How to empower neurodivergent talent to enrich your innovation strategy

Details

The holly grail of corporate success is innovation. The challenge is how do you create productive innovative teams that produce ground-breaking competitive advantage for organisations?

In this session, we examine building outcomes that make a real difference, the managerial approach to innovation strategy and the role neurodiversity can play in producing innovative results. We review why thinking differently can be both a strength and a weakness in business and how to benefit from creating positive conflict in teams.

Learn about the approach key business leaders have taken to utilise neurodiverse talent to produce exceptional outcomes

Speakers

 Jacqui Kernot

Security Director, Australia and New Zealand

Accenture

Jacqui is one of Australia’s most experienced cyber security and risk professionals, with a career spanning nearly three decades. She currently leads Accenture’s Security business for Australia and New Zealand. Prior to taking on this role as head of one of the largest security services businesses in Australia, she was a partner at EY, working with financial services clients. Prior to this she led Telstra’s cyber security business and previously held various leadership roles in startups and larger technology companies such as IBM and HP both here and in the UK.

Jacqui is a passionate supporter of Inclusion and Diversity, and Chair of Australia’s largest and longest running network for women in IT and telecommunications, FITT. She is a founding member of the CyberShift Alliance, a group of senior industry experts working to implement cultural change around the experience of working in the cyber industry for women and diverse minorities. She is a founding member of the Better CyberSecurity Coalition, a global organisation committed to changing the way businesses approach cybersecurity challenges.

 Melanie Botha

Head of Training and Certification | Australia and New Zealand

AWS

Melanie lives for the opportunity to enable people to see wider, further and brighter! She’s always managed to combine her love for travel and different cultures with her passion for work having lived on 3 continents. Prior to Amazon, she managed an agile cutting edge Data Management and SAP focused business within the Asia Pacific & Japan region. Throughout her career she’s always been drawn toward learning and capacity building from lecturing at universities, teaching and supporting within the CognitiveEdge/Cynefin programmes, co-owned and developed the “It’s Me! Life Studio” for kids and young adults in Ethiopia, through to enablement of 100+ SMEs. She’s contributed to books such as: “Women leadership in emerging markets” by Chengadu Shireen and Caren Scheepers and “Play to Win: What Women can learn from men in Business” by Donna Rachelson. Recently she was referenced as ‘one of the successful results’ of the Microsoft BOLD leadership programme by Mteto Nyati in his book: “Betting on a Darkie”. Mel is studying Art Therapy part time through CECAT.

Bodo Mann

CEO

auticon Pty Ltd

Bodo has held senior leadership roles, and worked with Boards, CEOs and Senior Executives from global blue-chip organisations across Australasia and Europe.  He is passionate about building innovative social impact businesses, which are purpose driven and shine through neurodiversity. Bodo is excited and proud to be part of the global auticon family, whose primary purpose is to employ talented consultants on the autism spectrum, while providing value adding technology consulting services and cognitive strengths to blue chip clients.

Sharon Carroll

Diversity & Inclusion Partner

People & Culture

Australia Post

With over 15 years’ experience working across culture, engagement and inclusion at Australia Post, Sharon has been leading the organisation’s strategic approach to improving access and inclusion of people with disability since 2017.   

Sharon partners with the Accessibility Matters employee group and leaders from across the business to deliver on the commitments published in the Australia Post Access & Inclusion Plan.  From the introduction of digital Workplace Adjustment Passports, accessible workplace technology, inclusive marketing campaigns and enhancing products and services to provide a better customer experience. 

The organisation’s whole of business approach has seen significant change across the business, resulting in Australia Post achieving Top Performer in the Australian Network on Disability’s Access & Inclusion Index 2022/23. 

Sharon is passionate about creating environments where everyone belongs and supporting others to create meaningful change. 

Facilitator

Dr. Ivonne Ranisch

Social Impact Director

auticon Pty Ltd

Ivonne has a passion for bringing diversity into businesses and helping them harnessing the benefits. Having worked across different industries Ivonne has a good understanding of why diversity is so important in any business and how it can create competitive advantage over others.

Thank you to our sponsor