Co-founder and Co-chair, High Resolves; Design Director, Alchemy Growth Partners

Presentation:
‘The Boy Effect on the Girl Effect: How young people can drive gender equity’ (November 17, 2.30pm)

Roya has used her professional and educational experience in architecture to inject a strong dose of design thinking into her philanthropic and professional work.

As a social entrepreneur, Roya is co-founder and co-chair of High Resolves, the most engaging and effective leadership program for young people in Australian high schools. High Resolves is a not-for-profit, non-religious educational program that seeks to motivate high school students to view themselves as purposeful global citizens and to acquire the skills they will need to lead their communities, and the world, to a brighter future. It has grown from a pilot program at International Grammar School in 2005 to over 50 schools in NSW and Victoria reaching over 15,000 students. Roya was the co-director and producer of a documentary about the transformation of some of the students in the program.

Roya has a special interest in the arena of gender equity. She was selected to attend TED Women in Washington in 2010 on the basis of her innovative “boy effect on the girl effect” approach. She has engaged senior business executives and high school boys in projects to raise awareness and stimulate action in this field. She is also adept at using the media of film and “epipheos” as a means of spreading this message. This work is currently getting a lot of attention from the media and policymakers in Australia and overseas.

Roya is the Design Director for Alchemy Growth Partners. Her latest achievement was the design and visual identity behind the As One project including the cover of the book “As One” which was recently on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Amazon best-seller lists. In a book review, it was described as “one of the most beautifully designed books on organisational leadership ever.”

Leading psychologist, social researcher, commentator and novelist

Presentation:
‘The desires that drive us to connect’ (November 18, 9.00am)

Hugh Mackay is a psychologist, social researcher and novelist. He is the author of thirteen books, including six bestsellers. His latest book is What makes us tick? The ten desires that drive us.

In recognition of his pioneering work in social research, Hugh has been awarded honorary doctorates by Charles Sturt, Macquarie, NSW and Western Sydney universities. In 2004, he received the University of Sydney’s alumni award for community service.

Hugh is an honorary professor of social science at the University of Wollongong, a former deputy chairman of the Australia Council, a former chairman of trustees of Sydney Grammar School, and was the inaugural chairman of the ACT government’s Community Inclusion Board. He has been a newspaper columnist for over 25 years, and is a frequent guest on ABC radio.

Thought leader, ethicist and public policy expert

Presentation:
‘The 21st Century leadership we need to avoid being the last generation’ (November 18, 1.30pm)

Associate Professor Rufus Black is the Master of Ormond College and a Principal Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Melbourne. An ethicist, theologian and management consultant, he writes and works on ethical, public policy and education issues. His education works includes chairing the Board of Teach for Australia and sitting on the Board of the New York based Teach for All. His work on ethics and public policy issues includes teaching for the Melbourne Business School’s Centre for Ethical Leadership and serving as a director of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). He recently led the Accountability and Governance Review of Department of Defense and is currently co-leading the Independent Review of the Australian Intelligence Community. He is a Director of the law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

Before becoming Master of Ormond, Rufus worked at McKinsey & Company for 9 years where he was a partner. He holds degrees in law and politics from the University of Melbourne and degrees in moral theology from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

Australian of the Year

Presentation:
‘In a super-connected world, how important is it for our three great sectors – the Government, business and non-for-profit sectors – to be super-connected?’ (November 17, 9.45am)

Simon McKeon is the 2011 Australian of the Year. He is also Executive Chairman of Macquarie Group’s Melbourne office. Simon is Chairman of CSIRO and Business for Millennium Development. Simon is a Director of VisionFund, World Vision International’s microcredit arm, Global Poverty Project and Red Dust Role Models.

He is an Australia Day Ambassador for the Victorian Government and serves on the Federal Government’s Human Rights Grants Scheme Advisory Panel.

He previously served as Founding President of the Federal Government’s Australian Takeovers Panel, Founding Chairman of MS Research Australia and Founding President of the Federal Government’s Point Nepean Community Trust.

Simon is the helmsman of Macquarie Innovation which in March 2009 became the first sailboat in the world to sustain more than 50 knots and in so doing, peaked at a speed of 100 kmh (54 knots).   He is also a Patron of the Australian Olympic Sailing Team which won 2 gold and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.