KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dylan Alcott AO
Australian of the Year 2022, Dylan Alcott AO, is one of the country's
most successful and well recognised Paralympians.
In 2021 he became the only male in any form of tennis to win the 'Golden Slam', winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US Open Championships, together with his gold medal from the Tokyo Paralympic Games in a single year.
At the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, Dylan Alcott became one of only a few
athletes to win two gold medals in two different sports across two different
Olympic or Paralympic Games. Dylan won yet another gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo
Paralympic games making him the greatest player in wheelchair tennis
history.
At the age of 17, Dylan became the youngest ever wheelchair basketball gold medallist at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, and after gold at the 2010 World Championships, and silver at the London 2012 games, decided to switch sports to wheelchair tennis. In addition to his incredible successes at the Rio Olympics, Dylan Alcott has also won and incredible 15 grand slam singles titles to date, including his second consecutive French Open and Wimbledon titles and the last seven Australian Open titles.
Catherine McGregor AM
Catherine McGregor is a graduate of the Royal Military College Duntroon from which she graduated with Honours in History and was awarded the CEW Bean Prize for Military History. She attended the Changing Character of War Programme at Oxford University and holds postgraduate degrees in War Studies and Military History. She served as an officer in the Australian Regular Army and the Royal Australian Air Force for over three decades. Her service included operational deployments overseas including operational command in Timor Leste. She is a Tetum linguist.
Catherine was a strategic advisor and speech writer to every Chief of the Army from 1999 until 2014. She subsequently served as Director of Research and Analysis for the Chief of Air Force. She was awarded the Order of Australia in the Military Division in the Australia Day Honours list in 2012.
Catherine worked for every major Australian masthead as a columnist on politics, global security and sport between 1994 and 2021 and is the author of three books.
Catherine's life was the subject of a stage production which was held at the Sydney Theatre Company in 2018.
Catherine currently works as an advocate for veterans and ex- service personnel.
An eloquent speaker of enormous range, not only does Catherine share her inspirational personal narrative, she is often secured to speak with authority on the impact of disruptive technology on your workforce, global geopolitics and Australian culture and politics.
Mark Berridge
Mark Berridge navigated these impossible moments after a cycling accident launched him onto a recovery path littered with uncertainty and fear. Upended from the high-flying corporate life he had known, he embarked on a journey of determined self-discovery.
Mark shares the attitude he employed to tackle adversity, built from the powerful connection between embracing uncertainty and liberating possibility. His uplifting message is drawn from lived experience, shaped in a way that helps listeners become a fraction stronger too.
Dr Catherine Ball
Associate Professor, Dr Catherine Ball is a scientific futurist,
speaker, advisor, author, founder, executive producer, executive director, and
company director working across global projects where emerging technologies
meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. Catherine also likes to
create businesses and champion movements, collaborate with peers, and advise
game-changers.
A sought-after voice across the start-up, futurist and tech world, Catherine works globally across a wide range of projects from creating documentaries and world-leading conferences and events, to advising on the use of novel approaches (e.g. drones) across environmental and humanitarian projects. Catherine is a proponent of community engagement with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and likes to demystify emerging tech.
Having been called a ‘social architect’, Catherine likes to connect people from different backgrounds across common themes. A champion of diversity and inclusion, Catherine believes we need points of difference to truly innovate and curate the changes we want to see in the world. Working to protect the natural environment and empowering all members of society through mutual education are core aspects of the projects Catherine chooses to spend her time and energy on.
Catherine continues to support Australia as being the world leader in the advancement of ethically driven technological applications. Industry 5.0 is emerging; with society and community at the heart of how we operate and curate emerging trends and capabilities.
Converge: A futurist’s insights into the potential of our world as technology and humanity collide by Dr Catherine Ball
Multi-award-winning scientific futurist Dr Catherine Ball takes us on an astounding journey through the next big technology breakthroughs that have the potential to positively shape our world.
As we face challenges globally on multiple fronts, it’s refreshing to hear the positive voice of scientific futurist Dr Catherine Ball. In Converge she presents insights into how technology and science are providing answers to many of the challenges the world is facing today – food shortages, war and conflict, the decline in local manufacturing, health and ageing, and global warming – and asks why we are not embracing these technologies more widely.
The answer in many cases is, ‘Because we don’t know about them!’ Well, now we do. Dr Catherine opens our eyes to the amazing, wide world of technological advancements and explores the role we all have in learning more, owning the conversations, and determining what we want technology to be.
What is the role AI can play in the resurgence of local manufacturing and creating new jobs? Can we vaccinate against cancer? How can drones save lives and assist Mother Nature in her fight to stop humans destroying our beloved planet? And how can we utilise the best modern technologies to live longer, healthier and happier lives?
Written with wit, tenacity, and deeply personal experiences, Converge offers an optimistic, in-depth and fascinating investigation into the possibilities of a world where humans fully embrace technology.
Some futurists review research and report on what it tells us about the future. Other futurists look to the future and dream. Dr Catherine Ball looks to the future and rolls up her sleeves to find out where science and technology will be useful – and to ensure we leave a legacy of hope for future generations.
The Honourable Justice
Martin Daubney AM
After initially practising as a solicitor, Martin was admitted as a barrister in 1988 and was appointed as Senior Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 2000. As a barrister, he practised principally in commercial law. He developed and maintained a significant practice as a mediator, particularly in commercial disputes. From 1994, he was also admitted to practise in Fiji.
He has significant governance experience in both the public and not-for-profit sectors. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Queensland Art Gallery since 2020 and was appointed Chancellor of Australian Catholic University on 1 January 2022.
Since his retirement from the Supreme Court at the end of 2021, Martin has returned to practice in the fields of mediation, arbitration, and governance advisory work. He holds current practising certificates in Queensland and Fiji.
Martin is listed in the 2022 Doyle’s Guide as a leading Queensland Mediator.