TCA Partners Forum Summit 2024 | Tech Council of Australia

Event Details

The TCA Partners Summit brings the key initiatives of the Tech Council Partners Forum together in an exciting live event experience. This is where industry leaders, innovators, and policymakers collaborate to shape the future of technology and innovation across Australia's economy.

The TCA Partners Summit will provide a platform for organisations to showcase their expertise and work collaboratively on solving emerging challenges in the economy by connecting industry leaders, advisors, technology experts and innovative businesses to work collectively on practical initiatives to build the tech workforce pipeline, drive safe and responsible adoption of technology, and drive investment in innovation across the economy.

Join the Movement: The Tech Council Partners Forum is now expanding its impact. We're inviting companies from all sectors to join us in transforming Australia's economic future through tech innovation and leadership. Tech jobs are no longer confined to the tech industry alone—over half of tech workers are employed outside of traditional tech roles. This makes the involvement of large employers crucial to ensure more Australians can benefit from the growing tech job landscape.

The TCA Partners Summit leads right into our 2024 National Tech Summit – the annual flagship summit of the TCA that brings together established and emerging leaders across Australia's tech ecosystem with a packed program of events and talks focused on the key issues and opportunities for Australia's tech ecosystem.

Agenda

November 11, 2024

Main Schedule

12:30 - 13:30

Registration and Lunch

Registration Opens. Lunch and networking.

13:30 - 15:30

Keynotes and Panel Sessions

Launch of the Partner Forum

Session 1:
Diversity & Inclusion – An Imperative for the Growing Tech Workforce
This panel will explore the development of industry-wide standards aimed at increasing the employment and retention of women in technical roles. With input from leaders who have successfully transformed their organisations’ approaches to diversity, the session will examine how to implement concrete, measurable standards that can uplift women in tech, drive inclusion, and ensure long-term success.

Session 2:
Showcasing Australian Tech Innovation
This panel will explore how emerging technologies are transforming industries beyond traditional tech sectors. With leaders from companies that have successfully integrated cutting-edge technologies into their operations, the session will focus on how tech innovations such as AI, automation, and data analytics are driving growth and improving efficiency across various industries, from finance to retail to manufacturing.

Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano

Emma Jones

Damian Kassabgi

15:30 - 15:50

Afternoon tea

15:50 - 17:15

Collaboration Session

With challenges too complex for one organisation to solve on their own, this collaborative session will bring together a diverse group of partners and members to help set the agenda for the TCA Partner Forum.

The session will comprise of four rounds of active discussion (15 mins) across 10 tables with each table working to identify issues and the opportunities to address them through practical initiatives under four key workstreams – Tech Talent & Skills, Tech Investment, Tech Innovation and Tech Adoption.

17:15 - 18:30

Partners Summit: Launch of Technology-Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Standards (T-EDI)

This panel will mark the launch of the Technology-Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Standards developed by ProjectF in collaboration with the Tech Council. It will explore the significance of the standards in an Australian and global context and build on the earlier panel session on diversity and inclusion.

Laura Ford

Eglantine Etiemble

Emma Jones

Amanda Anderson

18:30 - 20:30

Stay on for the welcome drinks to the National Tech Summit 2024

All Partners Forum guests are invited to join the kick off event for the National Tech Summit, sponsored by Stand with Crypto.

Speakers

Amanda Anderson

Head of Global Public Policy & Government Relations at Block

Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano

VP Of Equitable Operations at Culture Amp

Anthony Eisen

Director, Tech Council I Afterpay Co-Founder and Afterpay Co-Lead of Block

Eglantine Etiemble

Director, Tech Council I Group Chief Technology Officer of PEXA

Laura Ford

Managing Director of Indeed

Emma Jones

Project F

Kate Jones

Board Director | Senior Advisor of SODA

Damian Kassabgi

Director & CEO of Tech Council

Chris O'Connell

Chief Business Officer at Tech Council of Australia

Chenoa Stockton

Board Member at Deadly Coders

Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano is the The Mathpath (Math Nerd + Empath), CEO of her eponymous equitable design consultancy, and the VP of Equitable Operations at HR technology firm Culture Amp. Through all her work, she seeks to question, reimagine, and redesign the systems and practices that surround us to ensure that all people can access equitable opportunities and build a better world. Her work is undergirded by her training in social scientific methods and grounded in her belief in the fundamental dignity, value, and wisdom of every person.

Her professional expertise focuses on designing and implementing equity-creating solutions to varied aspects of enterprise operations from talent programs and communications to sustainability, philanthropy, and artificial intelligence. Her experience in business development and product management has helped her design effective go-to-market strategies and launch multiple successful DEI-focused products. Her work has strong underpinnings in her academic training, which has helped her bring significant original research on trends, attitudes, and investments on global diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to light.

Anthony has over 25 years’ experience in investing, building companies, maintaining public company directorships and providing corporate advice.

Anthony is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Afterpay, which he launched in 2014 with Nick Molnar and listed on the ASX in May 2016. Prior to his current role, Anthony was Executive Chairman of Afterpay Touch Group for two years.

Prior to co-founding Afterpay, Anthony was the Chief Investment Officer at Guinness Peat Group (GPG). He was actively involved in a number of financial services, software and technology companies in which GPG was a major shareholder.

Prior to GPG, Anthony was involved in investment banking, specialising in mergers and acquisitions in Australia and the United States.

Chenoa Stockton is a proud Waka Waka and Kalkadoon woman with a deep commitment to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in education, sport and technology. During her university years, Chenoa volunteered extensively, teaching in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and abroad in countries such as Vanuatu, the Maldives, and the Philippines. Her passion for digital excellence began with internships at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, where she worked closely with the Indigenous Digital Excellence team.

Starting her career as a high school Health, Physical Education, and Maths teacher, Chenoa quickly developed a specialisation in engaging students with diverse learning needs, especially those who struggled in mainstream classrooms. Her focus on differentiated learning led to a career shift into DEI roles, where she worked to foster inclusion and equity in both sports and education.

Currently, Chenoa brings her unique perspective and experience to Deadly Coders, where she is focused on creating culturally safe and supportive pathways for First Nations students to excel in STEM and technical careers. She is passionate about empowering Indigenous youth and advocating for structural changes that ensure long-term diversity and inclusion across industries.

More to be announced soon

Accommodation Hubs:

Crown, South Wharf (MCEC) 10 mins by car

Docklands 10 mins by car

Southbank 15 mins by car

South Melbourne, Albert Park 15 mins by car

Parking:

200+ unmetered and untimed spaces on Plummer & Smith St

Public Transport:

Bus Route 234 & 235

and 5 min on foot

Time to Airport:

20-25 min by car

Time to CBD:

10 min by car

Tech Council of Australia

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Event Details

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Agenda

November 11, 2024

Main Schedule

Speakers

Amanda Anderson

Aubrey Blanche-Sarellano

Anthony Eisen

Eglantine Etiemble

Laura Ford

Emma Jones

Kate Jones

Damian Kassabgi

Chris O'Connell

Chenoa Stockton

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Venue

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