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.

Amanda is a Partner within Deloitte’s Climate and Sustainability practice, with extensive experience supporting the market in preparing for and implementing mandated climate reporting standards. She has led numerous engagements across gap assessments, readiness programs, and full-scale implementation of regulatory-aligned disclosures, helping organisations translate complex requirements into practical, auditable processes.

Amanda brings deep experience advising boards and executive teams on governance, risk management, and disclosure obligations under emerging climate frameworks across various sectors. In addition, Amanda is a co-founder of the RMITO and Deloitte Climate Reporting Course, where she develops and delivers training on climate disclosure requirements.

Andrew Henderson is a recognised thought leader with over two decades of strategic policy experience across Australia’s food system, including food security, biosecurity, traceability, and food safety regulation. A trusted advisor to governments, industry, and private sector organisations, he has held senior policy and advisory roles, serves on industry boards, and is a published author contributing to policy discourse and professional development. Andrew is known for bringing diverse stakeholders together to develop practical, resilient solutions informed by a deep understanding ofAustralia’s policy landscape.

After 30 years in the business, Andrew Klein is one of Australia’s most engaged and engaging Professional Conference MCs. He is also one of this country’s foremost speakers and trainers on Presentation Skills and Pitching for Business. 

A former corporate lawyer, Andrew brings his casual yet corporate style to proceedings. He is well-known on the conference circuit for his informal yet professional style, his entertaining speaker introductions, his live interviews and his quick wit 

and improvisational skills. He is also adept at connecting with vastly different audiences, including having adapted seamlessly to the virtual format. 

Andrew is a leading and well respected industry professional with over 35 years’ experience in retail and supply chain across Australia.

Andrew currently leads the Account Development Team at GS1 Australia and is responsible for the development, execution, and ongoing monitoring of the Account Development Framework and strategy across the GS1 Australia Corporate Account portfolio. This role is accountable for the management of relationships with relevant and strategically important customers, ensuring that member-specific needs are met, member objectives are achieved, and strategic corporate goals are delivered.

Anna has over 20 years’ experience in global retail, specialising in strategic leadership and cultural and business transformation across the United Kingdom and Australia, with leading retailers WHSmith, Tesco, Coles, and MECCA Brands.

As Chief Commercial Officer, Anna is responsible for leading strong strategic relationships with suppliers and evolving merchandise strategy to help Coles become famous for delighting customers with an exceptional customer offer.

Prior to joining Coles in January 2024, Anna was MECCA’s Chief Operating Officer, where she was responsible for the end-to-end experience of finding and partnering with the world’s best beauty brands, then delivering the MECCA offer and their products to customers.

Anna previously spent 10 years at Coles in several roles, growing her career from Buyer to General Manager of Coles Express and General Manager of Grocery. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Kingston University and a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Business Information Systems from Leeds Metropolitan University.

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.

Belinda Driscoll is Vice President and Managing Director of Kimberly-Clark ANZ, with responsibility for leading the business across the region and delivering sustainable growth for K-Cs category-leading brands.

With a career spanning sales, marketing and general management, Belinda brings deep commercial experience across the FMCG landscape. She has worked with some of the world’s most recognised brands and major retail partners, giving her insight into the varied opportunities and challenges facing the sector.

Known for her people-first leadership style, Belinda is committed to creating inclusive workplaces where individuals and teams can thrive. She champions sustainable business practices and initiatives that uplift underserved communities and is driven by the role trusted brands can play in improving everyday lives.

Ben Ashby is Head of Retail at Fever-Tree Australia, where he leads the company’s retail strategy and customer partnerships. With more than a decade of experience spanning sales, category management and account leadership across leading FMCG organisations including Fever-Tree, Mutti & Accolade Wines, Ben has built a reputation for driving growth through strong retailer collaboration and consumer-focused strategies. A former recipient of the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s Future Leaders Award, he is passionate about developing people, fostering innovation and shaping the future of the Australian grocery industry. 

Bernie Brookes AM is a highly experienced retail and business leader with more than 50 years of leadership across retail, wholesale operations, supply chain, technology, human resources and organisational transformation. He has held executive and board roles across Australia, China, India and Africa, leading large multinational organisations, private equity-backed businesses and entrepreneurial ventures.

Bernie currently serves as Chairman of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, ASX-listed DÖTZ, Direct Group, Renuon Renewable Energy, Longenics Health, UNESSA Investments and Origin Coffee, and is a Board Member of the Australian Turf Club. He is also an active adviser to private equity firms, investment funds and financial institutions on retail strategy and growth.

Recognised for his contributions to business and community leadership, Bernie was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), serves as a United Nations HeForShe Ambassador, and has been inducted into the Australian Retail Hall of Fame. His numerous accolades include the Charles McGrath Award for Marketing, the CEO Africa Award, and the Indian Retail Association Icon Award.

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.

Cathy Garrone is a National Business Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), where she is responsible for customer partnership and growth initiatives for Grinders Coffee. Prior to moving into account management, Cathy worked across CCEP’s strategy function, leading business transformation projects and strategic initiatives with multi-million-dollar commercial impact. 

In 2025, Cathy won the AFGC Future Leaders Scholarship for her essay and presentation on the barriers and benefits of new product development (NPD). She is passionate about innovation, category growth and creating value for both customers and shoppers across the Australian food and grocery sector. 

Christine Corbett is a commercial & people focussed Chief Executive Officer & Executive Leader who brings over 25 years experience in transformation and change, performance improvement and growth in large scale consumer focussed industries (retail, ecommerce, energy, logistics and agriculture).

She is a recognised business leader with a successful track record in managing large complex teams to drive results and deliver new revenue streams across mature and emerging markets.

Christine brings a unique perspective on leading an ASX listed company as CEO Elect at both AGL Australia and Incitec Pivot Fertilisers through a time of rapid change, in industries experiencing massive disruption and changing investor sentiment.

Christine built a career at Australia Post spanning almost three decades where she held executive roles across communications, marketing, retail and operations culminating in being appointed as the company’s first Chief Customer Officer and then interim Chief Executive Officer.

She was also a Non-Executive Director for the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.

Christine is currently a strategic advisor for a supply chain organisation, Chair at the CEO Institute, Advisory Board member for a data centre developer and an executive coach.

She holds a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Business (Communication) from the Queensland University of Technology and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program.

Christy has 20+ years of leadership experience across multinational, boutique, and start-up agency environments. Originally from Michigan USA, she began her recruitment career in Sydney in 2005 and joined Miller Leith in 2025 as Director – NSW before progressing to Chief Executive Officer. Known for her energy and integrity, she has a well-developed executive network and an impressive track record of placements at MD/GM and senior commercial and functional leadership levels within the FMCG, Retail and product based B2B industries. She is passionate about building trusted partnerships and creating meaningful talent outcomes that make a real difference for individuals, teams, and organisations.

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.

Craig Woolford is the lead consumer sector analyst at MST Marquee and has over 24 years’ experience researching all aspects of the retail sector in Australia. Craig’s clients include large superannuation funds that invest in retail, as well as major retailers and suppliers. Craig and his team also have a website, retailmosaic.com.au, where subscribers can access their insights. Craig is regularly cited in industry journals and the media for his insights about the state of Australian retailing and performance of major companies across the retail and food and beverages sectors.

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.

David Maunsell is Customer Director at Stuart Alexander & Co., where he leads the Sales and Category teams. Since joining the business two years ago, David has focused on driving customer growth, strengthening commercial partnerships and building high-performing teams.

He brings broad FMCG experience across both Sales and Marketing, having held roles with Frucor Suntory, Lactalis Australia and nudie. This cross-functional background gives David a strong perspective on customer strategy, brand growth and the evolving capabilities needed to succeed in the FMCG industry.

Dean Bauer is the Executive General Manager of Supply Chain at Metcash, where he leads the national supply chain function supporting thousands of independent retailers across Australia. Responsible for distribution, transport, fulfilment, inventory management, forecasting and network strategy, Dean plays a key role in ensuring the efficient flow of products from suppliers through to stores and communities nationwide.

With extensive experience leading large-scale supply chain and operational teams, Dean is passionate about building strong partnerships across the value chain to deliver better outcomes for suppliers, retailers and consumers. He is focused on driving innovation, operational excellence and long-term supply chain resilience, helping position Metcash as the leading partner for independent retail in Australia.

Deb Yates has over 28 years of experience leading people, culture, change and transformation across a range of organisations both in Australia and overseas.

Prior to joining Coles in June 2025 Deb was the Global Chief People Officer at Lendlease and has held a number of senior leadership positions including National Managing Partner for People and Corporate Affairs, KPMG Australia; Chief HR Officer at Reckitt Benckiser (RB) where she worked in Australia, the Netherlands, United States and United Kingdom. She has also held senior HR roles in News Limited, National Meat Association and Qantas.

Deb has a Bachelor of Arts, Psychology from Macquarie University and Master of Commerce, Employment Relations from University of Western Sydney.

Doug is an experienced executive with extensive wholesale, retail and eCommerce experience in Canada, South Africa and Australia. 
 
He has held senior finance, supply chain and general management roles at in Makro SA, Massmart Limited, Amalgamated Beverages Industries Limited and The South African Breweries, all in Johannesburg, Coca-Cola Enterprises in Canada, and Deloitte in both Canada and South Africa. He is a chartered accountant having qualified in South Africa, and registered in both South Africa and Australia and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

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.

Emma-Jane was appointed CEO Australia for Peters Ice Cream in June 2019, bringing more than 20 years of FMCG experience to the role.

Starting her career as a Graduate intern at Nestle in 1999, Emma-Jane quickly rose through the company taking on a number key sales management and category roles within their confectionery, beverages, frozen foods and chilled diary divisions.

September 2008 saw Emma-Jane given responsibility for category development for Peters Ice Cream, which later lead to her appointment as its Director of Marketing and Sales.  She was instrumental in driving an aggressive growth agenda in a low cost, face paced environment through the years the business transferred hands to Private Equity ownership.

Whilst leading the commercial team, Emma-Jane also steered the product technology and innovation unit which provided invaluable experience in the operational and procurement side of Australian manufacturing.

During Emma-Jane’s seven-year tenure as CEO, the business has sustained its strong growth agenda while transforming its operational footprint to build the factory of the future. Guided by its purpose, “to treat life joyfully, one ice cream at a time,” the business and it’s people are thriving.

A dynamic and accomplished leader, Emma-Jane is fiercely passionate about Peters and its products – which to use her words are “the lifeblood and cornerstone of our business”.    She is a strategic thinker, strong communicator and committed to driving a spirited culture of teamwork, creativity, accountability and performance.

Grant Smith is Director of Business Development for AutoStore ANZ at Kardex, bringing over 30 years of experience in supply chain automation and material handling. With a background spanning retail, logistics, and warehouse consultancy, he understands the real-world challenges businesses face and works closely with supply chain leaders, integrators, and technology partners to build smarter, more efficient systems. His focus is on delivering continuous value through AutoStore empowered by Kardex solutions designed to enhance efficiency, lower operational costs, deliver greater resilience and the assurance to plan for the future.

Known for his practical mindset and collaborative approach, Grant is passionate about making automation work for everyone from manufacturers, operators and supply chain leaders. Driven by optimisation, he’s always looking for smarter ways to unlock performance and value through thoughtful design, and above all, genuine partnership.

Greg has spent 20 years in Australian FMCG, across supply chain, sales and marketing. He started out as a Vendor Replenishment Planner, before moving into account management on both the independent and national grocery channels. In 2013 he set up his first consultancy, covering the Integrated Supply Planner role at Woolworths, and later co-founded OtherSky Coffee, taking the brand from concept to market.

In 2020 Greg established PIVOT to support Metcash suppliers through the ISP program – work that has earned three nominations for Metcash’s ISP of the Year.

Connected to both the supplier and the customer, PIVOT’s planners maintain the data integrity that every order depends on. From there the work spans forecast planning and alignment, along with the efficiency projects that improve service, cost and inventory health across each portfolio.

Greg Suzor is a Chief Operating Officer and Supply Chain executive with more than 30 years’ experience leading large-scale operations across FMCG, manufacturing and retail. He has held executive leadership roles with organisations including Koko Black, Coles, and Amcor, leading complex supply chains and manufacturing networks across Australia and internationally.

Throughout his career, Greg has helped organisations improve performance by combining operational excellence with people-centred leadership. He has led major transformations spanning manufacturing, supply chain, digital technologies and Integrated Business Planning, delivering sustainable improvements in customer service, productivity and profitability.
A long-standing mentor and advocate with the National Association of Women in Operations (NAWO), Greg is passionate about developing inclusive leaders and building workplaces where diverse perspectives drive stronger business outcomes.

Harry is a vendor replenishment planner for Unilever, managing their Woolworths’ portfolio. He started with Unilever as a supply chain graduate in 2021 as part of the Unilever Future Leaders Program. In his 5 years at Unilever he has worked in supply planning, environmental project management, and procurement across Foods, Ice Cream, Home Care, Laundry and Personal care. Harry is passionate about sustainability and efficiency; in is current role he manifests this passion through long-term improvement projects in the customer experience space.

Helen Millicer is a recognised, award-winning strategist on circularity and climate-ready future, with 30 years’ leadership experience in executive and governance in government, industry associations and business.

Helen is the author of a groundbreaking report in 2026 into Extended Producer Responsibility schemes in Australia and other nations, and was principal author of the 2023 seminal report for the Australian Government recommending 10 major changes for the eco-design of all products into the Australian market and the chapter on plastics.

As CEO of One Planet Consulting she is engaged in national projects and strategies. In addition to her role with Australia’s industry-led EPR stewardship program for plastic packaging for Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia Helen is also Australia Lead for global program, Climate Action for Associations for trades and professions and Board Director Solving Plastic Waste CRC.

Helen has held senior policy and program roles in both state government departments and agencies, and national industry associations regarding energy, carbon, water and materials, and consulted to APCO. Simultaneously, Helen has a long, distinguished career as director and chair of boards contributing national and global networks and insights, is a winner of scholarships and a graduate of AICD, a Churchill Trust Fellow and a regular speaker at conferences and forums. In her early life she worked in PR and communications, radio and arts management.

Helen’s qualifications include BA and Post-Grad Business from Monash Uni and certificates in Carbon Accounting and Sustainable Investing from Swinburne and Harvard respectively.

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.

James Guild is the Head of FMCG Commercial at NIQ Australia, with over 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry, including the last decade in Australia. James specialises in building long-term partnerships with Retail and FMCG organisations.
He is a seasoned leader known for driving data-driven decisions and leveraging the power of human insight and technology. Prior to joining NIQ, James has held key roles at Kantar Worldpanel, IRI and Salesforce. He is passionate about helping brands navigate the evolving Australian FMCG landscape and driving growth through insights, empowerment and innovative solutions.

Jay Meek is the General Manager for Austrade’s Trade Diversification Taskforce, which has been established to help Australian businesses respond to an increasing level of global economic uncertainty by building the resilience and diversification of Australia’s exports. Jay was formerly the General Manager for Trade at Austrade, which assists Australian exporters to grow internationally further and faster. Prior to joining Austrade, Jay was the Deputy Secretary of Trade Victoria in the Victorian Government where he managed 23 international offices and more than 200 staff. Jay holds a Bachelor of Agriculture from the University of Adelaide. He has held a number of senior commercial and government positions in his career.

Jaye Wee leads consumer, shopper and brand solutions at NIQ, a global leader in consumer intelligence. Partnering with FMCG brands across Australia and New Zealand, she transforms consumer data into impactful growth strategies, balancing immediate shopper activations with long-term brand building.

Shaped by her multicultural experiences across Singapore, Japan and Australia, Jaye brings a distinctive perspective on how consumers make decisions, how brands create enduring relevance, and how growth can be unlocked even in the most constrained environments.

Today, as AI and agentic commerce fundamentally reshape the path to purchase, she is at the forefront of a vital industry shift: helping brands master the dual challenge of staying visible to ever-changing algorithms without losing the human connections that ultimately drive trust, loyalty and long-term growth.

Jeremy Schneider, BASc, MBA is the Vice President of WITRON Service Australia Pty Ltd, leading the delivery and support of advanced automated logistics and warehouse solutions across Australia.

A Mechanical Engineer with an MBA, Jeremy brings more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning manufacturing, automation, supply chain operations, FMCG, food and beverage, and automotive industries.

Jeremy is recognized for driving operational excellence, business growth, performance optimization, and large-scale organizational transformation. Throughout his career, Jeremy has successfully led complex operations across production, maintenance, engineering, planning, quality, safety, and budgeting functions, managing large multidisciplinary teams and delivering sustainable performance improvements. His leadership approach is centered on collaboration, continuous improvement, lean manufacturing principles, and people-focused culture development.

At WITRON Service Australia, Jeremy is committed to building high-performing teams and fostering strong customer partnerships to support some of the world’s most advanced automated distribution and fulfillment facilities. He is passionate about innovation, talent development, and helping organizations maximize the value of automation and technology-driven supply chain solutions.

Karen McWilliams is the Sustainability Leader in the Policy and Advocacy team at Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ). She is responsible for shaping and influencing sustainability-related issues of relevance to Chartered Accountants, including modern slavery, climate change, nature and sustainability reporting matters. Karen chairs the finance, risk and audit committee of the UN Global Compact Network Australia Board and is a member of the Australian Government’s Nature Finance Council.

She is a Fellow Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Master of Arts in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Oxford.

Kevin Gunn is Executive General Manager, Supply Chain & Manufacturing at Coles Group, accountable for Coles’ national supply chain and manufacturing portfolio. His remit includes distribution, replenishment, fresh meat and produce supply chain including the store operating model, convenience meals, fresh milk production, business continuity planning and group response execution. His key focus areas are customer availability, cost-to-serve, safety, operational resilience and enterprise transformation.

Kevin has more than three decades of retail leadership experience across Australia and the UK. Since joining Coles in 2009, he has held senior roles across supermarket operations, supply chain, central operations, transformation, automation, replenishment, network strategy and manufacturing. His experience spans frontline operations, large-scale transformation and executive accountability across complex food retail networks.

Kevin has played a key leadership role in major Coles transformation programs, including two highly automated Witron ambient distribution centres, two Ocado customer fulfilment centres, and the third ambient distribution centre in Victoria, currently in build. He also led the transition of two automated milk processing plants from Saputo to Coles and supported
RELEX-enabled produce integrated replenishment to improve availability, freshness, waste, markdown and network flow outcomes.

Before Coles, Kevin held leadership roles with Asda Walmart and Safeway UK. He holds an MBA from Edinburgh Napier University and is AICD director-qualified. Kevin serves on a number of Coles Group Subsidiary Boards and is also on the SecondBite Board. He is Co-Executive Sponsor of Coles Group’s Gender Equity Program

Kristian leads Oxford Economics Australia’s Consulting business which delivers over two hundred economic research projects per year for private and public sector clients. Kristian’s work focuses on analysing the strategic, planning and workforce implications of the economic outlook.

Lainie Tayler is Chief of Staff and Chief People Officer at Carman’s Kitchen, one of Australia’s most loved FMCG brands. As a key member of the leadership team, Lainie has played a central role in the business’s sustained growth, helping build the operating rhythms, leadership capability, and culture that have carried Carman’s through significant transformation and scale.

With a career spanning Telstra, Asciano, adidas and GE, Lainie brings rare depth across organisational strategy, large-scale transformation, and people performance in both corporate and founder-led environments. At Carman’s, she has maintained engagement scores above 90% for seven consecutive years.

Lainie’s obsession sits at the intersection of strategy and workforce, the belief that how you design and lead your people is inseparable from how you execute your strategy. It’s a conviction built across 30 years and some of Australia’s most complex organisations.

A qualified Executive Coach, Lainie speaks to what it really takes to build high-performance cultures that endure, without losing the soul of the business.

Leah Weckert became CEO and Managing Director of Coles Group on 1 May 2023.

Leah joined Coles in 2011 and has held several senior roles across the Coles Group. Most recently, Leah was Chief Executive, Commercial and Express leading the supermarkets business units and the Coles Express business. Before this, Leah was Chief Financial Officer and played a leadership role in the demerger from Wesfarmers in 2018. Leah has also held roles as Director Strategy, Director People & Culture, State General Manager Victoria Operations, and General Manager Merchandise, Strategy and Innovation.

Prior to joining Coles, Leah worked at McKinsey & Company, advising large private and public sector clients, and Fosters Group in Strategy and Business Development.

Leah’s qualifications include a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from Adelaide University and a Bachelor of Science from Adelaide University. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women.

Outside of work, Leah enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.

Leanne White is an experienced retail leader with more than 25 years in the industry, with broad expertise spanning merchandise, supply chain and operations across Fresh Food, Ambient Food and Non-Food.

Throughout her career at Coles, Leanne has held a number of senior leadership roles and delivered significant results across the Frozen, Bakery and Pantry businesses before being appointed General Manager in December 2019. As General Manager, Leanne leads some of Coles Supermarkets’ largest business units, Grocery and Non-Food, delivering strong commercial outcomes through customer-led strategies, omnichannel growth, market-leading value programs and product innovation.

Passionate about building high-performing teams and enduring partnerships, Leanne brings a strong customer and commercial focus to her leadership. She is known for navigating complex challenges, driving change at pace and delivering meaningful outcomes for customers, suppliers and the broader Coles business.

Lisa McLeod is a Principal Environmental Scientist at Blue Environment, where she works on circular economy, resource recovery and material flow projects for government and industry. She has supported nationally significant work including the National Waste Report, Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation data reporting, and Australian Plastics Flows and Fates studies.

Before joining Blue Environment, Lisa spent more than 25 years in the environmental sector, primarily in government roles spanning environment protection, regulation and business transformation. Her work brings together practical policy experience, market and material flow analysis, and a focus on identifying workable pathways for improved resource recovery and circular outcomes.

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.

Lyn Radford is a purpose-driven commercial leader with more than 30 years’ experience transforming and growing FMCG businesses
across iconic Australian and global brands, including McCain Foods, Chobani, Lion Dairy & Drinks, National Foods, Dairy Farmers and MARS.

She is CEO of SnackHQ Group, a Melbourne-based snack and nutrition bar business that is home to Hitex Confectionery, a leading Australian bar co-manufacturer, and is launching new owned brands including ReFiL and SnackHQ. Her focus is on scaling the branded portfolio alongside a strong co-manufacturing business.

Previously Lyn led McCain Foods Australia & New Zealand, a $1B+ business with 1,100 team members and five manufacturing sites, and before that Chobani Australia, which she helped launch and grow into the #1 yogurt brand.

Lyn’s at her best building high-performing teams, delivering complex transformations and forging trusted relationships at every level. For her, commercial excellence, people and culture, and a genuine commitment to sustainability aren’t competing priorities. They’re complementary ones.

For over 20 years, Marcel Sieira has dedicated his career to empowering industries and governments with the transformative potential of GS1 standards and services, which includes the current adoption and roll-out of Next Generation 2D Barcode technology here in Australia.

Since joining GS1 Australia in 2003, Marcel has played a pivotal role driving innovation and fostering industry-wide adoption of these important global standards. His journey with Australia’s barcode standards not-for-profit organisation began with establishing the Consulting Services Group to develop and launch new industry-based services.

Now serving as Chief Operating Officer, Marcel leads diverse teams in Marketing, Partnerships, Services Adoption, Industry and Government Engagement, and Global Standards and Education.

Marcel’s leadership extends across multiple sectors, including Retail, Agriculture, Healthcare and Transport & Logistics, and addresses critical areas such as digital transformation, paperless trade and e-commerce, supply chain visibility, traceability, consumer and patient safety, cross-border trade, and circularity. With a focus on both private and public sectors, Marcel’s contributions promote global best practices, transparency and seamless industry collaboration.

Before his tenure at GS1 Australia, Marcel built a strong foundation in Sales and Business Development, specialising in cutting-edge solutions such as e-Business applications, Data Synchronisation, and Internet Security. His ability to bridge technical expertise with business strategy has been instrumental in delivering real-world results.

As part of GS1 Australia’s Executive Team, Marcel continues to shape the organisation’s strategic vision, representing it on numerous national and international platforms.

Marcel is particularly passionate about the societal and economic benefits from automation and productivity gains that standards-based supply chain technology can deliver, and the positive impact to Australian communities from increased wellbeing, safety and economic growth.

His unwavering commitment to advancing GS1 standards globally and here in Australia has left an indelible mark on modern supply chains, ensuring they remain resilient, innovative, and forward-thinking to meet the growing need of our fast-paced, digital world.

Mark McCrindle is a social researcher, best-selling author, influential thought leader and TEDx speaker. He is recognised globally as coining the name for the emerging generation, Generation Alpha. Mark’s advisory, communications and research company, McCrindle, count among its clients more than 100 of the nation’s largest companies and leading international brands.

Mark’s highly valued social commentary is presented through his engaging keynotes, research, reports, infographics, videos and media input. He is a trusted advisor and sits on the board of a number of different organisations, after having developed his regard as an expert demographer, futurist and social commentator.

Mark McCrindle, BSc (Psychology), MA, is the author of five books on emerging trends and social change.

Generation Alpha, Work Wellbeing: Leading Thriving Teams in Rapidly Changing Times, 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!

Matthew Bellairs is the Head of Customer Supply Chain at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), where he leads customer supply chain relationships across Australia for the Grocery, Petrol & Convenience, and Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) channels.

In this role, he works closely with customers and internal stakeholders to drive supply chain performance, enhance collaboration, and deliver mutually beneficial outcomes across the end-to-end value chain.

Prior to joining CCEP in 2025, Matthew spent 15 years with Coles, holding a range of leadership positions across both Supply Chain and Store Operations. During his tenure, he led supply chain teams spanning Pantry, Home Care, Impulse Foods, and Beverages, before concluding his Coles career as Head of Supply Chain and Operations for the Bakery category

Matthew began his career in Supply Chain with Murray Goulburn as a Vendor Replenishment Planner, where he developed a strong foundation in collaborative planning and customer-focused supply chain management. He is a passionate advocate for developing supply chain talent and believes in building teams with both functional depth and cross-functional breadth to create future leaders.

Known for his collaborative and pragmatic leadership style, Matthew brings a unique perspective gained from working on both the supplier and retailer sides of the supply chain. His experience across end-to-end retail operations enables him to build strong partnerships, align stakeholders, and deliver sustainable outcomes that create value for customers, suppliers, and consumers alike.

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.

Michael Hall is a senior industrial and manufacturing leader with nearly two decades of experience across the food, beverage, dairy, FMCG, power, paper, and mining sectors. He has built his career from an electrical trade foundation into high-level operational leadership, progressing through frontline manufacturing and reliability roles before stepping into senior positions including Plant Manager, Operations Manager and General Manager – Operations.

Michael is currently the Industrial Director – Beverages and Milk at Lactalis Australia, where he leads a national manufacturing network spanning 8 manufacturing sites and diverse product categories. His remit covers operational performance, network optimisation, capital investment, capability development, and the delivery of safe, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing outcomes across the country.

Across his career, Michael has established a strong track record in operational transformation, manufacturing performance, organisational change, and the development of high-performing teams.

Michael is particularly passionate about developing people, building accountable and high-performing cultures, simplifying complex operational challenges, and driving sustainable improvement rather than short-term gains.

Michael has held senior leadership roles across Lactalis Australia, The Arnott’s Group, and The Patties Foods Group.

Bachelor of Arts (UNSW), AMP (INSEAD), ASM (IMD) 

Mike Schneider was appointed Managing Director of Bunnings Australia and New Zealand in February 2016 and the wider Bunnings Group in May 2017. After joining Bunnings in 2005, Mike previously led various operational teams across Australia and New Zealand. In August 2026, Mike announced that he will retire from Bunnings, with his last day as Managing Director on 31 January 2027. He will be succeeded by Rachael McVitty, who will commence as Managing Director on 1 February 2027.  

During his time as Managing Director, Mike has built on Bunnings’ proud history as a home improvement and outdoor living retailer, leading the development of an integrated group that serves consumer DIY customers as well as trade and commercial customers. The group employs more than 56,000 team members and in FY 2026 generated revenue of $20.4b and earnings of 2.46b. The network now includes 288 large warehouse stores, 65 smaller format stores, 26 trade centres and six frame and truss sites across Australia and New Zealand. Bunnings Group also comprises a number of specialist businesses, including Workwear Group; Beaumont Tiles, which operates 109 stores nationally; and Blackwoods, which operates a network of 79 B2B trade stores and 12 Tool Kit Depot stores across Australia and New Zealand.  

Mike has also overseen the growth of the group’s online and marketplace offers, alongside significant investment in technology and the digitisation of the business to enhance the customer experience. Throughout this period of growth and change, he has remained focused on preserving and strengthening the unique Bunnings culture that plays such an important role in the organisation’s success. 

Other directorships / Appointments  

Mike supports a range of not-for-profit and community organisations. His board roles include Amplify, the Deakin Business School Advisory Board and the Global Home Improvement Network, which represents some of the world’s leading home improvement businesses. He also chairs FightMND. 

Recognition and Qualifications 

Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales. He completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD in France in 2009 and the Advanced Strategic Management Program at IMD in Switzerland in 2015.

Mudiwa Chipungu is Head of Strategy, Projects & Supplier Partnerships at Coles, where she leads supply chain strategy, transformation and supplier partnership initiatives across complex retail operations. Her work focuses on enterprise-wide network strategy, projects, automation, AI integration and capability building across supply chain, with an emphasis on resilience, productivity and sustainable operating outcomes.

Mudiwa has more than 23 years of experience across retail, FMCG, telecommunications, consulting, manufacturing and large-scale operations. She is known for translating complex operational challenges into clear strategic direction, building alignment across senior stakeholders and integrating strategy, people, process and technology to deliver enterprise transformation.

At Coles, Mudiwa has contributed to major supply chain transformation, cross functional programs, automation-led operating model change and sustained supply-chain performance through COVID-19. Her earlier career included logistics and operations roles with TNT Logistics, South Pacific Tyres / Goodyear Dunlop, Coles, Telstra and consulting, including an acting General Manager role at Telstra.

Mudiwa holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School and a Master of Engineering from the University of Melbourne. She also contributes to broader leadership and community impact through board and sector roles, including the Victorian Women’s Trust, and through work supporting women in operations and leadership through NAWO, Wayfinder and Respect Victoria

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.

Olivia Noble is an Assistant Category Manager at The Arnott’s Group and the recipient of the 2026 AFGC Future Leaders Scholarship. A graduate of the University of Cambridge with a degree in History and Politics, Olivia is passionate about understanding changing consumer behaviours and the factors that drive category growth. In her award-winning scholarship presentation, she explored the role of retailers and suppliers in growing categories, highlighting the importance of collaboration to deliver sustainable outcomes for both businesses and consumers. Recognised for her curiosity, commercial mindset and leadership potential, Olivia represents the next generation of leaders helping shape the future of Australia’s food and grocery industry. 

Paris Golden has worked in Food & Beverage manufacturing and Consumer Healthcare in a career spanning 25 years. Originally from the UK, Paris began his career at FritoLay which included an assignment at Smith’s Snackfoods in Australia from 1999-2001. Following a return to the UK and roles with GlaxoSmithKline, Nestle and Premier Foods, Paris returned to Australia with the Coca-Cola Company in 2007 with responsibility for Commercial Development across the Asia Pacific region. This included a period living and working in China from 2010-2012.

Paris joined McCormick Foods in 2015 based in Melbourne and is responsible for operations across Australia and New Zealand. McCormick are the global leader in flavour with a portfolio of leading herbs, spices, seasonings and condiment brands. In addition McCormick is a major supplier to the restaurant, foodservice and consumer goods industries globally.

Paris is a non-executive director of GS1 Australia.

Paris holds bachelors and masters degrees in Engineering from the University of Oxford and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Patrick has been involved in Supply Chains and the FMCG industry for over 20 years. He has been involved in start-ups and establishing continuous improvements programs within mature supply chains.

Paul Bull is Co-Founder and Commercial Director of FMCG Analytics, a specialist revenue growth management consulting and data services business, and the team behind Shoppervisor.

Paul brings 30 years in FMCG, spanning senior leadership roles on the supplier side with businesses such as Kellogg’s and Arnott’s, and agency side with the likes of Advantage Group and Real World Marketing.

Shoppervisor measures promotional execution across the whole marketplace — pricing, tactics, and promotional visibility and support. Since its launch in late 2023, it has become the go-to solution for leading Australian CPG companies looking to measure and benchmark both the quality and share of their promotional execution.

At APEX, Paul will unpack the major shifts in retailer strategy, category and brand support and highlight the categories and suppliers being most impacted, and what it means for the way ahead.

Peter is a partnership broker, innovator and provocateur focused on supply chain traceability, sustainability and digital trade standards. He is General Manager of Public Policy and Government Engagement at GS1 Australia. Peter leads cross-sector programs and works closely with national industry organisations and interest groups to align government and industry on key themes, including supply chain resilience, ESG claims verification and digital trade. Before joining GS1 Peter worked with Data61 at the CSIRO. He is an agricultural economist, Churchill Fellow and expert contributor to UNCEFACT

Rachel Bajada is the Founder and Managing Director of Noshu Foods, one of Australia’s leading low sugar, better-for-you snacking brands. Since founding the business in 2013, Rachel has grown Noshu into a category leader across Australia and New Zealand through a strong focus on innovation, consumer insight and industry partnerships. With more than 20 years’ experience across branding, marketing and FMCG, she has successfully scaled the business in a highly competitive market while driving commercially successful product innovation. Rachel commenced studies in Food Science and Technology (Microbiology) at UNSW before completing a Bachelor of Design (Honours) at UTS. She was named one of Time Out Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” and Food & Drink Business “Rising Star of the Year”. She currently serves as the voice of small-medium sized enterprises on the board of the AFGC.

Richard Rome is a Consumer Products and Retail Leader for EY Australia, where he is responsible for driving client relationships, fostering industry collaboration, and helping organisations navigate an increasingly dynamic consumer landscape. He works closely with leading consumer products and retail businesses, providing insights into emerging market trends, changing customer expectations, and the opportunities created by digital transformation.

Rose Gooding is Group Head of Sustainability at Goodman Fielder, where she leads enterprise-wide sustainability strategy, governance and delivery across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. She is responsible for embedding climate, sustainable sourcing, packaging, food waste and social impact into core business operations and decision-making, and is leading Goodman Fielder’s mandatory climate disclosure program, including the development of its ASRS S2 report as a Group 1 calendar year reporter.

Prior to Goodman Fielder, Rose held leadership roles in social enterprise, delivering impact initiatives across Asia and the Pacific. She holds degrees in Commerce and Economics from the University of New South Wales.

Russell Worland leads Engineering Sustainability at Opella Healthcare Australia, overseeing strategic projects that accelerate the company’s decarbonisation and circular economy ambitions. His portfolio includes energy transition programs, manufacturing sustainability initiatives, and waste stream optimisation projects aimed at reducing environmental impact while improving operational performance. Russell is passionate about demonstrating how engineering innovation can deliver both business value and meaningful sustainability outcomes across the healthcare manufacturing sector.

Scott Hadley is Managing Director at Chobani Australia, leading a portfolio that includes Chobani and Gippsland Dairy. A 25-year FMCG veteran, he has held senior roles at TasFoods, Asahi Beverages, Foster’s Group, GlaxoSmithKline and TT-Line, and is known for building high-performing teams and premium brands. He combines clear commercial focus with a people-first approach grounded in Chobani’s belief that business can be a force for good.

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.

Sean is a highly accomplished supply chain leader with over 20 years of experience in retail and supply chain operations.

He currently serves as the Head of Supply Chain Supplier Solutions at Primary Connect, where he leads a team responsible for optimising Woolworths Group’s supply chain through strategic partnerships with suppliers. Supplier solutions partner with teams at all Primary Connect distribution centres, industry partners, thousands of supply partners and key internal stakeholders across Woolworths Group to ensure inbound deliveries are received safely, efficiently and able to be processed through automation without error or delay.

Prior to his current role, Sean has held various roles across retail operations, General Merchandise (BIG W) and Group Replenishment.

Sean possesses in-depth knowledge of the retail supply chain and is an active member of many industry groups, including the AFGC Trading Partner Forum working committee. He generously shares his retail supply chain expertise by hosting, speaking, and coordinating at industry events.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of building my career in commercial and category roles at some iconic companies — Red Bull, Mars, Coles 360, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, and now Amazon, where I lead the Shoes category for Retail. What gets me out of bed is growing exciting brands, driving retail strategies that shake things up, and helping the people around me get better at what they do.

Along the way I’ve had the chance to help pilot Australia’s first retail media network and lead category strategy across some major accounts. In 2024, I was awarded the AFGC Future Leaders Scholarship, which gave my executive development — and the way I think strategically — a real boost.

Outside of work, you’ll find me training for triathlons and aquathlons. I was honoured to be selected for Team Australia at the Aquathlon World Championships in Abu Dhabi this November. But more than any of that, I’m a proud wife to Matt and mum to our almost-three-year-old, Gabi.

Business, sport, family — it’s all held together by the same things: keep improving, stay resilient, and embrace the chaos.

Shehan is highly experienced in-house psychologist, specialising in creating safer systems of work with a proven track record implementing large scale enterprise risk frameworks. He is recognised by regulators and is collaborating with leading University Partners and not-for-profit think tanks.

Shehan is currently leading the rollout of mental health initiatives, training and implementation across Howden’s client base for the private and community sectors, to inform and transform the psychological health and wellbeing of their workforces.

Simon Mosley is a Director of Consulting at Real World Marketing, a specialist consulting and training firm that helps consumer goods suppliers unlock growth through stronger capability, strategy and partnerships. He specialises in commercial strategy and capability development. With almost 30 years’ experience across leading FMCG businesses including Unilever, Kraft Foods, Mondelez, General Mills and Real World Marketing, Simon has built a career spanning supply chain, category management, marketing, sales leadership and consulting. Known for combining strategic thinking with practical experience, he is passionate about developing people, strengthening customer partnerships, and delivering sustainable growth.

Simon is a senior business leader with 30 years’ experience gained in blue chip organisations such as Pepsico, Kraft Foods, Heinz, Parmalat and Andros Barker’s where he has held a variety of marketing, operations, general management and executive roles in Australia and New Zealand. He’s built a track record in accelerating growth and profit in mature brands and emerging businesses through branding and innovation, and the system that supports bringing it to life. 

For the last 8 years Simon has played a key role in the rapid growth of Noshu Foods as Commercial Operations Director, on the journey from an early-stage business to Australia’s No.1 Low Sugar Snacking Company. A key focus has been developing and executing the strategy and to ensure that the business’s manufacturing and supply chain landscape is well positioned to deliver world-class product and service that’s high on quality and competitive on cost, while being resilient upstream on materials and supply, and downstream in execution and delivery to the customer. All with the driving motivation to bring ideas anchored in good insights to life FAST to deliver on today’s consumer needs now and get competitive advantage in return. His belief is that Operations is where the rubber hits the road, quite literally, and there’s excellent discussion to be had on the areas that stop innovation or slow it down, and on the flip side avenues to better products, and slicker systems and processes.

Through the course he’s managed and evolved the supply ecosystem with a deliberate intent to be ‘future fit’ –  vertically and horizontally – in that the supply ecosystem can handle rapid scaling of volumes while providing the capability required to bring genuine innovation and new thinking to fruition, protecting IP and balancing risk.

Simon is particularly passionate about realising enablers to better speed and efficiency in the modern world of planning and Ops and is a newly appointed a member of the TPF Committee.

Sophie Boyd is a Supplier Partnership Manager within Replenishment at Coles, where she works across suppliers and internal teams to strengthen partnerships, improve end-to-end supply chain performance and deliver sustainable business outcomes.

Throughout her career at Coles, Sophie has built broad experience across supply chain leadership, planning and transformation, including roles across Health, Baby and Beauty, Beverages and Deli, as well as major initiatives such as the Redbank ADC launch, Deli EO rollout and Coles Local store openings.

Sophie is known for her collaborative leadership style, end-to-end thinking and ability to bring together different perspectives. She takes the time to understand stakeholder pain points and operational challenges, translating these insights into practical solutions that create value for customers, suppliers and the broader business.

Stephen founded Miller Leith in 2014 with 10 years’ prior recruitment experience, ranging from large international firms in London to well-known executive search firms in Australia. His determination and disciplined approach, along with his eagerness to deliver a higher level of service has led to the expansion of Miller Leith to become an established partner to the FMCG, retail and broader manufacturing industries nationally. His role of Executive Director allows him to be “in market,” – consulting to clients on a range of talent solutions including executive search, specialist recruitment, contracting, and workforce advisory services. Through his personalised approach, he is seen as a trusted advisor to his network executing leadership appointments across the industry including Board, CEO/ MD/ GM, and other C-Suite/ Director level appointments.

Steve Andrews is Managing Director for Advantage Australia and New Zealand.

Steve has over thirty-five years’ FMCG experience, with twenty years managing
Sales teams and large account relationships for blue chip FMCG suppliers, and
fifteen years in General Management roles for FMCG-based insights companies.

In 2018, Steve joined the Advantage team and has since pioneered development
of the Advantage service into Foodservice, Specialty Pet, Ecommerce channels,
adding to the effective ongoing management of Advantage programs across
Grocery, Pharmacy and Liquor.

Steve is passionate about helping clients achieve mutually successful
commercial outcomes with trading partners and believes wholeheartedly in a
philosophy of pragmatic collaboration between retailers, wholesalers and
distributors with suppliers.

Steve regularly advises top 50 manufacturers and top 10 retailers in Australia.

Steve has been the Head of External Relations for George Weston Foods Ltd for the last seven years, covering Australia and New Zealand. He also supports the parent company Associated British Foods Plc in their other operations in Australia and New Zealand, such as Twinings.

Since GWF businesses operate on over 40 sites in every mainland Australian state and across the North and South Islands, and in parts of South East Asia through joint ventures, GWF engages with Federal, State and Local Governments on a broad range of regulatory and investment issues, many unique to each of the businesses.

Steve also supports GWF businesses on ESG policy issues across Australia and New Zealand, as well as supporting its parent ABF on ESG policy issues.

Steve’s background as a former senior executive in the Victorian Government’s Economic department, the Department of Jobs Skills, Industry  and Regions for ten years, and previously as a Chief of Staff to the Minister for Trade and Industry in the Victorian Government for four years, positions him uniquely to be able to translate business needs into potential policy solutions that Governments in particular can understand.

Steve also was an adviser with the Australian Government prior to his time in the Victorian Government.

Swati Prasad is Managing Director of Swisse Wellness ANZ, one of Australia’s most loved health and wellness brands. Before Swisse, Swati built her career across Australia, New Zealand and Asia with global consumer companies including Unilever and Reckitt, holding senior roles spanning category, customer, supply chain, digital and commercial leadership. Known for her consumer and customer centricity and a bias for data-led thinking, Swati translates deep commercial insight into sustainable outcomes, resulting in strong trust and partnerships with retailers across multiple channels.

Tamara is a seasoned supply chain professional with over 20 years of experience in the Woolworths Group. She has held various senior roles at WooliesX, where she has been instrumental in accelerating the strategic automation roadmap, investment, and delivery of eStores and Customer Fulfillment Centres (CFCs). In her current role, Tamara leads the success of Primary Connect’s network transformation program, driving the delivery of a flexible and resilient end-to-end supply chain and world-class automation solutions.

Tim Morgan is the Chief Supply Chain Officer at The Arnott’s Group, home to some of Australia’s most iconic food brands.

With more than 25 years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry, Tim is a highly accomplished executive recognised for delivering operational excellence across complex manufacturing and supply chain environments. As Chief Supply Chain Officer, he leads The Arnott’s Group’s multi-site, multi-country supply chain network, and is focused on unlocking its full potential by empowering employees with the right tools, information, and capabilities to create value every day.

A passionate, people-centric leader, Tim has a reputation for building high-performing teams and resilient operations. He is committed to ensuring consumers and customers continue to receive the quality and safety standards they expect from The Arnott’s Group’s brands, while helping the business operate efficiently and at pace.

Toby Smith is a highly accomplished leader in the fast-moving consumer goods sector with over two decades of experience in senior roles at Mondelēz International, custodians of iconic and much-loved brands including Cadbury Dairy Milk, Oreo, Recaldent gum and The Natural Confectionery Company. 

As the President for Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, a role he assumed in January 2025, Toby oversees a vibrant business unit comprising 2300 employees, eight manufacturing facilities, and relationships with over 700 local suppliers. 

Previously he served as Vice President of Sales Australia (2021-2024). In his 20 plus years with the company, Toby has held numerous sales roles across Australia and in China earning recognition for his ability to foster long-term growth and strong customer relationships. His leadership was instrumental in Mondelēz International being the preferred supplier of its customers four out of the last five years. 

A proven innovator, Toby is a leader who thrives on inspiring teams to challenge conventional thinking in responding to the changing world of snacking and growing consumer snacking habits. He is passionate about igniting long-term focuses across his team, and in achieving bold growth for the chocolate, candy and biscuit brands in Mondelēz International’s portfolio and using brands to positively contribute to communities and inspiring a purpose-led team. 

Outside of his professional endeavours, Toby is married, has three sons, and enjoys playing golf and surfing in his hometown of Barwon Heads, Victoria.