After graduating from LaTrobe University in 2001 as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist, John-Ross Barresi worked at Vision Australia providing Orientation and Mobility training to those who are blind or vision impaired. In 2004, John-Ross began at Guide Dogs Victoria, where he has been able to further develop his keen interest in adaptive technology and how it can assist his clients to enhance their independent mobility. In his current role of Innovation & Project Coordinator/Senior O&M Specialist, he manages projects that design and implement new technologies that aim to provide greater independence for his clients.

Ellen Broad returned to Australia from the UK in late 2016, where she was Head of Policy for the Open Data Institute (ODI), an international non-profit founded by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Sir Nigel Shadbolt. While in the UK, Ellen became an expert adviser to senior UK government minister Elisabeth Truss on data. She has also held roles as Manager of Digital Policy and Projects for the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (Netherlands) and Executive Officer for the Australian Digital Alliance. She is an independent consultant for organisations including Data61, Knowledge Unlatched, the Queensland government and the Open Data Institute Australian Network, while doing a masters in applied data analytics.

Ellen’s written and spoken about AI, open data and data sharing issues in places like the New Scientist and the Guardian, for ABC Radio National’s ‘Big Ideas’ and ‘Future Tense’ Programmes and at SXSW. Unrelated to her job, Ellen built an open data board game, Datopolis together with ODI CEO Jeni Tennison, which is being played in 19 countries. She has written a book called MADE BY HUMANS: The AI Condition.

Stephan Dyckerhoff completed his PhD and an MBA in Business Administration at Switzerland’s University of St. Gallen. Stephan spent four years at the St. Gallen Foundation for International Studies, then made his move into the consumer goods industry.

Stephan has worked in finance, sales and general management roles within the European consumer goods industry. Having spent thirteen years with the Capgemini Group – culminating in his appointment as the Executive Vice President of Capgemini China – Stephan has built a wealth of experience in the areas of consulting, technology services and digital transformation.

From 2008 to 2013, Stephan was the North Asian President of Swedish consumer goods and elderly care company SCA. During this time, he helped launch China’s first nursing home company, Jiahu, as part of a pilot project for SCA. Stephan also oversaw the launch of TENA (the number one global adult diaper brand) in various North Asian countries.

Stephan’s strong background in management and entrepreneurship led him to found Buurtzorg Asia in 2014. Buurtzorg Asia is a social enterprise run as a joint venture between Stephan, Buurtzorg International in Holland, and other social entrepreneurs. The Buurtzorg model is highly successful in Europe, and Buurtzorg is the leading community-based home nursing provider in the continent. The model uses IT solutions to minimise admin time and allow professionals to focus fully on delivering person-centred care.

Stephan’s mission is to bring the Buurtzorg model to as many elderly people as possible in the Asia-Pacific region, allowing them to live with dignity and receive good care at home. Stephan’s company has recently started operations in Japan, China and India. Buurtzorg Asia also has active projects in South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. In 2017, the company cared for more than 2,000 elderly citizens in the region.

Juliet Fallace has over 20 years combined Program and Project Manager private and public sector experience. Currently employed as an EL2 at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Juliet is responsible for leading continuous improvement business process and transformational programs. During Juliet’s ABS career she has led service delivery programs, change management programs, strategic and operational technical and business transformation projects.

Recently certified as a qualified Professional Scrum Master, Juliet has been leading the ABS for the past 3 years towards transforming how business delivers its products and services through the adoption of Agile practices.

Nicola Fotheringham is the Strategic Policy and Research Manager in R&L Practice Standards and Solutions at VicRoads. At present Nicola is leading a cross-government program of work seeking to develop a better understanding of, and respond to issues associated with vehicle identification, crime and safety.

She is recognised for successfully developing strategies and initiatives that tackle diverse and complex issues and cut across government and organisational responsibilities. Nicola thrives on tackling complex problems and leading engagement with internal and external stakeholders to develop new and innovative ways of working and achieve high impact outcomes.

Nicola has successfully led the development and delivery of significant strategies, policies, projects and programs whilst working within challenging and complex systems. She uses an evidence based approach in combination with a deep understanding of stakeholder motivations and needs to develop and implement effective and strategic initiatives and drive positive organisational, cultural and behavioural change.

She has degrees in both Arts and Science, a first class honours degree in Psychology, and a Graduate Certificate in Management.

Martin Kearns is a pioneer in the field of Agile, he was one of the first three certified enterprise coaches in the world by the Scrum Alliance. He was also accredited as an Agile expert by Dr. Alistair Cockburn and has been a practitioner in Agile methods for over 12 years. His pragmatic approach and genuine thirst for personal growth is evident in his authentic stories and examples he uses to illustrate concepts in a training setting.

Recently, Martin has been examining the significance of Agile in becoming an operational mindset for the future of work. He is now the Chief Digital Officer of Innodev and is focused on the synergy between partners, people and problems to generate the need for adaption. Through his work in contracting methods, Martin has designed cooperative partnerships in response to uncertainty. He has spoken at numerous Australian Conferences on this topic and his thought leadership has been recognised through his selection to speak at an upcoming Scrum Alliance Global Gathering in Dublin later this year.

Martin actively contributes to the Scrum community in Australia, being a director of Scrum Australia and frequent speaker at user groups and Conferences. Martin is a co-author of the e-book Agile Transition (available through InfoQ), in which he and his co-author share their observations and conclusions about what is required when seeking to transition to an Agile approach and the future of work.

Abigail Thomas is the General Manager of SBS On Demand where she leads a team of product developers, marketers and designers to create a distinct digital experience for SBS’s online audiences.

Abi has more than twenty years’ experience in digital strategy, innovation and product development, having led digital teams at the Commonwealth Bank, Deloitte and the ABC. Her career highlights include the creation and launch of ABC2, the development of ABC iView, launching the multi-award winning CommBank mobile app, leading the successful bid for Sydney to be recognised as a UNESCO City of Film, and now building and leading the team responsible for continuously evolving SBS’s streaming service.

Outside of work, Abi is passionate about using digital to help build a better society and runs a not-for-profit called OneStep which connects refugees with local Australians to foster greater empathy and understanding through a walk and talk. She was also a Board Director and Vice Chair of the Australian Design Centre for six years.

Chen Zhu is the IoT Director at ThoughtWorks, China. Before he entered IoT the domain, he worked as a User Experience Designer, Business Analyst and Project Manager on lots of software delivery projects. As a result, he’s accumulated lots of experience in Agile methodology and currently applies it to both software and hardware development to handle the risk of innovation.

Abigail Thomas is the General Manager of SBS On Demand where she leads a team of product developers, marketers and designers to create a distinct digital experience for SBS’s online audiences.

Abi has more than twenty years’ experience in digital strategy, innovation and product development, having led digital teams at the Commonwealth Bank, Deloitte and the ABC. Her career highlights include the creation and launch of ABC2, the development of ABC iView, launching the multi-award winning CommBank mobile app, leading the successful bid for Sydney to be recognised as a UNESCO City of Film, and now building and leading the team responsible for continuously evolving SBS’s streaming service.

Outside of work, Abi is passionate about using digital to help build a better society and runs a not-for-profit called OneStep which connects refugees with local Australians to foster greater empathy and understanding through a walk and talk. She was also a Board Director and Vice Chair of the Australian Design Centre for six years.