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.
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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.
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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.
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The Value Conversation
Influence, Storytelling and Decision-Making
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As organisations navigate tighter budgets, increased scrutiny and growing complexity, value is no longer a fixed concept. It’s shaped by perspective, influence and the ability to communicate what matters, to the right people, at the right time.
Opening our 2026 Annual Conference, Cian McLoughlin will unpack how different stakeholders define value and why understanding those perspectives is now critical to getting decisions across the line.
Drawing on his work with global organisations, Cian will explore:
• what drives decision-making behind the scenes
• where hesitation creeps in
• how to better position and articulate value in multi-stakeholder conversations
This isn’t just theory. It’s about influence, storytelling and practical ways to move conversations forward in a world of longer decision cycles, rising costs and ongoing uncertainty around the future of work and AI.
Expect a highly engaging, interactive session with takeaways you can actually use the next day.
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.
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Beyond Occupancy​
Rethinking Workplace Value Through Human Performance​
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Dr Libby Sander explores how we measure value in the workplace and why traditional occupancy metrics no longer tell the full story.
Drawing on groundbreaking global research across 13 offices in eight countries, Libby will unpack how people actually use workplace environments and what that means for performance, wellbeing, collaboration and design. From the psychology of where people choose to sit, to the impact of noise, autonomy and environmental design on stress and productivity, this session challenges long-held assumptions about workplace experience and activity-based working.
As organisations rethink the role of the office, Libby will explore how corporate real estate leaders can move beyond utilisation metrics and toward a more human-centred understanding of value, one that considers not just efficiency, but the relationship between people, place and performance.
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Key takeaways:
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Measuring workplace value beyond utilisation
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Understanding what drives workplace behaviour
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Designing workplaces that support performance and wellbeing
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.
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The Value of Human Intelligence in an AI-Augmented World
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As AI rapidly reshapes the world of work, organisations are facing growing questions around productivity, workforce planning and the future role of human intelligence. But beyond the headlines and hype, what is actually happening inside organisations adopting AI today?
Claire will share findings from two lines of research. First, an analysis comparing trends in demand for workers (and skills) in AI adopting versus non-adopting firms. Second, providing an analysis of the complementary features of human and artificial intelligence, which provides a framework for understanding the latest research findings relating to the relationship between AU use, work performance, learning and well-being.
From shifting skill requirements to the evolving relationship between people, technology and workplace design, Claire will challenge common assumptions about automation and explore what it means to create value in an AI-augmented future.
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Key takeaways
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AI augments (but does not replace) human intelligence
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AI is not inherently good or bad but it takes knowledge and skills to maximise its benefits and minimise its risks
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.
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The Value Shift
From Cost Control to Value Creation
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As corporate real estate continues to evolve, one question sits at the centre of increasingly complex decision-making: how do we define value?
Building on the CoreNet Global Australia’s 2025 Future Focus research, this year’s research initiative dives deeper into the tension between cost control and value creation across the CRE ecosystem. From finance and operations to HR, sustainability and executive leadership, different stakeholders measure success through very different lenses, often creating misalignment in priorities, metrics, investment decisions and long-term outcomes.
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Findings from the 2026 Future Focus research, Value vs Cost in Corporate Real Estate, explore how different stakeholders define and measure value, where tensions emerge between cost-saving and long-term value creation, and what greater alignment could mean for the future of CRE.