Jackie Aggett
Head of Procurement – Australian Hub
Laing O'Rourke
A competent commercial person with 25 years of experience in the mining, rail, construction and oil and gas industry. This experience covers roles in commercial, contractual and financial management from project start-up through to close-out including all facets of tender preparation, negotiation, contract award and subsequent on-site contract administration, claims, project controls, forecasting, financial reporting and risk management as the client asset owner and/or contractor.
Ruth Bayley
Chief Executive Officer
Australian Association of Procurement and Contract Management
Ruth Bayley is a recognised expert in the fields of government procurement, project management and contract management.
In 2010 and 2012, Ruth worked with Government Skills Australia to develop the National Competency Standards for government procurement and contract management.
In 2013, Ruth was appointed to the Industry Reference Committee (IRC) for the Business Services training package as an Industry Expert for procurement and project management. This committee advises the Skills Service Organisation for the business sector. In late 2016, Ruth was appointed as Working Group Leader for a project of the IRC to review and refresh the procurement and contracting qualifications for the business sector.
In 2014, Ruth was appointed by Standards Australia as a member of the Australian Mirror Committee MB24 convened to participate in the development of a new international standard on Sustainable Procurement (ISO 20400). Ruth was elected by this committee as an Australian Delegate to the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Committee PC277 for ISO 20400. In this role she has represented Australia at international meetings in 2014, 2015 and 2016. In 2016, Ruth was appointed by ISO PC277 as the Leader of an international expert group to liaise with ISO PC262 which is charged with reviewing ISO 3100: Risk Management.
Ruth’s “day job” between 1996 and 2016 was as the Managing Director of Bayley & Associates, a Registered Training Organisation specialising in government procurement, contract management and project management. In this role she has provided training in government procurement and contract management to thousands of training participants in the federal, state and local government sectors.
This background led her, in 2010, to spearhead the formation of the Australian Association of Procurement and Contract Management, an organisation that aims to support and encourage the professionalisation of procurement in Australian Government and business.
Ruth is the foundation CEO of AAPCM and is a Fellow of AAPCM.
Ruth is a popular conference speaker, and has recently addressed numerous gatherings on topics relating to procurement and contract management. She is sought for media comment on matters relating to government procurement and contract management.
Ruth’s earlier career included over 15 years direct experience in procurement and contract management in the public sector and the Royal Australian Air Force. Ruth holds the degrees of Master of Business Administration (University Medallist) and Bachelor of Commerce.
She has a Graduate Diploma of Education, and numerous vocational certificates and diplomas across a broad range of procurement and project management disciplines. Ruth is currently completing a Doctor of Philosophy on Corruption in Government Procurement Processes at Queensland University of Technology. She is also a qualified mediator.
Contact Ruth on Ruth.Bayley@aapcm.com.au or 0419 265347
Coretta Bessi
Former Chief Procurement Officer
nbn Australia
Coretta Bessi is Former Chief Procurement Officer at nbn – the government business enterprise set up to design, build and operate the national broadband network across Australia. nbn was founded in 2009 so is six years young with a current annual expenditure of approximately $5 billion. Procurement has an enormous ability to impact the quality, speed and cost of the broadband rollout across Australia. Coretta has recently completed a transformation of the function with an internal business partner focus supported by strategic category management and supplier relationship management.
Prior to this role, Coretta held roles of CPO, Head of Shared Services, Procurement Manager & HR Consultant at BlueScope and BHP Billiton across mining, manufacturing and building products distribution businesses. Responsible for up to medium to large teams across multiple locations, Coretta has primarily been employed or promoted into roles requiring change and transformation.
With a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in management and law and a Masters of Business Administration majoring in Strategic Supply Chain Management, Coretta has gained a real passion for the education sector and has been lecturing for the last eleven years in Procurement Management for Masters students.
Natalie Budovsky
Head of Strategic Procurement
Healthdirect Australia
Natalie Budovsky is the Head of Strategic Sourcing at Healthdirect Australia – the organisation established by the Council of Australian Governments with the purpose of providing all Australians with access to trusted professional health information without time or geographic restrictions. Natalie and her team are responsible for the design and delivery of commercially focused solutions that support Healthdirect Australia’s vision.
Healthdirect Australia’s sourcing objective – to have industry leading capabilities to deliver best value arrangement to the shareholders and stakeholders, is tailored to the company’s unique processes and requirements and brings Procurement, Contract Management and Business Intelligence into one continuous business management cycle.
Prior to joining Healthdirect in 2012, Natalie held executive operational, general management and procurement roles at American Express, Cisco and EnergyAustralia (now Ausgrid). Natalie’s varied generalist background is instrumental in ensuring that the Healthdirect Australia’s sourcing strategy is closely connected to the business strategy and is constantly evolving in support of the organisation’s changing needs.
Natalie holds an MBA in General Management and an MA in Linguistics and Pedagogical Sciences.
Myla Bulaon
Acting Director, Policy, Strategy and Governance
NSW Department of Finance Services and Innovation
Outcomes-focused, project-driven procurement visionary who leads teams to deliver innovation and measureable improvements in whole of government procurement practices. Recognised as an informed decision maker and collaborative leader with over 19 years of experience in procurement including 15 years in NSW Government across most cluster agencies. A strong advocate of social responsibility, supplier diversity and responsible supply chains.
Myla is the recipient of the 2016 inaugural Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Achievement by DFSI Secretary Martin Hoffman, for her contribution to the Australian Mirror Committee MB24 on Sustainable Procurement ISO development (ISO 20400) as the NSW Government representative.
Myla is spearheading the NSW Government procurement policy reforms and implementation including the World Trade Organisation - Government Procurement Agreement (WTO-GPA). Myla has also successfully led NSW Procurement Advisory teams in the design and delivery of contemporary supply models for several cluster agencies; procurement capability gap assessment and closeout for NSW Departments leading to their attainment of advanced levels of procurement accreditation; whole of government contracts devolution; and change management in procurement transformations.
Sarah Cotgreave
Deputy Director
Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (New Zealand)
Jonathan Dutton
Director
JD Consultancy
Jonathon Dutton was the founding Managing Director of CIPS Australasia for over eight years up until February 2013. He was responsible for all aspects of CIPS activities as the global peak body for professional procurement & supply management in the region. He represented the profession and its standards to the highest levels of business and government.
As a former qualified procurement manager himself, as well as sales manager turned marketing director, Jonathan can easily draw on experiences from both sides of the negotiating table. Jonathan has worked in senior positions for British Airways, QANTAS, Regus & CHUBB, and is a fellow of four institutes covering procurement, marketing, management and the royal society of arts. He is also a graduate diploma member of the institute of company directors, and has a degree in economics with accountancy and business law.
Jonathan is married with two young children and lives in Melbourne, and can be reached easily through LINKED IN or his website.
Ian Griffith
Head of Procurement
DuluxGroup
With 15 years experience including multiple overseas assignments and a wide variety of industries and businesses, I have developed a high-value, structured and strategic approach to supply chain optimisation and procurement.
With 5.5 years consulting experience (3.5 at a Tier 1 consultancy and in-house through my first two years at Foster's) my analytical and problem solving skills are highly advanced and I am comfortable operating in a dynamic and challenging environment.
Over the last three years I have gradually evolved from an analytical/ project focus to a leadership focus, with a particular emphasis on leading expert sourcing and category management teams.
Jean-Louis Haie
Head of Australian delegation
ISO20400 Sustainable Procurement Project
Jean-Louis Haie is a Sustainable Procurement expert with 10 years of international experience in advisory and training in the fields of social responsibility, sustainability, procurement and the supply chain.
In addition to leading the consultancy Planet Procurement, Jean-Louis is involved in several Sustainable Procurement international initiatives, including heading the Australian delegation on the project of ISO20400 on Sustainable Procurement, publishing in early 2017.
Deanne Hawkswood
Chief Procurement Officer
Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads
Deanne is Chief Procurement Officer with nearly 30 years’ experience in the procurement field across a number of Queensland Government agencies. She is a passionate and committed leader with a vision of establishing TMR as the leading benchmark procurement organisation.
In her current role, Deanne has overseen a significant program of procurement reform which has seen TMR regarded as a clear leader within Queensland Government.
Under her leadership, TMR procurement continues to shift to become a business enabler, moving from reactive to proactive, from internal facing to market facing, from operational to strategic, from disparate to consolidated. Deanne is committed to developing a commercial focus, effectively managing suppliers and stakeholders, improving data quality, reporting and performance management, while delivering value for money outcomes.
Faye Hampton
Founder and Head Coach
Hampton Coaching
Kate Hart
Senior Leader
A.T. Kearney
Kate Hart is a senior leader at A.T. Kearney in the Procurement and Analytics Practice based in Melbourne. Kate has 15 years of experience in both industry and consulting roles in Mining, Oil & Gas, Retail, Facilities Management, Manufacturing and Telecommunications.
Kate has led multiple Procurement transformations within and across organisations and thrives on complex challenges. She graduated from UNSW with an Honours degree (1st Class) in Chemical Engineering and holds an MBA degree (Deans list) from Melbourne Business School. Recently Kate was awarded a CEW (Chief Executive Woman) scholarship to attend leadership training in Singapore.
Kate is passionate about the future of Procurement and strongly believes that the industry has an important role to play in an increasingly complex local and global environment. She feels that strategic levers and the application of analytics are key to unlocking sustainable value and identifying new opportunities from 3rd party spend.
Kate is married with three young kids and lives an active outdoor lifestyle with her young family.
Kelly Irwin
Head of Procurement Australia and New Zealand
Holcim
Kelly has recently been awarded the CIPS Procurement and Supply Chain Management Professional of the Year.
Kelly Irwin is a Procurement Professional with extensive experience across a range of industries. She has strong capabilities in building effective working relationships and teams, development of Procurement strategy, management of supplier and key stakeholder expectations, highly developed negotiating skills, contract management, risk management and compliance expertise and operational experience through the implementation of change initiatives and process improvements.
Kelly’s current role is the Head of Procurement for Holcim Australia and NZ. This role is responsible for a spend of over $900m. She has implemented a centralised structure and process aligned with the global business. Kelly has developed a highly effective Procurement team who have been awarded the Internal Customer Excellence award for Holcim Australia for 3 years in a row.
Claire Negus
Former Director Commercial
Roy Hill
Claire is an experienced executive working within resources. Claire has led global functional teams, delivered major projects and been recognised for her innovation in the fields of leadership, contract management and risk management.
In her most recent position as General Manager Commercial at Roy Hill, Claire has led her department to effectively support the $10.5b Roy Hill project. As part of this role Claire established and optimised commercial processes (procurement, contract management and governance) leveraging new technology and executing a successful cost savings program.
Claire was a Chartered Accountant for ten years and is a lawyer. Claire has received recognition from professional and industry bodies for her innovative work including:
- Risk Manager of the Year (2012) by the Risk Management Institute of Australasia;
- Chamber of Minerals and Economics’ Outstanding Woman in Resources (2016),
- Intrapreneur 40 under 40 (2016); and
- Innovation Award (2016), International Association for Contracts and Commercial Management’s
Claire holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Commerce, an MBA, a Master’s in Business Strategy; a certificate in Risk and Strategic Decision Making from Stanford University and recently completed a certificate in Global Leadership from INSEAD, France.
Amanda O'Brien 
Board Member
Supply Chain and Logistics Association Australia
Amanda O’Brien is a Transport & Logistics Professional and the CEO and Managing Director of Australian Worldwide Logistics Pty Ltd trading as Xtreme Freight with head office based in Melbourne. Amanda’s particular expertise is in strategy and solving logistical challenges for Global Freight Forwarders and increasing efficiencies in the supply chain through strong partnerships and transparent analysis. Her belief is that developing people’s talents is fundamental to achieving great results and that flexibility and outside the box thinking is the greatest catalyst for change which is essential in keeping up with globalisation.
Past experience in diverse fields ranging from Telecommunications, Airlines and Retail holding both management and procurement roles has seen Amanda involved in projects that return investment to companies with people at the core. Changing the image, increasing the efficiencies and developing seamless logistical solutions for clients in the Transport & Logistics sector is fundamental to her philosophy.
Amanda joined the committee of the Victorian Division of the SCLAA in 2012 to contribute to the growth of female participation in the industry and believes that giving back to the community and awareness of social and political issues is cognisant with greater results.
Lynn Penny
Group General Manager Procurement
Mirvac
Although Lynn’s key area of expertise is in Procurement she also has a strong general management background having run the Westpac Property Portfolio and been the Head of Risk at Laing O’Rourke.
Lynn is currently the Group General Manager of Procurement at Mirvac. In the GGM role Lynn is accountable for Procurement and Premises strategy across the group and has three key focus areas this year:
1. Building a Supplier Relationship Management strategy
2. Implementation of an IT Procurement Capability Platform for contract management, etendering and eProcurement.
3. Implementation of “Transforming the Way we Work” in regard to accommodation strategy
Prior to Lynn’s role at Mirvac she spent time working with Microsoft in an APAC role responsible for $3b in spend.
Lynn is passionate about coaching and mentoring people and is currently a Mentor on the Women in Property Program being run by the Property Council of Australia.
Kishwar Rahman
Program Lead – Strategic Project Procurement
NDIA
Kishwar is a Digital Transformation Lawyer with extensive Commonwealth Government experience having worked with Defence, ATO, Department of Human Services and Department of Finance in various roles as a public servant, as a senior lawyer in a tier one firm, and as a management consultant.
Her experience in procurement includes designing complex procurement arrangements, visualisation of contractual arrangements, dispute resolution and advising on ICT procurement policy reform. Most recently she has assisted the Digital Transformation Agency with the launch of their Digital Marketplace which has included implementation of click-wrap work orders and digitisation of the procurement process.
She loves her work and is curious and excited about the endless possibilities of transforming transactional exchanges between government, businesses and citizens to make them more affordable, efficient, and accessible.
Michelle Redfern
Former SRM Transformation & Supplier Management
National Australia Bank
I specialise in strategies to advance women & create business performance turnaround. Whether an individual, a team or a business, I coach, mentor & challenge people to be inclusive, courageous & to believe in themselves, which is an essential ingredient that enables a performance turnaround strategy to be enduring and sustainable.
My visionary, strategic yet systematic approach to diagnosis, design & delivery, results in consistently engaged & empowered people, delighted clients & improved shareholder results.
My "why" is to create a gender equal world where everyone, regardless of gender, race, sexuality or ability has a voice, is heard & participating fully & joyfully in life. I have a clear vision to be an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things.
My work is anchored in solving business performance issues through a greater focus on gender diversity. I want women to advance, shatter the glass ceiling & be successful, in whatever way they define success. I advise, mentor, consult, facilitate & speak about my vision to create a gender equal productive & successful world. My businesses advise, advocate, activate and champion women of all ages and stages.
Pauline Rolfe
Procurement Operations Associate Manager
Accenture
Pauline Rolfe is the winner of the 2016 CIPS Australasia Young Procurement and Supply Chain Professional of the year Award. As a Value Architect within Accenture’s Procurement & Supply Chain Services organisation, Pauline is passionate about helping clients achieve a sustainable step change in performance and value contribution. Prior to joining Accenture Pauline worked for NSW Procurement within the Advisory Services and Construction Category team and with Chevron where she was driving the implementation of global category management initiatives within the Drilling and Completion department in Australia. Pauline holds a Master of Science in Management from EMLyon Business School and is the proud mother of three young girls.
Johanne Rossi
Chief Procurement Officer
Caltex
Johanne is an award-winning , well regarded and publicly acknowledged business leader who lives by the five lessons of James Strong (Australian Businessman) “Always listen, always be approachable, always act with integrity, always keep a cool head and always treat people the way you want to be treated yourself.”
An accomplished Chief Procurement Officer with over 20 years’ experience, Johanne has a proven track record of delivery and over achievement. She is determined to positively disrupt the world around her and beyond (starting with herself) with her innovative strategies and ideas. Johanne moves at a much faster than average pace, she is a driven, venturesome doer and decision maker. She is highly successful in building, developing and mentoring high performing teams and individuals across a multitude of industries including FMCG, retail, energy, transport, mining, construction and consulting.
Johanne is a genuine, passionate, resilient, strikingly expressive and effusive communicator who quickly connects and collaborates with others. Her strong intuitive understanding of team dynamics and cohesion makes her an enthusiastic and highly persuasive individual. Her strong interpersonal skills have been highly recognised in her current role and she has become a game changer in helping to drive Caltex’s vision.
Danny Samson
Program Director, Masters of Enterprise and of Supply Chain Management
University of Melbourne
Danny Samson is Professor of Management at the University of Melbourne, specialising in supply chain management, where he leads the Master of Supply Chain Management degree. He has an honours degree in chemical engineering and a PhD in management. His principle research, teaching and consulting interests are in the strategic competitiveness of organisations and in the effective use of operations and supply systems toward achieving that competitiveness. His specific research interests include business and operations strategy, total quality management, technology management, and innovation. He has published a dozen books and a hundred articles in journals and business magazines. He has been a consultant to senior executives in most manufacturing industries and in numerous service sector organisations. These include major companies in in the food, building products, paper and printing, chemicals, processing, banking and other industries, in Australia and elsewhere.
Anne Tesch
Executive Director Australasia
WEConnect International
Anne Tesch is Executive Director Australasia of WEConnect International, a global corporate-led, non-profit organisation that helps help women-owned businesses, outside of the USA, succeed in corporate supply chains so they may contribute to building economic growth and sustainable prosperity within their communities.
Anne is responsible for engaging locally with WEConnect corporate members that include Westpac, IBM, Accenture, Cummins, HP, Goldman Sachs, MSD and EY while also seeking membership from local corporations and companies.
This activity she combines with the certification of Australasian women-owned businesses, to a globally-recognised standard, so they may have greater opportunity to achieve in the global supply chain due to the diversity commitments of these global and local corporations.
Thomai Veginis
Director – Procurement
Telstra
Thomai has been a Procurement professional for the past 19 years. During that time she has managed diverse procurement teams across Asia and Australia and has worked in Procurement Business Transformation Outsourcing projects.
Since February 2016, Thomai is a stream-lead in a company-wide transformation program. In this role, Thomai is working across the Telstra Corporation to ensure there is cross-company alignment on how to manage effectively external supplier relationships and contracts.
In February 2012 Thomai joined Telstra in the Procurement team as Director Infrastructure, Equipment and Services. In this role she managed a team of 60 who look after all the supplier contracts and relationships in the Network and IT environments at Telstra.
In September 2013 Thomai took responsibility for the Sourcing and Vendor Management functions of the broader Procurement team with $10B spend under management. Together with her team, she is continuing to strengthen relationships both internally and with Telstra’s strategic suppliers and partners.
Prior to this role, Thomai was Chief Procurement Officer at National Australia Bank (2008 – 2012) where she managed the end to end procurement and accounts payable process with a team of 60 onshore (80 offshore) and a spend profile of $2.4B.
Thomai started her career IBM Australia in 1989 as a graduate hire and spent the next 19 years performing many different roles.
She moved into the IBM Global Procurement team in 1997 when IBM was appointed the IT Strategic Outsourcing (SO) partner for Telstra. In her role she worked to transition critical vendor contracts from Telstra to IBM and other Procurement related activities.
She held various procurement roles when in 2001 she moved into the role of Chief Procurement Officer for IBM Australia/NZ. She managed a team of 125 staff and spend of US$ 700M. During this period, IBM underwent significant transformation in the procurement function. The first Procurement Operations Centre for IBM Asia Pacific was implemented in Melbourne and then moved offshore to Shanghai and Bangalore.
Thomai has 2 children and lives in Melbourne. She enjoys going to the gym, reading books, going for walks and catching up with friends.
Rosita van Vuuren
Head of Sourcing and Quality
Best & Less
Rosita van Vuuren is a business professional who has worked in the Apparel and Footwear Industry for 25 years. From running her own Apparel Manufacturing Company through the 90’s she entered Corporate Business in 2001 in the areas of Operations, Production, Quality, Supply Chain and Sourcing. Rosita currently works for Best and Less, an Australian National Retailer, as Merchandising
Operations Manager and Heads Sourcing and Quality. Her previous role was as VP of Operations with Bloch International, which she held for 5 years.
Rosita emigrated from South Africa in 1987 and holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business
Rosita prides herself on continually improving business processes, creating efficiency and finding areas of the business to improve costs.
Rosita lives on the Northern Beaches in Sydney Australia.
Jennie Vickers
Director Australia and New Zealand
International Association for Contract and Commercial Management
Jennie is IACCM's Director for Australia and New Zealand. She is responsible for corporate and individual members in the region including membership, learning, certification, research and advisory services. Jennie has a degree in law, is qualified as a lawyer in New Zealand, England and Wales and Australia and has over 25 years legal and business experience in corporate as well as 'Big Law' firms in the UK, NZ and Australia. Jennie has a wealth of experience in contract and commercial management in both sales and procurement. Jennie's commitment to building stable, respectful, long-term contract relationships delivering value to all concerned has been a feature throughout her career.
Susan Woodall
Independent Consultant and Former Global Chief Procurement Office in Singapore
Over 20 years procurement operations and consulting experience across leading global and Australian companies.
Recognised leader in designing and executing procurement transformational change and major efficiency programs.
Achievements have been underpinned by a commitment to the highest ethical standards and values, quality service delivery, collaboration & teamwork, ongoing personal development and community support.
Speaking opportunities are available!
Present your company, showcase your leadership and demonstrate how you can help by speaking to this senior gathering of procurement and supply chain executives from across sectors including resources, defence, healthcare, banking and finance, FMCG and retail, telecoms, aviation and government.
Use this unique forum to voice your opinions on the most important issues facing procurement today. Speakers will assert themselves as facilitators of the future success of procurement and supply chain professionals.
Investments start from $7,000
Call Bill Gatsis on +61 (0)2 8488 9948 or billg@questevents.com.au to discuss how we can put you in front of a highly engaged and receptive audience.
You can also download the sponsorship prospectus here.
