Conference Day One - Wednesday, 29 November

Go to day two  Register

08:15
Registration and welcome coffee
08:50
Opening remarks from the Chair

Jennifer Conley
Chief Executive Officer
Geelong Manufacturing Council

THE FUTURE OF WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING – INSPIRING AND CHAMPIONING LEADERS
09:00
Strengthening Australia’s manufacturing workforce: challenges, opportunities and changing the status quo
  • Women in the manufacturing workforce in Australia – characteristics, trends and misconceptions
  • Solving challenges facing the industry – supply, demand and gender diversity
  • Strengthening the manufacturing workforce in the immediate, medium and long term

Annabel Lim
Site Operations Leader
The Dow Chemical Company

09:30
PANEL DISCUSSION: Driving change, equality and inspiration through leadership
  • How can we create equality and change in the manufacturing industry?
  • What is leadership’s role in promoting a supportive & safe culture of diversity?
  • What are some strategies to increase participation and retention of women in manufacturing?
  • How can we leverage diversity and innovation to drive productivity in the sector?

Moderator:

Jens Goennemann
Managing Director
Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre

Panellists:

Belinda Layson
Beverage Operations Manager ANZ
PepsiCo

Kristi Riordan
Co-Founder
Harvest B

Dr Yanling Lu
Head of CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls)
GlyTherix

Vanessa Skipworth
General Manager
Tasmanian Minerals, Manufacturing & Energy Council

10:20
Morning tea

10:50
Unlocking your full potential through the power of mentorship
  • Why role models are so important – “you can’t be what you can’t see”
  • Harnessing the benefits of internal and external mentorship programs
  • Utilising the value of diversity and inclusion to elevate mentorship initiatives
  • Strengthening your operations by investing in the strength of your people

Fiona MacLeod
General Manager Strategic Retail
Visy Retail Services

MANUFACTURING’S FUTURE & FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE INDUSTRY
11:20
Manufacturing has evolved – so have our careers. The importance of introducing manufacturing as a career path
  • The power of teaching girls the many career paths in manufacturing and addressing misconceptions
  • Exploring government and industry initiatives to attract more girls into manufacturing, including Australia’s STEM strategy
  • Measuring the impact of presenting manufacturing as a career path and how it can encourage diversity

Honi Walker
Chief Executive Officer
South East Melbourne Manufacturing Alliance

11:50
Advancing Australia’s manufacturing future through public and private sector collaboration
  • Developing and implementing an effective and forward-thinking manufacturing strategy
  • Advocating for a coordinated approach across governments and the private sector
  • Developing industry capability and fostering local manufacturing in Australia
  • Supporting sustainable industry growth by identifying opportunities for innovation and technology adoption

Jacqui Walters
National Rail Manufacturing Advocate
Department of Industry, Science and Resources

12:20
Lessons & case studies from Queensland’s Women in Manufacturing Strategy

Examine the lessons learned and the insights gained from Queensland’s efforts to achieve a gender-equal manufacturing industry, including strategies to address the gender pay gap, structural barriers, diversity, equity & inclusion, and more.

Kellie Potter
Director - Manufacturing Programs, Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water
Queensland Government

12:35
Networking Lunch

ACHIEVING THE CAREER YOUR WANT & DESERVE
13:35
Becoming the leader you want to be and that your organisation needs
  • Recognising there’s rarely a perfect work-life balance – planning ahead & embracing chaos
  • Effectively managing up – the importance of managing your boss
  • Getting comfortable with uncomfortable situations & when to take on the next level of challenges
  • Having the courage to back yourself & finding your leadership style

Latinka Cubitt
General Manager – Administration
Catten Industries

14:05
From the factory floor to the boardroom

Kerryn Caulfield began her career on the factory floor working in the clothing and textile industry and now is an Executive Director at Composites Australia. In between she’s held senior leadership roles throughout the public and private sectors, received a number of Ministerial appointments, and led countless government and industry initiatives to drive the manufacturing industry forward. Kerryn will share her experiences while guiding you to develop strategies for your own career progression.

Kerryn Caulfield
Executive Director
Composites Australia

ESG & CIRCULAR ECONOMY OPPORTUNITIES
14:35
Using sustainability and circular economy strategies to improve environmental, social, and financial bottom lines
  • Exploring how growing efforts to protect the environment are reshaping the manufacturing  sector
  • Rethinking and redesigning manufacturing strategies with sustainability in mind
  • Improving efficiency, driving growth & extracting value through circular economy strategies

Professor Veena Sahajwalla
Founding Director
UNSW Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology

15:05
Afternoon Tea

15:35
Adopting cutting-edge strategies utilising resilient and sustainable materials, waste solutions and packaging
  • Improving packaging and delivery strategies to achieve sustainability
  • Challenges and opportunities in waste and resource recovery processes
  • The importance of consumer engagement in the process

Sarah Sannen
Head of Operations
Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation

MAXIMISING SMART MANUFACTURING
16:05
Elevating efficiency, productivity & growth though smart manufacturing
  • Developing and executing strategies to use smart manufacturing to influence & improve every aspect of business
  • Using advanced manufacturing to tailor processes for customers
  • Integrating sustainability strategies into smart manufacturing to achieve ESG goals
  • Utilising smart factories to implement lean manufacturing and improve revenue and reduce costs

Elsa Antunes
Senior Lecturer – Mechanical Engineering
James Cook University

ELEVATING SAFETY & MINIMISING RISK
16:35
PANEL DISCUSSION: Innovating safety in manufacturing through technology

Everyone knows what should be done to meet safety goals, the law’s been around forever and things like management commitment & behaviour have been covered ad nauseum. But, there’s a lack of discussion into the nuts and bolts of practically achieving them. This session examines how you can innovate in the safety space, including how to use the latest AI, data, automation and technology processes to elevate safety.

Moderator: 

Jennifer Conley
Chief Executive Officer
Geelong Manufacturing Council

Panellists:

Jo Kitney
Managing Director
Kitney & Toolkit Solutions

Bianca Shepherd
Engineering Support Workshop Manager
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)

Blake Redding
Associate Director
Mapien

17:15
Closing comments from the Chair
17:20
End of Women in Manufacturing Summit 2023 Day 1
17:25
Networking Drinks