Speakers

Meg Allan

Meg Allan was born and raised in the small coastal town of Mallacoota located in Far East Gippsland, Victoria and is passionate about regional futures and fostering opportunities for people of all ages to remain in place. Meg is a co-founder of Wilderness Workspace, which has evolved into the Wilderness Collective and uses enterprise, co-working and knowledge sharing as the catalysts for rural rejuvenation. She is the East Gippsland Shire Council Mallacoota District Place Manager, supporting community-led recovery and future renewal after the Black Summer Fires. Meg is also a member of the Gippsland Community Leadership Program 2022 cohort and is the recipient of the Wayne Casey, Gippsland Young Community Leader Scholarship.

Matt Allen

Matt has been involved in non-profits and social enterprises for the past 15 years, working in a range of roles including business development, management, advisory, research and consulting. He is currently working as a Research Associate at Monash University, a Senior Research Assistant at the Yunus Centre Griffith University, and as a consultant with the Social Impact Hub. His work to date has focussed on grassroots economic development, systems change, popular education and circular economy social enterprise. His current work with Monash University involves a partnership with government agencies, social enterprises and non-profits to explore the contributions of reuse to the circular economy and to develop policies and programs that support the growth of waste-focussed social enterprises. Matt holds an MBA (Social Impact) from UNSW, and is a Churchill Fellow (2019).

Seán Barnes

Seán Barnes is the Director of Social Procurement at the Ākina Foundation in Aotearoa-New Zealand. Sean is passionate about realising the potential of business and procurement to deliver positive social and environmental impact. His recent experience includes advisory roles that support businesses (corporate and SME), social enterprises, and government agencies in social procurement, strategy and sustainability. He is a massive SEWF fan, having attended the 2017, 2018 and 2020 (virtual) events and is looking forward to connecting globally in 2021.

Seán holds a PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering and is a Chartered Member of Engineering New Zealand.

Charmaine Brimm

As Technical Specialist, Charmaine spearheaded the implementation of the Community Renewal Program; providing coordination, project management, program & policy level support to address socio-economic issues at the National & Community levels. As Jamaica’s focal point leading the efforts towards strengthening the social enterprise (SE) ecosystem, her sector wins include: the establishment of a SE Policy Committee within the PIOJ; successful advocacy for inclusion of SE in Jamaica’s MSME & Entrepreneurship policy, Cabinet approved in 2018; securing Technical Assistance under the EU’s Investment Climate Reform facility & leading its’ first successful implementation in Jamaica & the Caribbean; resulting in the development of a Draft Legal Status Act, a Marketing Strategy & Resource Mobilization Plan for the SE sector & capacity building of Govt. Officials & Private Sector groups. She is also a Director of the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) Advisory Board of Councillors & Chairperson for the Social Enterprise Working Group.

Jayne Bryant

Jayne works directly with the Commonwealth Coordinator General for Migrant Services to drive improvements to employment, English language, and broader settlement outcomes for migrants and refugees in Australia. Most recently, Jayne has been assisting the Commonwealth’s efforts to support the settlement and integration of people from Afghanistan and Ukraine. Jayne also has extensive experience working on Australia’s Refugee Humanitarian and Settlement programs both domestically and in international settings.

Maeve Curtin

Maeve leads on SEWF’s policy and research work including the social procurement portfolio, which features the recently launched SEWF Verification Programme and SEWF’s Social Procurement Community of Practice. In addition to her work with SEWF, she is pursuing a PhD in social policy studying policy co-production and co-creation by examining the collaborative development of social enterprise strategies globally.

Bridgette Engeler

Bridgette works across entrepreneurship, design-led innovation, strategic foresight and culture. She’s interested in the potential of post-growth innovation and futures-led design to tackle current and emerging challenges. Recent projects include collaborating with a global consortium of women to design a feminist futures framework for IWDA, public participatory futures installations in Melbourne and Hong Kong, researching the viability of VR and AR wearables for people with early-onset dementia, investigating the challenges of self-sovereign identity, and exploring ways to use technology and new materials to support sexual and reproductive health. Her PhD investigates whether futures literacy in design praxis could curtail the dominant discourse of short-termism in material culture.

Michelle Evans

Dr Michelle Evans is the inaugural Director of Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership. Michelle Evans holds an Associate Professorship of Leadership at the Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) and the Melbourne Business School (MBS). Michelle is the Associate Dean (Indigenous) at FBE/MBS and is co-Founder of Australia’s number one Indigenous Business Master Class program, MURRA, based at Melbourne Business School, Founder of the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the Faculty of Victorian College of the Arts and Music, and founder of WALAN MAYINYGU Charles Sturt University’s Indigenous entrepreneurship Pop Up innovation hub program (2017/8). Michelle, a Fulbright scholar, has a unique combination of professional experience in management, community engagement and facilitation coupled with her excellent track record in research. Michelle has attracted four highly competitive Australian Research Council grants, most recently to conduct a program evaluation for Indigenous preferential procurement programs. Michelle has personally taught and mentored over 250 Australian Indigenous business people through various Indigenous business programs and serves on a number of committees nationally and internationally that focus on Indigenous advancement and rewarding excellence in engagement.

Honourable Di Farmer MP

The Honourable Di Farmer MP is the Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development and serves as Member for Bulimba on Brisbane’s Southside. She has also held the position of Minister for Child Safety, Youth and Women, and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence. Prior to becoming a Minister in the Palaszczuk Labor Government, she was Deputy Speaker of the Queensland Parliament. After starting her working life as a speech pathologist, Di pursued a career in both the public and private sectors, where she held a range of senior management positions. The issues Di addresses in her portfolio are very close to her heart and she is thrilled that she can travel around Queensland engaging with small businesses and social enterprises so Government can best tailor its support to their needs. Di is passionate about support for small businesses and social enterprises being front and centre of the Queensland Government’s plans for economic recovery.

Liandra Gaykamangu

Liandra is the Founder and Creative Director of the fashion label Liandra Swim, a premium designer swimwear label that fuses sun, surf and culture. Liandra Swim is also an eco-conscious label and works to share positive stories about Indigenous Australia, through our signature prints.
She is also the co-CEO and a board director of Enterprise Learning Projects (ELP), a 100% Aboriginal controlled not-for-profit organisation. Through her work with ELP, she directly oversees an Incubation and Mentorship programme for Indigenous entrepreneurs in remote communities across the north of Australia.  She currently sits as a director on the First Australian Capital board and the Enterprise Learning Projects board and a committee member of the Australia AfterPay Fashion Week First Nations Stakeholder Group. As a Yolngu woman from North-East Arnhem Land, Liandra has a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing remote entrepreneurs.

Franziska Hirschelmann

Franziska Hirschelmann is the CEO of jobs4refugees. She studied international law and development in Melbourne and Berlin. She has previously led the Resettlement Research Team at the Parliament of Victorias Department of Immigration and piloted the federal program ‘Early Intervention’ which introduces refugees to the German labour market. In her role at jobs4refugees, she has developed a technology-driven refugee support system, helping refugees rebuild their professional careers through ongoing training, mentoring, and wrap-around services. The organisation supports more than 25,000 refugees in the DACH region and works with more than 2,000 employers.

Huda Jaffer

Huda is a product/service/systems designer with a keen interest in user centric design specifically for sustainability and developmental issues. She has an undergraduate degree in design from Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore and a Masters of Science in Engineering and Business (Integrated Design and Management) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

Huda has been critical in building the necessary processes of SELCO Foundation, which has led to it being known as a pioneer in the field of building the ecosystem for sustainable energy access for the poor.

Te Pūoho Kātene

Te Pūoho (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Tama tribes) is steadfast in his pursuit of holistic prosperity for indigenous Māori. As the Executive Director of Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust, he targets social change within an impact framework founded on ancestral values, investing in education & training, research and leadership development.

Te Pūoho serves as Trustee of his tribe, Ngāti Toa and Ākina Foundation, a leading impact consultancy in New Zealand. He is an independent director with Armillary Private Capital and Māori entities Wakatū Incorporation and Waikato-Tainui. A Stanford graduate, Fulbright Scholar and Obama Foundation Leader, he weaves together global best practices within an indigenous, values-based lens.

Jess Moore

Jess is passionate about social justice and climate safety, and people working together to create change. Her work has always been in social innovation, in peak organisations, social enterprise and community development. She is a Director at the Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT. She was CEO at Community Resources, one of Australia’s largest jobs focussed social enterprises. Prior to this she led social enterprise Green Connect through startup and scaleup. Jess came into social enterprise from a background in public policy, advocacy and movement building, and has led collaborations that changed government policy and decisions.

Peter Oloo

Peter is a Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, of Social Enterprise Society of Kenya (SESOK). SESOK is the umbrella body and voice for Social Enterprises and Social Entrepreneurs in Kenya. Peter leads the organisation’s strategy, growth and impact worldwide including entrance to new markets and expanding a diverse portfolio of high impact enterprises that have directly improved the quality of life of many people. Peter Oloo is also the Chairman of the Climate Change Caucus at the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), the apex body of the Private sector in Kenya with more than 500,000+ businesses, from big corporate to Business Membership Organisations (BMOs).
Peter is an accomplished Social Entrepreneur (with key concentrations in Impact Revolution, Corporate Shared Value, Social Impact, and Sustainability). He is a leading advisor and consultant in these areas, and also in business modelling and re-engineering, operational excellence, market analytics and research, and is affiliated with numerous organisations.

Matt Pfahlert

Matt is a pioneering social entrepreneur, with a long-standing commitment to rural Australia. As co-founder and CEO of ACRE, Matt is driving the renewal of Australia’s rural communities so that future generations may thrive. As founder of the Typo Station Youth Project, Matt started his first social enterprise in 1993 at the age of 23, working with ‘at risk’ young people in wilderness settings, this led to his Young Australian of the Year Award in 1996. In 2013, Matt undertook a Churchill Fellowship to study social enterprise and entrepreneurship education for rural rejuvenation in the UK and North America.  In 2016, Matt led a $2.7M community buy-back of the Old Beechworth Gaol. A neglected Australian heritage icon famed for its connection to Ned Kelly. The site is being re-purposed as an exemplar of social enterprise and rural rejuvenation. In partnership with Scotland’s renowned Social Enterprise Academy (SEA), ACRE is supporting the next generation of social entrepreneurs in primary and secondary schools as well as underserved communities across the country. Matt is a passionate advocate for community-led approaches to building an agile, resilient and enterprising rural Australia.

Honourable Jaala Pulford MP

The Hon. Jaala Pulford MP was appointed Minister for Employment; Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy; and Minister for Small Business in June 2020 and in August 2021 also became the Minister for Resources. Prior to 2020, Jaala served as Minister for Roads, Road Safety and the TAC; and Minister for Fishing and Boating. She was Victoria’s first female Minister for Agriculture, as well as Minister for Regional Development and Deputy Leader in the Legislative Council.

Prior to entering parliament, Jaala worked in the union movement and knows the value that a secure, safe and fairly paid job provides – not only to the person in the job but also to those who depend on them. She grew up in Castlemaine watching her parents establish and run their own small businesses. Jaala is focussed on ensuring that all Victorians have the opportunity to work and to succeed, whether they are an employee or running their own business.

Israr Qureshi

Israr Qureshi is Professor at Australian National University. Israr is engaged in field-based research making fundamental contributions to the literature on social entrepreneurship and digital social intermediation, at times challenging taken-for-granted norms in information systems and organisation studies literature. His research has been internationally recognized, leading to the prestigious Sexenio Award from the Spanish Government and the Emerald Citation of Excellence Award. He is a key member of the leadership team implementing the Social Cohesion Grand Challenge Project at ANU.

Erinch Sahan

Erinch is the business and enterprise lead at the Doughnut Economics Action Lab. Recently, he was World Fair Trade Organization’s CEO and previously spent seven years at Oxfam leading campaign initiatives and founded Oxfam’s Future of Business Initiative. Erinch has also worked at Procter & Gamble as a market strategy manager, established a furniture business and worked for Australia’s aid programme. Erinch sits on the SEWF Board and is a tutor at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. He holds degrees in finance and law, and an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University.

Rebecca Scott

Bec has spent her career working in innovation, the first half in science at the CSIRO, and the second half as a social entrepreneur. She’s particularly interested in how we can solve systemic issues using multi-disciplinary practice. She’s the Co-Founder and CEO of STREAT, a Melbourne-based social enterprise that works toward human and planetary health. STREAT works with marginalised young people aged 16-24 years and provides them with a healthy self, job and home. The organisation runs a portfolio of 12 foodservice businesses, including cafes, an artisan bakery, a catering company, and a coffee roastery. STREAT is also collaborating with a collective of over 20 social enterprises on a project called Moving Feast which aims to create a fairer and more regenerative food system for Victoria.

Kate Sutton

Kate is the Head of the Innovation Centre for the UNDP Asia Pacific Region which stretches from Samoa to Iran. She is an accomplished senior leader with extensive international experience leading innovation and entrepreneurship in the African, European and Pacific regions. Prior to the UNDP, Kate was Head of Corporate Social Innovation at the UK’s Innovation Foundation, Nesta where she was responsible for shaping and leading programmes with the private sector for social change and building cross-sector partnerships. Prior to that Kate founded a business and development consultancy in Malawi, Africa where she established an entrepreneurship accelerator and impact investment fund, before that she worked across the Pacific region running cross-sector partnership programmes.
Kate is a current BMW Foundation Global Leader and has a successful governance career. Kate holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Cranfield University (UK) and a Masters of Arts (MA) in Politics from the University of Auckland (New Zealand).

Luke Terry

Luke established White Box Enterprises in 2019 to systematically address the constraints that he routinely confronted when launching enterprises: access to affordable space, access to capital, and to partnerships that would help bring social enterprise into the mainstream fabric of employment in Australia. With more than 15 years’ experience in the social enterprise and not-for-profit sectors, Luke has founded several large-scale employment-focused social enterprise projects that have created meaningful work pathways for people facing barriers to employment (eg Vanguard Laundry Services, Ability Enterprises Work Restart).  Since 2019, White Box Enterprises has helped to create more than 394 jobs for vulnerable people, attracted over $11.9M in capital, supported 22 social enterprises, and has the backing of 23 corporate and philanthropic organisations.

Dana Verbal

Dana is leading a team in charge of the overall coordination and implementation of the Commission Action Plan for the social economy, launched in 2021. Dana has joined the European Commission in 2012 and worked so far on different measures to facilitate access to finance for social enterprises and to develop the knowledge base on social economy.
Her academic background is in International Economic Relations and Social Sciences, topics that she studied and researched at the Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest and the University of Trieste.

Dan Viederman