Gilbert Rochecouste – Managing Director, Village Well
Gilbert is recognised nationally and internationally as a leading voice in sustainable communities and businesses. He is a sought after speaker and motivator, known for his innovative thinking, dynamic engagement processes, and inspirational approach to community activation. His catalyst ideas have regenerated iconic places and enlivened many urban and rural communities.
Over 20 years, Gilbert has worked with hundreds of mainstreets and businesses to create more vibrant, connected and resilient communities. He is one of the world’s leading Place Making practitioners and passionately promotes the new story of living, playing and working in ways that support the cultural, social, and environmental elements unique to each place. As one of the first Al Gore Climate Leaders, he sees the potential of Place Making to inspire a deeper environmental awareness and stewardship, where people can make a difference both locally and globally.
Jan Owen AM – CEO, Foundation for Young Australian (FYA)
Jan Owen has been the CEO of Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) since September 2010. She is recognised as one of the leading pioneers of Australia’s youth sector, having headed up Australia’s first youth representative bodies, as Chairperson of the National Youth Council of Australia and President of the Youth Affairs Council of Australia. Since 2002, Jan has been the Executive Director of Social Ventures Australia, an organisation that has pioneered new investment, social innovation and entrepreneurship models to increase the impact of the social sector. Prior to this, Jan founded the CREATE Foundation where she was the inaugural CEO for nine years.
Daniel Almagor -Managing Director, Small Giants
Daniel Almagor is the founder and former CEO of Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB), where he continues his involvement on the Board of Directors. He is currently RMIT’s inaugural Social Entrepreneur in Residence, chairperson of Jewish Aid Australia and managing director of Small Giants, a firm focused on developing and investing in businesses with a social and environmental purpose.
In 2003, Daniel won a Churchill Fellowship to further the growth of EWB in Australia. EWB’s rapid growth and success throughout Australia and South Asia prompted Daniel to be named in the 100 most influential engineers in Australia in 2005. Daniel has been recognised on numerous occasions for his various endeavours, most recently as the RMIT Alumni of the Year in 2009.
Richard Hames – Futurist
Richard David Hames is a corporate philosopher, futurist and knowledge designer. After early careers in medicine, computer science, academia and the arts, Richard was appointed Group Chief Executive to AMI. In 1993 Richard co-founded Global Business Network (Australia) and established ABN Learning – GBN’s innovative consulting practice.
Today, Richard works as an adviser and leadership strategist to governments, institutions and multinational corporations in the USA, France, UK, China, Japan, South Africa, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, UAE and Thailand.Richard is best known for pioneering Deep Design – a groundbreaking approach to collective wisdom based on the integral nature of complexity science and living systems.
Stephen Duns – Partner, Social Innovation & Research at Success Works; Director at the Australian Graduate School of Leadership.
Stephen’s career experience includes several Chief Executive Officer and general management roles in health and community services in Australia and the UK. He has also worked extensively as a consultant in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia.
Stephen’s recent voluntary interests include President of Joy 94.9, Director of Merri Community Health Services, teaching business governance in developing countries with Australian Business Volunteers, Chair of Austin Health’s Human Research Ethics Committee, President and Chairman of the Board of Parkinson’s Victoria and Parkinson’s Australia and President of Cobaw Community Health Services.
Steve Lawrence – Executive Officer, ASIX
Prior to ASIX Steve was, for 29 years, Founder, CEO and Social Entrepreneur with WorkVentures, an entrepreneurial non-profit organisation, based in Sydney. Over the last 30 years Steve has also been part of creating over 13 new nonprofit organisations, most of which are still operating. They include JOB futures, United Way Sydney, Jobs Australia, Social Ventures Australia.
Steve has qualifications in social work and management, he lectures regularly on social enterprise, local economic development and non-profit management. He is co-author of ‘Nonprofits in Business’ (1995). In 2004 Steve received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award for Social Enterprise for NSW & ACT.
Mez Woodward – Managing Director, The Futures Factory
With formal training in psychology, social work and teaching and a lifelong interest in the natural sciences and the arts, Mez’s work has taken her across diverse roles in community, government and corporate sectors.
Always seeking to both extend and integrate thinking, in 2006 Mez established The Futures Factory, a consultancy promoting the integration of economic, social, cultural, environmental and personal dimensions in the pursuit of a sustainable future. Mez works as analyst, strategist and facilitator, working with people and ideas to create shared purpose and creative solutions. Her projects and clients range across all sectors of business, government and community. She has held advisory council and board positions in adult education, the arts, sustainability, building design and construction, community planning, youth, and manufacturing.
