Invited: Hon Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Climate Action, Victoria Government

• Understanding the role of cultural heritage and traditional practices in protecting land, water, and ecosystems

• How self-determination, cultural authority, and partnership can guide more just, effective sustainability leadership

• What challenges and opportunities arise for Indigenous women leading across community, corporate, and government spaces

• Practical ways non-Indigenous allies and organisations can engage respectfully and support Indigenous-led sustainability leadership

• How did you carve your path to executive leadership in sustainability, and what critical experiences helped you build the credibility to lead systemic change?

• What approaches have proven effective in bringing boards, investors, and policymakers onside for ambitious ESG strategies?

• How do you maintain resilience and lead with purpose in the face of setbacks and slow progress?

• What emerging skills, technologies, or policy trends do you believe the next generation of sustainability leaders must master to stay ahead?

• Leading with influence: using your personal brand to engage boards and decision-makers

• Building high-performing teams and inclusive cultures through curiosity, care, and commercial acumen

• The role of allyship and influence in lifting others and amplifying diverse voices

• Personal reflections on balancing purpose and pragmatism in leadership and navigating complexity with clarity and integrity

• What does healthy resilience look like compared to simply enduring and what personal strategies have helped you stay engaged after 20+ years in the field?

• How can sustainability leaders set and protect boundaries when urgency is constant?

• What role does the work community play in sustaining your resilience over time and how can leaders advocate for systemic support instead of just individual coping?

• How can organizations create cultures that prevent chronic exhaustion instead of expecting resilience?

In this fun, interactive session, you will meet fellow attendees and speakers in quick two-minute bursts to exchange contacts and lay the groundwork for  deeper connections and collaboration throughout the rest of the event.

• How can sustainability leaders effectively navigate and influence complex political systems and policy-making?

• What does it take to amplify your voice and maintain credibility in boardrooms, during crises, and under public scrutiny?

• How can industry leaders build powerful advocacy strategies and multi-stakeholder coalitions to accelerate climate action?

• How can data and storytelling be used to influence decision-makers and shape stronger climate policy?

Experience the power of storytelling in our leadership story circles. Listen, learn, and share as women  leaders reveal their journeys—celebrating  triumphs, learning from challenges, and building a supportive  community rooted in shared experience.

In this energizing and honest roundtable, Jo Taranto will guide a practical discussion on how we can activate our climate courage as a leadership tool.

Key takeaways:

• Recognise how our legacy thinking is keeping us stuck

• Tap into stewardship identities and how that can better shape us

• Understand the leadership transformation arc: from disconnection to becoming an industry change catalyst

• Celebrating the regenerative models and projects that excite you

This roundtable explores how women are embracing systems thinking, relational leadership, and purpose-driven approaches to navigate complexity and drive change. Participants will share experiences and practices to reimagine leadership for a thriving future.

Key Takeaways:

• Explore how systems thinking can support long-term, values-based leadership

• Reflect on what it means to be an interconnected leader within complex, dynamic systems

• Identify leadership practices that are relational, regenerative, and collaborative by design

• Connect with peers to surface insights and patterns across different leadership journeys

• Redesigning leadership: why alternate approaches to senior leadership roles are needed to attract diverse talent and deliver business success.

• Making it work: building trust, aligning vision, and navigating roles in co-leadership.

• Walking the talk: Embedding purpose and integrity into organisational culture through sustainable leadership.

• Making the leap: from technical expert to strategic leader

• How can networks and mentor relationships be leveraged to reduce isolation and increase their impact in male-dominated or underrepresented sectors?

• What are the most effective ways mentors help understand industry “unwritten rules” and advocate for themselves?

• What practical strategies can mentors and networks offer for building confidence, self-advocacy, and resilience?

• What does it look like when mentors actively use their influence to open doors, amplify voices, and champion inclusion?

• Defining feminine leadership: why empathy, collaboration, and systems thinking are key to driving change.

• Courageous conversations: navigating difficult stakeholders with strength and clarity.

• Built to lead: the advantage behind women’s natural strengths in leadership.

• Future-ready: owning your voice and leading the next wave of climate and impact-driven transformation.