Joy Adan

Senior Thought Leadership Manager
Reward Gateway

Joy has been working with leaders to improve connection, culture and community in the world of work for over 15 years. Her passion for creative and inclusive storytelling, combined with experience in change management and corporate communications has allowed her to partner with global organisations in the technology, education, professional services and for-purpose sectors. At Reward Gateway, Joy spearheads research about employee experience and engagement, and develops programs to support leaders in growing, retaining and nurturing high-performing teams. As an experienced presenter and facilitator, Joy loves to leave people feeling inspired and equipped to take on new challenges, and thinking critically about how to improve the way we work for and with each other.

Joshua Bamford

Human Resources Director
M&H Ward Group – McDonald’s Toowoomba

Joshua Bamford is an accomplished QSR professional with 15 years of experience. He began as a crew member at McDonald’s Toowoomba at 16 and later progressed to senior management and Operations roles. Following a skydiving accident in 2017, he transitioned to the Human Resources Department and became the Human Resources Director in 2019. 

He is a strong advocate for disability and inclusion employment in the Toowoomba region. Joshua has received two awards and recognition for his innovative Disability Employment Program, which has successfully placed over 50 applicants with barriers in meaningful employment across the 8 restaurants owned by the M&H Ward Group. 

As HR Director for the M&H Ward Group – McDonald’s Toowoomba Region, Joshua works with various stakeholders to provide employment, training, and career opportunities, with a focus on breaking the cycle of multigenerational unemployment and supporting disability, refugee, Indigenous, and WorkForce Australia employment programs. He is committed to developing the next generation of Australian workforce leaders, making a positive impact on each employee who joins the team. 

Natalia Bravo

Principal Executive Development
BHP

Natalia is a passionate leadership development professional, who has experience in designing and deploying large scale global employee development programs. She is motivated by creating bespoke and specific initiatives that allow senior leaders to thrive and grow their leadership experiences.

Currently Natalia is Principal Executive Development at BHP. She is a Psychologist from the Universidad de Valparaiso, has a Magister degree in HR and Organizational Dynamic from Universidad de Chile and has worked across mining, professional services, education and chemical industries.

Nicole Butler

Sales Manager
LinkedIn Learning Solutions

Nicole Butler is a Sales Manager for LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions business in Australia and New Zealand. She leads a team of learning specialist who help organisations reskill their people for the future of work; with over a decade of experience spanning across Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.

Nicole is passionate about help organisations to understand where the skill gaps exist in their company and using AI and machine learning to redeploy talent and skills to where they are most needed. If Nicole is not engaged in conversations about skills, you will find her travelling, long-lunching, walking her Kelpie, cooking new recipes from Instagram, ocean swimming and listening to crime podcasts.

Lynne Cawley

Chief Operating Officer
Canstar

Lynne Cawley is a successful, solution-focused HR and Operations professional and the Chief Operations Officer at Canstar.

Established 30 years ago, Canstar is Australia’s biggest financial comparison website whose purpose is to simplify the world of finance and help consumers confidently find the right product for them. In 2010, we expanded our services and launched Canstar Blue to provide customer satisfaction research and ratings for consumer products and services including energy, telco, NBN, appliances and much more.

Lynne is responsible for fostering the company’s culture, as well as developing and leading the implementation of Canstar’s operational strategy to drive business goals through quality research and technological advancements.

With a degree in psychology at QUT and having specialised in Organisational psychology, Lynne established the human resources function at Canstar. Lynne has expanded this role in recent years to now head up the entire operations function, leading the People & Culture, Research, Product Data, Data Platform Services and Infrastructure teams.

Lynne’s leadership role sees her managing the back-end technology platforms that power many of Canstar’s data initiatives including the company’s Star Ratings research, product database and data feeds to the website. Her teams are also responsible for building resilience into the Canstar technology infrastructure and applications. This includes managing the company’s website stability, tech partnerships and cloud services.

Having spent the majority of her career working in the financial services industry, Lynne is the first to highlight the career opportunities and the job satisfaction that comes from working in a digital company like Canstar where your purpose is to empower consumers to make better purchase decisions.

Gemma Davidson

General Manager People, Culture and Safety
Queensland Rugby League

Gemma Davidson joined Queensland Rugby League in January 2022 in the role of General Manager People, Capability and Safety. Prior to the QRL, Gemma was in senior HR leadership roles as Head of HR for National Storage Australia and NZ and National People and Culture Manager for leading law and accounting firms Maurice Blackburn Lawyers and Vincents Chartered Accountants.

Qualification in HR Management, Psychology and Neuro Linguistic Strategy Gemma has a strong interest in human behaviour and a passion for supporting leaders and employees to excel and meet their potential.

Kirsty Harrison

Executive Manager, People Strategy & Culture
Suncorp

Kirsty is a HR Executive passionate about the power of organisational culture & leadership and its impact on the overall customer and employee experiences. Kirsty leads a team of HR Portfolio experts focused on Suncorp’s People & Workforce Strategy, Organisational Culture & Employee Engagement and recently has been leading the design of the Flexibility approach for Suncorp. Kirsty has been an active learner of the topic as it intersects with employee engagement, organisational culture, wellbeing and inclusion and is intrigued with the opportunities for leaders and employees to deliver exceptional customer experiences, whilst balancing the needs of the workforce.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-harrison-17450416/?originalSubdomain=au

Jane Humphreys

Vice President SHEQ, People & Culture
Volvo Group

Jane is an experienced senior executive, who brings full registration as an Industrial/ Organisational Psychologist. She has extensive and broad Human Resources experience and a track record of transforming operating environments across various organisational contexts with proven success in maximising people potential within diverse environments spanning Engineering & Automotive, Technology & Software, Private Practice, FMCG, Consulting, Manufacturing and Transport. 

Megan Johnston

Director, Learning & Organisational Development
Ramsay Health Care

Megan is an accomplished professional having built a career leading learning and organisational development teams to success in major organisations across multiple industries. Her passion for people development drives her to continue to reinvent the experience of learning at work and she is focussed on it delivering measurable business value. She is excited about the future of learning and continues to explore ‘what’s possible’ in the digital world. Megan believes developing great leaders should be central to the people strategy as the key lever to building organisations where people can bring their best selves to work every day.

Laura Jones

Chief People Officer
dnata

Laura Jones is Chief People Officer for dnata catering Australia.  Part of the Emirates Group, dnata catering is Australia’s most admired catering and retail partner specialising in inflight catering, buy-on-board catering programs, travel retail technology solutions, and airport lounge operation and management. 

A wide-ranging role, Laura leads People, Culture, Safety, Wellbeing and Internal Communications; areas which have been critical as the aviation sector and its dedicated staff have navigated the post-pandemic world of work. Drawing on the positives of opportunity and innovation that are born from adversity, Laura and her team have implemented initiatives to ensure business survival, whilst remaining dedicated to maintaining staff connection and support. 

An experienced HR professional, Laura is passionate about giving everyone the opportunity to thrive and boasts an impressive portfolio. Prior to her role at dnata catering, Laura lead people and culture initiatives at both UnitingCare Queensland and Virgin Australia. As part of her role at UnitingCare Queensland, Laura provided advice and support to leaders in a rapidly changing sector with a workforce of 25,000 people, including volunteers. Her role headed up a portfolio that included Employment Relations, Strategic Workforce Planning, Learning and Development, Workplace Health and Safety, Remuneration and Recruitment. Holding a number of senior roles at Virgin Australia including general manager roles, Laura was responsible for business partnering, leadership, talent and development. Leading large transformation change programs, Laura rolled out performance frameworks and embedded diversity and inclusion programs.   

A strong and accomplished HR professional, outside of work Laura is mum to a firecracker 11 year old daughter and loves ocean swimming. 

Anthony Jukes

General Manager – People and Culture, Facilities and Asset Service
Downer

Anthony Jukes is a passionate and values-driven people and culture executive with over 20 years’ experience. Over the course of his career, Anthony has worked in organisations including Downer Group, QGC, Ausenco and Thiess across industries such as oil and gas, facilities and asset maintenance, mining and construction. With a passion for inclusive culture, engagement and strategic leadership, Anthony’s current role is General Manager – People and Culture at Downer Group, where he has led the national people and culture function within Business Units with large and diverse workforces, ranging from 4,000-18,000 employees. Achievements include increasing employee engagement scores across all priority categories and successfully rolling-out an inclusive culture leadership program to 400 influential leaders. Anthony holds a Bachelor of Business and a Masters of Labour Law and Industrial Relations. 

Ferdie Kruger

Chief Human Resources Officer
Peabody Energy

Ferdie Kruger is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Peabody with responsibility for global human resources service delivery in the United States, Australia, and China.

Mr. Kruger has over 29 years of experience in the Human Resources field as a generalist with specialization in Industrial Relations and Organizational Restructures. His career encompasses working and living in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Mr. Kruger started his career with Holcim (Cement) in South Africa before joining Leighton Contractors (Mining) in New Zealand, and later Australia, where he held various managerial positions. Ferdie joined Peabody in 2008 as the HR Manager for the Australian operations and progressed his career over 15 years to his current role.

Ferdie has a B.A. Law Degree and a B.A. Honors Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Peabody is the leading global pure-play company and a member of the Fortune 500, serving power and steel customers in more than 25 countries on six continents. The company is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the iconic ticker symbol BTU. Peabody is guided by seven core values: safety, customer focus, leadership, people, excellence, integrity, and sustainability

Adam Lavis

Executive Director, Human Resources
Metro South Health

Adam is the Executive Director of Human Resources for Metro South Health, responsible for strategic and operational HR initiatives enhancing organisational performance.

An experienced Human Resources Director, Adam has demonstrated a track record in successfully leading the design, implementation and evaluation of contemporary and best practice human resources strategies to improve workforce performance, capability and culture. Certified in risk management and human resources, Adam holds a Master of Business Administration and is recognised by peers as pragmatic, industrious, influential and a decisive leader.

Adam has a strong understanding of workforce systems and processes, providing expert advice whilst leading and establishing HR and Work Health and Safety into the core fundamentals of the organisation.

Tamsin Lawrence

Senior Associate
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors

Tamsin is a highly credentialled employment lawyer with Australian Business Lawyers and Advisors in Melbourne, acting for a broad range of employers across both the public and private sector. She performs a mix of litigious and advisory work in workplace relations and is a regular author and presenter on a range of bargaining, employment, discrimination and work health and safety related topics.
Tamsin was very closely involved in responding on behalf of employers to the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australia Workplaces and lead the Chambers’ response to the introduction of the Respect at Work Act including the new prohibition on sex-based harassment in the workplace and role as an associate employer representative member on the newly formed Federal Government Respect@Work Council.
Tamsin takes a keen interest in and is often at the forefront of IR Changes, including providing feedback and advice to Government and employer groups on the implications of reforms.

Pip Lyons

Senior People Scientist
Culture Amp

Pip Lyons is a Senior People Scientist at Culture Amp, partnering with customers in the APAC region. In her role she interprets and analyses customer data and survey outcomes to identify the most valuable themes to improve the employee experience. Partnering with HR Leaders to influence change within organisations through employee engagement, performance and effectiveness by providing guidance and recommendations to create a culture-first organisation.

Pip joined Culture Amp in October 2019 with 10+ years experience working within organisations leading Human Resources and Organisational Development initiatives.

Pip is passionate about better ways of working and all things employee experience.

Isabella Manning

Head of Organisational Change Management
Virgin Australia

Isabella Manning, originally an Occupational Therapist, has designed and led complex organisational change and transformation programs across many industries over the past 15 years.

Her current challenge, as Head of Organisational Change Management at Virgin Australia, is to engender a culture that embraces change agility and resilience at all levels of the organisation, empowering leaders and project delivery professionals with the insights, mindsets, first principles, tools and capability to lead change and transformation with confidence and ease.

Now that the scale and speed of change across most industries continues to accelerate, Isabella invites strategic HR practitioners, to re-think change at the enterprise level and embedding change and transformation power-skills broadly across all core competencies and leadership frameworks, to help organisations thrive (not just survive) in the face of near-constant change and disruption.

Emma Miller

Head of HR Asia Pacific, Director Global Talent Management
Boardriders

Emma Miller is an experienced senior Human Resources professional and all-round people champion with a range of experience in the retail, tourism and Government industry sectors.  As the Head of HR for Asia Pacific and Global Director of Talent Management for Boardriders, Emma is on a mission to redefine the impact that leaders can have on organisations.  With values like kindness and courage and believing that leadership is human focused first and foremost, Emma is leading the way when it comes to a new way of working. It’s Emma’s hands on and people-centric approach in all aspects of HR resulting in a truly engaging employee experience at Boardriders. 

Rebecca Munn

Group Executive People and Culture
Queensland Rail

Rebecca is an adaptable and experienced executive with more than 20 years’ experience in management and senior roles, both globally and locally. She has worked across public, government and private organisations.

Rebecca is passionate, and results driven and is most effective in large, complex, challenging and diverse environments. She brings a broad range of external experience from multiple industries, including emergency services, mining and manufacturing.

As Group Executive People and Culture, she is responsible for people capability, employee relations, people services, planning our future workforce and supporting engagement and well-being at Queensland Rail.

Allisa O’Connell

Head of People and Culture
Flight Centre Travel Group

Allisa O’Connell is the Head of People and Culture for Flight Centre Travel Group Australia, where she has worked for 35 years.    

She is a passionate and experienced leader who has managed a multitude of high performing teams across many diverse areas of FCTG’s Australian business including Leisure, Wholesale, Information Technology, Product and Ticketing divisions. Allisa is committed to bringing out the potential in others so they can be the best versions of themselves, which in turn strengthens the business.   

Allisa is an avid traveller and believes travel has the ability to change people in immeasurable ways. She believes everyone should have the privilege to experience new places, be that in their home country or around the world. 

Lisa Paton

Associate Director
Mapien

Lisa is passionate about developing solutions that enhance people and organisational effectiveness.

As a Psychologist she specialises in developing leaders, utilising psychometric assessment and creating positive cultural change in organisations.

With experience designing holistic solutions to challenging and complex people problems, Lisa has worked in for-profit and for-purpose sectors and is skilled in transforming negative behaviours that impact organisational effectiveness.

As a manager, a leader, a Psychologist and a valued advisor, Lisa understands the complexities, challenges and rewards of working in senior leadership positions. She works collaboratively to understand the issues preventing an organisation from achieving its desired outcomes and, taking a systems approach, Lisa then co-creates practical, targeted and high impact solutions.

Liz Ranieri

General Manager Organisational Development
Telstra

Liz Ranieri is Telstra’s leader on Workforce Experience. She is passionate about making Telstra the place people want to work, by creating a great culture and employee experience.  

 With a career spanning 20 years in HR, Liz has broad experience in HR and Business Operations with deep expertise in Strategic Workforce Planning and Organisational Development. As Telstra’s leader on Workforce Experience Liz’s focus is to align experience strategy with the goals of the business and drive for positive change. Flexibility is one of the most valued parts of the employee experience at Telstra and Liz is partnering with Property and Technology leaders to make flexibility and hybrid working, work.  

Tannielle Raynor

Head of Organisation Development
Engineers Australia

Tannielle Raynor is Head of Organisation Development for Engineers Australia, the peak body for the engineering profession in Australia. Over the past 10 plus years Tannielle has been focusing on driving positive change in organisations with human-centric approaches. She specialises in culture transformation, diversity and inclusion, leadership development, and employee engagement strategies that create tangible business results with people at the heart of decisions. Her expertise lies in creating custom programs, in collaboration with senior leaders and team members. Tannielle challenges conventional norms to address organisational hurdles, and her mission is to unite teams, align hearts and minds, and fuel shared success.

Ollie Salisbury

Head of Talent Acquisition & Community
Mash

Ollie Salisbury is a seasoned talent & people professional with over a decade of experience in talent acquisition, employee engagement, and organisational culture. He has demonstrable experience in technology and creative services; building diverse and high-performing teams and driving results through innovative global talent programs and initiatives. He is Head of Talent & Community at Mash, a global creative technology business which harnesses the power of independent creatives around the world to solve brand challenges. He has previously worked at tech scale-ups and consultancies such as Ento (a Humanforce Company), BCG Digital Ventures and Scout.

Sabina Schlegel

Director Organisational Development, Change and Inclusion
Queensland Health

Sabina Schlegel is currently the Director of Organisational Development, Change and Inclusion at the Department of Health in Queensland. 

During the past few years, she has been focused on understanding employee experiences and how work and life has changed for us now and into the future, especially as a result of the pandemic. She has guided the Department of Health on the ways leaders can lead and manage adaptively and in our new hybrid environments, and is keen to ensure that managers and leaders know how to support the health and well-being of their teams and wider organisation. Systems thinking and human centred design approaches underpin the ways in which she approaches her work. 

Sabina is passionate about leading kindly and believes that psychological safety comes when we can be authentic, become comfortable with imperfection and show genuine support in times of struggle. She has been facilitating groups and discussions for over 15 years on numerous topics but particularly enjoys facilitating group sessions that explore people’s life and work challenges, the ways in which we can build awareness of self and others, and identifying the things that help us not only survive but thrive.  

She has a Master’s Degree in HR and Organisational Development, a Postgraduate Diploma in Guidance Counselling and Bachelor Degrees in Psychology and Education. In a previous life, she used to work with young people and lectured in Human Development and Youth Culture at a London University. She’s now a mum to 7 year old twins, spends a lot of time warding off magic dragons, and could probably do with more sleep. 

Darren Shearer

Director Workforce Analytics and Reporting
Queensland Department of Education

Darren is a recognised leader in harnessing data-driven storytelling to ensure workforce strategy drives positive business outcomes. An authority in developing proactive metrics and innovative tools, he has addressed challenges like cost of turnover, geo-analysis, and diversity planning. His advocacy for technological integration in HR optimises enterprise-wide data analysis, ensuring impactful, data-rich stories that resonate as compelling narratives with HR leaders and business stakeholders. An esteemed contributor to the HR community, Darren has authored workforce performance articles and industry benchmark books.

In the upcoming session, Darren’s expertise will guide in leveraging storytelling to translate workforce data into tangible business value.

Margaret Stinson

Executive GM People, Culture & Corporate Social Responsibility
MSS Security

Marg is a HRD Global 100 Leader & Executive General Manager with over two decades, with a proven track record of providing strategic and operational leadership across all aspects of People, Culture, Employee Wellbeing and Corporate Social Responsibility. Marg has developed and guided business and HR strategies and programs as a trusted advisor and strategic business partner to executive leaders and their teams, successfully shaping and delivering people-related initiatives which have led to high performing people and organisations and their continued and ongoing success.

In-depth HR Management expertise, best practice approach, coupled with high levels of energy has played a key role in Marg successfully developing and driving people and culture strategies, and delivering strategic business programs in dynamic, fast-paced environments, resulting in multiple Australian HR industry awards.

www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-stinson

Erin Walford

Former Chief Legal, People & Culture Officer Australia & New Zealand
Domino’s Pizza Enterprises

Erin Walford is a People & Culture professional, experienced in leading human resources, employment relations, learning and development, leadership growth and people safety teams. Erin is also a company secretary and a commercial, franchising and technology lawyer with over 16 years practice in boutique, national and in-house roles, most recently at Domino’s as Chief Legal, People & Culture Officer ANZ.  Erin is currently establishing a legal and people consultancy in Brisbane.  Erin focuses on strategy that underpins sustainable employee experience, and takes a human-centric approach to attracting, growing and retaining talent and building high performance teams.

Ellie Whitton

Head of People & Culture
NEXTDC

Ellie is the Head of People & Culture at NEXTDC and is responsible for driving NEXTDC’s human capital strategy across Australia and Asia to support the attraction, engagement, growth and development of the company’s talent. Her scope encompasses all facets of People & Culture including recruitment, employee engagement, talent management, organisational change and development, and reward and recognition.

To ensure NEXTDC have the right people and capabilities to deliver on the ambitious goals they set, Ellie is passionate about empowering leaders and elevating the leadership capabilities that drive the company’s high-performance culture which is underpinned by strong company values. Her background in Human Resources and accreditation in Change Management fuels her dedication to effectively lead people through times of change so they are well positioned to adapt and succeed.

Emma Wright

Chief People Officer
WorkCover Queensland

Emma is a trusted, authentic leader known for her unwavering commitment to inspiring others with a vision that values people. With a background in corporate services and human resources, she excels in building and leading high-performing, diverse teams, with a strong focus on fostering a positive culture and exceptional employee experience.

As the Chief People Officer, Emma is driving WorkCover’s transformation into a modern and adaptive organisation for the future of work. In addition to her role as CPO, Emma plays a pivotal role in shaping corporate strategy, leveraging her profound understanding of human resources and organisational development to align the company’s goals with its most valuable asset – its people. Her academic achievements include a Bachelor of Business in Human Resource Management and a Masters of Organisational Development. Emma is also nearing completion of an Executive MBA from QUT and in recognition of her outstanding leadership, Emma was honoured as one of the AFR Boss Young Executives of the Year in 2023.

Nicola Young

Head of People ANZ
Cognizant

Nic has been working with a focus on People and Culture for over 25 years. Originally from Wales, she started her career in Retail where she found her initial passion – coaching others to reach their potential. That led to roles in Hospitality and finally to Technology where she has spent the majority of her career, 17 years of which has been in Australia.

She has had the good fortune to work both across Europe and Asia Pacific and has been able to indulge her passion for travel by working in countries as diverse as South Korea and South Africa.

She is a bit of a data geek and is fascinated by the inner workings of businesses. This led to her running her own business – a toy shop – for 5 years whilst continuing to work full time. It was an interesting balance and taught her several lessons about priorities and profitability. She still has an entrepreneurial itch.

She loves learning and active debate and feels as a business function we are truly integral in working with our people and leadership to build positive culture. She is excited to see what’s next for us all as we emerge from our post Covis chrysalis.

Matthew Cameron

Executive Counsel
Herbert Smith Freehills

Matthew specialises in employment, industrial relations and safety. He frequently advises clients on enterprise bargaining and strategy, industrial litigation and compliance with awards and enterprise agreements. Matthew also has significant experience managing disputes during bargaining, having successfully defended good faith bargaining order applications and obtained orders stopping industrial action.

Rick Catanzariti

Partner
DLA Piper

For more than 20 years, Rick has advised leading private and public sector clients in the complex area of workplace relations, discrimination, employment & occupational health and safety (OHS) law.

His experience covers the full spectrum of industrial relations, employment and discrimination litigation, in addition to advising on the management of employee issues, including in relation to corporate restructures, mergers and acquisitions. He brings an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Australian regulatory framework and combines excellent technical and analytical skills to help organisations to minimise their legal exposure and achieve their desired commercial outcomes.

Rick has advised on a number of significant industrial disputes in the former Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) and regularly appears in the Fair Work Commission on behalf of his clients which range from public hospitals, tertiary institutions and Victorian and Federal Government departments to private companies in the electricity, health, manufacturing and labour hire industries.

Rick’s additional experience in privacy legislation and OHS gives him a complete understanding of workplace grievances and issues, enabling him to bring an innovative, holistic solution to problems. His breadth of knowledge in this area also enables him to bring a strategic focus to regulatory compliance issues.
Rick leads the Melbourne Employment team.

Alanna Fitzpatrick

Partner
K&L Gates

Alanna is an experienced workplace health and safety partner. She is a responsive, pragmatic and empathetic lawyer who assists her clients to navigate the serious safety incidents and accidents. She assists clients respond to and engage with regulators undertaking investigations following safety incidents in a manner that is designed to ensure that the risk of reputational damage and personal/corporate prosecution is minimised.  

Alanna is also an experienced front end safety lawyer, providing compliance advice to a range of organisations to understand and discharge their obligations under safety legislation and for officers, developing a suite of material to enable those officers to discharge their duty to exercise due diligence. 

Megan Kavanagh

Partner
Colin Biggers & Paisley

A partner in Colin Biggers & Paisley’s employment and safety team since 2016, Megan’s areas of expertise include equal opportunity, discrimination, unfair dismissal, harassment and diversity, work health and safety, and industrial relations.

She is an experienced employment litigator and defends claims in the industrial, discrimination and human rights, workplace health and safety, and civil jurisdictions.

Megan’s practice is focused on working with insurers and their insureds to resolve or defend claims arising under employment practices liability (EPL) policies and directors’ and officers’ policies. She is recognised as the preferred EPL lawyer in Brisbane by some of Australia’s largest insurers.

Megan advises clients in various industries including education, health, transport, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, government and the not-for-profit sector on matters such as employment, work health and safety, equal opportunity, harassment and bullying. She also regularly conducts training sessions for clients on these topics.

In the 2018 and 2020 editions of Doyle’s Guide Megan was recognised as a leading Employment Lawyer (Employer Representation) in Queensland. She is listed in the 2020 to 2024 editions of The Best Lawyers in Australia for Labour and Employment Law. In the 2022 to 2024 editions, Megan is listed for her expertise in Employee Benefits Law and Government Practice.

Megan is also a director on the board of the Catholic Network Australia (CNA).

Megan holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resources and Industrial Relations in addition to holding a Bachelor of Laws. She was admitted to practice in Queensland in 2000. 

Tamsin Lawrence

Senior Associate
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors

Tamsin is a highly credentialled employment lawyer with Australian Business Lawyers and Advisors in Melbourne, acting for a broad range of employers across both the public and private sector. She performs a mix of litigious and advisory work in workplace relations and is a regular author and presenter on a range of bargaining, employment, discrimination and work health and safety related topics.
Tamsin was very closely involved in responding on behalf of employers to the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australia Workplaces and lead the Chambers’ response to the introduction of the Respect at Work Act including the new prohibition on sex-based harassment in the workplace and role as an associate employer representative member on the newly formed Federal Government Respect@Work Council.
Tamsin takes a keen interest in and is often at the forefront of IR Changes, including providing feedback and advice to Government and employer groups on the implications of reforms.

Deanna McMaster

Partner
MinterEllison

Deanna manages the safety, employment and industrial relations risks across both private and public sector clients, covering industries such as health, construction, electricity, mining, oil and gas, coal ports and transportation.

In relation to health and safety, Deanna provides practical, timely advice about statutory regimes and safety systems and working closely with clients in Queensland and nationally. She often helps manage the immediate aftermath of an incident, and the investigations that may follow. Having acted for numerous regulators, she understands both sides of the enforcement process.

In addition to providing general employment and industrial relations advice and managing related litigation (including discrimination, adverse action and termination disputes), she advises on the employment aspects of corporate restructures and sales and work with businesses to develop tailored industrial strategies and negotiate enterprise agreements.

Vanessa James-McPhee

Principal Workplace Consultant
HIES & EMPWR Solutions

Vanessa James-McPhee is the Principal Workplace Consultant at HIES, specializing in HR services for private medical and allied health practices and is also the founder of EMPWR Solutions a boutique HR consulting firm.

With over 20 years of HR and employment law experience, she has advised businesses of all sizes in Australia and the APAC region on workplace laws and compliance. Vanessa’s strong business acumen and practical approach enable her to partner effectively with organizations and stakeholders, tailoring solutions to their unique needs. Having worked in law firms and as in-house counsel, she takes a holistic approach, balancing legal requirements with the practicalities of business.

Alexander Millman

Senior Associate
Mills Oakley

Alexander has dedicated his legal career to assisting clients in navigating Australia’s employment relations framework across both the public and private sector at the State and Federal levels. 

With a background in both the State public service and a major industry association, Alexander’s experience is not limited to advising on the law but extends to having played a direct role in how the law has developed, including consulting directly with government agencies on major regulatory changes. This brings a unique perspective to understanding Australia’s complex industrial relations environment. 

Alexander takes a risk-based approach to ensure that clients are provided with accurate, practical and commercial solutions to employment and industrial matters, with an emphasis on preventative processes and practices to identify and minimise areas of risk. 

Nicola Shepherd

Senior Associate
Clayton Utz

Nicola is a Senior Associate in Clayton Utz’s Brisbane Workplace Relations, Employment and Safety team. Nicola has worked with a diverse range of clients enabling her to understand their wider needs in order to achieve the best outcomes. Nicola has provided legal advice to clients with respect to the management, reconciliation and remediation of underpayment claims, award interpretation and classification determinations.