ACSA National Summit brings together some of the sectors best minds

Making you think about how to engage, collaborate and compete, learn from failure and define your value are just some of the programs on offer at this year’s Aged and Community Services (ACSA) National Summit, 6-9 September at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart.

<p>Keynote speaker Frances Bender, Co-founder and Executive Director of Huon Aquaculture Group Limited</p> — Keynote speaker Frances Bender, Co-founder and Executive Director of Huon Aquaculture Group Limited

Formerly known as the ACSA National Conference, the summit brings together some of the sector’s best minds for a few days of inspiring debate and conversation on the future of aged care in Australia.

This year’s theme is ‘Choose to thrive’, and the event has a wide and varied program aiming to provoke, expand your thinking, design your future, and adapt your business.

With backgrounds varying from HR, law and banking to journalism and fish farming, over 15 speakers will share their wealth of experience across many industries and give you new inspiration .

Frances Bender is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Huon Aquaculture Group Limited, a salmon farming company founded with her husband Peter in 1986. She has led the development and growth of the Huon brand and has been a strong advocate for transparency and broader engagement regarding communicating environmental management practices within the industry. Ms Bender will be telling the Huon Aquaculture story and will explain how building an enduring brand is about your story, your values, your people and a passion for sharing your story.

In an informative and memorable address Andrew O’Keefe will be explaining how leaders who flourish use human instincts, and he will share a framework of nine human instincts. Mr O’Keeffe is the director of Hardwired Humans and helps organisations align their leadership practices to human instincts. He has a background in senior HR roles in large corporations including IBM and Optus and is the author of Hardwired Humans and The Boss. The instincts of human nature emerged during our long journey on the savannah and they continue to drive human behaviour when suddenly we changed habitat and moved into offices, factories and aged care organisations.

The presentation and workshop been run by Lisa Short, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Our People Group, and Acorn Network Managing Director Samantha Bowen provides neoteric solutions for a new ageing, health and care landscape that transforms ‘expense’ to a relationship driven investment; sustainable economic growth all through an engaged workforce, quality measurable outcomes, technology and a respectful market driven by customers. Ms Short is a trusted and highly respected senior advisor and transformational strategist, to government, peak bodies and business, built on her foundations of ability to define and influence ethical governance and entrepreneurial skill. Ms Bowen works to establish partnerships and advocate for youth in the ageing, health and care industry and strongly believes that by connecting with our established leaders and empowering young individuals we can make a difference to the Australian (and global) landscape.

Make it happen: Harnessing Disruption and Change for Success and Sustainability is the title of Holly Ransom’s talk. Ms Ransom is the CEO of Emergent, a company that works with leaders, organisations and governments globally who want to set the benchmark and be frontiers of change and innovation. In 2014, the Australian Prime Minister appointed Ms Ransom to chair the G20 Youth Summit and she currently Co-Chairs the UN’s Global Coalition of Young Women Entrepreneurs. In 2016, she was appointed to Co-Chair of the United Nations Global Coalition of Young Women Entrepreneurs and became the youngest ever female Director of an AFL club with her appointment to the Port Adelaide Football Club board.

Dr Robert Kay is a co-founder and executive director of Incept Labs, and an Adjunct Professor at Macquarie University. With a career that has continuously moved between industry and academia, he was formerly the Head of Strategic Innovation at Westpac Banking Corporation; a Senior Lecturer in Information Systems and Organisational Development at UTS, and a Research Analyst for Bovis Lend Lease. Dr Kay’s presentation takes the audience on a journey through sociology, psychology and neuroscience to explain why groups struggle to pursue new opportunities and how they can overcome these challenges.

To find out about other speakers and to learn more about the event visit www.acsanationalsummit.com.au