The voices
in the room.

Janice Carey is a senior data and AI leader who helps organisations turn ambitious strategy into measurable outcomes. She has led enterprise transformations that modernise data foundations, technology, skills and culture—combining disciplined execution with courageous stakeholder conversations to unlock value. Janice is the former Head of Advanced Analytics and AI at Coles, and has held senior data and AI leadership roles at Bupa and Monash University. Earlier, she built broad enterprise perspective through senior appointments at IBM across Strategy & Analytics, Strategic Outsourcing and Supply Chain. With foundations in factory automation and operations management, Janice brings a practical “so what” lens to AI, paired with a “now what” focus shaped by an MBA (Melbourne Business School; Strategy, Economics and Finance). She holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Monash; Mechanical) and is a former Advisory Board member at the Centre for Business Analytics, Melbourne Business School.

Pauly Grant is the Chief Talent Officer at Publicis Groupe APAC & ANZ, responsible for driving the People and Culture strategy across the APAC & ANZ regions. With experience spanning marketing, communications, and the fashion industry, Pauly brings a unique perspective to the people & culture landscape.

In her regional role, Pauly partners closely with the APAC CEO, Executive committee, Global Chief Talent Officer, and in-market CTOs. Within ANZ, Pauly is a strategic business partner to the Publicis ANZ CEO.

Known for her ability to identify and implement innovative solutions to complex challenges, Pauly leverages data and insights to inform talent strategies. A passionate advocate for inclusive and enabling cultures, Pauly believes that fostering a supportive environment is essential for driving exceptional business performance. Her current focus is on evolving the traditional concept of Employee Experience (EX) to encompass a holistic Life Experience (LX) for people, achieved through tailored support frameworks that reflect the diverse needs and lived experiences of all people. She is playing a pivotal role in AI knowledge and adoption across the region.

Pete Williams founded Deloitte Digital and has led workplace AI adoption programs, across organisations ranging from 10 people to 10,000. He enables your best AI people and leaders to get your teams to overcome concerns and develop capability. AHRI named their Innovation Award after him. He understands organisations, people and change and he understands AI at a level that very few practitioners do. Pete will show you how he has built AI communities driven by peer learning and passion, working alongside HR leaders and L&D professionals to create real and lasting capability. You will have fun, leave with new ways of using AI, and take away ideas you can implement straight away.

Richard Treminio is Head of Sales and Operations at Echo Global, an Australian-owned offshore staffing and outsourcing firm that builds dedicated, secure teams for businesses across accounting, professional services, care, and construction.

His career spans the finance and accounting-technology sectors, where he helped firms adopt technology to build capacity, streamline processes, and project manage the implementation of new platforms end to end. That background shapes how he approaches workforce strategy today: as much an operational and technology challenge as a hiring one.

At Echo Global, Richard helps HR and business leaders augment their workforce to build immediate capacity, reduce costs, and extend operations around the clock. Working with clients across multiple time zones and industries, he champions a safe, secure, and compliant approach to outsourcing, and the responsible use of AI to shorten the path from onboarding to productive, high-performing teams.

Russell Easther is a digital marketing trainer, consultant, and business owner with over 20 years' experience helping businesses generate consistent, high-quality leads through search. He is the Founder of Lead Partners Direct and a long-standing corporate trainer at digitalbrief, where he delivers practical, no-nonsense workshops to marketers and business leaders across Australia and APAC.

Russ specialises in search visibility at the point of intent, where commercial decisions are made. His work spans traditional SEO, Google Ads, and the rapidly emerging discipline of AIO (AI Optimisation), helping businesses adapt as search engines shift towards AI-driven results, summaries, and recommendations.

In recent years, Russell's teams have delivered tens of thousands of qualified leads for professional services businesses, translating into millions of dollars in attributable revenue. He also sits on the RMIT University industry advisory panel, helping shape future-ready digital marketing education.

Russell brings a grounded, commercial lens to AIO and SEO, cutting through hype to focus on what actually influences visibility, trust, and enquiry generation in a world where Google's AI Overviews increasingly shape borrower decisions before a click ever happens.

Recognised as the 2024 Enterprise AI Leader of the Year, Seth Watts is a respected entrepreneur and technologist with over 25 years of experience in software, marketing, and business development. Beginning his career as a coder in 1996, he quickly made his mark by designing innovative marketing automation systems for prominent firms.

Throughout his career, Seth has co-founded several successful technology startups, each focusing on fintech and PropTech solutions that streamline financial processes and marketing efforts. His most recent venture, CampaignAgent, revolutionised the way businesses finance and manage marketing expenses. Under his leadership, CampaignAgent became Australia's leading provider in its sector, facilitating nearly 50% of the country's $2 billion annual marketing spend each year.

In 2023, CampaignAgent was acquired by REA Group, one of the world's leading property technology companies. Since the acquisition, CampaignAgent's growth has accelerated, serving as a powerful case study on successfully integrating a fastgrowing startup into a large industry leader.

Recognised for building strong relationships across industries, Seth focuses on enhancing established businesses through technological innovation rather than disrupting them. He leverages the latest technology to help companies increase efficiency, expand their offerings, and enhance profitability.

As a speaker, Seth shares his insights on the application of artificial intelligence, the future of work, and the impacts of AI on organisational structure and strategy.

Vicki Leaver is a Chief People Officer, Board Director, and leadership coach who helps organisations and leaders turn capability into commercial impact. With experience across education, healthcare, legal, engineering, insurance, and financial services environments, she specialises in building leaders who can influence, sell ideas, lead change, and bring people with them.