AIBC National Conference
Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing
Tim Ayres is the Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing, appointed in June 2022.
He was elected as a Senator for New South Wales in 2019 and has been Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration and Member of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Joint Standing Committee.
Senator Ayres has a, extensive background in the trade union movement, representing the interests of workers in manufacturing, defence, food processing, aviation and metal industries.
He has been a long-standing member of the Australian Labor Party's National Executive and grew up on his family's beef cattle farm on the north coast of NSW.
Director - ECP Katalis
Paul Bartlett is the Director of ECP Katalis - the program established under the Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) to maximise the benefits of the agreement. He is an economist and Team Leader with over 20 years international experience in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He has undertaken consulting assignments for DFAT, World Bank, DFID, ADB, EU, NORDIC and the Government of the United Arab Emirates. In each of these assignments, Paul has collaborated closely with national counterparts and senior government officials, as well as relevant aid agency, private sector and civil society stakeholders, often providing capacity building and mentoring advice on trade, investment, competition and private sector development issues. He holds an MSc Degree in International Trade and Economic Development and a bachelor’s degree from Oxford University.
Founder & Chief Disruptor - Bolinger Consulting
An innovative and outcome driven C Suite Executive in the Visitor Economy sector who brings over 30 years experience across various government, commercial, public private partnership and not for profit membership-based businesses. Karen has worked at C Suite level in Destination Marketing Organisations and Convention Bureau in Gold Coast, Melbourne and Sydney, in hotels, venues and worked for and developed some of Australia’s largest major events and trade shows. Karen is an inclusive thinker, with an unparalleled understanding of the Visitor Economy and Business Events ecosystem, and the opportunities and challenges it faces in the new economy.
An experienced strategist who influences change and transforms business in highly contested markets in extremely complex stakeholder environments within multiple cultural and geographic locations. Karen has written game changing Business Event strategies for Sydney, Melbourne, Ireland, Cleveland, Copenhagen and Best Cities which have transformed how they approach business events with huge success.
A proven history of improving company performance and exceeding sales revenues and targets through improved repositioning and business development pipeline strategies and marketing campaigns. Karen turns strategy into actions and delivers outcomes.
Karen was the initiator of two key global movements within the business events industry – the concept of city’s being positioned as intellectual capitals and the long tail benefits beyond traditional measures business events have on destinations known as Legacy or Impact on societal outcomes.
CEO - Trilogy Hotels
One of the most respected and accomplished hoteliers in the Australian market. Scott most recently served at Accor as SVP of Operations, Pacific North, where he was responsible for 85 hotels throughout NSW, ACT, QLD, and NT.
General Manger - Hort Innovation
Mila has more than 25 years’ experience as a plant scientist and manager, with a passion for complex questions about how we can improve sustainable production and trade outcomes for Australia’s plant industries.
Head of Communications and Outreach - The Australia-Indonesia Centre
Helen Brown has more than 20 years’ experience in writing, speaking and analysing complex subjects and issues through several roles as a multimedia journalist, producer and communications specialist. She is passionate about Australia’s role as a positive collaborator with Asia.
Helen lived and worked in Indonesia for four years as a correspondent for the national broadcaster, ABC News, covering social, economic, political and strategic events. This included coverage of the 2014 presidential election. She founded Bisnis Asia in 2017 to encourage cultural capability among business.
She currently leads the communications and outreach team at the Australia-Indonesia Centre, supporting its work in managing multi-disciplinary and bilateral research projects across 11 universities.
President Director - Living Well Communities
Benjamin's 15 years in the property and health industry throughout South-East Asia has spanned the private and public sectors including as the President Director of Living Well Seniors Communities and Director of one of Asia-Pacific's largest architectural and design practices.
Benjamin has worked at the forefront of Indonesia's aged care sector and is a co-founder of the Asosiasi Seniors Living Indonesia. His work has been featured in ABC Television, Bisnis Indonesia newspaper, Bloomberg Television, the Jakarta Post newspaper, Investor Daily, Kompas newspaper, the Jakarta Globe and Business Week magazine.
Benjamin previously served on the Australia-Indonesia Business Council's Victorian Committee and has been a frequent advocate of Indoneisa-Australia business ties as a guest speaker of La Trobe University's Centre for Dialogue, Monash University's Business School Leadership program, the Australian Trade Commission (Malaysia), Australia-Indonesia Business Council's National Conferences and the Makassar Investment Forum.
Benjamin studied a Bachelor of Public Policy & Management at University of Melbourne and is currently undertaking a Bachelor of Dementia Care from the University of Tasmania’s Wicking Institute.
Senior Partner - ARKO Law
Eva is a highly experienced lawyer in Indonesia with over 20 years of experience in investments, mergers & acquisitions, project financing, and corporate law, specializing in the energy and natural resources sector. She has played a pivotal role in shaping mining legislation in Indonesia, collaborating with organizations like PERHAPI and IMI. Appointed to the National Mining Policy Formulation Team, Eva has led key mining investment and governance initiatives. Her expertise spans corporate & commercial law, restructuring, and sustainability, and she is frequently invited to speak at international forums.
Managing Director - Fitzpatrick & Co. Advisory
Eamonn Fitzpatrick is one of Australia’s leading public affairs professionals and has advised some of the world’s biggest brands including Uber, Expedia and Lendlease and top ASX companies on effectively engaging governments, stakeholders and the media.
He was senior press secretary to Prime Ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd and ran government communications for Premiers Anna Bligh and Morris Iemma. He’s a veteran of Labor election campaigns including Anthony Albanese’s winning 2022 federal campaign and those of WA Premier Mark McGowan and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
Global Leader for Infrastructure Advisory Services - EY
Darrin is EY’s Global Leader for Infrastructure Advisory Services and DFAT account Lead Partner. He currently leads the EY team working on the Government’s flagship Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I) development program in Southeast Asia. He specialises in advising governments on infrastructure policy, guidelines, investment appraisal, procurement and contract management working on projects in transport, telecommunications, health, education, corrections, civic buildings, defence and utilities. Darrin has published several papers in leading academic journals including his latest book, ”Global Developments in Public Infrastructure Procurement: Evaluating Public-Private Partnerships and Other Procurement Options”, published November 2017.
Managing Director - Bass Oil
Mr Guglielmo is the Managing Director of Bass oil Limited. He is a well credentialed Petroleum Engineer with over 40 years of technical, managerial and senior executive experience in Australia and internationally.
Mr Guglielmo was the CEO and Managing Director of two successful ASX listed companies; Stuart Petroleum Ltd for seven years and Ambassador Oil & Gas Ltd for three years. Both companies merged with larger ASX listed companies generating significant value for shareholders following the identification of compelling resource potential in their respective petroleum resource portfolios.
Mr Guglielmo also worked at Santos Ltd, Delhi Petroleum Ltd, and internationally with NYSE listed Schlumberger Corp. His experience spans the Cooper basin, Gippsland basin in Australia and Indonesia and Malaysia in South East Asia. He has also had exposure to US land and other international basins.
Founder - Argor
Aditya Kamath, based in Singapore, is currently a Founder and Partner at Argor Capital Management. Aditya Kamath brings experience from previous roles at Northstar Group, Advent International, Behrman Capital and J.P. Morgan. Aditya Kamath holds a 2012 - 2014 Harvard Business School. With a robust skill set that includes Microsoft Excel, Strategy, Telecommunications, Leadership, Social Media and more.
Partner and Head Aus/NZ - Igneo Infrastructure Partners
Danny Latham is a Partner in the Igneo Infrastructure Partners team. He is based in Sydney and has been with the business since 2007. Danny is primarily responsible for GDIF portfolio management and business development including fundraising and deal origination.Danny is a member of the infrastructure investments Senior Management Team and the GDIF, EDIF I and II Investment Committees. Danny currently sits on the board of directors of coNEXA.Prior to joining the team, Danny was director of RREEF Infrastructure based in London and Sydney, with responsibilities for portfolio management, asset acquisition and asset management and was Senior Partner and a foundation member of AMP’s infrastructure team in 1994.Danny has a Masters of Applied Finance and a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University, Sydney..
Vice President, Public Policy, Government Relations - Traveloka
Widya Listyowulan is Vice President of Public Policy and Government Relations at Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s leading travel platform active in six markets, including: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. She is a seasoned public policy practitioner experienced in public-private partnerships, CSR strategy, corporate affairs, government engagement, program development and management, community outreach, and education policy. In her current role, Widya has leveraged Traveloka as the government’s industry partner by acting as the appointed industry lead for G20’s Digital Economy Working Group in 2022, partnering with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to boost the country’s travel industry, and recently collaborating with IA-CEPA Katalis and Universitas Ciputra, a renowned private university, to administer digital literacy training to tourism operators in East Java, Indonesia.
After spending nearly two decades working across different sectors in the United States and Asia, Widya knows what drives effective strategic partnerships – creating authentic, long-term relationships.
Widya holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and English Literature, and Postgraduate Degrees in Southeast Asia Studies from Ohio University, and in Teaching and Curriculum from the University of Kansas.
Executive Director - EMR Capital
Tony Manini is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of EMR Capital with responsibility for business origination and development, geology and exploration. He has over 30 years of global resource industry experience across a diverse range of projects, countries and commodities. Previous experience includes 14 years with CRA-Rio Tinto Group and 10 years with Oxiana-Oz Minerals covering technical, commercial and senior management roles in exploration, business development, project evaluation, mine development and operations.
Tony is also a co-founder of the Tigers Realm Minerals Group, a private incubator company involved in the discovery and development of world class metallurgical coal deposits in Russia (Tigers Realm Coal), development of copper and gold assets in Indonesia (Asiamet Resources) and world class uranium deposits in Canada (NexGen Energy).
Tony holds an Honours Degree in Geology and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and the Society of Economic Geologists.
Founder - Amplify
I've worked in New Media and Television for over a decade as a Producer and Manager of some of the biggest productions around the world. Including Big Brother UK and Australia, English Premier League and MasterChef Australia.
I thrive on creating and growing brands into something meaningful and financially successful. With both a technical and creative mindset I have worked with and for some of the biggest brands in the world, including; Apple, Google, CBS, BBC, Foxtel, BSkyB, Endemol, and Fremantle Media to name but a few.
Specialties: Digital Media, Social Media, Technology, Relationships, Business Development, Innovation, Creativity, Television, Live Broadcast, Video On Demand, Gaming, Interactive Television.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice President (International) Deakin University
As Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice President,
International at Deakin University John leads on strategy and operations across
the University’s broad internationalisation agenda.
John is a member of the IDP Education ANZ
Advisory Board. He currently Chairs the Deakin Lancaster Indonesia Joint
Management Committee, and represents Deakin at the Universities Australia, and
Australian Technology Network international groups. Prior to Deakin, John was
Vice President with QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the London based rankings agency
where he remains on the Rankings Advisory Board and the QS Reimagine Education
judging panel.
John completed his BA at the Royal Melbourne
Institute of Technology and has undertaken further studies with INSEAD (TGM,
2001 & International Directors Program, 2023), the University of Melbourne,
the University of London and Coursera.
Special Envoy for South-East Asia
Nicholas Moore is a former Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Group Limited. After 32 years at Macquarie, 10 years as CEO, he retired in 2018. He is currently Chair of Screen Australia, The Centre for Independent Studies, The Smith Family, Willow Technology Corporation, the National Catholic Education Commission and Aldus Group, as well as a member of the UNSW Business School Advisory Council.
In November 2022, Nicholas was appointed as Special Envoy for Southeast Asia for the Commonwealth Government.
Nicholas has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of NSW (UNSW). He was admitted as a solicitor and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. In 2017, Nicholas was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business from UNSW.
Associate Principal - ARUP
Managing Director - Pacific Partnerships
Appointed Pacific Partnerships Managing Director in 2021. Simon has more than 20 years’ experience in transport and social infrastructure projects with a track record of leading successful teams and delivering major infrastructure projects.
Simon’s engineering and technical expertise spans strategy, development and operations phases of both transport (including heavy rail, metro, light rail and freight) and social infrastructure projects. In particular this experience includes PPP projects such as Canberra Light Rail, Cross River Rail, Regional Rail Fleet Program and Waikeria Corrections Treatment Facility.
Prior to joining Pacific Partnerships, Simon worked with companies including John Holland, SERCO, Downer and Alstom Transport.
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Chairman - AIBC Healthcare Group
Indonesian Ambassador to Australia
Portfolio Manager - Minotaur Capital
Founder of Minotaur Capital, an AI-powered global equities fund. Prior to opening her own fund, Armina worked as a portfolio manager at Grok Ventures and as an equity research analyst at J.P. Morgan.
CEO - Import United
Michael graduated in Industrial Engineering from Trisakti University in Jakarta, before starting to work in one of the renown Marketing Strategy Consultancy Firm (MarkPlus Consulting) and the largest automotive player (Astra International) in Indonesia. He migrated to Australia and shortly after completed his Master of Business Administration in Melbourne Business School. He spent most of his professional career in Australia working in the utility industry, including PowerDirect Australia and Telstra.
He started his entrepreneurial journey in hospitality industry by opening a home-made noodle joint in 2014 and started promoting Indonesian coffee in 2021. Joining the committee in Indonesia Culinary Association Victoria (ICAV), a not-for-profit organization, he met like-minded people in the organization and forming a company called Import United Ausindo Pty Ltd (IUA) that focusses on the trade relationship between Indonesia and Australia.
Actively involved in trade exhibitions and government events, combined with accumulated knowledge and networks from both sides of the world, Michael envisions for IUA to be a consulting firm, trading company, event management, trades representatives for businesses in Australia and Indonesia.
CEO - Consolidated Pastoral Company
Troy joined Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) in 2014 and is a top cattlemen and agribusiness leader who is well-renowned for his achievements across the industry. Troy has held key management positions at the Australian Agricultural Company, Torrens Investments, North Australian Cattle Company, and Killara Feedlot. Troy has worked across the agribusiness industry in production through to processing and marketing for beef, sheep, grains, cotton, land development, and logistics. Outside CPC, Troy currently Chairs the Board of Dolly’s Dream, the Council of Research and Development Corporations, and LiveCorp and is a former Chair of the Australian Beef Industry Foundation.
CPC is a leading Australian-managed, UK-owned Agribusiness with strong ESG values. CPC owns and operates a portfolio of nine station aggregations in Australia. Across more than 3.2m hectares of land, the CPC team can care for more than 300,000 head of cattle and produce a diverse range of crops. With an asset base above AUD$1 billion, CPC supplies a variety of domestic and international customers. CPC holds a 90% interest in PT. Juang Jaya Abdi Alam (PT. JJAA), the other 10% being owned by our Indonesian Joint Venture partners. PT JJAA was first established in 2000 and now operates two feedlots in Indonesia, located in Lampung (South Sumatera) and Medan (North Sumatera). The Lampung feedlot has a capacity of 28,000 head, while the Medan feedlot has a capacity of 7,500 head; both facilities are “best in class” operations. CPC direct sales channels primarily involve selling cattle and beef to Asian consumer markets, domestic feedlots or exporting processors, and exporting live cattle.
CPC is owned by Guy and Julia Hands through the Hands Family Office. Terra Firma (UK) (owned by Guy Hands) is the investment manager of CPC for the Hands Family Office.
Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner - Austrade
Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner Australian Trade & Investment Commission (Austrade)Stephen is Austrade's Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. Before this position he performed a similar role at the Australia High Commission in Singapore. Stephen has also had an extensive career in the global banking sector. He has worked for Citigroup and Lloyds Bank, and in consultancy roles in Singapore. Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy 2040 has gained from Stephen's vast international business and finance experience. He has lead Austrade's activities in supporting two-way trade and investment between Australia and Indonesia. Stephen completed his Bachelor and Master of Engineering, at University of Western Australia and Heriot-Watt University. He also holds an MBA from International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Switzerland. He is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors. Stephen also has micro credentials in fintech, big data and blockchain from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Oxford Business School.
Pro Vice Chancellor (International) - Western Sydney University
Professor Linda Taylor has been with Western Sydney University as Pro Vice-Chancellor International since 2014. A public policy expert with 20 years of experience working across industry, government and the education sectors, Linda managed the NSW Government’s India and Middle East Desks, building networks internationally to attract investment to NSW. In 2012, she received the prestigious Churchill Fellowship to study industry-research collaboration and commercialisation between Australia and India. From 2012 to 2014, she delivered a range of international education initiatives from the NSW International Education and Research Industry Action Plan, which included establishing StudyNSW, dedicated to supporting international education in NSW.
As former Chair of the NSW Deputy Vice-Chancellors International, Linda led the ‘safe return of international students’ project during COVID, an extraordinary collaboration for extraordinary times, which chartered flights for students unable to complete degrees offshore. As former Chair of the Innovative Research Universities (IRU) and Chair of the India TNE Working Group, Linda championed the development of a proposal to establish a consortium campus in India, bringing the best of six Australian universities to the largest higher education market in the world.
Linda is guiding the development and delivery of Western Sydney University’s Transnational Education Strategy which included opening a campus in Surabaya, Indonesia in September 2024 and plans for a high-tech agriculture campus in India. She has also nurtured a high-performing recruitment team, with recruiters located in ten countries, delivering over 350% growth in international enrolments from 2017 – 2023. As a member of the Council for International Education, Linda has contributed to the international education sector at a time of momentous policy change.
Head of Government Affairs - SunCable
Andrew had a distinguished career as an Army officer of 35 years’ service prior to joining SunCable in mid-2021 as the Head of Government Affairs. His previous role prior to SunCable was the Assistant Defence Attaché with the Australian Embassy in Manila, Philippines.
Andrew has a mature understanding of the machinery of government and has developed a wide stakeholder network across Federal and relevant State jurisdictions at the ministerial and senior departmental levels and with relevant Australian and overseas diplomatic missions in the Indo-Pacific region.
As Head of Government Affairs (International) for SunCable, his remit includes international affairs and policy dialogue, capacity-building initiatives and advocacy for regional renewable energy transition and the future grid interconnector architecture and cross-jurisdiction coordination.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Arts (International relations and History) from UNSW, a Graduate of AICD, a Thai linguist graduate from the Australian Defence Force School of Languages, was awarded in the Queen’s Birthday Honours (2020), the Commendation for Distinguished Service and is a US Bronze Star Medal recipient.
President - Central Queensland University - Indonesia
Professor Viljoen has over the past 30 years worked in senior roles in Higher education in South Africa, Australia and now in Indonesia. In his current role he is responsible for the strategic and operational business development of CQU’s business in Indonesia. Pierre holds a PhD in Industrial Psychology from the North-West University in South-Africa and is a member of the Australian Psychological Society. Previously, he has held several Ministerial appointments and Chairperson roles on boards in Australia incl, Regional Development Australia (Mackay-Isaac-Whitsundays), Mackay Hospital Foundation and the Central Queensland Institute of TAFE Council. He has also served on several other national and local boards including Engagement Australia, Reef Catchments and Mackay Area and Industry Network.
Chancellor - Western Sydney University
Australian Business Champion to Indonesia
Professor Jennifer Westacott AO commenced as Chancellor of Western Sydney University on 1 January 2023. She is the University’s fourth Chancellor and the first woman to serve in the role. Jennifer also served as Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia from 2011 - 2023, bringing a unique combination of extensive policy experience in both the public and private sectors. The Business Council of Australia is the nation’s premier business organisation, advocating for a stronger and fairer society through a more prosperous Australia.
Under Jennifer’s leadership, the Business Council tirelessly championed meaningful policies that strengthened the ability of businesses to grow the economy for the benefit of all Australians.
She has served as the Director General of the NSW Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources; and was also the Deputy Director General of the NSW Department of Community Services, and the Deputy Director General of the NSW Department of Housing.
Ambassador to Indonesia
Ms Williams is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and was recently Deputy Secretary in the Department. She has previously served overseas as High Commissioner to Malaysia and was Australia’s first Ambassador for Women and Girls. Ms Williams is Australia’s first female Ambassador to Indonesia.
Ms Williams is fluent in Indonesian and holds a Bachelor of Asian Studies (Honours) focused on Indonesia; and a Masters of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development.
CEO/ Co-Founder - KUMPUL
CEO & Co-founder KUMPUL.ID | Startup & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder | Empowers 120+ Hubs in 40 Cities in Indonesia 🇮🇩 | @kumpul_id
Founding Partner of Superchargers Venture Builder | Supercharging 50 Startups in 5 Years | Leveraging accumulated combined 100+ years of skills, network and experience of seasoned mentors and business builders to supercharge early stage startups | focusing on (but not limited to) first time founders and pre-series A stage | superchargers.studio
Founded and led as President of Coworking Indonesia Association 2016-2023 | the largest community of Indonesia's coworking players | Building awareness of coworking, innovation and creative economy | @coworkingid
Strategic Partner, Board Member, Mentor & Advisor for Global Entrepreneurship Network | Google for Startup Accelerator | 1000startupdigital.id | bekup.kemenparekraf.go.id | Founder's Institute | FoodStartupIndonesia
Country Partner and Expert Mentor for Techstars | Growing Startup Weekend Indonesia | Trained organizers and facilitators in 30 cities | @startupweekendindonesia
40 Women Leaders Shaping Gender Lens Investing (GLI) Practice in Indonesia by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and ANGIN, 2020.
Member of the Loan Approval Committee (LAC) for the Investing in Women (IW) funding under the BIDUK program, implemented by Athena Global Alliance, Inc.
Always a MSF-er at heart | Worked and lived in Ambon, Aceh, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Yemen
Certified Lactation Counselor | AIMI Bali
Australia Awards alumni - University of Sydney | Postgrad 2007 | Short-course 2017 "Transformational Business Leadership Course for Outstanding Australian Alumni"
Awardee of IVLP 2018 "International Visitor Leadership Program: Creative Economy and Entrepreneurship Incubator" | U.S Department of State's premier professional exchange program.
President Director - PT Jakarta Medika Manajemen
Bio to come.
Contact
Conference Organisers: The Conference Company
Email: aibc@theconferencecompany.com
Telephone (within Aus): 1800 193 405
Telephone (Int.): +64 9 360 1240
Acknowledgement of Country
The Conference acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land in which the AIBC National Conference will take place, the Gadigal of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and to Elders of all First Nations communities.