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Speaker profiles

	Prof David Adams Department for Victorian Communities David is Professor of Management and Innovation at the University of Tasmania and an Advisor to the Department for Victorian Communities. David has also been a senior executive in the Victorian Government for eight years where he has held various positions including head of strategy in the Premiers Department and Executive Director of Strategy in the Department for Victorian Communities. David has been awarded a number of national awards for his publications and research on the changing nature of communities; the importance of local knowledge to social and economic innovation; regional innovation systems and local governance. David is a Director of PASCAL the OECD linked observatory on social capital, place management and learning regions. David is also a Director of Northern Tasmania Development and the Academic Director of the Cradle Coast Institute for Regional Development.
	Margaret Allison Divisional Manager of Customer and Community Services in the Brisbane City Council Margaret Allison is the Divisional Manager of Customer and Community Services in the Brisbane City Council. Margaret's previous role was as Director-General of the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care in NSW. Margaret has degrees in social work and public administration. She has almost 27 years experience in the public sector, primarily in the community services field. Other roles undertaken by Margaret have included managing policies and services as diverse as child protection, disability, juvenile justice, legal aid, domestic violence and child care.
	Lance Beath Lance Beath is a self employed consultant and lecturer specializing in political, environmental, defence, security and strategic issues. Lance brings to his consulting and teaching work 20 years of experience in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 9 years in the Ministry of Defence and 8 years in the private sector. In MFAT Lance served in New Zealand posts in Jakarta, Washington, New York, Ottawa and the Cook Islands and as Director of the European and Australian Divisions. In MOD Lance managed the Strategic and International Policy Division where he was responsible for all aspects of the Closer Defence Relationship with Australia as well as New Zealand’s defence relationships with the United States and other defence partners. Since leaving the MOD in 1999 Lance has acted as Strategic Adviser to the Commander, PNGDF, taught into various staff colleges in Australia and New Zealand and undertaken consulting assignments for a range of public sector clients including the New Zealand Ministry of Defence, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Office of the Controller and Auditor General, the New Zealand Ministry of Education, the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification, the New Zealand Securities Commission, Asia NZ Foundation, Local Futures/FORST and the Auckland Regional Council. Lance is a Senior Lecturer at the New Zealand Military Studies Institute, Senior Fellow at Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Studies, National Council Member for the Council for Security and Cooperation in the Asia Pacific and a visiting lecturer at the NZDF Command and Staff College. Lance teaches postgraduate courses in Defence at the Centre for Defence Studies, Massey University, and in strategic studies at VUW’s School of Government (where he convenes the strategic studies programme). Over the last four years Lance has been contracted by VUW’s School of Government to develop and teach a new Masters degree programme in Strategic Studies. This programme is now up and running. It features 17 new postgraduate papers on various aspects of strategic studies. Lance teaches a number of the core papers in the new degree including Strategy: Theory, Policy and Practice; Strategic Analysis (futures tools for policy formulation including scenario analysis, systems thinking, environmental scanning, gaming, simulation and experimentation); Strategic Thinking, Strategy and Culture, New Zealand Defence Policy and National Security Policy. Lance has post doctoral qualifications from UCLA in the behaviour of liquid-liquid mixtures in high gravitational fields, a doctorate from Otago University in Theoretical Thermodynamics and a BSC (Hons) degree in Chemistry. In between teaching and consulting assignments Lance relaxes at a country property in the Rangitikei where he collects bad jokes, various types of junk and NZR memorabilia.
	Yehudi Blacher Secretary, Department for Victorian Communities Yehudi Blacher is the Secretary of the Department for Victorian Communities. He was appointed to the role when the Department was established in 2002, bringing together community focussed areas from sport and recreation, through to local government and volunteering. In this role he is leading a refocus of government effort to put communities first through emphasising the importance of people and place and "doing government differently". Immediately prior to this appointment he was Deputy Secretary in the Department of Premier and Cabinet. In the variety of other senior positions he has held, both policy and operational, Yehudi has consistently been involved in major reforms of the public sector; most notably the reform of local government in Victoria during the period between 1992-95. Yehudi has a strong interest in public policy and administration reform and is a Victorian Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration, Australia. Prior to joining the Victorian Public Service Yehudi’s career included roles in academia and the private sector.
	Mr Angus J. Campbell, AM First Assistant Secretary, National Security Division Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Mr Campbell joined the Australian Public Service in late 2005 to take up his current appointment as First Assistant Secretary of the National Security Division. He is responsible for overseeing advice to the Prime Minister on national security issues and plays a coordinating role in the development of integrated, whole of government national security policy. This includes international security, defence, intelligence, counter terrorism, law enforcement, transport and border security, and emergency management. Angus is Chair of the Capability Steering Group that supports the National Counter Terrorism Committee in the development of nation wide counter terrorism capability. Angus has previously served in the Australian Army. In his military career he was posted to a range of parachute infantry and special forces units and commanded a battalion group in East Timor. Between regimental duties, Angus served as the Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Army, as a strategic policy officer in Defence headquarters and chief of staff to the Chief of the Defence Force. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from Cambridge University and he is a graduate of the Australian Army Command and Staff College.
	Shane Carmody Deputy CEO Strategy and Support, Civil Aviation Safety Authority Shane Carmody commenced as CASA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer Strategy and Support in October 2006. His principal responsibilities involve oversight of Pilot Licensing, Education and Training; Legal Services; Information Technology; and Policy and Governance. Prior to joining CASA Shane was a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Defence from 2001 - 2006. He was Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security, January - October 2006; Deputy Secretary Strategy, 2002 - 2005; Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security, 2001-2002. His career with Defence began in the Army in 1975. A 1976 graduate of the Officer Cadet School, he subsequently occupied intelligence appointments in Australia and overseas. On leaving the Army in 1989 he joined the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD), filling various intelligence production and management positions. In January 1995 he was promoted to the Senior Executive Service. He was promoted to Deputy Director Intelligence DSD in 1997, where he directly managed DSD’s intelligence collection and production activities until 1999. Shane transferred to the Department of Finance and Administration (DOFA) in 1999 and managed the commercialisation DOFA’s overseas property portfolio. He returned to Defence as Head of International Policy Division in early 2000. Shane has a BA from the University of Queensland and an MBA from Monash University. He also attended Gajah Mada University in Indonesia during 1981-82, developing his Indonesian language skills. He is married to Kate and they have three adult children.
	Todd Clewett Senior Adviser (Economic Policy and Service Delivery) to the Premier, NSW Todd is the NSW Premier’s senior adviser on economics and service delivery. He has lead government reform projects in Australia at both the political and bureaucratic levels. Most recently he worked as an adviser to the PNG Government tax and customs department as part of a strengthening government program administered by AusAid. Todd holds degrees in economics and urban planning as well as a masters degree in public administration from Harvard University.
	David Cooper Chair of Disaster Response and Preparedness in the Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University and the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, Royal Darwin Hospital Associate Professor David is Chair of Disaster Response and Preparedness in the Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University and the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, Royal Darwin Hospital. In this role David assists in the development of Australiás front-line disaster capability as well as leading a national research agenda and curriculum in health emergency management. His primary research interests are in mass casualty management, capacity building for emergency medical systems, crisis leadership in disasters and mass gathering event management. David is the former Director of the NSW Health Counter Disaster Unit where he was NSW disaster medical controller and involved in a number of emergencies including bushfires, the Bali bombings abnd the Waterfall train crash. He was also responsible for major event planning in Sydney, such as the Olympics, the Rugby World Cup, APEC 2006, World Youth Day 2008 and the World Masters Games 2009. David is also a member of the Australian Health Protection Committee, and was responsible for the development of the Australian Mass Casualty Burn Disaster Plan (AUSBURNPLAN). Following the Asian tsunami disaster, David co-ordinated the configuration and deployment of the first civilian medical teams to Banda Aceh (Indonesia), The Maldives and Sri Lanka. More recently, David led the first AusAID medical team to Yogyakarta in Southern Java, following the devestating earthquake in May 2006.
	Geoff Dangerfield Chief Executive, Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand Geoff is Chief Executive of the New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development. The Ministry advises the Government on its economic development strategy, industry development and innovation, energy, communications and infrastructure policy and investment, and business and competition policy. Its operational activities include the Companies Office, the Intellectual Property Office, the allocation of mineral and oil prospecting rights, and the management of the radio spectrum. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive, Geoff was Deputy Secretary of The Treasury, responsible for the management of the Government’s foreign and domestic debt portfolio, the Government’s commercial interests in Crown corporations and State-owned enterprises, and the development of the public sector financial management regime. He has worked in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as an advisor to the Prime Minister on fiscal and economic policy. In the late 1980s he managed the corporatisation and privatisation of State trading activities for The Treasury. Earlier he worked in the Ministry of Works and Development on infrastructure and resource development projects. He has a Master of Science degree in resource management. He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management, and is currently the Chair of the Public Service Leadership Development Centre.
	Julian Disney AO Director, Social Justice Project, University of New South Wales Julian Disney is a Professor and Director of the Social Justice Project at the University of NSW and a special consultant to the Brotherhood of St Laurence. He is Chair of the National Affordable Housing Summit and Anti-Poverty Week and also the Convenor of the Neighbours Program and the Community Tax Project. He has previously been Coordinator of the Welfare Rights Centre in Sydney, President of the NSW and Australian Council of Social Services and World President of the International Council on Social Welfare. He is a former NSW Law Reform Commissioner and Director of the Centre for International and Public Law at the Australian National University. He chaired the NSW Ministerial Task Force on Affordable Housing and has been chair or member of government advisory committees on economic planning, public administration, employment, education and training, literacy, housing, social security, welfare reform, immigration and superannuation. He has also been engaged as a consultant by a number of leading business groups and welfare agencies.
	Shaun Drabsch Director, Government Relations, Rowland With almost 20 years of experience in the public sector, Shaun Drabsch has recently joined Rowland to lead the Government Relations business. From 1990 Shaun served as a Ministerial Adviser to State and Federal Cabinet Ministers in the Transport and Primary Industry portfolios. He joined Peter Beattie’s team in 1996 as Economic Adviser to the Opposition, and then served as Senior Economic Advisor for Premier Beattie until the end of 2002. As Executive Director, PPP and Infrastructure Delivery in the Department of State Development, Shaun led the implementation of the Public Private Partnerships policy in Queensland. In 2005 Shaun established the South East Queensland Infrastructure Program Management Office as Assistant Coordinator General, and oversaw the initiation of major pipeline, recycling, desalination and other water projects to deal with the SEQ drought. He holds an Honours degree from Griffith University in Economics and Administration, and built on those studies in the late 1980’s as a Research Economist for the Bureau of Industry Economics in Canberra. Rowland delivers a full range of services to assist organisations engage Government to advance their commercial objectives. Rowland is well placed to analyse current client relations with government at any level and advise on how best to establish a lasting and constructive relationship with key decision makers. Rowland also provides strategic advice in developing competitive bids for Government projects, major investment proposals and on how to influence the development of Government policy and legislation affecting your business.
	Bill Eggers Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration & Global Director - Public Sector, Deloitte Research William Eggers is the global director for Deloitte Research, Public Sector, where he is responsible for research and thought leadership for Public Sector practice. Bill is an internationally recognised specialist in government reform. He has won several prestigious awards in public-policy leadership and motivation research, and business journalism. He is the author of several books including the acclaimed Governing by Network: the new shape of the public sector (Brookings Institute Press, 2004). Bill advises and trains many international public officials on restructuring government.
	Henry Ergas Head of global economics consultancy firm, CRA International Henry Ergas is the Asia Pacific Regional Head of global economics consultancy firm, CRA International. Henry has extensive international experience as an economic advisor to governments, regulatory bodies and major corporations on a range of industry, policy and infrastructure issues. Henry spent a decade as a senior economist at the OECD in the 1980's, focusing on the analysis of issues affecting efficient resource allocation ranging from R&D policy to congestion charging. He has also held a number of appointments at universities including as Visiting Professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard; Visiting Professor of Network Economics and Communications at the University of Auckland and Professor at the Graduate School of Management at Monash University. Currently, Henry is an Adjunct Professor of Economics at the National University of Singapore. Since leaving the OECD, Henry's work has focused on competition policy and regulatory economics. In the health and aged care sectors, he has provided expert reports on a range of policy and planning matters for government departments, health insurers and healthcare providers. He has also been closely involved in dealing with regulatory issues in a range of industries, including telecommunications, electricity, aviation, surface transport, financial services and defence. Henry's expertise in infrastructure economics was recognized by his appointment to the Australian Prime Minister's Taskforce on Exports and Infrastructure in 2005. Last year, Henry was also appointed to the Australian Government's Defence Industry Consultative Group. His other appointments include as a lay member of the New Zealand High Court in cases involving appeals from decisions of the Commerce Commission and other matters under the Commerce Act; Chairman of the Intellectual Property and Competition Review Committee, Attorney-General's Department, Australia in 1999; member of the Advisory Panel on Telecommunications Reform to the Minister for Communications and the Arts, Australia in 1997 and member of the Australian Centre of Regulatory Economics (ACORE) Advisory Board
	Prof Allan Fels AO Dean of ANZSOG On July 1, 2003 Professor Allan Fels AO became Dean of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. Previously, he was Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission from 1995 until 2003. Professor Fels was also Chairman of the former Trade Practices Commission from 1991 until 1995 and Chairman of the Prices Surveillance Authority from 1989 until 1992. He was Prices Commissioner, Victoria from 1982 -1991 and has served on numerous other government bodies. Professor Fels was appointed as Professor of Administration at Monash University in 1984 and was the Director of the Graduate School of Management, Monash University from 1985 until 1990. He is now an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University and became a Professorial Fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of Melbourne in 2003. Professor Fels has degrees in economics and law from the University of Western Australia, and a Ph.D in Economics from Duke University. After leaving Duke he was appointed as a Research Fellow in the Department of Applied Economics, University of Cambridge, where his Duke Ph.D thesis was published as The British Prices and Incomes Board by Cambridge University Press. He received an Honorary doctorate in Economics at the University of Western Australia in 2006. Professor Fels was the Co-Chairman of the Joint Group on Trade and Competition at the OECD from 1996 until 2003. He was awarded the Order of Australia in June 2001.
	Elaine Henry OAM Elaine Henry OAM, BSc (Hons), DLitt (h.c.) Elaine Henry is Chief Executive Officer of The Smith Family. Prior to this appointment she was Executive Director of the NSW Cancer Council. She Chairs Nonprofit Australia and is on the board of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth; The Alcoa Research Centre for Stronger Communities Board, Curtin University of Technology; the Vice Chancellor’s Advisory Board, University of Wollongong; Social Ventures Australia and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
	Prof Ian Hickie Professor Ian Hickie AM, Executive Director, Brain & Mind Research Institute In 2003, Professor Hickie was appointed Professor of Psychiatry at The University of Sydney and Executive Director of the new Brain & Mind Research Institute. From 1997 to 2003, he was Professor of Community Psychiatry at The University of New South Wales. From October 2000 to July 2003, Professor Hickie was the inaugural CEO of beyondblue, and continued as the Clinical Advisor to beyondblue until June 2006. In 2006, Professor Hickie received the Australian Honours Award of Member (AM) in the General Division; for services to medicine in the development of key national mental health initiatives and general practice services in both the public and non-government sectors.
	Prof Graeme Hodge Director, Centre for Regulatory Studies, Monash University Professor Graeme Hodge is the Director of the Monash Centre for Regulatory Studies in the Law Faculty, Monash University, and is an internationally recognised scholar in public policy and regulation. Professor Hodge has published eight books and eighty papers in areas such as Privatisation, Contracting-Out Government Services, Public-Private Partnerships and Technology Regulation. In particular, he co-edited "The Challenge of Public Private Partnerships: Learning from International Experience", Edward Elgar in 2005. Professor Hodge has made numerous presentations to Parliamentary Committees around Australia on Partnership matters and is a regular media commentator.
	Ms Rachel Hunter Director-General, Department of Education, Training and the Arts Rachel Hunter commenced as Director-General of the Department of Education, Training and the Arts on 18 September 2006. She is the first female Director-General for the Education Department since it was established as the Department of Public Instruction in 1876. She is providing leadership to create a new organisation which capitalises on the strengths of the two former agencies of Education and the Arts and Training. There are many points at which these agencies already intersect, particularly in the areas of senior schooling and arts training. Rachel’s vision for the new Department of Education, Training and the Arts is to provide relevant and accessible lifelong learning opportunities to meet the personal needs of individuals and to accommodate the skills demands of continuing economic development. Throughout her 29-year career with the Queensland Public Service she has played a pivotal role in shaping the vocational, education and training system in this State and in leading reform in public service policy and institutions. She has a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Educational Studies, a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education.
	Prof Chris Huxham Professor of Management, University of Strathclyde Business School and Senior Fellow of the Advanced Institute of Management Research Known worldwide as an expert in collaborative working, Chris Huxham is regularly called upon to share her expertise with practitioners and academics alike, at seminars and conferences across the globe. For more than 15 years, Chris's award winning research has focussed on developing a practical understanding of how to manage collaborative ventures between organizations, such as partnerships, alliances and networks, in order to achieve collaborative advantage. She has been active in developing action research as a rigorous research methodology, so the theoretical insight that she has developed is both derived from, and informs, her interventions in organizations. In the course of her research she has worked as a facilitator, sounding board and advisor to policy makers, managers and participants in many, varied collaborative situations involving the public, community and commercial sectors. Chris teaches in the areas of Management and Strategy and Managing Partnerships and Alliances. She is a professor of Management and, since October 2003, a Senior Fellow of the Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM). She is Deputy Chair of the British Academy of Management. Before being awarded the prestigious Senior AIM Fellowship she had previously fulfilled the roles of Director of Research and Director of MBA Programmes. Chris joined the University of Strathclyde's Department of Management Science in 1984 and moved to the former USGSB in 1996. Her early career (1979-1984) was as a lecturer in the University of Aston Management Centre.
	Mark Hyman Director, Intergovernmental Relations Unit, Canberra Office Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Western Australia Mark Hyman has had a long career as a government official. He joined the Commonwealth in 1973, and spent the next thirty-two years in a variety of departments focused on science, technology, industry and the environment. This period included a posting in Tokyo (with responsibility for industry, science and technology matters), and thirteen years as a senior executive in the environment department, with responsibility variously for a wide range of environment protection issues (management of wastes, chemicals and pollutants) and for international environmental issues. In late 2005 Mark left the Commonwealth and in the following year took up a position as the representative of the Western Australian Government in Canberra. The creation of the office is designed to improve the engagement of the WA with the Commonwealth, and at the same time to increase the extent to which the interests of WA are reflected in Commonwealth policy-making and program delivery.
	Ben Jupp Director, Office of the Third Sector, UK Cabinet Office Ben Jupp is a Director in the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office. Prior to that, he headed the Active Communities Directorate in the Home Office. His previous experience has included leading the Home Office Strategic Policy Team and working for the think tank Demos. Ben has also been a policy adviser to the New Opportunity Fund, which distributed lottery funding to health, education and environment projects, and a policy adviser on welfare reform in the Department for Social Security.
	Larry Kamener Head Of Public Sector PracticeSenior Partner Larry Kamener, is a senior partner in the Melbourne office of the Boston Consulting Group. He joined BCG in 1989 and currently heads BCG's Government practice in Australia. Prior to joining BCG Larry completed a BSc (Economics) at the London School of Economics and an MA (Economics) at the University of Melbourne and then worked for six years in the Federal and Victorian Treasury Departments. He spent two years in BCG's Boston office in the mid-90's and was the head of the Melbourne office of BCG from 1998 to 2002. Over his consulting career he has worked in the manufacturing, mining, retailing, distribution, pharmaceutical, insurance and agriculture sectors. In 2002 he founded BCG's Government practice Larry and has led major projects relating to organisational change in the fields of welfare, health, education, police and energy for the Victorian, Queensland and Australian Governments. Larry has also played a key role in BCG’s partnerships with the Cape York Indigenous community and with Debney Park Secondary College.
	Andrew Kibblewhite Director of the Policy Advisory Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in New Zealand Andrew Kibblewhite is the Director of the Policy Advisory Group at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in New Zealand, a role he has enjoyed for the last two and a half years. Prior to this, Andrew had a long stint in the New Zealand Treasury, working on a range of social, economic, tax and public management issues and was General Manager Strategy, Innovation and International at the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology.
	Dr Marie Leech Former General Manager, Mission Australia As General Manager, Community Services at Mission Australia, Dr Marie Leech provided strategic direction and policy for the organisation’s 200 community services across the nation. Marie also oversaw the research program of Mission Australia, and provided social policy advice to management and Board. In this role, she provided direct input into the Reports on Welfare Reform through her role as advisor to the CEO, Patrick McClure, AO, who chaired the Reference Group. Marie has a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Sydney and a Master of Science and Society from the University of NSW. Her business achievements were recognised as a NSW Finalist in the 2005 Telstra Business Women’s Awards. Marie was appointed to the Federal Government’s Stronger Families and Communities Strategy Partnership. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Australian Institute of Family Studies; and now serves on the Boards of Families Australia and City West Housing; and on a number of Committees, including Working Groups of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY).
	Evert Lindquist Director and Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria Dr. Evert Lindquist (PhD Berkley) is a Professor in UVic’s School of Public Administration, where he has served as Director since 1998. These responsibilities included directing the Centre for Public Sector Studies. Before arriving at the University of Victoria, he taught for ten years in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He was the first Visiting Scholar at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (1992-94) and a Visiting Scholar at Griffith University in Australia from January to July 2004. Dr. Lindquist has published widely on government transitions, cabinet decision-making, budgetary processes, consultation, capacity for policy innovation, government restructuring, alternative service delivery, business planning and performance reporting, managing overlap and duplication, think tanks, policy networks, and the impact of policy inquiry on decision-making. He has served as Chair of the IPAC Research Committee and Chair of IPAC Victoria. Professor Lindquist served as President of the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration for three years and currently serves as Chair of the Victoria Centre for Non Profit Management. A selection of Professor Lindquist’s recent publications include "Strategy, Capacity, and Horizontal Governance: Lessons from Australia and Canada", "Reshaping Ottawa’s Centre of Government: Martin’s Reforms in Historical Perspective", "Organizing for Mega-Consultation: HRDC and the Social Security Review", "Think Tanks, Foundations and Policy Discourse: Ebbs and Flows, Investments and Responsibilities", and A Critical Moment: Capturing and Conveying the Institutional Evolution of the Canadian Public Service for the Canada School of Public Service’s Governance Research Program. He was guest editor for a recent issue of the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis on "Organizing for Policy Implementation: The Emergence and Role of Implementation Units in Policy Design and Oversight." Professor has a forthcoming chapter entitled "In Kernaghan’s Wake: Navigating the Choppier Seas of Commitment in Public Administration". He has also edited two IPAC volumes on Government Restructuring and Career Public Service in Canada and The Co-op Alternative: Civil Society and the Future of Public Services.
	John McKinnon Chief Executive and Secretary, The New Zealand Ministry of Defence John McKinnon, a career public servant, was appointed Secretary and Chief Executive, Ministry of Defence in December 2006. Prior to this Mr McKinnon had an extensive career in the New Zealand foreign ministry and diplomatic service. Mr McKinnon joined the then Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 1974 and was first posted to China as a second secretary in 1978, following two years Chinese language training in Hong Kong. Following his return to New Zealand from China in 1980 Mr McKinnon was assigned to the Asian Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He later worked on secondment with Fletcher Challenge for a year. John McKinnon's subsequent postings in the diplomatic service were to Washington (1985-1986), Canberra (1986-1990) and New York (1992-1995), the last as Deputy Permanent Representative during New Zealand's term on the United Nations Security Council. From 1995 to 1999 John McKinnon was Director of the External Assessments Bureau in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Mr McKinnon was New Zealand’s Ambassador to China, stationed in Beijing, from February 2001 to November 2004. Immediately prior to his appointment as Secretary of Defence he was a Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with oversight of divisions covering the Americas, Asia and security policy.
	Mary Murnane Deputy Secretary, Department of Health and Ageing, Commonwealth Ms Mary Murnane became Deputy Secretary with the Department in May 1993. After an early career in school teaching, university tutoring and research, Ms Murnane became Deputy Director of the Tasmanian Department of Community Welfare in 1978. Joining the Commonwealth Government in 1984, she became First Assistant Secretary of the former Office of Child Care in the Department of Social Security. Before taking up her current position, she was First Assistant Secretary of the Department's Community Programs and Aged and Community Care Divisions. Ms Murnane oversees the Department's Ageing and Aged Care Division, the Office of Health Protection, the Regulatory, Policy and Governance Division, the Department's Offices in Tasmania and Victoria and portfolio interests in the NH&MRC and TGA. Her responsibilities encompass ageing and aged care, health protection and biosecurity, medical and biological research policy, regulatory policy, therapeutic goods policy and policy development of the proposed Australian and New Zealand Therapeutic Products Authority. Ms Murnane chairs the Australian Health Protection Committee, is a member of the Australian Government Counter Terrorism Policy Committee and is an observer at the National Counter Terrorism Committee.
	Terry Moran AO Secretary, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Victoria Terry Moran has enjoyed a varied career within the public service, working with successive Federal and State governments as a policy adviser and manager. He was previously Director-General of Education in Queensland, Chief Executive of the Australian National Training Authority, and held a number of positions in Victoria, including Director of the Victorian Office of Training and Further Education and General Manager of the State Training Board.
	Dr Kerry Schott Prior to her commencement as Managing Director of Sydney Water, Dr Kerry Schott was Deputy Secretary of New South Wales Treasury. Before this she spent 15 years as an investment banker working in the infrastructure area; including roles as Managing Director at Deutsche Bank and Executive Vice President at Bankers Trust Australia. Kerry has also worked as an economic policy adviser at the Reserve Bank of Australia and for the Commonwealth Government. Kerry has a doctorate from Oxford University (Nuffield College), a Masters of Arts from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver and a first class honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New England, Armidale. She has taught at University College London, Oxford University and been a Visiting Professor at Princeton University. Her undergraduate work was in mathematics and statistics and her graduate work in econometrics and economics. She has also been the Chairman of the Environment Protection Authority in New South Wales, a Director of Sydney Water, Chair of the NSW Film and Television Office, Director of the Film Finance Corporation Limited and Director of Australian Airlines Limited until their merger with Qantas. She has been a member of the Corporations and Securities Panel and a Trade Practices Commissioner.
	Dr Peter Shergold AC Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) Peter Shergold has been Secretary of PM&C since February 2003. In 1987 he joined the Australian Public Service. He has been the CEO of the ATSIC, Public Service Commission and Secretary of the Department of Employment Workplace Relations and Small Business and the Department of Employment, Science and Technology. Peter is Chair of ANZSOG’s Board and a member of the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) Board.
	Ann Sherry AO Group Executive, Westpac Banking Corporation After joining Westpac in 1994, Ann Sherry headed Human Resources for the institutional and international bank and subsequently led a team driving the merger with the Bank of Melbourne. Ann was appointed Head of Westpac Group Human Resources in 1999 and Group Executive in 2000. In 2002 Ann was appointed to head Westpac’s New Zealand and Pacific operations, a role which she completed in April this year. Ann also has extensive experience in government at a senior level. Before joining Westpac, Ann was First Assistant Secretary of the Office of the Status of Women in Canberra. In New Zealand she Chaired the Government Innovation and Advisory Board.
	Paul Smyth Professorial Fellow in Social Policy, University of Melbourne Paul Smyth is the General Manager of Social Action and Research at the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Professor of Social Policy in the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Melbourne. Paul's career has combined academic and social action experience. He was previously the Director of Social Policy in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Queensland. Prior to that he was Senior Researcher at Uniya, the Jesuit social research and action centre at Kings Cross, Sydney. As Professorial Fellow in Social Policy, Paul is the coordinator of the Masters of Social Policy program. Co-funded by the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the University of Melbourne, Paul's chair appointment is to lead research and development policy around partnership solutions to Australia's social problems.
	David Spokes CEO, City of Port Phillip, Victoria David Spokes is Chief Executive Officer at the City of Port Phillip and has held this position for 6 years. He has over 20 years experience in a variety of Local Government, health and consulting settings in Victoria and New South Wales. He has a reputation for achievement, policy innovation and strategic thinking. He is an active participant in industry and professional associations and contributes to conferences and seminars on topical issues on a regular basis. David is a Board member of the Institute of Public Administration Victorian Division and a Fellow of the Institute. He is a member of the Institute of Company Directors and has also completed the Cranlana Leadership Program. David is also a committee member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Public Libraries, the Community Advisory Council of the Community Support Fund and on the Bachelor of Arts Advisory Board – University of Melbourne. In his current leadership role, he has developed a strong interest in sustaining open organisational relationships and applying the insights of chaos theory to organisational culture and governance.
	Dr Tom Stubbs CEO, Government Reform Commission, South Australia Dr Tom Stubbs is the Chief Executive for the SA Government Reform Commission (GRC) chaired by former Queensland Premier Wayne Goss. The Commission is charged with reinvigorating the South Australian Public Sector through a range of measures that streamline decision making processes, create a workplace of choice and foster a culture of customer service excellence. Dr Stubbs is a physicist by training and former teacher/researcher at the University of Adelaide. He has held Executive roles in many government agencies including Environment and Planning, Housing and Urban Development, the Environment Protection Agency, Premier and Cabinet and most recently Health. He was Acting Chief Executive of Health immediately prior to joining the GRC. He has been extensively involved in national activity including a variety of Ministerial Advisory Committees and Task Forces. Recent Board memberships include the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) and National Centre for Education and Training in Addiction (NCETA).
	Louise Sylvan Deputy Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Louise Sylvan is Deputy Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), appointed as the member with expertise in consumer affairs. Formerly head of CHOICE-Australian Consumers' Association, she was also the President of the global consumer movement and served as an executive member of Consumers International for 14 years. Selected as one of 20 of 'Australia's True Leaders' by the Australian Financial Review in 2002, Louise is well known as a force for consumer empowerment and competition in markets. Currently, she leads the OECD Project on Economics for Consumer Policy, is the Australian delegate to the International Consumer Enforcement Protection Network, Chairs the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce, and serves on the ABS Advisory Council, the Executive of Medical Foundation of the University of Sydney, and on the Board of the Diplomacy Training Program established by The Hon Jose Ramos Horta.
	Mary Anne Thompson Deputy Secretary - Workforce, Department of Labour, New Zealand Mary Anne is currently Deputy Secretary - Workforce in the Department of Labour. She is responsible for policy advice on employment, skills and immigration. She is also responsible for the delivery of New Zealand’s immigration services. Mary Anne has previously held the position of Director, Policy Advisory Group in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. She has been a senior public servant for a number of years, working in Treasury, the Office of Treaty Settlements and the Ministry of Maori Affairs. She was the Crown chief negotiator for the Ngai Tahu settlement. Mary Anne was a research economist at the Institute of Economic Research and lectured at Victoria University in International Political Economy.
	Evan Thornley MP Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Victoria Evan Thornley was elected in 2006 to the Legislative Council in the Victorian Government and appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, responsible for the National Reform Agenda. Evan has been active in business, education, the community sector and public policy. He is National Secretary of the Australian Fabian Society and was, until his election, a council member of The University of Melbourne, and a founding director of www.getup.com.au. He is a board member at the Brotherhood of St Laurence, founding board member of Per Capita think tank and proprietor of Pluto Press. He co-founded and is a former CEO of internet search advertising company LookSmart, and, prior to LookSmart, was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. He has degrees in Law and Commerce from the University of Melbourne, where he also served as president of the SRC and as a founding officer of the National Union of Students.
	Dr Ian Watt Secretary, Department of Finance and Administration Dr Watt has been Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration since January 2002. He was previously Secretary of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Prior to that, he was Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Executive Coordinator of the Economic, Industry and Resources Policy Group until March 2001. Dr Watt was First Assistant Secretary of Economic Division, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, between March 1994 and November 1996. Prior to that he was Minister (Economic) at the Embassy of Australia in Washington for two-and-a-half years. Dr Watt completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School from September to November 1999. Dr Watt is the current chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Working Party of Senior Budget Officials.