About the Event

Super Ambition: As CEO of the $76 billion superannuation industry giant HESTA, Debby Blakey has elevated HESTA to unprecedented heights while making a lasting impact on the financial well-being of HESTA’s predominately female member base. Hear how Debby is leading the charge to make Australia’s super system fairer and more equitable for women.

The Sunscreen Queen: How do you raise money for an investment opportunity based on the humble sunscreen? The answer from Ultra Violette’s Co-Founder Rebecca Jefferd just might surprise you. Join us to hear about Rebecca's journey and the company's plans for entering the US market.

Making her Mark: Kate Roffey AM knows only too well how to make a mark in a male dominated industry. As the first woman President of the Melbourne Football Club, Kate uses her massive platform to advocate for gender equality both on and off the sportsfield. Learn how Kate is paving the way for future generations of women to rise to the top.

Aussie World First: Golf Australia CEO James Sutherland believes in action. The Australian Open is a unique golf tournament; women earn equal prize money, play on the same course, and receive the same billing as the men. Find out what’s top of the To Do List for this Champion of Change.

Power of a Story: Award-winning filmmaker and author Santilla Chingaipe has turned “curiosity into a career.” Chingaipe knows stories can change lives. Her documentary Our African Roots was a hit on SBS

Debby Blakey | Chief Executive Officer, HESTA

As CEO of HESTA — the $80 billion industry super fund — Debby Blakey leads an organisation dedicated to creating positive outcomes for its more than 1 million members.

She has over 25 years of experience in super and financial services. Debby joined HESTA in 2008 as the Executive for Member Advice. She then became Deputy CEO before being appointed to her current position as CEO in 2015.

Debby is an experienced executive leader and the President of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors, a Director of the Association of Superannuation Funds Australia and the Chair of its HR and Remuneration Committee. She is a Director of the International Corporate Governance Network.

Debby holds a Bachelor of Science with majors in Maths and Computer Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation and is a member and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Rebecca Jefferd | Co-Founder, Ultra Violette

Bec Jefferd is a senior brand and product development specialist who has worked for leading international businesses in the energy sector in Australia and the UK (BP), haircare in the USA (L’Oreal USA), and then back to Australian for cosmetics and skincare, (Mecca Cosmetica, Mecca Max, Kit in Australia) followed by personal care (TOM Organic, tooshies by TOM). This background, along with meeting Co-Founder Ava Chandler-Matthews, was the perfect heritage for launching Ultra Violette in 2019.

Despite a childhood spent on the sunny NSW North-Coast, Bec is now reverse-aging, all thanks to Ultra Violette’s range of high-protection, Australian-made Skinscreens.

Kate Roffey AM | President, Melbourne FC

Kate is the President of the Melbourne Football Club and in 2021 led the Demons AFL Men’s team to their first premiership in 57 years, and in 2022 the Demons AFL Women’s team to their first ever Premiership. A highly experienced company Director, Kate is also Deputy Chancellor of Victoria University, Chair of the Metro Trains Advisory Board and member of the AFL Women’s Competition Committee. She is the former Chair of the Victorian Regional Channels Authority, Member of Ministerial Planning and Building Approval Process Review Board and Member of Ministerial Freight Advisory Committee.

Kate has extensive experience as a CEO and Senior Executive within the commercial, government and not-for-profit sectors. She was appointed CEO of the State Sports Centres Trust in 2022, is a former CEO of the Committee for Melbourne, Director of Deals, Investments & Major Projects for City of Wyndham and Chief Executive Officer of VicSport. As the former Executive Manager at Tennis Australia, Kate also led the master planning and commercial negotiations for the $1 billion dollar redevelopment of Melbourne Park – the home of the Australian Open Tennis Championship.

Kate is actively engaged as an independent expert commentator in the media and is a regular guest on ABC Television and ABC Radio.

James Sutherland | Chief Executive Officer, Golf Australia

James Sutherland is one of the most experienced leaders in the Australian sports industry, with his career highlighted by heading up two of the country’s largest participation, and highest-profile, sports. Since 2020, James has been the CEO of Golf Australia, the national governing body for golf which has experienced unprecedented participation growth in recent years.

Before then, he was CEO of Cricket Australia from 2001-18 where he oversaw a ten-fold increase in revenue and the integration of the women’s game that has emerged as a leading sport of choice for women and girls – and the highest paying female professional team sport in Australia.

Under James’ leadership, Golf Australia has taken significant steps forward, including the landmark agreement with the PGA of Australia that sees the amateur and professional sides of the game aligned and working closely together.

Australian Golf’s first ever national industry strategy was launched in December 2021 and is credited with helping the sport reach higher levels of overall participation, both in traditional on-course golf, including club membership, and non-traditional golf such as driving ranges, mini golf and simulator golf.

Golf Australia is focused on inspiring more Australians to play more golf…and critical to this is creating more playing opportunities for women and girls. The last two Australian Opens have seen Golf Australia deliver a world-first format where women and men played for equal prize money, equal billing, and on the same course.

James currently sits on the board of the AFL’s Geelong Football Club, the advisory council to Sport Integrity Australia, and is chairman of PlayHQ, a technology platform for community sport. James is a long-standing member of the Champions of Change Coalition and was the inaugural Chair of COMPPS – the Coalition of Major Participation and Professional Sports – serving in that role for 10 years.

Santilla Chingaipe - Moderator | Filmmaker & Author

Santilla Chingaipe is a Zambian-born filmmaker, historian and author, whose work explores settler colonialism, slavery, and contemporary migration in Australia.

Chingaipe’s first book of non-fiction detailing the untold stories of African convicts, will be published in 2024, and the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary inspired by the book, Our African Roots, is streaming on SBS On Demand.

The recipient of several awards, she was recognised at the United Nations as one of the most influential people of African descent in the world in 2019.

She is a regular contributor to The Saturday Paper, and served as a member of the Federal Government’s Advisory Group on Australia-Africa Relations. Chingaipe is the founder of Behind The Screens, an annual program supported by VicScreen, aimed at increasing the representation of people historically excluded from the Australian film industry. She is a descendant of the Lamba and Namwanga peoples, who inhabit present-day Zambia and Tanzania.

Event Partners

              
Partnership opportunities available - please contact Andrew Tulloch to enquire: [email protected]