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Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit | Agenda

Day Two  |  Wednesday, 18 October 

Exhibition Hall

8:30-8:50

Registration & Morning Refreshments

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

8:50-9:00

Chairperson’s Opening Address

Roman Ružbacký, Principal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant (he/him)

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

9:00-9:30

Keynote: Making DE&I accountability a reality in your organisation

  • Setting measurable DE&I goals that align with business objectives 

  • How to engage employees at all levels in DE&I efforts and ensure DE&I is a shared responsibility

  • Holding leaders accountable for DE&I outcomes – how to foster a sense of urgency around DE&I initiatives

Dr Teresa De Fazio, Vice President, EEON

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

9:30-10:20

CEO Panel: Leading with Purpose – Building inclusive cultures and driving employee engagement

  • How to lead inclusivity from the top and drive cultural transformation? Creating a culture of belonging and inclusivity to build an engaged and diverse workforce

  • Fostering an inclusive workplace culture – supporting refugees and immigrants in the workplace

  • DE&I accountability; DE&I doesn’t just fall on the shoulders of DE&I practitioners

Moderator:Roman Ružbacký, Principal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant (he/him)

Paul McDonald, CEO, Anglicare Victoria

David Koczkar, CEO, Medibank

Dalal Smiley, Chief Executive Officer, Wellsprings for Women

Heather Richardson, Partner, Kalus Kenny Intelex; Finalist, 2022 Partner of the Year – SME Law, Women in Law Awards

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

10:20-10:30

Table Discussion

Exhibition Hall

10:40-11:10

Morning Tea (Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit)

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

11:10-12:40

Interactive Roundtable Discussions

Delegates will participate in two sessions of their choosing. Each session will run for 35minutes.


Roundtable A:Preventing the loss of diverse voices and opinions caused by workplace  bullying

Michael Plowright, Director, Working Well Together (he/him)


Roundtable B: Exploring and understanding the different types of microaggressions: Verbal, Behavioural and Environmental

Michelle Sheppard, Diversity Content Specialist, JOY 94.9; Senior Diversity and Inclusion Advisor, Department of Transport (she/her)


Roundtable C: Creating a workforce of positive bystanders: Practical skill building to ‘call it out’

Josie Miller, Senior D&I Consultant, Diversity Inclusion (she/her)

Exhibition Hall

12:40-1:40

Networking Lunch (Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit)

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

1:40-2:10

Case Study: D&I roadmaps and measurement metrics (AWEI)

  • How the AWEI brought significant change to LGBTQ+ inclusion 

  • Applying methodology to other D&I Initiatives

  • Discussion on measurement and practice

Andrew Georgiou, State Lead VIC & Senior Relationship Manager, Pride in Diversity, ACON

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

2:10-3:00

Panel Discussion: Creating an inclusive environment that permeates all levels of an organisation

  • Unpacking the impact of LGBTQIA+ friendly policies on employee engagement and retention

  • How to address stereotypes and biases towards non-binary individuals in the workplace so they feel accepted and included

  • How to encourage open and respectful dialogue on LGBTQIA+ Issues in the workplace

  • How to build an ally network within the organisation

Moderator: CB (Chloe Bonnar), Relationship Manager VIC/SA, Pride in Diversity, ACON (she/they)

Kim Gascoigne, Inclusion & Diversity Program Manager, Cisco
Steph Sands,
Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Capgemini
Matthew Leslie,
Executive GM, People & Culture Strategy, Suncorp
Pip Nicholson,
Deputy Vice-Chancellor People & Community, University of Melbourne

Exhibition Hall

3:10-3:30

Afternoon Tea (Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit)

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

3:30-4:00

Re-engineering diversity, inclusion and belonging

  • What’s the numbers telling us about diversity in engineering and what can we do about it?

  • How do we grow the pipeline?

  • Advancing our society through ‘diverse’ great engineering

Ricky Pena, Group Executive, People & Strategy, Engineers Australia

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

4:00-4:40

Interactive Mini-Workshop: Measuring inclusion and diversity

  • What are the desirable outcomes?

  • Measuring inclusion is difficult… What metrics can organisations employ?

  • Avoiding settling solely for diversity measurements

Fiona Krautil, Founder, Diversity KnowHow

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

4:40-4:50

Reflection and Key Takeaways / What’s your plan of action?

Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

4:50-5:00

Chairperson’s Closing Address

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