer. This comedy background, coupled with his Irish heritage means audiences are entertained, informed and inspired by Cian's workshops and keynotes.
Businesses such as SAP, Orange, Salesforce, Westpac, Qantas and DXC regularly request Cian to help facilitate workshops and deliver keynotes at their events. Above all else, Cian is a passionate proponent of an ethical, honest and authentic approach to business.
DR CLAIRE MASON
Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO's Data61
Dr Claire Mason is a leading Australian organizational psychology research and Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, where she heads the Workforce and Productivity team. Claire’s work focuses on understanding how AI is reshaping job roles, skills demand, and workforce structures. Her research has informed national policy and industry strategies, with recent projects including the Indigenous Jobs Map, the Australian Digital Capability Framework, and the Data61 Skills Dashboard.
ALEX O'MARA
Professor of Practice, Centre for Flourishing Cities, Sydney University
Professor Alex O'Mara is the IB Fell Professor of Practice in Urbanism in the Centre for Flourishing Cities at the University of Sydney. A highly experienced urban leader, she also serves as a Trustee of Sydney Harbour Federation Trust , Non-Executive Director of St George Community Housing.
Alex was formerly a Board Member of Placemaking NSW and Chair of the White Bay Power Station Adaptive Reuse Committee and a senior executive and lawyer in the NSW government. As Deputy Secretary of Place, Design and Public Space, Alex led significant city-shaping initiatives.
Alex is a Commissioner with the NSW Independent Planning Commission.
SUSAN LEE
A/Chief Executive, Placemaking NSW
Susan Lee is A/Chief Executive of Placemaking NSW, the Government landowner and manager of the foreshore precincts between the Opera House and Bays West precinct, including The Rocks, Barangaroo and Darling Harbour.
Susan joined Government in 2018 after a career break, which Susan spent as carer for both her children and parents.
Prior to her roles in Government, Susan headed Corporate Communications and Government Relations for American Express in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, after starting her career as a Researcher and Producer at Channel 9. Susan holds a Bachelor and Master of Laws (with Distinction).
DR DOMINIC BROWN
Head of International Research, Cushman & Wakefield
Dominic Brown is Head of International Research at Cushman & Wakefield, leading research and thought leadership across APAC, EMEA and Australia/New Zealand.
With a PhD in Population Geography and nearly 20 years in real estate research, he specialises in translating complex market trends into practical insights for occupiers and investors.
An Adjunct Associate Professor at The University of Queensland, Dominic has published extensively, presented at industry conferences and served as an expert witness.
He is a respected commentator on property markets across Australia and the Asia Pacific region.
DR LIBBY SANDER
Associate Professor, Bond University
Dr Libby Sander is an internationally recognised expert on the future of work whose research sits at the intersection of organisational behaviour, psychology, neuroscience and workplace design.
An Associate Professor at Bond University, Libby advises global organisations on how environments shape performance, wellbeing and culture. Her researched has been featured in the The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and she is an Agenda Contributor at the World Economic Forum.
Libby has spoken at TEDx, SXSW and the World Business Forum and is known for translating rigorous research into practical insights that challenge how leaders think about work, workplaces and human performance.
BEN STAMMER
Co-Founder, ReLove
Ben Stammer is a former finance professional with a passion for social entrepreneurship and Co-Founder of ReLove.
Prior to ReLove, Ben was a banker with Deutsche Bank and Bankers Trust for 25 years.
ReLove provides high-quality preloved furniture and household items at scale to people experiencing homelessness and women impacted by family violence. Ben was a Finalist for Australian of the Year - Local Hero (NSW) in 2025.
REN FERNANDO
Co-Founder, ReLove
Ren Fernando is an architect, artist, and Co-Founder of ReLove.
With a background in sustainable architecture and a deep commitment to social and environmental change, Ren recognised an opportunity to tackle furniture waste while helping people in crisis create safe, fully furnished homes.
Ren was a 2023 Snow Entrepreneur and AMP Tomorrow Maker and Finalist for Australian of the Year - Local Hero (NSW) in 2025.
BRIAR HARTE
NAB
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CEILIDH HIGGINS
Associate Director, CBRE
Ceilidh Higgins is an Associate Director in CBRE's Workplace Consulting team, where she helps organisations navigate the evolving relationship between people, place, and performance. With a background in interior architecture and workplace strategy, she works with clients across a range of sectors to create workplaces that support business outcomes while delivering meaningful employee experiences.
A recognised voice on the future of work, Ceilidh regularly shares insights through her blog, The Midnight Lunch and at industry events, exploring topics including workplace culture, employee experience, the impacts of technology and the changing role of the workplace. She is passionate about translating research into practical workplace solutions that help organisations adapt, perform, and thrive.
When she's not helping clients rethink the workplace, you'll usually find her speaking, writing, mentoring, or attending yet another industry event. In fact, after years of seeing her at CoreNet events, at endless CoreNet committee meetings and planning this conference - her AI has reached a firm conclusion: CBRE is the side hustle she fits in around her unpaid career as a professional CoreNet enthusiast.
DR KIRSTEN BROWN
Design Innovation Manager, CSR
CNGAU Industry Innovation Executive
Kirsten leads with a rare combination of design thinking, research capability, and commercial acumen with a passion for customer-led innovation. Based on her PhD, she is a thought leader in building health and resilience in the workplace.
Curiosity has motivated Kirsten to complete degrees in design, real estate, commerce and research. This knowledge alongside practice results in highly considered outcomes underpinned by research.
Kirsten’s career has been focused on delivering innovative, functional solutions for a broad range of projects with a proven track record in product development through to launch, stakeholder alignment and commercial success.
CARMEN PAECH
Senior Interior Designer, Unispace
Carmen Paech, an Interior Designer at Unispace, is recognised for her considered approach to creating authentic and meaningful workplace environments. Passionate about the human experience of space, she explores how design influences the way people experience, inhabit, and engage within an environment.
Driven by a deep curiosity about the role design plays in shaping behaviour and experience, Carmen’s work focuses on creating environments with a purposeful sense of atmosphere that fosters connection and supports wellbeing. She believes that it is our personal, human experience of space, and how we inhabit and occupy it, that truly brings a place to life.
MARCO GRITTI
National Director - ESG, Acumentis
Marco is a commercial and sustainability leader with experience driving growth and operational transformation across Climate-Tech, AgTech and BioTech sectors. He has led ESG strategy implementation with major organisations including Mirvac, Google and Deloitte, translating sustainability ambition into measurable operational and financial outcomes.
Marco brings a pragmatic, executive-level approach to ESG reporting, GHG accounting and scenario analysis, ensuring climate disclosures are commercially aligned, defensible and integrated into enterprise governance and risk frameworks. His leadership combines strategic oversight with disciplined execution, enabling organisations to move beyond compliance and embed sustainability as a driver of resilience, capital efficiency and long-term value creation.
SARAH WALSH
Head of Womens Football, Football Australia
Sarah Walsh is a former Australian international athlete with 70 caps and 35 international goals for the Matildas. She has a decorated career including appearances in the 2004 Olympics and 2007 FIFA World Cup. She clinched victory at the 2010 Women’s Asian Cup.
Since then, Sarah has evolved into an accomplished sports executive, Logie-nominated commentator, and compelling public speaker. Her firsthand experience in high-performance sports has translated into advocating for pay equity and inclusion, spearheading innovation in governance and policy driving social change at all levels of football.
Notably, as Head of Women’s Football for Football Australia, she influenced the strategy that generated a staggering $357M for football's World Cup leveraging strategy through government and commercial investment, with an additional $200M earmarked to improve community infrastructure for women and girls across all sports. As hosts of the most commercial FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Matildas shattered attendance and viewership records, drawing over 11 million viewers during the semi-final against England, making it the single highest rating TV program of all time.
In 2026 as CEO of the Women’s Asian Cup she delivered a record breaking tournament on home soil, total attendace to matches of 355,000 and the grand final viewed by 3.2M Australians. The most watched event on Channel 10 since 2023.
Ranked 14th on News Corps' list of 100 most influential women, she continues to challenge Australian society on the double standards that exist for women, how to create change that has lasting impact and how to deliver high performance and an environment of global uncertainty.