Conference Speakers

Jessica Ridley is a media commentator and TV journalist regularly showcased on Nine’s Today Show. Prior to this, she was on Channel 7’s Sunrise breakfast show as the Sydney correspondent, also working on 7NEWS Australia across finance, real estate, consumer, health and entertainment news.

Having worked in Australia’s largest TV and radio newsrooms for more than a decade, Jessica has developed a reputation as a highly engaging and versatile journalist with solid skills in live television and breaking news. She’s covered major events including the COVID-19 pandemic, elections, floods, bushfires and high-profile court cases.

She has been afforded access to the most powerful players in Australian politics and business, regularly interviewing government policy makers and corporate decision makers.

More recently, Jessica has redirected her skills to training corporate spokespeople on how to deal with the media and share their unique stories through compelling video content and communications, through her company By The Way Media. Away from the spotlight, Jessica is a busy mum and passionately supports other women at the crossroads of parenthood and ambition. She’s enthusiastic about fitness, music, good food and good wine.

Gert-Jan de Graaff was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Brisbane Airport Corporation Pty Ltd in June 2018.

Gert-Jan has more than 20 years’ experience in leadership roles at major airports around the world. He started his career in airport management in 1995 with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in The Netherlands where he had a number of roles. These included management positions in the commercial, finance and strategic departments.

In 2005 Gert-Jan de Graaff was appointed as Managing Director of ASDC AB, the Company that manages and develops the commercial activities in the terminals of Stockholm-Arlanda Airport in Sweden.

Between 2007 and 2012 Gert-Jan held senior executive roles with Brisbane Airport Corporation Pty Ltd, including General Manager Commercial Services and General Manager Strategic Planning & Development.

Prior to his return to Brisbane Airport in 2018 Mr de Graaff lead the bid for Galeão / Rio de Janeiro Airport in Brazil on behalf of Royal Schiphol Group and his most recent position was President & CEO of JFKIAT LLC, the private operators of Terminal 4 at John F Kennedy International Airport since 2014.

Previous Board appointments include the position of Chairman of Airport Coordination Netherlands, and Board Memberships with Airports Council International North America (WBP), Air Cargo Netherlands, Cargonaut BV, and several tourism attraction agencies.

Lorie Argus was appointed CEO of Melbourne Airport on July 1, 2022 after seven years as Chief of Aviation and Chief of Landside Access, Utilities and Facilities.

With more than 30 years’ experience in aviation, she brings a “passenger first” focus to her role.

Lorie started her career in Canada before relocating to Australia and joining Virgin Australia. In her ten years at the airline, she was appointed Manager of International Airport Operations and General Manager of Ground Operations.

In 2017 Lorie graduated with an Executive MBA from Bond University including a Dean’s award and high distinction. Lorie is an active member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and became a Graduate of AICD  (GAICD) in 2019.

Ms Jayne Hrdlicka has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Virgin Australia Group since November 2020.

Jayne has over 20 years of leadership experience in the consumer, industrial and aviation sectors.

Jayne has held various leadership roles at Qantas Group for nearly a decade. She was instrumental in the design of Qantas’ loyalty program and was Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Loyalty and Digital Ventures, as well as Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar Group.

Jayne serves as Chair of Tennis Australia and is a member of Chief Executive Women.

Pip Spence is Chief Executive Officer and Director of Aviation Safety for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), having taken on the role in May 2021.

CASA is the independent statutory authority responsible for ensuring the safety of aviation operations in Australia.

Pip’s extensive career in the public service ranges from complex program delivery, policy development and legislative reform as well as performing regulatory roles.  Prior to joining CASA she was most recently the Chief Operating Officer at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and before that the Deputy Secretary for Transport, which included responsibility for aviation and airport policy and program matters.

Brent Merrick is the Executive General Manager, Commercial Fuels and Energy, responsible for Ampol’s end-to-end value chain. Brent is responsible for trading and shipping, international growth, brand and communications, B2B, supply optimisation, and the energy solutions business which is focussed on the development of evolving energy offers to support the evolving energy needs of our customers.

Brent joined Ampol in 2000, with his career at the company spanning a range of roles, including his first job as a process engineer at the Lytton refinery in Queensland. Brent gained commercial and trading experience through roles in the Australian supply and trading teams before being seconded to Chevron Singapore. Brent held the roles of National Sales Manager and Transformation Officer in the marketing business before returning to Singapore as a trader.

More recently, he was responsible for expanding Ampol’s international operations by establishing offices in Singapore and the United States, which drive the company’s global trading and shipping business.

Brent holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) from the University of Queensland.

Jesse Scott was appointed Chief Innovation and Growth Officer at GrainCorp in January 2021. Mr Scott leads GrainCorp’s Strategy, Customer Experience, and Procurement functions, and is responsible for the company’s strategic growth and innovation projects, including GrainCorp’s Agri-Energy program.

Prior to joining GrainCorp, Mr Scott worked with McKinsey & Company for 13 years across various roles in Asia, the Americas and Europe, focusing on strategy and transformation in several primary industries including manufacturing, transportation & logistics, mining, and energy. At McKinsey, Mr Scott launched and led the firm’s agricultural practice in Australia and New Zealand.

He holds a Master of Business Administration at INSEAD in Fontainebleu, France and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in New York, USA.

Zack’s passion is to create generational social change for people with disability. His innovative approach has seen him build understanding and confidence with clients and all levels of government, as well as spearhead a national awareness campaign to address the unconscious bias and invisible barriers people with disability face.

Before GSA, Zack spent eight years honing his skills in marketing and sales, contributing to the growth of renowned FMCG brands like Red Bull, Hendricks Gin, and Glenfiddich. Now, alongside his role at GSA, he manages Australia’s first inclusive music festival, Ability Fest, which leverages music as a powerful platform to normalize disability.

Zack’s dedication extends beyond GSA. He actively serves on the board for the Dylan Alcott Foundation and the Australian Festivals Association. His personal interests include a deep passion for football and basketball.

In 2018, Zack spearheaded the creation of Ability Fest, which has gained international recognition as the most accessible and inclusive music festival to date. His commitment to universal access is further demonstrated through his management and supervision of inclusion programs for prominent organizations such as the MCG/MCC, Tennis Australia/Australian Open, Department of Transport Victoria, Sydney Olympic Parks Authority, and Parks Victoria. These experiences have provided Zack with invaluable insights into the complexities and possibilities surrounding accessibility and inclusion.

Bianca has 20 years experience in corporate roles as an Executive Officer, in Senior HR roles, major projects, social marketing and events. Bianca specialises in working for local government, community engagement and with First Nations communities. In 2016 Bianca lost her leg following an illness and quickly realised the opportunity to use her lived experience to help others understand the value of inclusion for people with disability. In 2021 Bianca self-published her story ‘Walking My Path’, candidly sharing her journey of overcoming challenges of loss, grief and trauma to become stronger, resilient and joyful about her future. Bianca’s passion for increasing opportunities for people with disability, and sharing the benefits of greater access and inclusion, has led her to Get Skilled Access. Bianca has volunteered for the CFA for over 10 years and strives to show her community and others that her disability continues to be the enabler, not the barrier to achieving her goals.

Alicia Wagner is the Customer Experience Manager at Adelaide Airport, dedicated to delivering exceptional service and value to customers, partners, and stakeholders. With over ten years of experience in the aviation industry, Alicia specialises in managing customer feedback, insights, and satisfaction across multiple channels and touchpoints. Alicia has a strong background in compliance and a keen interest in innovation and improvement. Alicia’s commitment to access and inclusion is reflected in achievements such as being featured in the ACI World Report for airport service quality, leading cross-functional teams to improve process efficiency, and delivering customer initiatives that focus on inclusivity and connection. She is motivated by the opportunity to create positive and memorable experiences for all customers and the airport community.

Scott Charlton is the Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Airport, one of Australia’s largest and most important infrastructure assets with more than 44 million passengers annually. An engineer by training, Scott joined Sydney Airport in December 2023.

Scott has more than 25 years of experience in developing, funding, constructing, and operating infrastructure assets, working with some of the sector’s leading ASX-listed corporations.

Prior to joining Sydney Airport, Scott was Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Transurban from 2012, a leading infrastructure company with operations in Australia and North America.

From 2010 to 2012 Scott was Chief Operating Officer for Lend Lease’s global operations, and from 2007 to 2009 he was Chief Financial Officer at Leighton Holdings, having joined the company in 2002 with responsibility for mergers/acquisitions, investments, treasury, tax, balance sheet and Private Partnership Projects.

Scott has also spent 11 years in investment banking with eight years at Deutsche Bank culminating in the role of Managing Director, Head of Transport and Infrastructure – Asia Pacific based in Hong Kong. Previously he was Managing Director, Head of Project Finance for Deutsche Bank in Australia and involved in many of the privatisations and private partnerships in Australia during the 1990s.

Margy Osmond is CEO of the Tourism & Transport Forum and Australia’s most prominent voice advocating for the tourism, transport and aviation sectors.

Margy is part of the newly established Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group, leading industry efforts to introduce critical border reforms across the Tasman, and working towards delivering on the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers’ commitment to seamless travel. She is also the co-Chair of the Tourism Group of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF), which has long been advocating for a more seamless passenger journey.

Previously, she was CEO of the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA), the NSW Chamber of Commerce and Sydney Chamber of Commerce and has served on a wide range of boards across tourism, sport, theatre and major events, including most recently, Sydney WorldPride and SkillsEQuipped.

Jim Parashos is Chief of Aviation at Melbourne Airport, joining in January 2022.   He is responsible for Operations, Aviation Development, Aeronautical Commercial, Traveller Experience, Infrastructure and Aviation Service Delivery.

Jim brings over 25 years of experience in the airports and tourism sectors.  Prior to joining Melbourne Airport he was Executive General Manager Aviation at Brisbane Airport Corporation, and Chief Airport Officer at Northern Territory Airports, responsible for the traditional airport business of Operations, Commercial, Aviation Development and Customer Experience at Darwin and Alice Springs Airports.

Jim holds an MBA in Aviation (RMIT), Business degree in Tourism and International Trade and is a Graduate of AICD (GAICD).

Alicia has almost 20 years of airport experience at Cairns Airport having worked across commercial, aviation development and operations. As commercial lead, Alicia delivered many firsts for Cairns Airport including walk through duty free and covered car parking products. Alicia now leads all operational aspects at Cairns Airport including terminal operations, security and aerodrome operations including liaison with government and regulatory bodies. She also sits on a number of national committees with industry and government.

Amy has nearly 30 years’ experience in the aviation industry across both airline and airport operations.

Amy is passionate about enhancing customer experience and is a strong advocate for accessibility. With a focus on collaboration and engagement across diverse teams, Amy has successfully managed daily airport operations and led the delivery of a diverse range of projects and initiatives related to security, terminal operations, customer experience and quality assurance.

Amy holds a Masters in Aviation and Bachelor of Management (Marketing)

Dr Bojana Spasojevic is an interdisciplinary tourism and air transport management researcher and Lecturer in Aviation Management at Griffith University, Australia. Her research uses stakeholder engagement theory as a problem-solving framework. Apart from her research work in stakeholder engagement and air route development, Spasojevic’s research expertise includes passenger/tourist behaviour, travel confidence and air travel emission. Her recent work in the passenger experience area uses innovative technology with the aim of revolutionising passenger survey practices.

Cameron joined APAC in 2023. As Revenue and Distribution Manager Ground Transport he is responsible for the yielding strategies of Melbourne Airport’s 24,000 car parks. Cameron has 14 years experience in the Hotel Accommodation sector bringing a customer first focus to his role. Cameron has worked across multiple markets in Revenue Management roles within Luxury & Apartment Hotel brands. Prior to joining Melbourne Airport Cameron worked in the Healthcare sector where he led a team focused on digital healthcare delivery.

Carly is all about working through complex problems and developing implementable solutions. She is a natural problem solver, organiser and motivator and has been using these skills to onboard every airport in New Zealand who uses the OneReg platform.

With an MA in Public Policy and Management, she continuously looks to improve processes through innovative solutions and ensuring there is a strong evidence base makes her jump for joy!

Cindy Varnier is an Associate Director with over 15 years’ experience spanning both operational management and consulting services. She is part of AECOM’s Sustainability & Resilience Practice and has been working with airports across Australia and Asia Pacific to build their resilience to the physical effects of climate change in response to global decarbonisation shifts. Cindy has conducted numerous climate change and broader resilience assessments for airports across Australia and Asia Pacific, connecting the findings of technical studies to enterprise-wide strategy, risk and planning.

Claire Donnellan is a respected industry expert with over 30 years of experience in aviation across regional and international airlines and airports. She is an MBA and IAP designated and certified human-led design thinker and a former inhouse operations manager and customer experience practitioner. Her experience ranges from developing customer strategies and conceptual operations to undertaking stakeholder engagement activities. She combines an empathetic understanding of customer and aviation operations, to help shape and/or peer review experience and operational concepts across all stages of project development lifecycles. Her focus is to support organisations as they implement and apply their customer-related commitments and practices to major projects, foster team alignment and build capability and corporate practices. This ranges from regional to major airports, national and global industry associations, commercially driven assets, and inclusivity-focused not-for-profits. Claire currently supports multiple businesses and associations in an advisory capacity as they set and realign corporate strategies.

Dan Parsons is part of Wisk’s South-East Queensland team working on network & infrastructure development. With over 15 years of experience as an aviation safety and airport operations professional, Dan has worked as an airport consultant, regulator and operations manager in Australia, New Zealand and Qatar. Dan has also worked in international standards and education role with a focus on airport management and development.

Jared has over 12 years’ of experience within the sector across regional, major and capital city airports along with two and half at the peak industry body, the Australian Airports Association. In his role as General Manager Operations & Service Delivery, Jared and his team are responsible for the safe and efficient operation of Gold Coast Airport across the airfield, terminal, security and emergency planning function along with ensuring a high level of service to all passengers, customers and stakeholders.

Johan commenced employment with ARRB (now NTRO) in 2021 as a pavement engineer in the Asset Performance group. He has over 13 years’ experience with a strong focus on pavement construction, design and management.

Prior to moving to Australia, he worked in South Africa on several major road projects as a resident engineer and project manager. His technical on-site experience laid a strong foundation of skills that transferred into the consulting industry of pavement engineering. At his core he is a pavement engineer, and his exposure to all aspects of pavement engineering from design to asset management has given him a holistic view of the industry both internationally and locally.

The NTRO has provided the opportunity to work with cutting edge technology to solve complex asset management and pavement engineering problems. Johan has applied his experience across the transportation industry, working on unique projects such as an Assurance System for the Rural Fire Service in NSW and recently a project on small and rural airports across Western Australia using iPAVE data. This project focusses on next generation technology being applied to the analysis of airport pavement assets. One aspect of this research project is the ability to calculate Pavement Classification Ratings (PCR) from Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) data.

Johan has an honours degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Transportation from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.

Matt excels in simplifying complex challenges. As a business transformation specialist, he’s overseen multi-million-dollar organisational change for various enterprises over 30-years in various CFO roles. He understands what drives efficiencies and growth, and how to best harness a company’s resources. Matt co-founded Lime Intelligence in 2009, and is now specialising in leveraging cutting-edge technology to transform complex data into actionable insights. Matt’s passion for innovation and excellence is driving his vision for working with airports to achieve genuine data-driven cultures.

Melissa Conley is the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Executive Director for Capability Management & Innovation (CM&I) for the Office of Requirements and Capabilities Analysis (RCA). She is a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES).

As the Executive Director for CM&I, Ms. Conley provides enterprise oversight for all TSA operational capabilities throughout their lifecycle to ensure proper resourcing and alignment to DHS and TSA strategies and priorities. Ms. Conley works with a team of Capability Managers to integrate all materiel and non-materiel capabilities into the security architecture to ensure a cohesive set of innovative security solutions to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Additionally, Ms. Conley coordinates innovation efforts with stakeholders, including current and emerging technology demonstrations intended to enhance operational capabilities and develop efficiencies.

Ms. Conley previously served as Deputy Assistant Administrator (Acting) of RCA, and led the strategy and development of TSA’s security architecture and operational capabilities to enhance security and optimize mission performance through analysis and innovation. In addition to her work in advancing TSA’s capabilities for an improved passenger experience, Ms. Conley oversaw finance, operations, and Congressional and industry engagement on behalf of RCA.

Ms. Conley previously served as the Senior Advisor for the Office of RCA advising on matters relating to capabilities and requirements used in all modes of transportation. Ms. Conley also previously served as the Senior Advisor for the Office of Security Operations (SO) where she assisted the Assistant Administrator with security operations for approximately 440 airports nationwide, including a workforce of more than 50,000 employees.

Nathan is the National Business Group Lead for Asset Performance with NTRO. Nathan is an Infrastructure Specialist with over 20 years’ experience as a Manager, Civil Engineer, and Designer. He has previously held positions as a Technical Director and the Manager several departments both as a client and service provider. He has also held the position of Airfield Facilities Manager and resident Civil Engineer at Melbourne Airport, where he was responsible for all airside civil assets.

Patrick Keogh is a Principal Consultant of AvLogix Solutions with over twenty years’ experience in the aviation industry. His particular focus is designing and implementing automation systems for baggage handling, cargo and parcel freight systems.

Patrick is a Chartered Professional Engineer in Australia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation as well as a registered Project Director with the Australian Institute of Project Managers. Key projects include major baggage handling systems for Western Sydney, Sydney KSA, Melbourne, Adelaide and Gold Coast Airports.

Phil joined ISS following careers in the Australian Defence Force and Australian Border Force (ABF). Phil’s experience includes roles responsible for the ABF’s strategy; capability; and senior operational commands; regional lead in the Pacific for the Department of Home Affairs; and Senior Advisor to the Minister for Home Affairs. Also a member of Industry Skills Australia’s Aviation Strategic Workforce Planning Committee, Phil has extensive experience across aviation operations, government engagement and regulatory enforcement.

Raechel Paris is the Executive General Manager, Governance at BAC, leading a multi-disciplinary team that includes Sustainability. Raechel is responsible for driving BAC’s Sustainability Strategy, covering all facets of BAC’s operations. Raechel has worked in multiple industries including legal advisory, professional services, technology, transportation and infrastructure, and in both the public and private sector.

Ryan is responsible for all operational and commercial activities of the aviation business at BAC, including airfield and terminal operations, commercial agreements, business development and marketing.
Ryan has more than 20 years’ experience in the aviation industry with airlines and airports, including Melbourne Airport, Virgin Australia and as CEO of contract aviation group Cobham Australia.

Dr Navie, has more than 30 years scientific experience in plant ecology, weed biology, plant taxonomy and plant identification. Dr Navie is one of Australia’s most highly regarded botanists and has been Principal Scientist at the IVM Group for the past 10 years.

Simon is CEO/MD of Eagle Aviation Consulting, with 40 years’ experience and expertise in Airport business transformation and optimisation, including first-ever New Zealand customer self-service kiosk product programme. Over the past 20 years, he has provided expert advice and analysis in the Middle East/Central Asia regions on airline and airport performance.

He has led aviation planning and airport performance projects in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Central Asia, and NZ/Pacific Islands for Civil Aviation, governments, airports, airlines, and investors.

Steven Harding is the Chief Executive Officer for the Shire of East Pilbara, which is Australia’s largest Local Government, and spans 372,571sq km. As CEO for three years has Civil Engineering qualifications, and MBA and Legal qualifications.

Steven has also presented numerous technical presentations in China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia on the subject of water, wastewater, methane capture and carbon. He has also served on State Government Advisory Committees and represented Australia on trade mission delegations.

Todd Chapman is the principal of Leading Edge Management Consulting and works with organisations who need support and expertise going through complex change and transformation. Todd leverages proven systems and personal skills honed in more than 25 years of working in senior roles within Australia’s most successful airlines.