Elizabeth is a globally acknowledged leader, social innovator and advocate who has delivered major change initiatives in complex political, social and organizational environments including in government, private sector, academic, military and community sectors. A former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner (2007- 2015), Elizabeth has worked to break down structural and systemic barriers faced by women and men, and to promote gender equality in all aspects of society.

As principal of Elizabeth Broderick & Co. she has led significant reviews of workplace culture in global organisations across the private, public and NGO sectors. She established and convenes the ‘Champions of Change’ coalition, a strategy engaging over 260 CEOs and their organisations to lead on diversity, equity and inclusion.

From 2017 – 2023, Elizabeth was a United Nations Special Rapporteur and Independent Expert on discrimination against women and girls, leading UN country missions in all regions of the world and engaging with nation states to lift the status of women and girls globally.

In 2016, Elizabeth was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia and was named 2016 NSW Australian of the Year. She has qualifications in computer science and law and has been awarded seven Doctorates of Law (Honoris causa) for her contributions to business and human rights.

Paul has decades of service and experience in emergency services across fire, EMS and disaster response in New Zealand, Australia and internationally in many different roles. Paul led New Zealand Fire Services as CEO and National Commander, Fire and Rescue NSW as Commissioner and was the longest serving Board member and Chair of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC). He also chaired the Asia Pacific Region of the UN International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG-USAR), representing NZ and Australia internationally leading global work programs as a member io the International Steering Group. Paul has tertiary qualifications in business and in emergency management from the Department of Homeland Security-United States Fire Academy. He currently leads as CEO, a large New Zealand specialist aeromedical search and rescue helicopter operation.

Harmony is a young person who lives in Wodonga. She joined YACVic in 2023. They are passionate about advocating for the unique issues that impact rural and regional young people, including youth mental health, wellbeing, and how community connection and participation fosters this.

Harmony completed their Diploma of Community Services in 2024, and further developed her skills in youth participation and disaster resilience as YACVic’s peer worker for the Future Proof: Young People, Disaster Recovery and (Re)building Communities project. She supported the growth of resilience and capacity of young people in disaster contexts.

Harmony now works on the Centre of Excellence: Young People & Disasters, where she champions the inclusion and active involvement of young people to contribute to all aspects of disasters.

Andrew brings extensive experience in key leadership roles in the emergency management sector, including as Head of Emergency Services at Australian Red Cross. He has also worked across both State and Federal Governments and been at the forefront of Emergency Management policy and practice development over several decades.

Career highlights include:

• Advising both State and Federal governments following a range of emergencies and playing a key role in coordinating recovery assistance to Australians impacted by events including the Port Arthur shootings and Boxing Day 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
• Coordinating/leading Red Cross response and recovery programs following multiple emergencies and disasters, including Cyclone Larry (2006) the Black Saturday Victorian Bushfires (2009) Queensland Floods & Cyclone Yasi (2011) and the 2019/20 Bushfires
• Management of public appeals and fund distribution after multiple major disasters, including as a panel member of the Black Saturday Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund ($382m)

Andrew was also a key contributor to the establishment of the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.

I reside in Perth, Western Australia. I’ve worked in the hospital, humanitarian and prehospital field for the last 25 years in a broad range of clinical, governance and management roles. I am a fellow of The Australasian College of Paramedicine, the Australasian College of Health Service Management, and the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh Faculty of Remote, Rural and Humanitarian Healthcare. I am a Member of the World Association Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM); and a faculty member of The Centre for Research and Training in Disaster Medicine (CRIMEDIM, Novara, Italy).

I have a strong interest in Public Health and disaster risk reduction and have previously developed health and humanitarian programs in Southeast Asia with a focus on capability development, mentoring and training and am involved in a variety of research projects in Australasia and Europe. I support the development and improvement of disaster and emergency health practice through education, service and research to protect and respond to communities in need.

Dale has 30 years’ experience in risk science, applying risk assessment and management frameworks to complex, trans-disciplinary problems across scales. Dale’s work bridges earth and environmental sciences with human and policy domains, focusing on sustainability, climate change, impact and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and risk policy. Dale’s expertise includes natural hazards, climate change impacts, adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and public policy, with experience in emergency management, insurance, tourism, and governance institutions.

Dale is committed to working with marginalised groups, including gender and sexually diverse individuals, First Nations people, and people with disability. Dale is globally recognised as a leading advocate for ‘queering disasters,’ an emerging field that integrates LGBTQI+ perspectives into disaster and humanitarian research and practice.

Dale’s career includes roles with the United Nations, The World Bank, insurance and reinsurance companies, and State and Federal disaster agencies. Dale chaired the United Nations UNESCO-IOC Post-disaster Policy and Protocols Working Group and advised the Australian Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering & Innovation Council on tsunamis. Dale has published over 300 works and received multiple awards, including the 2025 Resilient Australia National Research for Impact Award, 2024 Australia Scott Johnson Memorial Prize for services to Queers in STEMM, and several government and industry prizes for disaster management and disability advocacy.

Dale’s latest book is “Queering Disasters, Climate Change and Humanitarian Crises” (Palgrave Macmillan).

Catherine is the National Consultant for Disaster Recovery with the Social Recovery Reference Group (SRRG), a national advisory community of practice that advances human and social recovery by shaping evidence-based policy, plans and programs and advocating for community-centred recovery outcomes across Australia. The SRRG plays a key role in influencing strategic recovery policy and supporting practical improvements in relief and recovery for people and communities.

With nearly 20 years’ experience across Australia and internationally, Catherine has worked in disaster preparedness, recovery and resilience with the NSW Government and Australian Red Cross. Internationally, she has worked with the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) in East Africa and spent five years in the Philippines as Country Coordinator with Australian Red Cross, leading recovery efforts after Typhoon Haiyan and developing child protection policy with the Philippines Red Cross.

Catherine brings expertise in strategic partnerships, collaborative planning and capacity building, with a strong commitment to evidence-informed approaches that strengthen recovery systems and foster community wellbeing for all.

Clare Gibellini (she/her) is a disability and human rights advocate with lived experience of multiple disabilities, including Autism. Clare’s work is distinguished by her leadership in climate change, disaster preparedness, and gender equality. She specialises in Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction, ensuring the voices of women and gender-diverse people with disability are central in climate and emergency planning.

Clare is also a board member of the Centre for Australian Progress, the Chair of the National Disability Research Partnership and an emergency services volunteer, helping build community resilience. Internationally, she has represented Australia at the UN Conference of State Parties (2022–2025), and the Commission on the Status of Women (2024-2025), advocating for inclusive approaches to disaster risk, climate action, and gender equity.

Mick Gooda is a proud Gangulu person and passionate advocate for closing the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Having been involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs throughout Australia for over 35 years, Mick has always maintained and actively promotes the concept of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples being intimately involved in decisions that affect them. Part of the Referendum Council on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Mick has formerly been the Chief Executive Officer of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health. As the current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, his focus is and always has been on the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Ashleigh Keating (she/her) is a youth disability advocate and education inclusion specialist with lived experience of disability. Ashleigh’s work is grounded by her passion in ensuring the inclusion of disabled youth and women within all facets of life.

Ashleigh has expertise in co-designing national summits representing young Australians with disability, complemented by impactful engagement in policy forums and media advocacy. Ashleigh has represented Australia at the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and currently serves as one of the Disability officers at the ANU Disabilities Student Association, where she leads advocacy initiatives that promote improvement access for disabled students in higher education.

Jane Latimer is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health at The University of Sydney, and the Director, Strategy and Engagement at Elizabeth Broderick & Co., an organisation focused on creating gender equality, diversity and culture. Jane has been a powerful leader and advocate for Women in STEM, and in 2019 was appointed to the Expert Working Group to develop Australia’s National Decadal Plan for Women in STEM. With a unique insight into the cultural challenges facing leaders in public health and how these might be addressed, Jane has supported Elizabeth Broderick & Co. to conduct over 20 major cultural reviews into leading global and national institutions including NSW Parliament, Rio Tinto, NSW Police Force, and the AFP.

Amanda Leck is a strategic and experienced leader, with close to 30 years’ experience working in the disaster management sector, as well as across all levels of Government, the private sector and with community organisations to support risk mitigation, community preparedness, disaster resilience and recovery.

Amanda most recently held the role as Deputy Secretary, Head of Adaptation, Mitigation and Reconstruction, with the NSW Reconstruction Authority. In that role she was responsible for senior executive leadership of the NSW Reconstruction Authority including the delivery of the State Disaster Mitigation Plan and Disaster Adaptation Plans in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley, the Northern Rivers area of NSW and other regions across the state.

Amanda was also responsible for recovery and reconstruction efforts following the devastating Northern Rivers floods of February 2022. Working with all levels of government and the community, under her leadership the RA delivered the largest reconstruction and adaptation program ever delivered in NSW in response to a flood disaster.

Prior to that, Amanda was Deputy Commissioner Capability and Risk with Emergency Management Victoria, where she was responsible for risk-based emergency management planning at the state, regional and local level, as well as critical infrastructure resilience and capability development across all hazards.

Amanda also previously held the role as Head of the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience where she led a program of work on behalf of the Commonwealth Government to support a disaster resilient Australia.

Amanda is a Board member of Girls on Fire Australia, a not-for-profit organisation that creates inclusive pathways for girls and under-represented youth to see themselves as capable leaders within emergency services, disaster recovery and community resilience roles.

Amanda has spent her career working in complex community and government environments, bringing together stakeholders across a diverse range of sectors, to deliver outcomes to reduce risk and support disaster resilience for communities.

Michael has served in the Australian Emergency Services Sector for 40 years, 38 years with the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) where Michael had served as the Chief Officer and Chief Executive Officer for 5 years.

Michael joined Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) in January 2024 as the Deputy Commissioner responsible for Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Advocacy, Rostering, Secondments and the Womens Support Network. Michael works directly with Commissioner supporting Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and programs.

Michael was awarded the Australian Fire Service medal and South Australian Emergency Services medal for his work in Diversity and Inclusion and his work in creating safe, supportive and inclusive workplaces with a focus on physical and psychological wellbeing.

Carole Owen has worked in senior roles in Public Health for more than thirty years, with a particular interest in health promotion and priority population groups. Carole managed community recovery programs for the Tasmanian government after the 2013 and 2019 bushfires and represented Tasmania on the national Social Recovery Reference group. She has been involved in Gender and Disaster Australia for many years and is a trainer for their Lessons in Disaster program. Carole works at the University of Tasmania as part of the ISLAND Disaster Resilience – After Disasters research team. Carole is currently working on a PhD on community-led disaster recovery.

John Richardson is the Executive Director of the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. He has nearly 30 years of experience of working in disaster management. This work extends across preparedness, response and recovery in government and NGO settings. He has worked at the individual, local, state, national and international levels. He was the State Recovery Manager for Victoria from 2002 to 2007. He led the development of Red Cross’ unique preparedness program, Rediplan. He has also worked closely with disaster affected individuals and communities. He has represented Australia in international fora.

He is also an Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne on the health and wellbeing trajectories of disasters and has published extensively.

John has a background in Geography and Nursing, with a strong interest in the human impacts of disaster, particularly death and bereavement, and the role music plays in disasters.

Steve Smith is the Commissioner of Queensland Fire Department, an organisation with a workforce of approximately 34,000. Steve started his firefighting career in Queensland in 1994 and has served in regional and state roles in a variety of specialist areas before being appointed to the role of Commissioner in October 2023.

Highly regarded as an emergency services leader, Steve has extensive knowledge and experience in crisis management both domestically and internationally. He has a particular interest in leadership and capability development including organisational level change, leadership influence, and the human factors that influence organisational behaviour.

I have an established career in the Community Sector with over 30 years of experience across health and community projects with a focus on women’s rights, health and wellbeing.

Residing in nipaluna/Hobart, where I am a spokesperson on family violence and gender inequality. For the past 12 years I have served as the CEO of Engender Equality, where I have overseen Engender’s therapeutic services and the development of comprehensive family violence prevention and response training.

I hold a degree in Social Sciences (Community Services) and a postgraduate degree in Women’s Studies. I have trained under the United Nations in Gender Mainstreaming. I am a dedicated ally to people who use illicit drugs, sex workers, and criminalised women. I advocate for rights, safety, and dignity, working to challenge entrenched stigma and systemic barriers.

Michelle Villeneuve is a leading scholar and global advocate for disability‑inclusive emergency management. She is Deputy Director of the University of Sydney’s Centre for Disability Research and Policy and an Australian Research Council Fellow. Michelle leads the Collaborating4Inclusion research program, which developed the Person‑Centred Emergency Preparedness (P‑CEP) approach and has guided its adoption into policy and practice across Australia.

Her work brings together disability, health, community, and emergency services to build cross‑sector systems that enable people with disability to plan for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. With more than 20 years’ international experience in conflict and disaster settings—including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka and Indonesia—Michelle’s research advances practical tools, workforce capability, and interagency collaboration for inclusive disaster risk reduction.

In Australia, she has led 19 major research initiatives with governments and emergency services, synthesised in the Disability‑Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Framework and Toolkit for Collaborative Action. Her recent partnership with the National Emergency Management Agency produced the nationally recognised Disability Inclusive Emergency Management (DIEM) Toolkit, now being implemented across states and territories. Michelle received the 2023 National Resilient Australia Award for the P‑CEP Certificate course and served as a consultant to UNESCAP on the 2024 DIDRR eLearning for Asia. She represents Australia on the World Rehabilitation Alliance Emergencies Committee. collaborating4inclusion.org

Bhiamie Williamson is a Euhalayi man from north-west NSW with familial ties to north-west Queensland. He is an Associate Professor at Monash University where he leads the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience research program. National Indigenous Disaster Resilience is the only nationally-focussed research program dedicated to understanding and quantifying the impacts of major disasters on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He is also a leading expert on Indigenous men and masculinities. His PhD ‘The Art of Masculinities: Creations and Transformations of Aboriginal Men in Australia’ investigates the changing nature of Indigenous male identities and the formation of contemporary Indigenous masculinities.