Craig Connelly commenced as Chief Executive Officer of The Ian Potter Foundation in December 2015. Craig is an accomplished financier and businessman, now dedicated to contributing to the community sector. He spent 25 years working in a variety of roles in the Australian financial services sector, initially with respected chartered accounting firm, Price Waterhouse, followed by 11 years as a leading Australian equities analyst and partner with JB Were. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, Craig is an experienced business analyst and successful manager whose professional strengths lie in his research innovation, industry analysis, technical expertise and strong communication skills. He currently serves as an external member on the Advisory Committee for the Sustainable Farms Initiative, ANU and is the Founding Trustee of the Parks Australia Trust.

PRESENTATION: From the philanthropists' perspective: Developing partnerships with NFPs

• Developing long-term partnerships with focus on capacity building rather than 'hand-to-mouth' projects
• Discussing what this means for NFPs and why prospective partners are turned away
• Examining the IPF's investigation of an NFP professional development program in conjunction with the Myer Foundation

Throughout his career, Ron has worked extensively in the primary health care sector and not-for-profit sector. Ron joined Vision Australia in January 2013 after guiding ProCare Health Limited (NZ), New Zealand’s largest Primary Healthcare Organisation, to a leading position in the primary health care sector. Ron has specialised in operational and technical information technology positions over his career and has worked for organisations such as Databank Systems Limited, National Provident Fund, Telecom, Western Bay Health, Countrywide Bank and the New Zealand Defence Force. Ron, who has family members who have experienced vision loss, is a specialist on the disability sector in Australia, funding in the disability sector, employment and the NDIS.

PRESENTATION: Thinking differently - Developing strategic thinking strategies

• Discussing the role of clients, volunteers and staff in strategic thinking models
• Going beyond client representation to tap into client expertise
• How to effectively engage clients in strategy execution

Professor Sanchia Aranda was appointed as CEO of Cancer Council Australia in August 2015. In this role Sanchia leads cancer policy and advocacy development, ensuring a strong evidence base is used to inform cancer control in Australia. She also holds academic appointments with the University of Melbourne, University of Technology, Sydney and the University of Sydney. She has 38 years’ experience in cancer control and has held roles in healthcare, research, tertiary education and government prior to joining the not-for-profit sector. She has held significant leadership roles in Australian Cancer Control, including 8 years on the Advisory Council for Cancer Australia (2006-2015). Sanchia also has extensive international cancer control experience, with 16 years on the board of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care, including 4 as President (2006-2010). She is the President for the Union for International Cancer Control and has been on the board of UICC for 6 years. She is also a board member for the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting and the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia. Her contributions to cancer control have been recognized nationally and internationally through awards and keynote speaker invitations. In 2013 she was named the 4th Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Distinguished Fellow for her contributions to Cancer Nursing and in 2016 received the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care Distinguished Merit award.

PRESENTATION: Shifting talk: From overheads to impact

• Improving capacity to communicate impact to the public
• Understanding how the public views your charity
• Using a national brand campaign to tell the story of what you do, and aim for this to shift public understanding
• The potential role of impact assessment - Where do we need to get to as a sector

Michelle recently became Cure Brain Cancer Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, after more than four years of leading its innovative research strategy. Throughout her career, Michelle has been involved in various aspects of drug development and has held senior business development roles in a global Clinical Research Organisation. She has travelled extensively to help Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies around the world design research programs to result faster paths to market. She has worked across all phases of research and across all therapeutic areas. Prior to her time in drug development, Michelle worked for the NSW State Government to encourage foreign investment into the Australian Biotechnology / Pharmaceutical and Financial Services sectors, representing the industries globally and working to match potential investors with Australian companies. Michelle has worked across various sectors including Telecommunications, Banking and Government. She has completed a Bachelor of Advanced Science (Biochemistry and Psychology) and Masters of Public Health (Drug Development).

PRESENTATION: Increasing impact by developing partnerships with organisations that are working towards the same goals

• How to identify the types of partners and types of partnerships that would benefit your organisation and its mission
• Developing trusting relationships at a time of increasing competition
• How to establish yourself on the global marketing and partner with international organisations

Dr Martin Laverty is CEO of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. He Chair’s the Deputy Prime Minister’s General Aviation Advisory Group, is a Director of the National Disability Insurance Agency and Health Direct, and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission and the NSW Public Service Commission. He is a former CEO of Catholic Health Australia and the NSW Muscular Dystrophy Association, and former chair of the NSW Heart Foundation and disability organisations Sunshine and Challenge Southern Highlands. A lawyer by training, his doctorate was on not-for-profit board director contributions to organisational outcomes.

PRESENTATION: Creating a strong governance for charitable purposes

• Discussing owns mission and purpose within Not-for-profit organisations
• Examining how boards can better contribute to organisational outcomes
• How governance structures can be enhanced to drive better director contributions to organisational outcomes

PRESENTATION: Increasing social impact by combining technology resources and partnerships

• Connecting and developing collaborative partnerships to increase sector innovation
• Sharing resources in an increasingly competitive environment
• Effectively utilising technology to measure social change and outcomes

Deborah Gold is the Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), the UK’s HIV policy and campaigning charity. Since joining NAT in 2014, Deborah has led a number of policy successes, most notably winning legal action against the National Health Service in England, which led directly to the launch of a large-scale trial of PrEP (a drug which prevents HIV) for at least 10,000 people. Deborah has had a long career in the third sector in England, including as Chief Executive of Galop (an LGBT anti-violence organisation), and on issues such as LGBT rights, homelessness and domestic abuse.

PRESENTATION: How to grow your brand and reputation whilst advocating for your mission 
• Collaborating across sectors to grow market reach and increase impact
• How to effectively plan for a campaign that strengthens company reputation and increases community trust and engagement
• Evaluating a campaign and developing strategies for continues growth

David Crosbie has been a leader in Australia's not-for-profit sector for over 20 years, where he has offered a leading voice on drug and alcohol recovery, community belonging and accountable and consultative policy. He has since been a critical player in building the impact and viability of the not-for-profit sector, becoming Chief Executive Officer of the Community Council for Australia (CCA) in 2011. David currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and Impact Investing Australia.He is formerly CEO of the Mental Health Council of Australia, Odyssey House Victoria and the Alcohol and other Drugs Council of Australia. He has served on a range of other key national bodies including as Chair of the National Compact Expert Advisory Group, a member of the NFP Sector Reform Council, and the Community Response Task Group.

• Evaluating the increased competition in the NFP space and what it means for organisations and communities
• Discussing digital disruption and its impact on the NFP sector
• The rise of nationalist popularism and the challenge for NFPs working towards the just, fair, inclusive, kind, authentic and generous Australia we want

The Hon Dr Gary Johns is the Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). Dr Johns has previously held roles as a Director of the Australian Institute for Progress, and an Adjunct Professor at the Queensland University of Technology Business School. He has served as a member of the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, and has wide-ranging experience in regulation, public service and policy, serving as an Associate Commissioner of the Productivity Commission and representing the electorate of Petrie in the Federal Government from 1987 to 1996, and as minister in the Keating government. Dr Johns was also a columnist for The Australian, and has authored a number of books on charities and the not-for-profit sector.

PRESENTATION: Discussing the importance of trust and transparency in the sector

• How the ACNC works to increase organisational transparency to assist donors in their decision making
• Assisting donors in finding out which charity does what, for whom and where
• Working towards reducing the red tape in the NFP sector donations

Andrew Leigh is the Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Federal Member for Fenner in the ACT. Prior to being elected in 2010, Andrew was a professor of economics at the Australian National University. He holds a PhD in public policy from Harvard, having graduated from the University of Sydney with first class honours in Law and Arts.

Andrew is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences, and a past recipient of the 'Young Economist Award', a prize given every two years by the Economics Society of Australia to the best Australian economist under 40.

PRESENTATION: Changing the trend of declining community engagement in Australia

• Analysing why people are becoming more disconnected from the NFP sector and discussing challenges of rebuilding social capital in Australia
• Collaborating with the sector to increase community engagement
• Evaluating early insights from the Reconnected Project and analysing the future of Australia’s NFP sector