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 Speakers

Tim Jack Adams, Founder of GreenX7

Tim has created an overarching framework that enables leaders, teams and organisations to thrive sustainably and move into their peak performance zone. He is the founder of a leading-edge wellness solutions company for all employees of an organisation through to Executives and Management Teams. A thought leader and speaker in the Wellness Industry, Tim has worked with the Australian Defence Force, Red Bull, Six Senses, Olympians and many of Australia’s top companies.

With so much change and instability occurring in the modern workplace, it is key to understand how to get the best out of your employees to ensure your organisation is not only surviving but thriving sustainably.  If you want a thriving culture, it’s about creating connections, deepening engagement, and inspiring your people to share your organisations vision.  Research shows happy people are measurably more productive, better decision makers and more effective.

Daniel Aitchison CEO, Palm Lake Care

CEO of Palm Lake Care, part of the Palm Lake Group. Providing residential aged care and resort living across the east coast of Australia. Current Board Director of ACCPA.

Melissa Argent, CEO, Rockpool Residential Aged Care

Moving into a Residential Aged Care facility is a life changing process for many people, their families and friends. Melissa is determined to ensure Aged Care provides support, dignity and trust, as well as a happy environment for all.

Melissa has over 20 years of diverse Healthcare and Financial Services experience. Melissa commenced her career as a Registered Nurse receiving her Bachelor of Nursing from Griffith University, a Graduate Certificate in Health Management from QUT and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern QLD.

Early in her clinical career, Melissa found her passion for the Aged Care sector and has since worked in a variety of specialties both in Australia and internationally. Her experiences have reinforced her commitment to ensuring the provision of exceptional Aged Care services. It is this commitment combined with her passion and enthusiasm for the sector that ensure Rockpool residents live their best life whilst receiving the care, support and compassion that they need.

Melissa is committed to leading a culture of excellence which always focuses on the resident and their family, ensuring professionalism, quality outcomes and collaborative practice.

Mathew Brincat General Manager – Clinical & Quality, Provider Assist

With over 20 years’ nursing experience, Mathew Brincat is an expert clinician who has spent the last 14 years in the Aged Care Industry. Mathew is the General Manager of Clinical & Quality at Provider Assist where he advises on critical issues of Aged Care management including AN-ACC, clinical assessment & documentation and accreditation needs. Mathew is passionate that quality care and entitled funding all begin with proactive & holistic comprehensive assessment and believes that AN-ACC provides a unique opportunity to take advantage of synergistic opportunities in the way Facilities manage both funding and quality Mathew has a passion for Aged Care education and regularly delivers training to the Aged Care Industry. He thoroughly enjoys empowering others to affect the changes through the impossible to the rewarding and enriching environment that is Aged Care.

Louise Broekman Founder & CEO, Advisory Board Centre

Louise Broekman is an award-winning entrepreneur, researcher and business advisor with industry and government recognition at a local and national level for her contribution to the Australian business sector. Louise has the unique advantage of having been on both sides of the table; in the shoes of a founder and that of a chair of multiple advisory boards.

After establishing an advisory board in 2005 for her own business, Louise recognised first-hand how a well-run advisory board can positively impact CEOs and the business at large. Upon exiting her multinational business, Louise served as chair for commercial advisory boards before starting her second business. Now, as the founder and CEO of the Advisory Board Centre, Louise facilitates leading executive education programs for incredibly ambitious, progressive, and committed advisory board members, supporting their professional development and in turn, the businesses that they serve.

Clare Cameron Consultant, ACCPA

Clare’s skills and expertise centres around governance, risk assessment, compliance management and quality improvement with her passion to support organisations in the provision of high quality care to older Australians. Clare is a Registered Nurse and holds a Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies and Master of Health Management.

Ian Colyer Business Relationships Manager, HESTA

Ian Colyer is the QLD Business Relationship Manager with HESTA – the industry super fund dedicated to those working in Aged Care, Health and Community Services. Ian has held various positions within financial services, including global bond markets (investing RADs on behalf of Aged Care providers), financial planning, and superannuation in a career spanning over 20 years. Ian and the HESTA partnership team are responsible for engaging with stakeholders across the sector to grow awareness of HESTA’s products and services and advocacy work. HESTA advocates across a range of issues impacting its approx. 1 million members. HESTA speaks up for others and stands alongside our industry partners and members, advocating for a super system that better caters for people working in Aged Care. 

Sophy Edmonds Director, Edmonds Marketing

As an experienced marketing specialist, Sophy knows the value and importance of well-considered and integrated activities based on sound strategy and insights. She wanted to build a marketing agency that could integrate strategy with delivery, using joint knowledge and practical experience from many years working across advertising, PR, sales and strategic communications. As strategic marketing consultant she brings together their experience and skills to realise a shared goal. They use intelligent marketing strategies and tactics to support business success. Sophy Edmonds’ background lies in strategic communications and PR. She devised and delivered campaigns for major household brands and led communications for a national government change program. She is most passionate about applying her know-how to demonstrate marketing impact and serving as trusted advisors to leaders and teams of SMEs. 

Geraldine Ellis-Maguire General Manager Member Relations, ACCPA

Geraldine Ellis-Maguire has gained extensive executive leadership experience within the professional services, recruitment, and peak body sectors. Prior to joining ACCPA, she led a Tasmanian Peak Body which successfully advocated for Tasmania to be the first state to raise the age of out-of-home care from 18-21.  Geraldine was previously a State Manager with ACSA and through this role she gained a true insight into the impacts that Members are facing and the critical role that ACCPA plays. It is for this reason that Geraldine focuses on ensuring that ACCPA delivers an exceptional member experience which can be adapted to meet the needs and feedback from members. At ACCPA, Geraldine is responsible for the Member Relations portfolio including State Managers, Member Administration, Member Advisory and Support and Communications, as well as overseeing the National and State Forums and the National Member Council. Geraldine possesses global expertise in addressing workforce shortages, workforce planning and building talented teams, which is knowledge that she looks forward to sharing with ACCPA members.  

Jane Floyd Home Care Specialist, ACCPA

Jane Floyd holds post graduate qualifications in Commerce, Marketing, Management, Public Relations, Communication Management and Government Administration. Jane is a qualified Internal Auditor with more than 20 years’ experience in health, home and community care. Jane is an experienced non-executive director on health and aged care boards.

Jane provides specialist advice and consultation services to home and community care providers on a range of business needs. These include organisational and clinical governance, customer experience reviews, change management, quality performance reviews, training and development, risk and compliance, strategic planning, business performance and assisting providers respond to non-compliance audits and sanctions

Jodie Gaske CEO, Seasons Living

An accomplished senior leader, I deliver results by inspiring teams and engaging stakeholders. With over 20 years’ property industry experience, including major shopping centre redevelopment projects, I have managed some of Queensland’s top performing shopping centres in challenging and fast pace environments. My significant property operational experience comes from a history of working for Australia’s leading property management companies, including: AMP Capital Shopping Centres, Jones Lang LaSalle, Westfield and Scentre Group. Having held a variety of roles during my career (leasing, marketing, management), I bring a wealth of commercial skills and knowledge, which is supported with my technical background in business, strategy and marketing. As a trusted advisor to the business and owners I am passionate about consistently delivering improvements and creating organisational sustainable value. My solid commercial and operational experience allows me to stabilise the asset for the owners, while leading the team to support our retail partners and embed the Centre into the community. I am passionate about talent development, mentoring and gender equality due to the organisational benefits of creating an environment for talent to thrive. I also assist Scentre Group to implement gender equality programs and female networking opportunities, which support the Diversity and Inclusion company strategy.

Etienne Geringer, General Manager Risk and Assurance /Internal Audit, Churches of Christ

BIO TBC

Uncle John Graham Proud Kombumerri Elder of the Saltwater People from the wider Yugambeh Language Group

John Graham (Uncle John) is a Kombumerri man, a member of the wider Yugumbeh Language Group, Traditional Custodians of the Gold Coast Region. He is an Elder on the Griffith Council of Elders and was a Senior Learning Assistance Officer at the GUMURRII Unit, Griffith University, for more than 20 years. He is a mentor with strong links to Community and serves as Cultural Adviser on a variety of Committees and Projects providing guidance, protocols, and advice around culture and Public Policy.

Artist John Graham designed the Kombumerri Together Project logo which represents the Saltwater people’s connection to land, sea, waterways and skies. The red and white sea hawk is known as Ummunjin. The Ummunjin’s behaviour signalled when fishing would be good (see Video Title Significant Totems and Symbols).

Tane Hunter Co-Founder Future Crunch

Tané is a cancer researcher, bio-informatician, and science communicator. He is a co-founder at Future Crunch. He has a Masters in Bioinformatics from the University of Melbourne, and has worked for the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital diagnosing rare genetic diseases. He is currently completing his PhD at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, using molecular biomarkers in DNA and analysing them with artificial intelligence to improve treatments for people suffering from cancer. He’s also a former United States mountain biking champion and an avid sailor.

Tim Longwill Partner, McCullough Robertson

Tim is a senior industrial relations practitioner and has practised in the area for more than two decades. He provides strategic and operational advice on all aspects of the health and aged care industries including legislative compliance, human resources and business drivers.

He has acted for significant clients including the not-for-profit sector, private providers, and government. He has been involved in many of the landmark workplace relations decisions in these sectors.

Tim also specialises in resolving industrial matters in their operational context understanding that solutions must work sustainably for the enterprise as a whole.

His broad expertise is drawn from considerable experience and covers all aspects of workplace relations and employment issues. More recently Tim has been involved in enterprise agreement bargaining, contested enterprise bargaining approvals and termination of enterprise agreements for large aged and health care providers.

Tim has been a guest lecturer with the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology’s Business School of Philanthropy and Nonprofit studies.

Michael Lye Deputy Secretary, Ageing & Aged Care, Department of Health & Aged Care

Michael Lye joined the Department of Health in December 2019 as Deputy Secretary responsible for Ageing and Aged Care.

Prior to joining Health, Michael was the Deputy Secretary responsible for disability and carers policy at the Department of Social Services, where his responsibilities included disability and carers policy and programs, the National Disability Strategy, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Disability Employment Services.

Michael has a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Psychology and a Master of Social Welfare Administration and Planning, both of which are from the University of Queensland.

Liam Mayo CEO & Managing Director, Comlink Australia

I am passionate about engaging communities through change and motivated to build connected and resilient communities that care for the ageing demographic. “

Liam is a community development professional who specialises in helping people navigate transformational change. With a focus on engaging people through change, Liam specialises in working with marginalised communities and vulnerable people in complex environments to achieve sustainable, just and desired futures.

Liam has extensive international experience working with governments, the private sector and non-government agencies to incorporate community engagement and development practices in the design and delivery of policies, strategies and plans.

Over the years, Liam has expanded his work to integrate strategic planning and foresight methodology in his work covering education, health, housing, employment, domestic violence, youth, refugees and disability services. He is also a Fellow with the Centre for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies and an Adjunct Industry Fellow for The School of Social Sciences at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Julie McStay McStay Partner, Thomson Geer

Julie is a Partner in the Aged Care and Retirement Living team at Thomson Geer. She leads the firm’s Brisbane Health & Aged Care team. The team is a unique combination of 12 lawyers and clinical consultants. Julie’s team forms part of the larger national Health & Aged Care team working across Australia.

Julie specialises in providing regulatory compliance advice to residential aged care providers, home care providers, health care providers and disability service providers. Julie is acknowledged as a leading provider of legal services to these industries. She provides advice in relation to all aspects of non-compliance including sanction and accreditation decisions, coroner’s matters, major incident investigations and workplace health and safety investigations.

She advises a large range of aged care providers and retirement living operators including publicly listed groups, private groups and not-for-profits. She is a trusted advisor to some of the largest aged care providers in the country and was retained for many providers in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

In addition, Julie is a Director of Simply Legal Pty Ltd, an organisation that offers access online to high-quality document templates for aged care providers and retirement village operators.

Julie has a Masters of Law with a major in health law. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Julie has been recognised by her peers as ‘Lawyer of the Year’ by Best Lawyers in Australia in the areas of Health and Aged Care Law (2021) and Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law (2023) in Brisbane. She has also been recognised by her peers as one of the Best Lawyers in Australia (2012 – 2023) in the areas of Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law and Health and Aged Care Law.

Julie has been recognised in Doyle’s Guide as a pre-eminent lawyer in Queensland (2016 – 2022) and in Australia (2017 – 2019) in Health and Aged Care.

Adrian Morgan General Manager, Flexi Care

Adrian is General Manager of Flexi Care, a specialist for-purpose home care provider in Brisbane. He was previously Deputy CEO of a residential, retirement village and home care provider in Queensland. Prior to joining the aged care industry, Adrian worked in management consulting and for the Commonwealth Public Service in a number of management, human resource and policy positions, mainly in the disability field.

Rosemary OHagan, Risk Manager, Churches of Christ

BIO TBC

Ian Poalses, QLD State Manager, ACCPA

Ian has 10 years’ experience in the age services industry, entering the field by managing hostel-style operations and living on site at a managed village. He later joined Stockland in their Retirement Living division managing their South Australian villages before accepting a transfer to Sydney.

Earlier in his career Ian was a trade and industry diplomat and a director of various companies in the retail, financial services and commercial services fields.

He has an accounting degree and MBA from Bond University.

Darrell Price, Principal & National Head of Health & Aged Care Grant Thornton

Darrell has 30 years’ experience in professional services, the commercial, not for profit and public sectors in Australia. He has a strong track record in developing trusted relationships, leading strategic development, change, transformation, business optimisation and commercialisation in both external and client-side roles.

Through effective engagement and focussed facilitation processes, Darrell has led change and transformation in the Queensland Government, commercialisation and streamlining of services in aged and community care, outsourcing hospital services to the community sector, all of which required cultural and systemic change.

Cynthia Payne Managing Director, Anchor Excellence

Cynthia is a recognised aged care services specialist, with more than 28 years of executive leadership, director and board experience, in both not-for-profit and private organisations. Cynthia is both Administrator and Advisor, and leads Anchor Excellence’s Compliance Transformation Services, business mentoring and executive coaching services.

Cynthia’s experience in a leading private aged care group of 11 homes and a home care service for over 15 years enables her to evaluate businesses and provide expertise to support turnaround, change and growth.

An expert in implementing the Australian Business Excellence Framework, Cynthia led her previous group global excellence recognition on three separate reviews.

Damian Sammon Director, Legislation and Reform Strategic Policy and Legislation Housing and Homelessness Services Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy

BIO TBC

Heath Shonhan Partner, Bentleys

As a Business Advisory Partner in Brisbane, Heath has national and international consulting, middle-market, institutional advisory and corporate finance experience. His skills include business model development, strategic planning, organisational capacity development, financial analysis, structuring, going global, value creation, and benefit realisation.

Heath is responsible for advising high growth clients, private family enterprise, multinational corporations, government, banks, churches, and healthcare institutions. Through this role, Heath advises several boards of multi-billion dollar organisations, chairs a number of advisory councils and family councils, and works with high growth business owners around their scale up and commercialisation activities.

Heath has specialist experience in industry sectors including health and aged care, family-owned businesses, government, community organisations, agribusiness, biotechnology, and manufacturing. He has worked closely with businesses at all levels – from start-up ventures to large public sector entities. He looks after clients both locally and internationally. He has also been a key strategic lead to business owners, boards and councils, undertaking multi-million dollar projects and funding initiatives.

In the health and ageing sector, Heath is the team leader across major healthcare projects for the firm, including Government funding program reviews and assessments. His close involvement with Australia’s health and ageing sector has earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor to a wide range of private and not-for-profit organisations, capital funders and policy makers. Heath has led a successful program, CareFactor, collaborating technology and innovation to Australia’s aged care sector. He is regularly sought for industry commentary, publications and presentations. Heath and the team at Bentleys have also developed insightful resources specifically to guide aged care providers through the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the family business and private client sector, Heath has a keen interest in commercialisation and private equity investment. He has worked with a number of established and fast-growing businesses in the capacity of business mentor, outsourced CFO, and as expert counsel to boards and family councils (supporting intergenerational wealth and wisdom transfer).

Heath is a well regarded and long standing active early stage investor (angel, seed and venture capital) and later stage private equity investor. He is also a CSIRO ON mentor, Brisbane Angels Member, and a Queensland Government Mentoring 4 Growth mentor. Heath’s interests are particularly focused on the technology transfer from research institutions into commercial business outcomes. Furthermore, he is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia (FGIA).

Heath also leads Bentleys’ Technology and Innovation division. The team helps clients improve business efficiency, make better decisions, and strengthen business intelligence. Heath and his team have a passion for developing and commercialising new products and services.

Troy Speirs Senior Policy Advisor, ACCPA

Troy is a clinical psychologist, having worked across private and public mental health and aged care during the last 20 years as manager, clinician, and educator. He has been actively involved in home care operations and dementia care with experience in service planning, program development and implementation, policy, quality review, education and training and service evaluation.

Dr David Sykes Director, Centre for Dementia Learning, Dementia Australia

David is the Director of Dementia Australia’s, Centre for Dementia Learning, a leading national provider of dementia education and consultancy.  David has over 20 years experience in senior roles across business, government and the not for profit sectors.  David is passionate about transforming dementia practice through creating unique learning experiences which touch, move and inspire participants to improve their practice. He represents Dementia Australia on the Dementia Training Australia Executive as a Director.

Tom Symondson CEO, ACCPA

Before joining ACCPA on 26 September, Tom was the CEO of the Victorian Healthcare
Association, the peak body for the public health, aged care and community health sector in
Victoria, since 2015 after serving for two years as Director of Policy and Strategy. Before
moving to Australia in 2011, he had a career in local government most recently serving as a
political advisor in Southwark Council in London, one of the UK’s largest local authorities.
Tom sits on the board of Aware Super, one of the largest superannuation funds in the
country, with members across the health, aged care, education and public service sectors.
He has served on a range of government boards and taskforces including the Victorian
Ministerial Advisory Committee for Mental Health, The Victorian Quality and Safety Council
and the Public Sector Residential Aged Care Expert Advisory Group. He was also chair of
the International Federation of Community Health Centres.

Kim Teudt, Executive General Manager- Retirement Living, Bolton Clarke

Kim has held senior management and leadership positions in the retirement and aged care industry over the last 25 years in both private (listed and unlisted) and not for profit organisations and is the General Manager Retirement Living, Bolton Clarke. Kim has led a multitude of teams delivering major seniors projects, strategic business, property, advisory, acquisitions, change leadership and operational management of care and accommodation services.

Kim is passionate about creating communities where people want to live and where exceptional customer experiences are the norm. Kim is a Life Member and Board Member of the Retirement Living Council, Property Council of Australia, Chair of the LASA Retirement Living Committee (Qld), former President Qld Retirement Villages Association, Former Director of Leading Age Services Australia Limited, LASA (Qld), and the Retirement Villages Association.

JC Yap, Principal Consultant – Finance & Operations, Quality & Clinical Governance, Pride Living

Having worked across different senior roles in residential aged care, JC has first-hand experience in the complexities and challenges operators face.

JC has substantial experience in clinical practice and in optimising care revenue funding to reshape the way in which care and services are delivered. As a Registered Nurse with postgraduate qualifications in clinical care, JC is well versed with contemporary evidence based models in delivering safe and quality care outcomes to residents.

JC holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, a Diploma in Dementia Care, a Masters in Medical Surgical Nursing, a Masters in Clinical Nursing Gerontology and a Certificate in Governance and Risk Management.

Darren Young CEO, COTA Queensland

I am an Australian not for profit management professional with over 30 years experience. I have been a leader across a wide diversity of human services holding senior management roles within local government, state government and ‘for purpose’ organisations. I am strongly motivated to drive social outcomes for individuals and communities who are vulnerable and disadvantaged – where I apply my skills in targeted strategy, service development and growth, operational performance, stakeholder engagement and good governance practices.