This is a past event. Registration is closed. View other QSport events.
Councillor Krista Adams
Deputy Mayor of Brisbane, Civic Cabinet Chair for Economic Development, Night-Time Economy and Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic GamesKrista Adams was elected as Councillor for the ward of Wishart in 2008. Since 2010, Krista has been appointed to a variety of senior management roles. Initially taking on the role of Chair of Council, she has been a Civic Cabinet Chair for Lifestyle, Finance, Public and Active Transport City Planning & Economic Development.
Electoral boundary changes in 2016 mean Krista now represents the Holland Park Ward and following the 2024 Council election, Krista was reappointed as Deputy Mayor and appointed the Civic Cabinet Chair for Economic Development Nighttime Economy and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee.
Dr Robyn Littlewood
Chief Executive Officer at Health and Wellbeing QueenslandDr Robyn Littlewood is Queensland’s prevention and public health expert dedicated to creating a healthier and fairer Queensland. An experienced leader, researcher, clinician, academic and educator, Dr Littlewood is an advocate for strong public health policy with more than 25 years of experience working with patients and families in clinical prevention and treatment of chronic disease, and research.
Dr Littlewood has contributed to the evidence base of paediatric healthcare with over 100 publications, and trained hundreds of students throughout 20 years of frontline service. Dr Littlewood believes every Queenslander has the right to better health and works relentlessly to achieve this using a systems-based approach, research and data to leverage $46 million in funding through partnerships in her first term at HWQld.
Dr Littlewood holds a raft of formal qualifications including a Bachelor of Science, Graduate Certificate in Executive Leadership, a Master of Medical Science and PhD from The University of Queensland (UQ), a Post Graduate Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and a Master of Business Administration from James Cook University. She also holds three Adjunct Professor appointments with UQ, QUT and Griffith University and is a Fellow of Dietitians Australia.
Dr Littlewood was the Outstanding Alumni Award Winner for QUT Faculty of Health in 2020 and in 2023, she was awarded the Barbara Chester Memorial Award by Dietitians Australia in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the dietetics profession in Queensland.
Richard McInnes
Executive General Manager Sport & Community Capability at Australian Sports CommissionRichard has 30 years-experience working across multiple roles in multiple sports from grassroots to elite, at state, national and international levels, across both men's and women's programs.
Richard has been a multiple World Cup winning coach, a high-performance manager and CEO of a national sporting organisation.
Jax Compton
Senior Advisor, First Nations Capability at Australian Sports CommisionJax Compton is a proud Traditional Custodian of the Nara Jira Para clan of the Wuthathi peoples (East Cape York). She is also a Zenadth Kes (Thursday, Badu + Moa Islands) woman, mum, wife, daughter, aunty, niece, cousin + cousin sister.
She is the current Senior Advisor, First Nations Capability at the Australian Sports Commission working in the Diversity, People + Culture team.
Jax is a cultural woman, a holder of a Masters in Cultural Leadership, and an ambassador for her peoples. Her family are cultural practitioners, sportspeople, artists, leaders, and hard workers. Values of work ethic and unwavering contribution to our communities is the lineage Jax continues in her work each day. Not for recognition, or credit, but so when the tide rides, all the boats rise.
Her professional career to date, such as Cultural Manager at Teams Mills Foundation and Indigenous Basketball Australia, representing First Peoples at the World Intellectual Property Organisation, in Geneva, on the protection of traditional cultural practices and knowledges, and co-founding Muggera Cultural Enterprise, an Aboriginal cultural education and performance business – for almost 10 years, has enabled Jax to gain knowledge, expertise and skills to design and deliver programs and policies that centre First Peoples, and in doing so honour her Elders. These Elders have taught Jax the importance of finding a passion and purpose and using her skills of her generation to make an impact on the next.
Jax values her identity and community throughout her work, as she embodies the values of authentic cultural leadership through the centering of First Peoples knowledges and the unwavering promotion of cultural safety.
Tyrone Bean
Through the years of ongoing commitment and dedication Tyrone has shown in cultural connection, knowledge and understanding, Tyrone has been recognised and is thoroughly supported and endorsed by the Kabi Kabi Aboriginal Corporation and most importantly his family as a Kabi Kabi Traditional Owner. Tyrone is also a proud descendant of the Wakka Wakka, Nughi of Moorgumpin and Bindal/Wulugurukaba tribe's in Queensland. Tyrone has completed a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Queensland, Masters of Teaching following a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Criminology and Sociology at the University of Melbourne. I have held positions as the Indigenous programs Coordinator and Humanities teacher at Trinity Grammar School before accepting a Junior Associate role at McKinsey and Co.
Tyrone has also been a part of elite talent sporting pathways playing TAC Cup, representing Vic Metro at u/16's and u/18s as well as captaining the Australian Indigenous u/16s Flying Boomerangs team and representing Victoria and the Australian Aboriginal XI for cricket. Tyrone tried to continue to play State League football for eight seasons, unfortunately he had some bad luck whilst on the field and has a longer injury list than work experience CV. Tyrone has had seven knee operations (3x ACL Reconstructions, 2x Meniscus tears, 2x clean outs), dislocated both shoulders twice, fractures in lower back, foot, hands, fingers and shins and has also had a heart operation. During this time he also attended the AIS for Boxing. In 2020, Tyrone shifted towards endurance sports and podiumed twice in the 2xu Triathlon series before completing the Geelong 70.3 Half Ironman.
Tyrone is passionate about education and combines his personal cultural standpoint in a way that brings both the First Nation community together with the rest of Australia. Tyrone has written and delivered Cultural Education Workshops for over 10 years in the private, public, institutional and not for profit sectors to all demographic groups. This has led Tyrone to curriculum writing that sees students participate to gain a greater understanding of the political, historical, educational and cultural aspects within the First Nation Australian context.
Andy Allan
General Manager - Strategic Game Development & Referees at Football QueenslandAndy is a dynamic sports executive with over 12 years of footballing experience across grassroots to professional leagues. Currently overseeing Game Development and Referees at Football Queensland, he's a driving force in shaping the future of football.
Andy also sits on the Australian Sports Commission’s Gender Equity in Sports Governance reference group, where he actively champions gender parity. His leadership is marked by a commitment to influence and advance balanced gender representation within football, through considered strategy and policy development.
Blake Cochrane
QLD/NT State Manager at Sport4AllBlake Cochrane OAM PLY is the Queensland and Northern Territory State Manager of the Sport4All program. Blake is an Australian Paralympic swimmer whose career spanned over 14 years on the Australian Swim Team. During this time, Blake attended four Paralympic Games, four Commonwealth Games and five World Championships.
The 13-time Australian champion made his debut at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 aged 17 and went on to win a medal at every international appearance between 2008 and 2022 including two gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Blake has since retired from swimming and now focuses on his role with Sport4All, developing relationships with local councils, state sporting bodies and other regional organisations to deliver the program across Queensland and the Northern Territory, giving people with disability the choice and control to participate across all roles in sport, when, where and how they choose.
DJ Cronin
Volunteer Experience Manager at UnitingCareIrish Born, DJ Cronin has lead volunteers in various settings in Australia for the past 26 years including hospital groups, the Australian Red Cross and is the current Volunteer Experience Manager at UnitingCare which engages over 8,600 volunteers throughout Queensland through four hospitals, Lifeline Crisis Support, Lifeline Retail, BlueCare, Bookfests and more. With a special interest in volunteer leadership and mindful leadership, DJ has presented to and written on Volunteer Leadership, leadership in general and volunteerism for national and international groups and publications. Twice, a faculty member with the Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management, DJs work with volunteers has been recognised by innovation awards from the Private Hospital Association Queensland, the APH Association as well as a Premiers award. DJ sat on the Volunteer Management Working Group and afterwards the Strategy Core Design Team assisting Volunteering Australia with the new National Strategy for Volunteering.
In 2023, DJ was the recipient of the National Emergency Medal, an award of the Australian honours system given for sustained service during a nationally significant emergency.
At UnitingCare DJ has initiated strategies that have grown their volunteering footprint from 4,500 volunteers since 2020, bucking the national downward trend in volunteering, implemented the first Volunteer Engagement Framework for UnitingCare and delivered the inaugural UnitingCare Volunteer Impact Report in 2023.
DJ has been a public advocate for volunteering and volunteer management for 26 years has always put the volunteer experience at the heart of his work.
Rowan Crothers OAM
Dual Paralympic Gold Medallist, 5 x World Champion – SwimmingRowan Crothers is a multiple Paralympic Champion. The fastest freestyler with a disability in the World! But it’s not the only side to this ultra-competitive athlete. When he’s not tracing the black line in a pool, he’s taking on the world in esports - a second career he put on hold to pursue his Tokyo 2020 dreams.
Rowan emerged from the pool at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Japan with his arms outstretched and a shocked look on his face. After more than a decade of daily training, he’d done it. He’d reached a goal he set for himself at 10 years old, sitting alongside his mum watching the TV: a gold medal in the Paralympic Games.
The victor in the Men’s 50m Freestyle S10 event climbed atop one of the pool’s lane dividers, screaming towards the cameras in celebration as his parents watched from home in Australia.
The celebration showcased the competitive side of Crothers – the fierce, relentless determination to overcome any demanding obstacle. The next second, as the pool divider gave way and Crothers tumbled backward into the pool with a toothy grin, the other side of his personality shined. A “gentle giant,” one of his friends said of the 23-year-old. The kind and humorous boy always thinking about the person next to him, now in the imposing frame of a 6-foot-5 man.
So its back in the pool with Paris 2024 Paralympics beckoning. But expect to see him honing his competitive skills behind the screen all the way as he forges ahead in two distinct yet complementary areas.
One of Rowan's biggest passions in life is advocacy for people who are different - whether it's disability, gender, age, race, or that kid who doesn't fit in at school. With esports it doesn't matter if you're different in any way; everyone can play. And regardless of your background, you can be successful if you work hard enough.
Clare Ferguson
Director of Netball QueenslandClare Ferguson (nee McMeniman) is a former Queensland Firebird and Australian Diamond. Her elite playing career spanned over a decade and included 15 International Test caps for the Australian Diamonds and 3 Premiership titles with the Queensland Firebirds. In 2016 she was appointed captain of the Australian Diamonds.
Following retirement Clare has held roles as a Specialist Coach with the Australian Diamonds (2019) and as an Assistant Coach with the QLD Firebirds (2021-2022). She was recently elected as a Director to the board of Netball Queensland; the first former Firebird to hold such a position.
Away from the court, Clare has completed a Graduate Entry Masters of Speech Pathology and remains a practicing Speech Pathologist.
Matt Finnis
Chief Executive Office at Cranlana Centre for Ethical LeadershipMatt Finnis was appointed as the CEO of Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership in February 2023. As CEO, Matt leads the partnership between Monash University, Myer Foundation and Fairfax Family Foundation, in their mission to embed ethical leadership into Australia’s public and private sectors.
Following his formative career as a commercial lawyer, Matt’s leadership journey has been forged in the high profile, competitive arena of professional sports where he served as CEO of AFL club St Kilda for 8 years, having previously led the AFL Players’ Association.
As a CEO, Matt is known for his values-driven leadership, integrity and ability to generate long-term growth and legacy outcomes, delivering value for a diverse array of stakeholders.
His achievements include establishing the Danny Frawley Centre for Health & Wellbeing, staging the world’s first Pride Game in professional team sport and delivering record growth in club revenues from membership, sponsorship and philanthropy. At the AFLPA he was a strong advocate for player interests across a range of workplace, commercial and welfare settings, negotiating multi-billion dollar industrial agreements, introducing free agency into the labour market and instigating a pension annuity scheme for AFL players, the first of its type for athletes in Australia.
At Cranlana, Matt has reconnected with Australia’s pre-eminent ethical leadership program the Vincent Fairfax Fellowship, from which he graduated in 2008. He is also an alumni of the Cranlana Colloquium and has completed executive leadership programs at INSEAD and Stanford University. Matt has performed several non-executive governance roles across his career including as a board member of the Victorian Human Rights Commission, HeartKids and Surfing Australia.
Erin Hatton
Senior Advisor | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion at Australian Sports CommissionErin Hatton is the Australian Sports Commission’s Senior Advisor Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – with a focus on Gender Equality. She has over 25 years’ experience in the sport management, sport-for-development and sport diplomacy sectors across Australia, the Pacific, Africa and the UK.
Career highlights include a range of leadership roles:
• Oceania Rugby Union’s leading Social Change and Women in Rugby strategies, and international partnerships.
• Consultant & university lecturer.
• Several years with Qld Sport and Recreation.
• Media & Communications Manager for Hockey Australia through the Sydney Olympics.
• Volunteer role leading programs in a refugee camp in Kenya.
Erin holds a BaAppSc-Exercise Science, University of Queensland; is a Graduate Australian institute of Company Directors; and is proudly an accredited MATE Bystander facilitator. She is passionate advocate of the power of sport – when intentionally and well designed - to create better humans and build better communities.
Beyond work, Erin spends copious amounts of time as a taxi-driver for her two active kids, and despite her body’s protests, still plays basketball and netball, and loves a social mountain bike ride.
Alison Lyons
Chief Executive Officer at Hockey QueenslandAlison was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Hockey Queensland in September 2019. She has 15 years working in the sports industry both in Australia and overseas.
Before moving back to Queensland, she spent 7 years with Gymnastics Victoria and in that time progressed her career from Participation Coordinator to General Manager then on to the Chief Executive Officer role at Hockey Queensland.
Alison has a Post Graduate Certificate in Sports Integrity and is the deputy Chair of QSport, and has also held a previous board position with Softball Victoria.
Juanita Maiden
Senior Associate at Mullins LawyersJuanita is a Senior Associate at Mullins Lawyers in the sports law practice group. She has significant experience in the sporting industry in CEO, board and legal roles.
Current positions include serving on the Queensland Racing Appeals Panel, as Chairperson of the AFL Qld Appeals Tribunal, and as a member of the National Sports Tribunal Legal Assistance Panel. She is also a member of the Australia and New Zealand Sports Lawyers Association.
Juanita advises clients in the sports and events industry on commercial agreements, governance and constitutions, contracts and disputes, disciplinary issues and tribunal matters.
Julia Miller-Randle
Director, Social Strategy and Engagement of Cred ConsultingJulia is passionate about putting people at the heart of city shaping processes and outcomes through a deep understanding of their values and needs and listening to their lived experiences. She is an industry leading and inspirational strategic and social planner and engagement specialist. Julia was the winner of the Planning Institute of Australia Queensland Outstanding Woman in Planning Award 2024.
Julia leads Cred Consulting’s Queensland team and has successfully delivered projects spanning strategic land-use planning, social strategy and policy, community infrastructure planning, place planning, community resilience, social value capture and stakeholder and community engagement in dense inner-city areas to remote regional areas, across Australia.
Reg Raghavan
Chief Executive Officer at CulturalPulseReg, born and raised from Western Sydney, is a representation of Australia's multicultural tapestry. His parents left South India in the 1970’s after the White Australia Policy, Reg's journey is rooted in a typical Asian Australian migrant heritage story. Fascinated by Japanese culture from a young age, he pursued studies in Japanese, alongside Information Technology and Business in University.
Venturing into the Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom, Reg's tech career took flight. After returning to Australia and continuing to work in the Big Tech industry for a few years, a serendipitous volunteer opportunity led him to Kintore, a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory. It was there that Reg witnessed the pervasive gap in culturally and linguistically appropriate Communications for Indigenous Australians. How could this be if they were here first? Driven by this passion and after triangulating his own cultural experience, he founded CulturalPulse, a groundbreaking cultural engagement agency rooted in improving cultural and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communications.
As the CEO of CulturalPulse for over 15 years, Reg spearheads dynamic CaLD insights and international marketing campaigns, empowering clients in achieving mass reach and measurable audience growth. Notably, CulturalPulse has spearheaded pioneering initiatives for renowned entities such as the Australian Football League, Commonwealth Bank, Department of Home Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Commonwealth Games, and the AFC Asian Cup 2015.
Under Reg's leadership, CulturalPulse has earned accolades, including winning the prestigious AME Global Marketing and Effectiveness Award in New York in 2016. They were also finalists in the 2015 Mumbrella Marketing Awards for Data Driven Marketing and have been honored with the NSW Govt Premiers Marketing Awards for three consecutive years. Additionally, CulturalPulse’s business model ranked among the top ten percent globally for customer impact through the BCorp Certification process- reinforcing its social vision.
Reg firmly believes that a cultural proficient media and marketing industry will create a seismic impact and lead to profound social and economic benefits in Australia.
Dr Lindsey Reece
Director Sport Programs of Australian Sports CommissionLindsey has extensive experience in Policy and Strategy, Research and Evaluation, specialising in Sport and Physical Activity.
Within her current role as Director Sport Programs, Lindsey oversees the Australian Sport Commission’s national participation investment programs including Play well grant program, co-ordinates sector engagement with state and territory partners including governments and industry peak bodies including Q Sport and leads strategic initiatives including the National Volunteering Strategy and the National Sport Volunteer Coalition action plan. Lindsey is Chair of the National Sport Volunteer Coalition.
Renee Russell
Head of Event Delivery at parkrun Australia LtdRenee discovered parkrun in January 2014 when she started running for personal fitness, but quickly found volunteering was much more enjoyable.
Within a month Renee was regularly volunteering at her home parkrun. By late 2014 Renee was the volunteer Event Director.
In April 2019 Renee joined parkrun Australia as an Operations Assistant, seeing this as an opportunity to work in a role that delivered huge benefits to the community.
In Renee's current role as Head of Event Delivery, Renee is responsible for spearheading the successful execution of parkrun events across all areas of operations. Renee leads a team that operates across all levels of event operation, volunteer management and support, administrative systems, procedures, and projects.
Renee's volunteering journey extends beyond parkrun - Renee volunteered at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and has for many years volunteered at the GC50 and GC30 events on the Gold Coast.
Sarah Scarce
Managing Director of The Aqua English Project LtdSarah Scarce is the Founding Director of The Aqua English Project Ltd and has a background in Law and International Relations. She has lived and worked in both China and Japan, where she has developed her skills in cross cultural communication through project development.
Since returning to Australia, Sarah has continued working with Australia’s refugee and migrant communities in her capacity as a refugee lawyer turned policy specialist. These roles have continued in conjunction with her position as Managing Director for The Aqua English Project Ltd. Law, policy, inclusion, aquatics and sport continue to intertwine, cementing Sarah’s desire to ensure the social inclusion barriers faced by Australia’s refugee and migrant communities are overcome though the development and implementation of responsive policy, grassroots programs, and project initiatives.
Maia Tua-Davidson
National Manager of Welcoming Clubs at Welcoming AustraliaMaia hails from a sheep and beef farm near the small rural town of Eketahuna, New Zealand. She is of Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Kahu descent as well as Scottish and Irish ancestry. Maia is a former Kiwifern NZ Rugby League representative and a qualified Health and Physical Education teacher.
Currently, Maia serves as the National Manager of Welcoming Clubs at Welcoming Australia. The initiative involves collaborating with sports organisations, councils, and clubs to promote diversity and inclusion, so our codes and clubs reflect the communities they aim to serve and support. Maia is a member of the Play Well National Sports Participation Strategy Leadership Group.
Beyond work, Maia is a volunteer committee member for two sporting organisations, Assistant Coach for QLD U19s Origin, an NRL pathways coach and in 2023 was QLD Premiership Coach of the Year. Her and her partner also own and operate two Subway stores.
‘Sport have paved so many paths throughout my life and given me the greatest gifts in friends and experiences. I am passionate about sharing the opportunity I was privileged to receive so easily and romantically believe that sport can solve all the problems in the world and should be accessible to everyone regardless of their background or ability’.
Simone Waugh
Managing Director of Publicis Worldwide AustraliaSimone is the Managing Director of Publicis Worldwide Australia leading a team of strategists and storytellers in Queensland for brands across a range of sports focused brands. One of the most significant recent stories told was the 2032 Games Bid Story to win the hearts and minds of the International Olympic Committee delegates across the world, and building pride locally by bringing to the fore the First Nations’ culture of Australia.
Recently created the stories of the Paralympians to inspire Australia to change their attitudes, remove barriers to help them make what they imagine they can do into reality. Also working with the International Olympic Committee to engage athletes in the Athlete 365 program, for the Queensland Academy of Sport to tell the stories of the Paris 2028 athletes, with Swimming Australia launching a beta Deadly Little Dolphins program and is also now working with the Australian Sports Commission to inspire and grow participation across the nation.
Dr Indigo Willing
Visiting Fellow at University of SydneyDr Indigo Willing (she/her) is an Adjunct Research Fellow at Griffith University and a Visiting Fellow at the Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre (SSSHARC) at the University of Sydney.
Her work spans a number of social worlds that reflect her own diverse background and lived experiences as a Vietnam War orphan and adoptee, academic and skateboarder. She is also the co-founder of award-winning community projects. This includes establishing the Adopted Vietnamese International (AVI) network, co-founding Consent is Rad, We Skate QLD, and SSHRED. She is also the Co-Chair for the International Advisory Board for Skateistan has rolled out skate partnerships and educate programs for youth internationally, including in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa.