Speakers include:

  • Krish Alahakoon
    Senior Category Manager, Transport and Logistics, InfraBuild
  • Else Bright
    Head of Region APAC, Director ANZ, World Commerce & Contracting

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you leverage commercial acumen to enable procurement and business success?

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How should organisations adapt their processes in times of rapid technological, economic, and industry change?

    Experienced Commercial, Subcontract Manager with extensive and demonstrated history of working in the Defense & IT industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Government Procurement, Management, Contract Management, and Supply Management. Strong sales professional graduated from Scotwork Negotiating Skills.

  • Neha Chaudhuri
    Strategic Sourcing Specialist, The Walt Disney Company ANZ

    Session: SKILLS SPOTLIGHT: Successfully managing stakeholders and implementing effective strategic procurement practices

    Neha Chaudhuri is highly motivated and experienced Procurement professional with over 10+ years in working within Strategic Procurement in marketing, retail, telecommunication, logistics and supply chain industry. Skilled in supplier negotiation, ethical and sustainable sourcing, indigenous Procurement, Contract Management, Policy/Spend Analysis and Business Process Improvement. She has strong detailed ability to understand the business requirements and have experience from various industries. Neha has been involved in creating policies and procedures for the organisations.

    Neha is currently working with the Walt Disney Company and responsible for the Strategic Sourcing and Procurement business across ANZ along with APAC projects with international procurement teams. Apart from work she actively participates in Disney and outside Disney volunteering activities and is also a part of ANZ Volunteering and Social events.

    Neha is passionate about Procurement, supplier, stakeholder management, women in procurement and enjoys her role.

  • Cynthia Chung
    Head of Procurement – AU/NZ, Nando’s ANZ

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How should organisations adapt their processes in times of rapid technological, economic, and industry change?

    Cynthia is an MBA qualified Commercial leader who is successful in leading change and transformation in established and greenfield environments. She has a track record of building effective high performing teams and driving strategic and commercial outcomes across functional teams. She is driven, collaborative and build strong relationships quickly, and have an ability to resolve conflict and negotiate on complex supplier management issues using creative problem solving and analytical skills. She has worked in diverse industries and led global and multi-national teams in Consulting, Technology, Automotive, FMCG, and Retail.

  • Priyanka Dharshani
    former Head of Procurement, Post Fiji
  • Sarah Dyson
    Head of Supply Strategy & Governance, NAB

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you leverage commercial acumen to enable procurement and business success?

    Sarah is a dedicated procurement professional who loves challenging the boundaries of how procurement teams create value. She is passionate about improving indigenous and social supply opportunities, and is experienced across a broad range of procurement disciplines including sourcing, category management, supplier risk management, procurement operations and supplier relationship management.

  • Lorna Elisei
    Procurement Specialist, Ambulance Victoria

    Session: Using sustainability and circular economy strategies to improve environmental, social, and financial bottom lines

    Lorna has over 10 years’ corporate and government experience, bringing valuable insights and specialist knowledge across both operational and procurement based roles. With qualifications in business, human resources, leadership and management and ESG she has navigated complex projects, managed risk and budgets as well as facilitated optimal outcomes by adopting best practice strategies.

    In the last 5 years she has developed a keen interest and passion in climate change, sustainability and social engagement both personally and professionally, with a focus on supply chain accountability through sustainable initiatives, efficiencies and reporting, promoting a transition to circular economy principles, fostering community engagement by promoting diverse and inclusive workforces, fair hiring practices and ensuring supply chain oversight with the introduction of modern slavery commitments and reporting. In 2022 Ambulance Victoria was honoured to win the Social and Environmental Sustainability Award. This was as a direct result of joint collaboration and meaningful engagement with a supplier who’s sustainability initiatives and objectives not only benefited AV but the community as well.

    Lorna believes that best practice procurement strategies and can contribute to the greater good - not only by protecting our precious environment and resources, but by helping communities to thrive by feel supported and engaged.

  • Kylie Groeneveld
    Procurement Lead, Australian Football League

    Session: Navigating procurement in 2024 – what’s changing, what’s new & what it means for you

    Session: ROUNDTABLE 2: Empowering mentorship to drive, you, your team and your organisation to success

    Kylie has excellent communication skills and even better listening skills to drive the “purpose of the business” creating purposeful relationships with credibility and influence.

    She specialises in cross business partnering, stakeholder management and demand management - underpinning and managing planned delivery. Kylie is skilled in global tenders, supplier negotiations, contract management, cost savings, business process improvement, short and long range procurement strategy and project planning.

  • Anouk Guignard
    Head of Procurement – Food & Beverage, Crown Resorts

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you improve diversity, equity & inclusion and drive organisational success through leadership?

    With a strong background of 8 years in commercial procurement and sourcing, Anouk has successfully carried out a number of roles in the retail sector. Highly driven by results, she is proficient in leading end-to-end projects with excellent communication, influencing and relationship building skills. She has a high capacity to manage the engagement and maintain relationships with key stakeholders.

    Anouk works best in challenging environments, which gives her an opportunity to learn and grow. Her results focus is supported by her analytical skills where she has a proven track record in identifying the root issues and delivering pragmatic, working solutions.

    She believes that best results come from high energy within her team and she is very dedicated to drive colleagues to work better as a team.

  • Wennie Han
    Procurement Supervisor, UA Manufacturing

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you leverage commercial acumen to enable procurement and business success?

    Wennie is a procurement, supply and logistics guru having many years of highly relevant local and international experience working with well-known brand name companies. Companies’ brands include MECCA, Kmart (Anko), Target (Kinsi), Pharmacare (Redwin) & Grow Haircare.

  • Libby Jenkin
    PSCM Senior Manager H2 Projects, BP

    Session: SKILLS SPOTLIGHT: Expertly mitigating residual risks – strategies for the unpredictable in procurement

    Libby focuses on providing best practice Supply Chain outcomes, by building effective teams, and adopting innovating methods to improve efficiency and provide increased value to the business.

    Her passion lies in bringing out the best in the people she works with – both direct and indirect reports; and integrating and increasing the performance of our external teams.

  • Hanelie Lategan
    Manager Procurement – ICT Strategic Sourcing, Queensland Government Customer and Digital Group

    Session: ROUNDTABLE 3: Supporting mental health and wellbeing to create a safe, more enjoyable & more productive work environment

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you leverage commercial acumen to enable procurement and business success?

    Hanelie is a Manager Procurement at Queensland Government, where she leads a team of procurement specialists to deliver strategic sourcing and contract management solutions for the ICT category across various departments and agencies. She has over 22 years of experience in procurement and supply chain management, spanning commercial and public service sectors in both New Zealand and Australia.

    Her core competencies include supplier relationship management, risk management, stakeholder engagement, process improvement, and analytical skills. She holds the Supplier Relationship Manager Practitioner (SRMP) and Contract and Commercial Manager certifications from the World Commerce and Contracting. She is a passionate about delivering value for money, social and environmental outcomes, and innovation through procurement. She enjoys collaborating with diverse and cross-functional teams, learning new skills, and mentoring others. Her goal is to change Queensland with one procurement strategy at a time.

  • Fern Makeham
    Director – Procurement and Contracting, Australian Public Service

    Session: ROUNDTABLE 4: Applying lessons learned in the procurement industry to your work

    Session: SKILLS SPOTLIGHT: Developing an efficient and effective procurement project management plan

    Fern helps people by working within a trusted partnership to deliver quality procurement outcomes for her clients. She enjoys decoding and teaching others procurement best practice.

  • Sanaz Mirzabegian
    Executive Group Manager, Procurement ACT, ACT Government
  • Marissa Moraitis
    Deputy Chief Procurement Officer, South Australia Department for Education

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you manage the ethical, legal & reputational risks of modern slavery in procurement?

    Session: ROUNDTABLE 5: Nurturing work-life balance and harmony while achieving career progression and growth

    Commercially focused senior procurement leader known for delivering considered, sustainable and innovative outcomes across government, defence, oil and gas, construction, facilities management and bulk liquid storage industries.

    An energetic professional with extensive experience in engaging stakeholders across all levels and embedding cross-functional collaboration to drive innovative and effective strategies that ensure business goals are achieved

    Awarded the CIPSA Young Procurement Professional of the Year in 2009.

    Specialties:
    - Stakeholder Engagement and Management;
    - Category Management and Strategic Sourcing;
    - Supplier Relationship Management; and
    - Process Improvement and Implementation.

  • Zoanne Morrissy
    Chief Procurement Officer, Parks Victoria

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you improve diversity, equity & inclusion and drive organisational success through leadership?

    Results orientated professional with over 20 years’ experience in stakeholder management and strategy with strong leadership experience in State Government infrastructure, research, and transport organisations. Easily builds knowledge and positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders across all government sectors and departments, colleagues, and a wide range of business operators, providers and community partners.

    High Level Achievements

    • Ownership of the organisational structure and change process for the transformation of the divisions within Department of Transport
    • Strong leader with motivational management style and reputation for building and retaining highly motivated individuals, teams, and networks
    • Results oriented individual who successfully drove the strategy for ‘mobile myki’ (digital ticketing) for improved passenger experience

  • Shirley Mower
    APAC Regional Sourcing Manager – Good, DHL

    Session: CASE STUDY: Managing a high performing procurement team coming from 12 different countries by embracing their diversity

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you manage the ethical, legal & reputational risks of modern slavery in procurement?

    Session: ROUNDTABLE 1: Overcoming imposter syndrome and building your confidence

    Shirley is a procurement strategist, multimillion-dollar negotiator, and global team leader specialized in strategic sourcing and green packaging. Her passion is to help organizations achieve their goals by identifying and implementing cost-saving solutions, managing risks, and building long-term partnerships with their stakeholders.

    As a procurement and supply chain professional, Shirley is driven by my passion for creating value beyond cost savings. With a focus on the future of global logistics, she is dedicated to reducing the total cost of ownership while minimizing our carbon footprint. She is also committed to ensuring compliance with sustainable global practices, making a positive impact in the industry.

    Areas of Expertise:
    Sustainable Sourcing | Performance Management | Supplier Relationships | Innovation | ESG | Automation & Digitalization | Modern Slavery | Diversity & Inclusion | Change Management

    Categories:
    Good, Packaging, MRO, Site Services (Facilities), and Temporary Labour.

  • Charlotte Payne
    General Manager – Australian and New Zealand, CIPS

    Session: Opening remarks from the Chair

    Session: Eliminating the gender pay and promotion gap with benchmarking, transparency & mentorship

    Session: Opening remarks from the Chair

    Charlotte leads a passionate team dedicated to raising the capability of procurement and supply management in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Charlotte has been part of CIPS for nearly 20 years and throughout that time has worked with a range of organisations within the public sector, private sector, as well as NGOs and education providers to further the profession around the world. She has worked in the UK and Europe, China, South Africa, Botswana, Ghana, Malawi and Zambia as well as Australia and New Zealand. She attained a Master of Business Administration from the University of Birmingham and holds MCIPS Chartered Professional certification.

  • Molley Qi
    Head of Procurement, Manningham Council

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you manage the ethical, legal & reputational risks of modern slavery in procurement?

    Session: The roadmap to successfully navigating government procurement

    As the Head of Procurement at Manningham Council, Molley is passionate about seizing every opportunity to increase public value and deliver sustainable outcomes for the community. She has over 15 years of experience in leading procurement functions and strategies across various private and public sector organisations, and she holds the MCIPS credential from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

    Her core competencies include strategic sourcing, category and supply chain management, complex negotiations and deal structuring, risk management and governance, organisational change management, and building high performing teams. Currently, she is accountable for the architecture and delivery of one of the largest scale procurement transformation programs in the council, which aims to align the procurement function with the top objectives of delivering value for money, reducing risks, and maximising sustainability outcomes. She also directs and coaches procurement professionals to perform their best and foster collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

  • Teresa Scott
    Executive Director, Australasian Procurement and Construction Council

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you improve diversity, equity & inclusion and drive organisational success through leadership?

    Teresa Scott is Executive Director of the Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC). Her responsibilities include working with the Council of Chief Executives to set the strategic direction of the APCC, and expanding the APCC’s role as Australasia’s leading public sector procurement and construction forum.

  • Jessica Simpson
    Head of Procurement BMA, BHP

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How should organisations adapt their processes in times of rapid technological, economic, and industry change?

    Former radio journalist with extensive experience across operations and functions in the mining and manufacturing sectors. Highly developed skills in stakeholder engagement and holistic risk management. Passionate about cultural excellence and unlocking performance through continuous improvement, trust and collaboration.

    Specialties: Communications (internal and external), stakeholder engagement and mapping. Creation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of partnerships and community development programs. Socio-economic baseline work and issues management as well as co-design and change management with stakeholders on large change agendas. Government Relations including election strategy development. Environmental approvals including Environmental Authority amendments, EPBC referrals, NC Act, Water Act and Cultural Heritage and Native Title Acts. Supply chain E-2-E process management including local and Indigenous procurement.

    Management of small and large cross functional teams including managers, and experience with leading team members with direct and indirect reporting accountabilities.

  • Gigi Tam
    Head of Procurement, Volkswagen Group Australia

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you improve diversity, equity & inclusion and drive organisational success through leadership?

    Gigi is a visionary procurement and commercial leader with a strong record of leading high performing teams for a broad range of categories. She is highly skilled in leading procurement transformation, process optimisation, change management, category management and complex negotiations. She has proven global and domestic experience across a diverse range of multinational organisations and state government.

    Gigi has commercial expertise in leading the procurement and contract process is complemented with very strong financial acumen and ability to influence senior leaders.

    Her primary strengths are as a leader in procurement, coaching and developing capability within the organisation.

    Skills & Experience:

    • Category Management
    • Complex Negotiation
    • Contract Management
    • Supplier Relationship Management
    • Procurement Transformation
    • Process Design / Process Re-engineering
    • Procure to Pay Process Design & Implementation
    • Procurement function outsourcing/offshoring
  • Tracey Tran
    Senior Customer Advocate, Mazda Australia

    Session: PANEL DISCUSSION: How can you improve diversity, equity & inclusion and drive organisational success through leadership?

    Throughout her journey, Tracey has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence. Whether it's in her professional endeavors or personal interests, she takes pride in pushing boundaries and exceeding expectations. her passion for learning has driven her to acquire a diverse set of skills, and she has a track record of successfully tackling complex projects.

    Her dedication to collaboration and teamwork stems from a belief in the power of collective intelligence. She recognizes that the most innovative solutions often emerge when diverse perspectives come together to solve problems. This mindset has allowed Tracey to foster strong working relationships and contribute positively to the success of any group or organization she is a part of.

    In the face of adversity, resilience is a core trait that has carried her through various challenges, and she approaches obstacles as opportunities for growth.

    As she continues on her journey, she remains dedicated to making a meaningful impact and achieving exceptional outcomes. She believes that with passion, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of growth, there are no limits to what can be accomplished.

  • Marie Westerhof
    Senior Category Manager Supply Chain, Coles Group

    Session: SKILLS SPOTLIGHT: Building strategic relationships with suppliers through expert communication and negotiation

    Senior procurement leader with 16 years of international experience in Strategic Sourcing across one of the most prominent FMCG organisations globally, a top-tier consultancy and a packaging market leader in ANZ. Extensive expertise in Indirect categories.
    Consistently demonstrated leadership to set-up holistic procurement strategies and establish high performing teams to deliver end-to-end sourcing initiatives in complex environments. Successful by leveraging strong interpersonal skills, advanced critical thinking & sourcing proficiency, influencing senior stakeholders and driving supplier engagement.

    Proven ability to work collaboratively in physical or virtual cross-cultural environments, locally and internationally. Driven by intellectual curiosity and a permanent desire to learn. Loves working across borders and boundaries, is a true team player, accountable and results focused.