Parnell is head of strategy and policy at campaigns agency Agenda C, a non-executive board director, and a regular columnist on culture and politics for the Sun-Herald and Sunday Age. She has worked on policy and communication for political parties in Germany and Australia. In addition to writing a column, Parnell regularly appears on Sky Afternoon Agenda, the ABC and an increasingly bewildering number of podcasts. Thanks to Shaun Davies, she is ably represented by a snarky AI version of herself at Yell-at-Parnell.zapier.app.

Shaun Davies is a consultant who works at the intersection of AI, technology and content. He currently leads the Google News Initiative's AI Workshops program for Bastion Digital. He worked on AI and content moderation at Microsoft and before that held editorial and product leadership roles with the BBC, Newshub, Nine and others.

Sarah spearheads B2B marketing initiatives in Asia Pacific at Getty Images. Sarah’s expertise lies in equipping brands with insights and strategies to create visuals that cut through the noise and forge genuine connections with customers. Sarah has built and executed region-wide thought leadership and demand generation campaigns, and has partnered with leading brands and organisations to promote the power of content in visual storytelling. Prior to joining Getty Images, Sarah worked as a marketing leader in the professional services and luxury fashion industries.

Ben Gunn is co-founder and chief revenue officer of leading creator economy platform Fabulate. A highly experienced media sales executive, he has held senior sales roles, leading teams across many of Australia's largest media/technology businesses including Nine, Fairfax Media, and Red Planet.

With a background in publishing and production Vinne always been at the forefront of driving innovation in the industry. She embraced AI early on marrying its power with human craft and intelligence. Previously she was the MD of creative production for the Monks in Australia, New Zealand and for the EMEA markets of BMW/MINI. Vinne has experience working across many markets and cultures, having worked in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands before landing in Australia eight years ago.

Matt Farrugia is Co-Founder of Mutinex. Prior to Mutinex, Matt’s career spans two decades in advertising across creative, media, data and digital at leading agencies. Holding senior roles at companies including SBS Broadcasting and Y&R / WPP where he was Managing Director. He’s built modern capabilities in agencies and has delivered solutions across the entire marketing, media, data and technology landscape, for some of the most well known brands globally.

As the National Technology Officer for Microsoft in Australia and New Zealand, Sarah is responsible for identifying and understanding emerging technical trends, building the technical strategy that will enable Microsoft to leverage these trends, and supporting the company's most significant customers across enterprise and government sectors in their understanding of the risks, implications and pathways to adoption of cutting-edge technology. In addition to her primary role, Sarah is also the Responsible AI lead for Microsoft in Australia and New Zealand and a member of Microsoft’s regional AI product Red Team.

Prior to Microsoft Sarah served in the Australian army, followed by a decade travelling the world and working across a broad range of industries in both Europe and the Middle East. From supporting Think Tanks to building custom business applications and even attending ballet for a living, Sarah's varied experiences and perspectives bring a unique lens to the way she approaches innovation and the potential of
technology.

Sarah has a Bachelor of Science from the University of NSW, a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from Cambridge Marketing College and an MBA from the City of London University. Sarah is passionate about education and learning and serves as an advisor to the Institute of Applied Technology – Digital and sits
on the Advisory Boards of Swinburne University and Chisholm TAFE.

Sarah serves on the board of DoxAI as a non-Executive Director, was named as the 5th most powerful woman in technology in Australia by B&T in 2024 and won ARN’s Rising Star award for 2024.

Cam is a strategic marketing leader with 20+ years of experience in world-class marketing teams and agencies. Currently the Head of Consumer Marketing at Optus in Australia, and previously held roles at Google in the US, Goodby Silverstein & Partners in the US and Naked Communications in Australia. I believe in bridging the gap between brands, products, partnerships and creativity to drive great commercial outcomes.

Grace Gilbert is a marketing professional with a diverse background spanning media buying at top advertising agencies, in-house marketing, and marketing science. Currently serving as a Marketing Science Partner at Mutinex, Grace specializes in leveraging AI and data-driven insights to optimize marketing strategies across a range of well known brands. With hands-on experience across the industry, Grace brings a unique perspective on how AI is transforming media, measurement, and consumer engagement.

Ex-agency nerd turned Co-founder and CEO of Springboards.

Springboards is built to keep creative people in the creative equation by using AI to spark ideas, not replace them. With 15+ years in advertising, media, and marketing, Pip has spent his career helping brands punch above their weight by embracing the unexpected.

Now, he’s taking on creativity’s biggest enemy: mediocrity.

A groundbreaking AI platform providing real-time insights into customer experiences. With a deep background in behavioural research, systems design, and AI, Michelle is dedicated to eliminating distortion in customer insights, helping businesses connect directly and authentically with their customers.

Michelle has spent over 15 years working globally to uncover genuine human insights and has pioneered methods that bridge human-centred research with AI-driven speed and accuracy. At Juno, she champions a novel approach to understanding customer experience, empowering organisations to make smarter, faster, and more authentic decisions.
Michelle is building the listening engine for the world.

Join Michelle at HumAIn 2025, where she will explore how genuine customer insights captured through AI can transform marketing, media, and customer connection.

Abe Udy founded Abe’s Audio 27 years ago, and the business has grown to a team of over 25 staff.
They provide audio production and voiceovers at scale to media, agency, video production & creative clients around Australia & beyond,
and have leant heavily into AI, walking the line of leveraging human talent while embracing tech.

Celia Harding is the founder of LEOPRD, Australia’s first strategic advisory focused on Language Engine Optimisation (LEO) - helping brands show up, stand out, and stay credible in the AI era. With two decades of experience in PR, digital visibility, and startup growth, she has helped launch, scale, and reposition brands across tech, consumer, and lifestyle industries.

She founded LEOPRD to challenge outdated PR models and equip companies with the tools to earn visibility in real life and in AI-generated answers.

Ben Gunn is co-founder and chief revenue officer of leading creator economy platform Fabulate. A highly experienced media sales executive, he has held senior sales roles, leading teams across many of Australia's largest media/technology businesses including Nine, Fairfax Media, and Red Planet.

Nathan McDonald co-founded We Are Social, a socially-led creative agency where he served as Global CEO. Under his leadership, We Are Social expanded from a London startup to a global advertising leader with more than 1,200 specialists across 20 international offices. The agency's client portfolio includes many globally recognised brands: adidas, Amazon, Audi, Booking.com, Google, McDonald's, Netflix, Lavazza, and Samsung.

We Are Social was acquired by Blue Focus in 2014, after which the agency continued its growth trajectory through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. After surviving the challenges of the pandemic, We Are Social became part of Plus Company in 2021 when Blue Focus divested a majority of its international assets to financial investors.

With over 30 years of experience in digital marketing and content creation, Nathan established his career in Sydney working in film and television production. He was a founding team member of Inside Film Magazine and after moving to London in 2000, held roles at Tribal DDB and MRM Worldwide. In 2008 he recognized that social platforms weren't just new digital marketing channels but represented a fundamental shift in brand-consumer relationships, and co-founded We Are Social.

Currently, Nathan provides strategic growth advisory services, leveraging his comprehensive experience in guiding businesses from startup phase through rapid growth, global expansion, product innovation, and mergers and acquisitions. His expertise and insights are particularly valuable for professional services organisations operating amid ongoing technological disruption and social change.

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