 Speaker Biographies
Belinda Hutchinson AC, Chancellor, University of Sydney
Belinda Hutchinson is Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Chairman of Thales Australia, Chairman of Future Generation Global Investment Company, a Director of Australian Philanthropic Services, Qantas Australia and a Trustee of the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation.
Belinda was previously Chairman of QBE Insurance Group, and a director of Telstra Corporation, Coles Myer, Crane Group, Energy Australia, TAB, Snowy Hydro Trading, and Sydney Water. She has served as President of the Council of the State Library of New South Wales and Chief Executive Women.
Her executive career included her role as an Executive Director of Macquarie Group where she was the Head of Macquarie Equity Capital Markets. Prior to this Belinda was a Vice President of Citibank in project and corporate finance and the Head of the Financial Institutions Group in Australia. Belinda commenced her career working for Andersen Consulting in Australia and the USA.
Belinda holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Belinda was named a Companion in the Order of Australia in June 2020 in recognition of her eminent service to business, tertiary education and scientific research and for her philanthropic endeavours to address social disadvantage.
Belinda is married to Roger Massy-Greene and they have between them 4 children and 5 grandchildren.
Sam Maresh, Country Leader, GE Australia
Sam Maresh was appointed as the Country Leader of GE Australia in 2018. He is responsible for driving the company’s growth in Australia, supporting key projects and representing GE to senior industry and government stakeholders.
Sam began his career working in the energy and resources sectors. His career includes a period in academia, researching climate policy and emission trading in the United Kingdom where he authored a range of publications.
Born in Melbourne, Sam completed a Science Degree at the University of Melbourne and a Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from RMIT University. In 2016, he completed an Executive MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management.
Sam is a director of several GE subsidiary businesses in Australia, a Governor of the Australian American Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Executive Committee of the Australia Papua New Guinea Business Council Board, a member of the Business Council of Australia’s Energy and Climate Change Committee and CSIRO’s Manufacturing Business Unit Advisory Committee.
Sam is married to marine scientist, Professor Emma Johnston AO, and the couple has two young children. He is an active volunteer surf lifesaver at his local beach.
Dr Mohammad Choucair, CEO, Archer
Dr Mohammad Choucair became the CEO of Archer on 1 December 2017. At Archer, Mohammad is leading the commercial development of disruptive deep tech to address complex challenges in quantum technology, human health, and reliable energy.
Mohammad served a 2-year mandate at the World Economic Forum on the Global Council for Advanced Materials and is internationally recognised for his forward-thinking breakthroughs in Nanotechnology. He received the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Cornforth Medal for the most outstanding Chemistry PhD in Australia and is the coinventor of the 12CQ quantum computing technology.
Mohammad is currently a Fellow of The Royal Society of New South Wales and The Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Alumni of the World Economic Forum and Australian Graduate School of Management, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Sydney. He received his PhD in Chemistry and BSc in Nanotechnology with Honours Class 1 from UNSW Sydney.
The Hon Gabrielle Upton MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the NSW Premier, NSW Government
Gabrielle was re-elected for a third term as the Member for Vaucluse at the March 2019 NSW Election and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier. Gabrielle previously served as Minister for the Environment, the first female NSW Attorney General, Minister for Family & Community Services and Minister for Sport & Recreation. As Parliamentary Secretary to the NSW Premier, Gabrielle has been tasked by the Premier to lead the recent initiative to accelerate R&D in NSW.
Gabrielle began as a banking and finance lawyer at Freehill, Hollingdale & Page and then worked in corporate finance at Deutsche Bank and Toronto Dominion Bank in New York. She served as Deputy Chancellor of the University of New South Wales from 2006 until 2009. Gabrielle has a BA LLB from the University of New South Wales, a MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Moderated by Robert Skeffington, Senior Managing Director, Strategic Communications, FTI Consulting
For nearly 20 years, Robert Skeffington has specialised in helping senior executives manage the interface between public affairs and business strategy. He brings high-level problem solving skills honed through operating at the most senior levels of business and government.
Robert acts as a trusted advisor to a number of Australia’s business and government leaders, combining his background in strategy and communications to achieve positive commercial outcomes.
Robert was previously a Senior Advisor at leading global management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company. He specialised in strategic communications, reputation management, corporate strategy and regulatory affairs and served clients primarily in the natural resources and public sector. He partners with leaders as they navigate complex stakeholder relations to unlock the value behind their corporate strategies.
During his seven years at McKinsey, he was seconded for nearly two years as Head of Strategy at trans-Tasman media company APN News & Media. In that role, he led the company’s strategic initiatives, including corporate restructuring, asset sales and transformation.
Robert has an intimate understanding of the media, having worked as both a finance reporter in Melbourne and a political correspondent based in the Canberra Press Gallery. He was formerly Deputy Editor at business magazine BRW, and was a regular contributor to international publications such as the Wall Street Journal. His political experience was honed as a Canberra-based lobbyist for an industry organisation contributing to the economic reform initiatives of the 1990s.
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