Aiden is APAC Managing Director and Partner at IRIS by Argon & Co, with deep executive experience helping organisations apply AI, data and technology to drive supply chain performance and resilience. A former CEO and CIO, he has led large-scale transformations across retail, utilities and financial services, including reshaping an AI and data-led consulting business and delivering technology turnarounds. Aiden brings a practical, outcomes-focused perspective on how AI can be embedded into supply chain decision-making at scale

Ant Halstead is a former lawyer turned supply chain and operations leader with more than 15 years’ operational experience helping organisations lift performance while navigating disruption, complexity and uncertainty.

His career spans four continents and senior roles with Unilever, Boston Consulting Group and now the Australian Antarctic Division.

At Unilever, he held end‑to‑end supply chain leadership roles across Australasia and South‑East Asia, including Head of Supply Chain for New Zealand and Regional Supply Chain Manager across 11 markets, with accountability for planning, logistics, innovation, manufacturing performance, network design and major transformation programs. He subsequently led an Integrated Business Planning strategic review for the Unilever UK and Ireland business, before coordinating its COVID‑19 supply chain response. At Boston Consulting Group, he led transformation engagements across European and North American clients in the consumer goods, automotive and pharmaceutical sectors, delivering inventory optimisation, cost reduction and structural performance improvements.

After leading the supply chain at the Australian Antarctic Division for three years, Ant now serves as Director of Operations Planning, where he leads the planning and coordination of the operations that sustain Australia’s Antarctic and sub‑Antarctic research stations. While Antarctica might seem far removed from fast-moving consumer goods, many of the underlying supply chain challenges are strikingly similar: constrained capacity, long lead times, volatile demand, supply reliability risks, competing priorities and limited network flexibility.

Drawing on both his global consumer goods experience and his work in Antarctica, Ant offers a unique perspective on how to perform effectively when uncertainty is not temporary, but an enduring reality.

Bryden Campbell is the Founder and Managing Director of Brand Rebellion, a Canberra-based brand and workforce consultancy helping organisations align their positioning, people and future direction.

Recognised as one of Australia’s emerging voices in employer branding and workforce positioning, Bryden works at the intersection of brand, talent attraction and organisational strategy, helping industries better understand how perception shapes workforce sustainability. Her work focuses on a simple but increasingly critical challenge: if industries cannot clearly communicate who they are, what they offer and why they matter, they will struggle to compete for talent.

Working across government, defence, technology, tourism and industry sectors, Bryden has helped organisations rethink how they communicate careers, opportunity and industry relevance in increasingly competitive markets. Her work often explores the gap between industry perception and reality, particularly in sectors experiencing workforce shortages, ageing demographics and changing capability needs.

Bryden was recognised as Canberra Businesswoman of the Year and Canberra Small Businesswoman of the Year in 2024, and was a 2025 State Finalist in the Telstra Best of Business Awards.

Claire Robertson works with senior leaders and organisations navigating the gap between what got them here and what the next level of complexity demands. As founder of Fulfilling Potential and a leadership advisor with 25 years of senior global HR and OD experience in global organisations including Unilever and Commonwealth Bank – she brings both the corporate credibility and developmental depth to make that work stick. Her practice spans executive coaching, organisational development, and keynote speaking.

Colm Maguire is the Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC).
He leads the organisation’s work to strengthen collaboration, innovation and outcomes across Australia’s food and grocery sector.
Colm brings extensive leadership experience from across industry, member-based organisations and sport.
Before joining the AFGC, he was Chief Operating Officer at the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, where he led major transformation and cultural change programs. He also served for a decade as Chief Executive Officer of Touch Football Australia.
Colm has held board roles with the Council of Small Business Australia and is currently Chair of Netball ACT. He is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Leaders and Managers. Colm was also inducted into the Leading Teams Hall of Fame.

With over 25 years’ experience in supply chain planning. Helping organisations transform their capabilities around planning, systems and management frameworks such as S&OP/IBP focusing on FMCG & Retail industries. Dan has been involved with the AFGC for over 10 years, partnering on the supply chain survey, developing insights how supply chains are performing across the industry.

Together, they will explore early insights from the recent AFGC Supply Chain Survey and dive deeper into AI industry trends, as well as take the audience through a practical application of how AI is helping make supply chains more efficient and resilient.

Dr Sandra Cuthbert is a senior public sector leader with expertise in science-based regulation, organisational strategy, and stakeholder engagement, having worked in central, line, and portfolio agencies including PMC, Finance, DAFF, and FSANZ. She has extensive experience working at the intersection of government, industry, and the community, ensuring regulatory frameworks are both evidence-driven and practical.

In her current role as Chief Executive Officer of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), Dr Cuthbert leads a binational agency responsible for developing and maintaining the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. She oversees scientific risk assessments, policy development, and regulatory harmonisation to protect public health while supporting a dynamic food industry.

Sandra enjoys learning and has qualifications in veterinary medicine and surgery, law, and governance and is currently undertaking a Senior Executive Master of Business Administration.

James is a lifelong marketing professional with extensive experience across South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and global teams. With a career that includes global powerhouse companies such as Mars, Suntory and Intersnack, James has helped shape and manage some of the most iconic FMCG brands over the course of his two decades in the industry. Today, James leads his consultancy with one single-minded mission: To make marketing better for all.

Louise believes great workplaces don’t happen by accident – they’re built with intention, courage, and the right people in the room.

With over 25 years of leadership experience spanning manufacturing, FMCG, consulting, and not-for-profit, she brings a practical, no-nonsense approach to creating workplaces where people genuinely thrive. Her focus has always been on solutions that work – not box-ticking exercises, but real, sustainable change that makes organisations better, safer, and more engaging for everyone.

As CEO of the National Association of Women in Operations (NAWO), Louise leads a growing national network of businesses committed to achieving better gender balance across Australia’s operational industries. She works alongside organisations to challenge assumptions, shift culture, and unlock the untapped potential that comes with truly diverse teams. Her hands-on background in people and culture, team leadership, and organisational change means she understands the challenges from the inside and knows how to turn them into opportunity.

Louise also serves as Deputy Chair of the Australian Gender Equality Council, bringing that same practical, people-first lens to systemic advocacy at a national level.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, completed the Chief Executive Women Leaders Program in 2022, and is currently undertaking her Executive MBA with the Melbourne Business School.

Working as a social researcher, Mark McCrindle has been recognised as a leader in tracking emerging trends and issues. With an international following, Mark has appeared across numerous media outlets, with his advice and expertise being hailed around the world.

Mark is a best-selling author, an influential thought leader, TEDx speaker and Principal of his communications and research company, McCrindle Research.

Producing highly valued research and reports, Mark uses infographics, data visualisations, videos, media input, resources, and blogs, to produce explanatory information in an easy to understand manner.

Bringing a fresh approach to his boardroom briefings, workshops, strategy sessions and keynotes, Mark comes armed with the latest findings. He is able to customise his presentations to ensure they hit any brief.

As an author, Mark has written three books on the topic of emerging trends and social change, including ‘The ABC of XYZ: Understanding the Global Generations’, ‘Word Up: A Lexicon and Guide to Communication in the 21st Century’ and ‘The Power of Good’.

Recognised with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM), Mark Squirrell’s work as an International Aid Worker has seen him work under pressure in some of the world’s most tense situations. From car bombings to meeting Yasser Arafat, Mark ‘Squiz’ Squirrell OAM has experienced more than most.

After serving in the Australian Commandos and being awarded the coveted “Green Beret”, Squiz took his courage and leadership skills abroad to help others overcome adversity and turmoil.

Squiz has escorted food convoys through the Gaza Strip, negotiated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamel Eelam (Tamil Tigers) and brokered deals with Somali Clansmen to ensure the safe delivery of United Nations food aid. In doing so, Squiz continues to master the challenges of performing under pressure.

Inspired by his work with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Squiz climbed his way to the top of Mount Everest to help raise awareness of the global hunger crisis. The gruelling six-week ordeal across glaciers and over exposed cliffs reveal the motivation, habits and adversity skills that facilitated his success.

With a career’s worth of experiences to draw upon, Squiz memorialised his adventures in a memoir titled ‘From Arafat to Everest’. He was also recognised in the Australia Day Honours List with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his service to the international community through humanitarian aid in 2019.

He continues to be deployed on short-term assignments to emergency zones, such as the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa and 2015 Nepal Earthquake.

Using personal anecdotes and real-time scenarios, Squiz challenges his audience to think well under pressure and communicate effectively with their team. Through practical strategies for lateral thinking, Squiz is passionate about helping people navigate the complex global market and improve workplace performance. Unique footage played through Virtual Reality goggles guarantee that your staff will have a life-like, high impact and unforgettable experience!

Matt Weaver leads Howden’s Climate Risk & Resilience practice across the Pacific region. A Fellow of the UK Faculty of Actuaries with over 17 years of experience in insurance, catastrophe analytics, and alternative risk transfer, Matt specialises in translating climate risk into measurable, strategic decisions. Working across agriculture, supply chain and nature-based markets, Matt designs parametric insurance solutions that help food and grocery businesses quantify their exposure to extreme weather and natural hazards, and act on it. He challenges traditional insurance models to unlock investment in climate adaptation, and uses insurance intelligence to make the financial case for resilience. His work spans producers, processors, and supply chain operators navigating a climate landscape that is reshaping cost, continuity, and competitive position across the sector.

Nerida Kelton is the Vice President Sustainability & Save Food, for the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) and the Executive Director for the Australasian Institute of Packaging (AIP). She has worked in the Packaging industry for 28 years, with 26 years working for the AIP; the peak professional body for packaging training and education in Australasia. As an active lecturer and trainer in the AIP educational portfolio, Nerida is committed to helping educate and train packaging professionals in the importance of sustainable and circular packaging design, how to design out waste at the start and believes that it is important to showcase and recognise best practice in these areas.

Nerida is also recognised as one of the leading voices globally on the important role that packaging plays in minimising Food Waste and how designing Save Food Packaging can make a difference. She is the lead for the Save Food Packaging Guidelines, has created training courses in this area, has research published on the guidelines, and is also a co-author in the Paradox between Packaging & Waste Position paper that was co-written by WPO, UNIDO and Wageningen University. Nerida is passionate about elevating this conversation across the globe and helping brands to design out waste at the start.

Scott McGrath is the Director of Stakeholders, Engagement and Policy at the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC).
He leads the AFGC’s engagement with government, industry and media, advocating for policies that support a strong and sustainable food and grocery sector.
Scott brings a strong background in political offices and in state and Commonwealth government roles, giving him deep insight into government processes and jurisdictional challenges.
A skilled communicator, he translates complex technical issues into clear messages that influence decision-making and public understanding.
Scott also oversees the AFGC’s media relations, raising the industry’s profile and driving advocacy on key issues affecting members and consumers.