Director of Student Experience and Enhancement, University of Liverpool

Dr Paul Redmond, author, keynote speaker, employment guru, is one of the UK’s leading experts on generational change and the future of work.
As one of the UK’s leading experts on employment markets, the impact of artificial intelligence and the changing world of work, Paul has presented at hundreds of conferences and events around the world. In addition to writing regularly for national newspapers and other publications, he is a frequent guest on both radio and TV, appearing on numerous BBC and independent news and current affairs programmes.

Paul is the author of numerous books, reports and studies, including the best-selling ‘The Graduate Jobs Formula.’ In recognition of his writing and research, in 2010 Paul was awarded a Fellowship of the British Royal Society of Arts.

Chief Executive, Institute of Student Employers (ISE)

Stephen was appointed Chief Executive of the ISE in June 2013. Prior to joining the ISE, he was Head of Graduate Recruitment UK & Ireland at EY. Stephen has extensive experience in the recruitment and development of students, both graduates and school leavers. In addition to his current role, Stephen sits on several steering groups related to higher education and is a trustee of Ashorne Hill Management College. In 2019 he was appointed as a special advisor to Dame Shirley Pearce’s TEF review. He has presented to various committees in the Houses of Parliament and often appears in national and local media.

Global Lead for Racial Diversity and Early Careers, Skyscanner

Bob has a unique background and perspective as he has been an employer, a vendor and a University senior leader. He is a regular International conference speaker specialising in Early Careers, Social Mobility and Racial Equity, Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

He has been the recipient of several industry awards relating to graduate recruitment and development as well as careers preparation within universities.

As well as being the co-founder of the Global Career Services Summit, Bob is also the co-founder of the 1 Hour Project, an initiative designed to level the playing field based upon his PhD to help advance social mobility amongst graduates.

Learning, Development, Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Manager for Clough APA; AAGE Chair & Director

Based in Perth WA, I am the Learning, Development, Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Manager for Clough APAC. I am currently responsible for a large portfolio of professional development strategies and activities for Clough including the Graduate Development Program, Intern Program, and Scholarships. I also facilitate the relationships between my organisation and Universities to provide support, activities, and collaboration from both a career and technical perspective.

I have been in the Learning and Development space for over 20 years, with 12 of those years directly engaged in graduate development.

Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Management, Maryville University

Dr. Antoinette Boyd is Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Management at Maryville University, a selective, nationally ranked and recognized private institution. She brings 13 years of experience in the field of employment services and career development and teaches such useful courses as “Business Communications” and “Principles of Management”.
Dr. Boyd is passionate about preparation for the workforce and connecting people to opportunities and opportunities to people amid a constantly evolving job market. She is a big believer in using tactical initiatives and data to make informed decisions that promote achievement in the areas of academic and career success. In addition, Dr. Boyd is an advocate and champion of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in recruiting and hiring practices in higher education and the workplace, respectively, and she brings a wealth of knowledge, training, and first-hand experience to this passion.

Director, Employability, Swinburne University

Professor Ruth Bridgstock’s academic expertise and interests relate to fostering future-capability – that is, how students, educators, educational institutions and educational systems can learn and adapt to rapid and ongoing digital, social, and environmental changes in the 21st century. This core focus is reflected throughout her academic leadership, research, and teaching practice. She is Swinburne’s Director of Employability, where she recently led a program of work to achieve the institution’s ‘Moon shot 1’ of its Horizon 2025 strategy, enhancing student and graduate success by integrating progressions of WIL and career development learning into every undergraduate course. Ruth is HEA Principal Fellow, AAUT Award winner, and Australian National Senior Teaching Fellow. Her success in Australian competitive grants, industry and public sector funding has translated into more than 90 educational research outputs, with more than 6,000 citations and translation into national and international education policy.

Head of Insights, Institute of Student Employers (ISE)

After graduating with a degree in philosophy, I started my career on the Harrods Retail Executive Training Programme before moving onto a career in HR. I’ve since spent several years working in talent acquisition, and more recently in learning and development for a boutique European private bank called Quintet.

Having been privileged to work with a variety of employers in different sectors over my career to date, joining the ISE last year as their Head of Insights has given me the opportunity to focus on two of my professional passions – insights and analytics.

I’m passionate about all things talent, employability and future of work. I love hearing about what others are doing, sharing good practices, and learning from each other. I also like the data side of things, understanding what it is telling us, and translating that into trends and tangible actions.

Senior Associate Director for Berkeley Career Engagement, University of California Berkeley

Larry Jackson is Senior Associate Director for Berkeley Career Engagement at University of California Berkeley, a top 5 public research university that serves over 42,000 students. Larry has over 12 years of career services experience having worked for University of California and Northwestern University. He has been recognized for his leadership within career services having served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Colleges and Employers and being awarded the NACE Rising Star Award. He has also contributed to the professional development of career services professionals by delivering regional and national presentations at annual conferences for NACE, NASPA and Midwest ACE.

Senior Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management

Dr. Michellana Jester is respected and beloved faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management, where she also serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Global Economics and Management Group and co-faculty for MIT’s renown and flagship lab course, Global Entrepreneurship Lab (G-Lab), Sloan’s largest experiential learning course. She is a creative leader with almost 20 years of experience in leadership and organizational learning and development.

Dr. Jester is a highly sought presenter and esteemed researcher on topics including adult learning, human resource and organizational development. In addition to academic publications, she’s written articles featured in Smart Manager, Financial Times, Fast Company, BizEd, and Psychology Today. Recent publications include: “The shifts in business and tech education” (2022), “How real-world problems can facilitate better learning” (2022), “When getting the laundry done is good enough” (2021), and “Experiential learning in a COVID world” (2020).

Beyond the classroom, Dr. Jester has extensive experience enabling leaders and future leaders via leveraging learning strategies (including action learning) as well as managing teams and projects. She has provided many years of management consulting to clients facing organizational and leadership challenges.

MD, Niven Postma Inc.

Niven Postma has held executive positions since she was 29, in a career that has spanned multiple sectors and roles. Before starting up her own consultancy and embarking on her PhD, her positions included being CEO of the Businesswomen’s Association, Head of the SARB Academy at the South African Reserve Bank and Head of Leadership and Culture for the Standard Bank Group (the largest bank by assets in Africa). She is a Harvard Business Review and Inc. Africa contributor, a strategy and culture facilitator for clients in industries as diverse as financial services, retail, media and manufacturing and an expert lecturer and facilitator on women’s leadership development programmes around the world. She is also the Chairman of the Board of Cotlands, an NGO that does cutting edge work in the Early Childhood Development space in South Africa and beyond.

Research and Insights Manager, Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS)

Claire joined AGCAS as Research and Insights Manager in 2023, having previously worked as a lecturer and researcher specialising in leadership, people management and employability. She is also a current Visiting Lecturer at Birmingham Newman University. Claire has published work on the use of employability case studies in education and inclusive employment practices and approaches. She is the author of AGCAS’ recent Member Services 2023/24 Resources Report, and their upcoming 2024 report on employment outcomes for disabled graduates during the pandemic period. Claire is also a level 6 qualified Careers Advisor, holds Advance HE Fellowship, and has postgraduate qualifications in HRM and teaching and supporting learning in HE

Executive Director, National Association of Colleges and Employers

As executive director of NACE, Shawn VanDerziel leads the association of 13,500+ professionals at more than 3,100 employing organizations and educational institutions engaged in the career development and employment of college students and alumni.

Prior to joining the NACE staff, Shawn was with the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago for 23 years, where he most recently served as chief human resources officer and as chief of staff. His earlier roles included a corporate recruiting position with Norrell Corporation and a position in higher education as associate director of student enrolment at National Louis University.

Managing Director and founder, Equity by Design

Dr Nadine Zacharias is the Managing Director and Founder of Equity by Design, a specialist consulting firm in student equity strategy, program evaluation, and inclusive service design. Nadine leads transformative work in higher education to achieve a more equitable and high-performing sector which can support an increasingly diverse student cohort and leverage the potential of individuals for the common good. She has held senior management roles at Swinburne and Deakin Universities, led ground-breaking research projects and, with Dr Matt Brett and Prof Sally Kift, developed a proposed policy statement for Australian tertiary education in The Best Chance for All.

Dean of Student Affairs, University of the Witwatersrand

Jerome September is Dean of Student Affairs at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has held this position as part of the Wits Senior Executive Team since May 2018. Prior to this, September was Head of Student Affairs at Sol Plaatjie University in Kimberley, after serving in various roles at his alma mater, the University of Cape Town (UCT), for over a decade. He served as President of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) at UCT in the late 1990’s.

September serves on the University South Africa (USAf) Strategy Group on Transformation, serves on the Council on Higher Education’s Reference Group on the Development of a Good Practise Guide on Student Engagement in Quality Assurance and Promotion in Higher Education, is a board member of the University Sports Company, serves on a task team set up to review the social justice policies of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, and is a member of the Ministerial Task Team on Sexual Harassment and Gender-based violence in Higher Education as appointed by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology.

September holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Political Studies and a Master of Philosophy degree in human rights from UCT. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration at the University of Bath in the UK.

Psychology Masters Student, Manchester Metropolitan University

Zenab is currently studying Psychology at Masters level. She has been involved in many university initiatives from setting up a society, running for the officer elections to being employed as a student researcher for University Teaching Academy. Apart from working as a sales associate for a retail company, she is also a supply teaching assistant for key stage 1 students at a local special needs school. Throughout her time at university, she has taken part in and created many focus groups to help better understand the needs of her peers at university.

Talent Acquisition Manager, Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Clare leads the Talent Acquisition Marketing team at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, UK/IE. As one of the UK’s largest graduate recruiters, her team partners with over 160 Universities across the countries to attract the best and brightest talent.

Clare is a passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and sits on the UK Council at Enterprise. In addition to this, Clare is a member of the Diversity Task Group at the Institute of Student Employers, exploring ways to reach and develop underrepresented talent.

Most recently Clare was recognised as an Inspiring Automotive Woman of 2021 by the Automotive 30% Club, inspiring the next generation of women to enter the automotive industry.

Head of Employability & Placements, London South Bank University

Kulvinder has over 25 years of employability experience working across a range of higher education institutions, with 10 of those years at deputy & director level. These institutions have included City, Brunel, Kings, UCL, SOAS, Anglia Ruskin and most recently London South Bank University.

Kulvinders knowledge and subject matter are extremely wide resulting from the institutions he has worked across, informing his approach as a leader, manager and practitioner. He has been privileged to manage and develop a wide range of employability initiatives, take part in enterprise, start-ups and ESF/ERDF funded schemes; plus support AGCAS, employers, sector organisations, professional bodies, all giving him an insight into stakeholder needs and the ever-changing labour market.

Co-Founder, The Career Readiness Project

Randy Bitting is Co-Founder of The Career Readiness Project, a national pilot program to assess and measure students’ proficiency in the 8 NACE competencies. Under his leadership, The Career Readiness Project launched at more than 150 institutions in 18 months and was recognized as the Best Competency-based Education Solution in the 2019 EdTech Breakthrough Awards. Previously – Randy joined Handshake as Chief Strategy Officer and played a lead role in helping Handshake grow from 5 to 500+ universities in three years | Pioneered the video interviewing category in 2003 as Founder and CEO of InterviewStream | Named Inc. Magazine’s “Top 30 under 30.”

Postgraduate Officer, Newcastle University Students’ Union

Charlotte Boulton is Newcastle University Students’ Union’s Postgraduate Officer for 2020/21, elected to represent postgraduate students at Newcastle University. She studied BA Media, Communications and Cultural Studies and MA Sociology at Newcastle before starting her sabbatical officer role. Charlotte has keen research interests in social mobility, widening access to university for under-represented groups and decolonising the university. As a first-generation working-class student, she is interested in working within higher education to be part of the development of widening participation goals and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive education sector.

Executive Director, The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS)

Elaine joined AGCAS in 2016, following a short stint in higher education as Head of External Relations for the Hull York Medical School. Prior to this, she held leadership roles in professional membership organisations for over 12 years, running the Nuclear Institute, the professional body for the nuclear sector, and as Head of Publishing at the British Computer Society (BCS). She has previously been a Trustee of the Science Council and a Director of the Association of Professional and Learned Society Publishers (ALPSP).

Assistant Executive Director, National Association of Colleges and Employers

Matthew serves as the Assistant Executive Director for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) where he leads strategy for career readiness, content, research, professional development, conferences, leadership institutes, and signature programs. His contributions support the NACE community of 13,500+ members consisting of university relations and recruiting and career services professionals. Matthew regularly presents on a variety of career readiness and college to career topics at conferences, convenings, and summits and has served on numerous advisor boards. Prior to joining NACE in 2015, Matthew served as Director of the Career Services Center at the University of Delaware, from 2010 to 2015. Before joining the University of Delaware in 2010, he was the Director of Career Development and Transformative Learning at Saint Joseph’s University. He has also served in career services roles at Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Swarthmore College. Matthew holds a Master of Science in Counselling and Human Relations from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television, and Film from Messiah College.

Director Student Life, Memorial University of Newfoundland

With two decades in the field of Students Affairs in various senior leadership roles at Memorial University, Jennifer is committed to working collaboratively with students, staff and partners to ensure a supportive, enriched and seamless learning environment for students. She maintains meaningful connections nationally and internationally by actively participating in a number of professional associations and holding various board leadership roles. For over two decades she has worked in the area of career development in both community/non-profit and post-secondary settings. Her interest and passion for experiential learning has helped guide and increase the number of curricular and co-curricular experiential opportunities for Memorial students and alumni. She is also one of the founding organizers of the International Experiential Learning Institute.

Executive Director, Career Industry Council of Australia

David has more than 20 years of experience working in the career development industry and is recognised nationally and internationally for the knowledge and expertise he brings to the field.

David is a passionate advocate and contributor to improving the quality and access to career development services in Australia, including the development of professional standards, quality frameworks, online services, practitioner registration, workforce career development and a range of national career development initiatives.

He has been and continues to be a member and active contributor to a broad range of government and corporate consultative and advisory bodies around career development, employment, skills and training and workforce development.

David is a member of the Australian Government National Careers Institute Advisory Board and has recently been appointed to the Board of the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy.

Career Consultant (Access & Equity), Swinburne University of Technology

David’s national equity research interrogated diverse practitioner perspectives to identify ways universities can provide more effective career development for students with disability. He also drew on diverse professional and theoretical perspectives to lead the development of Swinburne University’s AccessAbility Careers Hub, which included a pioneering partnership with the Disability Employment Services provider WISE Employment. His work received a NAGCAS best practice award and an honorable mention from the US National Association of Colleges and Employers. He is NAGCAS national treasurer and state committee member of the Australian Collaborative Education Network – Australia’s professional association for work-integrated learning. David is excited by the scope that the career development theoretical literature has for engaging the perspectives of practitioners from a range of professional backgrounds. He also believes that the breadth of our roles provides scope for us to be better advocates for our profession as it continues to mature.

Career Educator, Bond University

With over 15 years of experience as a career professional, Amy is skilled in program design and development, career education, and career counselling. Amy has undergraduate qualifications in Business (HR / Psychology), graduate qualifications in Career Development, and is currently completing a Master of Education (Leading and Learning). Amy holds Professional Memberships with CDAA and NAGCAS.

Employer Engagement Lead, Curtin University

Yasir Gubartalla is an experienced HR professional who has worked in diverse industries, including mining and education. As Curtin University’s Employer Engagement Manager, he designs effective programs that connect students with industry partners, leveraging his expertise in talent sourcing and recruitment administration. With a proven track record working at large organizations, such as Murdoch University and Atlas Iron Pty Ltd, Yasir is known for his work ethic, relationship-building skills, and exceptional results. He is also fluent in French and Arabic, adding a unique dimension to his multicultural background, demonstrating his passion for growth and positive change in the recruitment field. Yasir’s ability to help organizations build high-performing teams highlights his immense value to the industry.

Head of Professional Development Solutions, careerED

Michael has more than a decade of experience as a careers and employability educator at several universities. He has led the development of a range of services and programs in and alongside the curriculum. Michael’s specialist expertise includes career education design and delivery, career counselling, and employer liaison. In particular, he is recognised for his expertise in the provision of online careers services. Michael holds a PhD in careers and employability learning from the University of Southern Queensland and his research has been published in leading international journals and edited collections. Michael’s excellence in career development research and practice has been recognised through multiple awards from the Career Development Association of Australia and the National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services. Through his research and leadership, Michael seeks to innovate and elevate the career development profession in Australia and around the world.

HR Business Partner, Unilever

Rachael is passionate about helping young leaders reach their potential and find a meaningful career path.

Working in Human Resources at Unilever, Rachael is working as an HR Business Partner for the Home, Beauty & Personal Care business. She is also working across L&D, Employer Brand and the Early Talent programs.

Previously she worked at Ampol Australia where she ran the Graduate Program, was a recruiter for the Fuels and infrastructure Business, and was involved in Early Talent and Diversity & Inclusion initiates across Australia.

Having lived and worked in New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam and now Australia, Rachael also loves to travel. Her experience helps her to assist organisations to work better across cultures and create an environment that supports its members.

She is a Human Resources Professional, Graduate Program manager, D&I specialist and Corporate Trainer.

Assistant Professor, Integrative Career and Capstone Learning, University of the Fraser Valley

Dr. Candy Ho is honoured to be named the 2022 Rob Shea Research Award by the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE). She is the inaugural Assistant Professor, Integrative Career and Capstone Learning in the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia where she teaches courses that help students consider their educational and life experiences, and how these experiences can help them achieve their short- and long-term goals, ultimately helping them design the life they want to live. She also holds teaching positions in Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Educational Studies department and in Douglas College’s Career Development Practitioner Program. Candy currently serves as Board Chair of CERIC, a Canadian charitable organization that advances education and research in career counselling and career development, in order to increase the economic and social well-being of Canadians.

Head of the Graduate Business School, TU Dublin

Colin is Head of the Graduate Business School at TU Dublin, where he has spent the best part of 20 years in various lecturing, programme management and leadership roles. Colin has researched virtual working for the best part of a decade, and his PhD research focuses on trust in remote working relationships. Colin has published numerous book chapters, blogs and articles on trust and remote working and has delivered workshops to leading organisations and industry bodies including Intel, IBM, Great Place to Work, IPA, AKAM, AHECS and the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

Colin holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham (Trust and Leadership in Virtual teams) along with an MPhil (Training and Development in Financial Services), Pg. Diploma Third Level Learning and Teaching and BSc. Marketing from DIT/ TU Dublin and is PRINCE2 qualified.

Colin is a non-executive director with NCBI Retail and LIA.

Chief Executive, ISE

Stephen was appointed Chief Executive of the ISE in June 2013. Prior to joining the ISE, he was Head of Graduate Recruitment UK & Ireland at EY. Stephen has extensive experience in the recruitment and development of students, both graduates and school leavers. In addition to his current role, Stephen sits on several steering groups related to higher education and is a trustee of Ashorne Hill Management College. In 2019 he was appointed as a special advisor to Dame Shirley Pearce’s TEF review. He has presented to various committees in the Houses of Parliament and often appears in national and local media.

2nd year Law Student, Nottingham Trent University

Jorge is a second-year law student at Nottingham Law School and part time administrator for a regional community sector organisation. Following difficult events while studying abroad, Jorge has returned to the workforce and higher education as a mature student while managing a mental health condition, and is able to study at a consistently high level and is capitalising on every opportunity. In his free time, Jorge enjoys bouldering and single-seater motorsport.

Director, Careers and Employability, City, University of London

Gemma has been working in Higher Education careers services since 2009 and has been a Head of Careers since 2013. As Director of the City, University of London Careers and Employability department, Gemma leads a team of around 40 staff in functions such as careers guidance, employer engagement, placements, on-site recruitment agency, volunteering and professional mentoring. The City Careers and Employability service particularly focuses on delivering employability education in the curriculum, credit bearing professional experience modules, proactive and intensive graduate support and targeted support for student communities under-represented in professional employment. The service is underpinned by the thorough use of data at all points of the student and graduate journey. Gemma also leads the development and implementation of City’s institutional employability strategy including the Career Activation Programme according to which all undergraduate programmes have career focus education and professional experience as part of the core curriculum.

Manager – Career Development & Employability, Queensland University of Technology

Rosaria has spent the last ten years working in the careers space in higher education across faculty based career educator roles, industry engagement roles, mentoring programs and projects. She draws from her background in industry engagement, project management the NGO & government sector and currently leads an integrated careers team which seeks to provide embedded career development learning directly into curriculum at the Queensland University of Technology.

Global Employer Brand Lead, GSK

Hannah is the Global Employer Brand Lead at GSK and has responsibility for ensuring GSK is considered an employer of choice for both early talent and experienced professionals. Before moving into Employer Brand, she spent ten years recruiting early talent in the legal, investment banking and pharmaceutical industries. Hannah is hugely passionate about all areas of diversity and inclusion and throughout her career has developed and rolled out a range of interventions to broaden access and promote inclusive and diverse recruitment.

Principle, Prospect Research and Marketing

Rob’s understanding of education market dynamics, demand and drivers is without equal. Each year, he interviews many thousands of students, academics, employers and industry opinion leaders, on behalf of universities, governments, schools, institutions and cooperative agencies around the world. Rob describes his role as projecting future market demand and testing market potential. Much of the work which Rob undertakes is in entirely new space.

For three decades Rob has worked in 38 countries on projects for the Australian, British, New Zealand, Canadian and Singapore Governments, all of Australia’s State Governments, many peak bodies, over 90 universities around the world; and, countless colleges, schools and institutions.

Over recent years, Rob has worked on the research and strategy to inform mobility, employability, accommodation, national and regional brands, online and market positioning strategies for government agencies, universities and professional associations; as well as campus and programme feasibility tests in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, UAE, Qatar, Thailand, Philippines, Italy, UK, Canada and South Africa.

President, AGCAS

Marc is President of AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services), the UK’s expert membership organisation for higher education career development and graduate employment professionals. He is also Director of the Careers Service and Deputy Academic Registrar at Newcastle University, a role which includes managing the University’s award winning Careers Service. Having joined Newcastle University in 2013, Marc’s experience over twenty years includes previous roles at the universities of Plymouth and Portsmouth.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Aston University

Saskia Loer Hansen is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Aston University in Birmingham, the UK. Her teams provide support for the University’s three beneficiary groups: students, business & industry, and region & society. Her remit includes the full student lifecycle: outreach, student recruitment, student services including careers & placements, and alumni relations. The DVC remit also includes the international office, business and civic engagement, and the wider marketing functions.

Saskia has worked in higher education since 1998 and has held leadership roles in universities in England, Australia, Scotland and Denmark and served as the Secretary General of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities for a period of eight years. This sparked the interest in international collaboration and in creating opportunities for students to grow and thrive as global citizens, and in how universities make a difference to the communities and regions that they are part of. 

Associate Director (Wellbeing), University of Southern Queensland and President, NAGCAS

Tessa McCredie is the National NAGCAS President, the peak body for career services in higher education in Australia, and she has held a number of roles within the NAGCAS leadership group. Tessa’s background in education is as a teacher, lecturer and career development professional, and she shares strong opinions of the professionalisation of career practitioners as a way to enhance the quality and consistency of service delivery across the sector. Tessa is currently working at the University of Southern Queensland as the Associate Director (Wellbeing) and is completing her PhD. She has held a range of roles within the Student Success portfolio, including Associate Director (Careers and Employability) and Director (Student Success and Wellbeing).

Senior Manager, Employability & Success, Victoria University

Deb has worked for almost thirty years in the tertiary education sector, including senior roles at The University of Melbourne, Swinburne University and Victoria University as well as career roles at Monash and RMIT University. Her expertise is in the fields of career education, work integrated learning, industry engagement and for the past 15 years has been focused on leadership, management and coaching.

Deb has had a long standing-relationship with the National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS), Australia’s peak professional body for career development in the tertiary education sectors, including roles as Divisional President and National Vice President.

Founder, Career Jam

Bec McIntosh has 20 years of diverse community and career development experience. From her days in Europe running UK-wide European Commission youth project Eurodesk through to career consulting undergraduates through to PhD students. More recently she has moved to the UQ Business School as an entrepreneurship specialist working with MBA students and leadership facilitator. Bec has a diverse background having founded her own startup and managed a startup accelerator program. Bec additionally is the Founder of Career Jam, a service assisting mid-career professionals grow, change and transform their careers.

Twitter @BecMcIntosh

‘The UnLearning Lady’, International Transitions Facilitator and Future of Work Speaker

Whether your challenge is navigating an organisational change/transition as a team, or making groundbreaking career moves as a young female professional – Zanele Njapha is who many such as the PwC, Philip Morris International, Vitality Global, Marsh & McLennan, Generali, Saint-Gobain, Volkswagen and others are speaking to.

Zanele, or as her clients call her ‘The UnLearning Lady’, is an international Transitions Facilitator and Future of Work Speaker, helping companies navigate organisational changes and step confidently into the new world of work.

She is also the host of the highly-rated (top 100 in the Entrepreneurship category in: Zambia, SA, Ghana, Nigeria and top 200 in Canada and Portugal) & entrepreneur-focused podcast ‘Future-Fit Fridays’, hosting conversations with global experts on the future of work.

A faculty member at Duke Corporate Education, Zanele is also an award-winning speaker, an article contributor to Forbes & the Thought Leader section of the Mail & Guardian and was voted #45 on Avance Media’s list of Top 100 Most Influential Young South Africans in 2019.

Vice President, Talent Acquisition, MAXIMUS Inc

David Ong is the Vice President, Talent Acquisition for MAXIMUS Inc, a professional services firm based in Reston VA whose mission is “Helping Government Serve the People” by providing program management and consulting services to government agencies focused on public healthcare and social services programs. In his current role, he oversees activities related to University Relations, Diversity and Inclusion, Veterans, and Disability recruitment. Prior to joining MAXIMUS in 2004, David has managed campus recruiting programs for Capital One, Citigroup Corporate and Investment Bank, and Booz Allen Hamilton. David completed his term as President of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in July 2022, and continues on the Board of Director’s as NACE’s Past President. David is a graduate of the University of Richmond.

Talent Strategist, Strengths Coach and Speaker

Lerato Pakade (née Nxomani) is a talent strategist and activist-entrepreneur. Her company, Regent Career Architects, helps corporates understand the experiences and needs of black talent, so that they may better attract, retain, develop and advance
them.

She is a speaker and writer, focussing on using Inclusion to build stronger, talent-
centric corporate cultures. She is particularly passionate about amplifying
the positive contributions millennial professionals will make to the future world of work. Lerato also works directly with millennial professionals, to help them discover their strengths and develop compelling career strategies.

She got her start as a Strategy Consultant at a global management consulting firm, working with senior management in multiple industries (including telecommunications, financial services, and international development) across the African continent. She has an Honours degree in Economics, which she completed as a Mandela Rhodes Scholar and Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellow, and is currently completing her research towards her Masters degree at the London School of Economics.

Associate Professor, Teaching Stream in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto

Ashley’s research expertise and leadership in the area of experiential education and Work-Integrated Learning has been recognized through research funding from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, numerous peer-reviewed publications, invited keynote presentations at institutions across Canada and internationally, and through several leadership appointments including senior editorial board member for the International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning (IJWIL), Chair of the Research Committee for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL), and member of the World Association of Co-operative Education, International Research Committee (WACE-IRC).

CEO and a Co-Founder, Healthy Place to Work® Ireland

Having recently returned from Maternity Leave, Fania has taken on the leadership role of Healthy Place to Work® Ireland.

As co-founder she was instrumental in taking the Healthy Place to Work® model and methodology and operationalising it in an organisational setting. She led both the pilot and population studies, working collaboratively with organisations to embed this high performance, sustainable approach into their strategic agendas.

Using both this experience and expertise in organisational planning and design, Fania has enabled multiple organisations to achieve and sustain the status of a Healthy Place to Work®. She has also worked alongside organisations to successfully activate this achievement both internally amongst employees and externally in the talent market.

Executive Director, National Association of Colleges and Employers

As Executive Director of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in the United States, Shawn VanDerziel leads the association of 14,000 professionals representing more than 3,000 employing organizations and educational institutions engaged in the career development and the employment of the college educated. Shawn and NACE are well cited and frequent contributors to the national conversation on employment trends, outcomes, and the career readiness of college graduates.

Prior to joining the NACE staff, Shawn served as the Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief of Staff for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. Shawn’s earlier roles included corporate recruiting with Norrell Corporation for fortune 500 companies and a position in higher education as Associate Director of Student Enrollment at National-Louis University. Shawn is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds SHRM and HRCI Senior HR certifications.

Embedding Employability Consultant, Kings College. London

Based in the Careers and Employability team at King’s Morag works across the institution with a wide range of academic and other stakeholders to explore ways to integrate careers and employability value and benefit into academic programmes and across the whole student lifecycle.

Morag has been in Higher Education for 8 years and the school careers sector before that. There she managed school careers provision at a time of significant change in the sector. Prior to coming into the careers profession Morag had a successful career in local government.

Morag has a particular interest in considering how recent research on adolescent brain development might inform changing understanding and practices in careers and employability work. Morag has worked on a consultancy basis with academic teams at a number of UK universities, has co-authored a book chapter and published articles.

Senior Lecturer, University of Western Australia

Dr Serena Wee is a senior lecturer in work psychology at the School of Psychological Science at The University of Western Australia (UWA). She completed her PhD in Organisational Psychology in 2010 at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Serena is passionate about helping organisations develop equitable and effective recruitment and selection systems. In her research, she investigates how people’s skills, personality, and attitudes predict work outcomes related to hiring, promotion and turnover. Her work has been published in top-tier journals including Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, and Journal of Organisational Behaviour. Prior to her position at UWA, Serena worked in internal and external consulting positions in Singapore and the United States. In her current role, she also collaborates with organisations on projects related to recruitment and selection.

Associate Director Student Learning and Professional Development, University of Toronto

Libby is a student development professional, committed to supporting students’ career and academic development through experiential learning. She has worked at U of T for nine years and before moving into her current role she was the Lead Coordinator, Peer & Work Integrated Learning Programs at Career Exploration & Education where her main focus was the re-development of the Work Study program as a high impact experiential learning opportunity.

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Career Readiness, The Washington Center (TWC)

Dr. Sherrod Williams is the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Career Readiness for The Washington Center (TWC). As Vice President, Sherrod is responsible for the student experience at TWC including oversight of the Academic Internship Program, managing a portfolio of over 400 internship sites, career readiness programs, and evening courses. Sherrod manages the staff responsible for the program delivery, faculty, internship advising, internship site coordination, team of instructors that all work collaboratively to ensure successful experiences and cultivates partnership that enhance their programs. Sherrod advises the president of on organizational development strategy, specifically, mission, vision, values, and priorities.

Prior to The Washington Center, Sherrod served as the Director of Student Leadership and Community Engagement at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston), held several positions at at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and worked in the non-profit sector as a program director coordinating a Service Learning program in Birmingham schools.

Sherrod earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Bachelor’s of Business Marketing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).