Meet our Esteemed Expert Guests

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"Power is not leadership, it is humility and performance that set you apart from the pack."

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione APM holds one of the most challenging jobs in NSW, commanding Australia’s largest Police Force comprising almost 20,000 personnel, and servicing a population of over 7 million people. During his 30 plus years of service with the NSW Police Force, Commissioner Scipione has been dedicated to the safety of the community and upholding high standards within the Police Force.

For his commendable service throughout his career, Commissioner Scipione has been highly decorated, including receiving the Australian Police Medal and the National Medal. Before his appointment as Police Commissioner and head of the NSW Police Force, Andrew worked in detective units, the National Crime Authority, and as a general duties officer in some of the toughest parts of Sydney city.

Andrew served several years as the Commander of the Special Technical Investigation Branch, before being made Chief of Staff to then Police Commissioner Peter Ryan, and in 2001 the Commander of Special Crime and Internal Affairs. In 2002, Andrew was promoted to Deputy Commissioner.

"Be a leader who is prepared to take risks... a leader with certainty who is prepared to back themselves, then people will follow."

Ann Sherry AO is CEO of Carnival Australia, the largest cruise ship operator in Australasia and a division of Carnival Corporation. Carnival is the world’s largest cruise ship operator and owner of the iconic brands P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Aida, Cunard, Holland America and Seabourn. Ann is renowned for having transformed the cruising industry, with Carnival Australia seeing double digit growth each year since 2007.

In addition to local responsibilities, Ann holds a critical role as a member of the global leadership team at Carnival Corporation and is involved in the development of regulation, training, and improved practices on ships globally.

Prior to this, Ann was with Westpac for 12 years and was Chief Executive Officer, Westpac New Zealand, CEO, Bank of Melbourne and Group Executive, People & Performance. Ann was a driver of cultural change, community engagement, and customer focus in commercial and retail banking.

"We’re for the greater goodness"

Catherine Harris is the Chair of Australia’s largest independent produce retailer, Harris Farm Markets Pty Ltd.  In addition she is on the Board of Australia’s newest Bank-Tyro Payments, The Australian Ballet, and the Australian School of Business UNSW.

Catherine is an Officer in the Order of Australia and was awarded the Australian Public Service Medal, The Centenary Medal and has an Honorary Doctorate in Business from UNSW.

Previous roles have included: Deputy Chancellor UNSW, The Australian Rugby League Commission, Trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust, Director of The National Gallery of Australia, The Australian Defence Force Academy, The MCA, St Margaret’s Public Hospital and the Australia Japan Foundation.

Catherine and her husband David’s passion is horse riding on their farm in the Blue Mountains and together, as the parents of five sons, they have watched more Rugby Union and Rugby League than most people!!!

"Be a leader who believes in creative, imaginative responses to shape the future of business."

David Mortimer AO is recognised and respected as one of Australia’s best Chair and professional Company Directors with exemplary governance experience.

Mr Mortimer was educated in Sydney, matriculating in 1962. He then completed a Bachelor of Economics degree at Sydney University graduating with First Class Honours.

After a career in the banking and finance industry in Australia and the United States, he joined TNT Limited in 1973 becoming Chief Financial Officer and a Director of the company in 1985.  He also had overall responsibility for the group’s North American operations until the public float of those operations in February 1992 under the name TNT Freightways Corporation.

In September 1992, Mr Mortimer was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the TNT Limited worldwide group a leading Australian transport company with revenues of $7 billion at the time.  Following the merger of TNT Limited with the Dutch based KPN group in December 1996, he remained as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Pacific Region until he resigned in September 1997.  The TNT Group is now listed as TNT Post on international exchanges.

Mr Mortimer was Deputy Chairman of Ansett Australia Holdings Limited from 1992 to 1996 and Chairman of GD Express Worldwide from 1992 to 1996. He was also a Director of Ascham School Limited from 1989 to 1997.

In November 1996, Mr Mortimer was appointed by the Federal Government to conduct a review of Business Programs that resulted in “The Mortimer Report”.

Mr Mortimer was Chairman of Sydney Airports Corporation Limited from July 1998 until its sale in July 2002, Chairman of Bankstown Airport Limited, Camden Airport Limited and Hoxton Park Airport Limited until their sale in December 2003, Chairman of MIA Group Limited from 2000-2004 and Chairman of Citect Corporation Limited from 1997 to 2006. Mr Mortimer was a Director of the Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) from 1997 to 2004, Director of Adsteam Marine Limited from 1997 to 2007 and Director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals until June 2007. He was also Chairman of the Defence Procurement Advisory Board from 2004 to 2008, Chairman of Leighton Holdings Limited from 2007 to 2011, Director of Intoll Management Limited (previously Macquarie Infrastructure Management) from 2000 to 2010 and Chairman of Australia Post from 2006 to 2012.

In 2005 Mr Mortimer was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia.

In 2008 Mr Mortimer was appointed by the Federal Government to conduct two reviews, the review of Export Policies and Programs titled “Winning in World Markets” and the Defence Procurement and Sustainment Review titled “Going to the Next level.” Both Reviews were released at the end of September 2008. In May 2012 the Australian Government appointed Mr Mortimer as the head of an industry panel on the Submarine Skilling Assignment and in December 2012 to the Australian Government Customs Reform Board.

In 2010 Mr Mortimer was appointed a Fellow of the University of Sydney, and is now Chair of the University of Sydney Senate Investment and Commercialisation Committee.

Mr Mortimer is presently Chair of Opera Australia, Director of Petsec Energy Limited and MySale Group.  He is also Governor of the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

He was Chairman of Crescent Capital Partners for 16 years until his retirement at the end of 2017.

Mr Mortimer is a Director of the Australian Schoolboys Rugby Foundation and is Chairman of the Sydney University Football Club Foundation.  He was President of the Sydney University Football Club for 16 years until his retirement in 2016. He is also a Member of the Australian Golf Club and Royal Sydney Golf Club.

Mr Mortimer was formerly a director of the Australian Graduate School of Management. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and an Ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF).

"Be curious... asking the right questions of your board is paramount."

David Murray AO joined the Commonwealth Bank in 1966, was appointed Chief Executive Officer in June 1992, and retired from this position in 2005, giving an outstanding 39 years of service.

David has extraordinary experience in the finance and banking sector and considerable knowledge of the financial markets. He has strong corporate governance credentials having guided CBA through a number of major changes, including privatization in 1996. During his 13 years as Chief Executive, The Commonwealth Bank transformed from a partly privatised bank with a market capitalisation of $6 billion in 1992 to a $49 billion integrated financial services company, generating in the process total shareholder returns (including gross dividend reinvestment) at a compound annual growth rate of over 24 per cent, one of the highest total returns of any major bank in Australia.

"Nurture disruptive challenge in your business by reviewing innovation & productivity."

Graham Bradley AM is a professional company director and is currently Non-Executive Chair of Stockland Corporation, Energy Australia Holdings, and HSBC Bank Australia. He also chairs junior gas explorer Po Valley Energy, Virgin Australia International Holdings, and the Anglo American Advisory Board and is a director GI Dynamics. In July 2013 he was appointed Chair of Infrastructure NSW.

Graham was Managing Director of Perpetual Limited from 1995—2003. Under his leadership, Perpetual grew to become one of Australia’s leading listed funds management and financial services groups.

Prior to joining Perpetual, Graham was National Managing Partner of leading national law firm, Blake Dawson (now Ashurst). Before this Graham was a partner of McKinsey & Company, a leading international firm of management consultants.

"People and culture are critical to business success, especially in the face of challenging business conditions"

Holly Kramer is the Deputy Chairman of Australia Post and a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Woolworths, AMP Ltd. and 2XU. She also sits on the boards of the GO (Goodes-O’Loughlin) Foundation, community-owned telco Southern Phones and the Finance and Investment Committee for Western Sydney University.

In her executive career, Holly was the CEO of apparel retailer Best & Less, where she was responsible for transforming the business and returning it to growth and profitability. In that role, she was responsible for approximately 200 stores and 4300 employees across Australia.

Prior to Best & Less, she was an executive at Pacific Brands, running the Workwear and Homewares Divisions, and Telstra, where she held the roles of Group Managing Director – Product Management and Chief of Marketing. She has also held management positions at ecorp Ltd and Ford Motor Company (in Australia and the US).

Holly has a BA with Honours in Economics and Political Science from Yale University and an MBA from Georgetown University. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.

"A circuit breaker will shift culture... make the tough decisions early on."

John O’Neill AO has created success running three major organisations in banking and international sports, where mass entertainment and board community participation is essential.

Between 1987 and 1995, John was the Managing Director of the State Bank of New South Wales. During this time, John introduced innovative home lending that changed the Australian market and pushed the successful sale of the Bank to get its ownership into the private sector. His legacy saw First State Funds Management within the State Bank become one of the best high performing fund managers; subsequently now still with the Commonwealth Bank Group as Colonial First State.

Appointed CEO of Australian Rugby Union (ARU) in 1994, over eight years, John transformed the sport in Australia from one run by amateurs to one with genuine professional management. In doing so he established practices that other top Rugby nations sought to emulate, establishing Australia as an international Rugby power and for much of his tenure, the Wallabies were clearly the best team in the world. The ARU transformed from being financially bereft to achieving strong commercial revenue and assets.

"Australia’s Coffee King"

Les Schirato is an inspiring entrepreneur who has played a major role in shaping the coffee industry in Australia. It’s his entrepreneurial flair that has seen him awarded with a number of accolades such as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001. Widely known as Australia’s ‘Coffee King’, Les Schirato is the man behind the success of Vittoria Coffee – Australia’s No. 1 pure coffee company*.

Les commenced full time employment at Cantarella Bros (Trading as Vittoria Food & Beverage) in 1972 and was appointed Group Managing Director in 1992. Today, Les and his family are the company owners, and he continues to lead the company with a growing portfolio of high quality products and consistent revenue growth.

Les’ unprecedented success in achieving consistent sales growth in the highly competitive pure coffee market is no accident. His energy, drive and passion over a career spanning almost 40 years combined with his sales and marketing expertise has heralded an explosion in the popularity of espresso coffee in Australia.

An industry leader, Les served as President of the Australian Coffee and Tea Association and is now an honorary life member. He is also a member of the YPO Gold, of which he was the Chair of the YPO Gold Sydney Chapter until July 2014.

"Leadership education is in life…"

Lindsay Fox was born in Sydney in 1937; attending a school for academically gifted boys until quitting at the age of 16 to become a truck driver like his father. He was described as a ‘brilliant’ student, just one that no one knew what to teach. At the ripe age of 19, Lindsay convinced a trucking yard to sell him his first truck.

Today, Linfox is one of the largest privately owned Australian-based transport and warehousing groups with operations in 11 countries.

The Linfox Group employs more than 30,000 people, operates warehousing the size of 250 Melbourne Cricket Ground’s, a fleet of more than 6,000 vehicles and carries out distribution operations for major global companies.

Lindsay has extensive involvement in Australian and International circles and apart from his business interests is well recognised and active in community based sport and charity work.

"There are only two directions you can move in business and life, forwards or backwards. If you are standing still or resisting change – you are actually going backwards as others will inevitably be going forward."

As the Managing Director of William Inglis & Son Ltd – Australasia’s leading thoroughbred auctioneers since 1867, Mark Webster has successfully combined his passion for horses and breeding thoroughbreds with his occupation, something many of us only ever dream of doing.

Having established a strong reputation for leading change, in mid 2007 Mark joined Inglis as the first non-family member to lead the company. Since then he has introduced numerous digital innovations into the organization and the equine industry at large, including live internet bidding and the creation of the highly successful Inglis Digital business unit which includes Bloodstock.com.au as well as an in-house developed equestrian trading platform, Horsezone.com.au.

He is currently preparing Inglis for the future with the development of a new $110m state of the art horse auction facility and hotel/conference centre at Warwick Farm in Sydney. He also spends considerable time developing new markets, particularly in Asia.

" It's not about being tough or weak. It's about being smart..."

At just 17, Commissioner Peter Severin was a member of a local youth group that visited inmates in his homeland of Hamelin, Germany. In the following years, Peter studied social work at the local university with an expressed intention of becoming a prison officer.

In his early years as prison officer, Peter learnt just how harsh prison administration can be. He was king-hit by an inmate in his first two years but persevered in the prison’s tough remand section for another eight years. Now the Commissioner of Corrective Services New South Wales, Peter has held executive positions in some of Australia’s most progressive correctional services facilities.