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Agenda |
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Day 1 - Wednesday 24th August, 2022
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Australian Energy Regulator
Rowena Park leads the Australian Energy Regulator’s Compliance & Enforcement Branch as General Manager, focusing on making energy consumers better off. She is responsible for retail authorisations, exemptions, retail and wholesale compliance, compliance assessment and reporting and all investigations and enforcement undertaken by the AER.
Rowena has previously led enforcement teams at ASIC, focusing on financial services and credit misconduct, including as Group Senior Manager in Financial Services Enforcement. She led ASIC’s Royal Commission Litigation Program focusing on misconduct arising from the Royal Commission into Banking and Financial Services.
Rowena has also led policy development and law reform projects including ASIC’s project team for the Treasury-led ASIC Enforcement Review Taskforce. The Taskforce made a number of recommendations resulting in law reform which has enhanced ASIC’s regulatory toolkit considerably.
Rowena has 17 years’ experience in litigation, dispute resolution, regulation, compliance and enforcement both in the private and public sectors
• How the face of regulators have changed in Australia
• Why it matters to have women in regulatory leadership roles
• Which barriers remain for women regulators and how can we address them?
• What can we all do to keep women at the regulatory table?

Energy Safe Victoria
Sarah has 16 years’ experience in energy policy and regulation. Currently, she serves as a Commissioner at Energy Safe Victoria, and as a Board Member at Sustainability Victoria. Prior to these appointments, Sarah was the Energy Executive Director at the Essential Services Commission (Victoria), where she was responsible for overseeing the transformation of its energy regulatory functions. From 2014 to 2017, she served as the Senior Policy Adviser to the Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. During this time, Sarah worked with the Minister to deliver the state-wide energy reforms including the Victorian Renewable Energy Target Scheme.
• The day that turns a life upside down usually starts like any other, but what happens the day after?
• How ordinary people endure the unthinkable and what we can learn from them
• First hand accounts of people experiencing the worst moments of their lives in the full glare of the media
• Understanding your worst fears, and what to do when they come true?

Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Leigh Sales AM is a multi award-winning author and journalist at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and currently anchors the network’s prime time current affairs program 7.30.
She is the face of the ABC’s major events coverage, including federal election and budget nights. She has interviewed every living Australian Prime Minister and innumerable world leaders and celebrities from Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair to Paul McCartney and Elton John.
Leigh has held numerous roles at the ABC, including as Washington Correspondent, and is a three-time winner of Australia’s highest journalist prize, the Walkley Award.
She’s the author of three books, the most recent being national bestseller Any Ordinary Day.
Leigh also co-hosts a wildly popular podcast with Annabel Crabb called Chat 10 Looks 3. It attracts hundreds of thousands of downloads monthly and has an associated facebook group with almost 40,000 members.
In 2018, Leigh was awarded the Order of Australia for her services to Journalism. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master of International Relations and was awarded Deakin University’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Reflecting on the experiences of women in leadership roles in regulation
• Examining the structural and cultural barriers for women in leadership roles
• Exploring the importance of culture in driving improvements in regulator performance
• Opportunities to improve leadership in regulators through the ‘Regulators as a Profession’ Project

Better Regulation Red Tape Commissioner
Anna Cronin is Victoria’s first Commissioner for Better Regulation (appointed in 2015) and also Red Tape Commissioner (appointed in 2018).
Anna started her career as an economist in the Federal Government and has also held senior executive positions in the Victorian and Western Australian Governments.
She has considerable experience in regulatory issues across many policy areas, including in agricultural and mining regulatory and approvals frameworks. Anna was CEO at the National Farmers’ Federation for 5 years and was responsible for the management and co-ordination of the regulatory approvals for some of the world’s biggest iron ore and oil and gas projects when she was a senior bureaucrat in the Western Australian Government. In 2019, Anna led the Victorian Government’s review into planning and building approvals and is now chairing the Expert Panel advising the Victorian Government on the current review of the building system, including legislation and regulators.
Anna was awarded the Centenary of Federation Medal for services to rural leadership. She currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Melbourne School of Government at the University of Melbourne.
In this live networking activity on Zoom Meetings, you will be placed in small groups where you will meet your peers from across the sector:
• Introduce yourself
• Share what leadership means to you
• Discuss what areas of leadership challenge you
• Navigating difficult conversations as a leader
• How do you deal with things when they do not go your way?
• Staying true to yourself and the organisation with authentic leadership
• Lessons learned and pitfalls throughout the journey

Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator
Sasha is an experienced leader in Finance and Operations having held senior leadership roles within the UK Financial Services industry for nearly 20 years. Sasha brings a breadth of experience in financial management, business transformation and process improvement, change management, risk management and corporate governance. Sasha is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
• Every journey starts with the first step and laying down the foundations is important
• Finding and evolving your tribe – no one succeeds alone
• Understanding your true value and earning your seat at the table
• How to unlearn outdated ideas and be insanely curious
• Being authentically you is a superpower

National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
A seasoned C-suite corporate services leader, Janelle has forged a successful career over the past 15 years, having progressed through a series of executive leadership roles advancing the strategic growth objectives of organisations in the resources and technology sectors across Australia, the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia (EMEA), from start-up to small and medium-sized enterprises, corporates, and listed and unlisted multinationals. Playing a lead role in supporting an energy company’s growth from an early-stage Queensland business into a 500-strong multinational diversified corporation, to being headhunted and relocating to San Francisco to support technology disrupter Nitro Software to prepare for its Initial Public Offering, she has developed a well-rounded executive skillset while building a truly collaborative approach to leadership.
• Acknowledging the historically privileged position of men in regulation
• The role of men in supporting women in leadership and how women can help men become better allies
• Top three tips for leading in the sector

National Transport Commission
Aaron de Rozario joined the National Transport Commission in July 2021 and is responsible for NTC’s regulatory reform initiatives portfolio including the automated vehicle, heavy vehicle and legislative reform programs.
Aaron has over 20 years public sector experience in both Australia and the United Kingdom and has as a strong record of achievement in the economic development, education, social justice policy and transport portfolios. He has advised the Western Australian and Victorian governments on industry reform, regulatory matters and the impact of technology on public policy. Prior to joining the NTC, Aaron was Chief Executive officer of Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria, where he led the Victorian government’s commercial passenger vehicle reforms and heavily influenced Australia’s policy response to the emergence of ridesharing.
Aaron’s current role with the National Transport Commissions allows him to combine his practical experience as a regulator, with the art of regulatory reform and regulatory policy-making.

Inspector-General for Emergency Management
Tony was appointed Victoria’s first Inspector-General for Emergency Management in July 2014, an independent Governor in Council Statutory Appointment, working closely with emergency management sector partners and the community to strengthen Victoria’s emergency management arrangements and enhance community safety.
For 41 years he has worked in intelligence, national security, emergency and crisis management spending 9 years in the Royal Australian Air Force before moving into the emergency services/management sector. He has performed senior operational roles in several Victorian emergency service organisations before moving into senior crisis coordination and policy positions. Tony has held a number of senior roles in both state and federal government including 4 years in the role of Director-General, Emergency Management Australia.
He holds Graduate and Post-Graduate qualifications in Management, Health Science, Emergency Management, and Public Administration and is a graduate of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, Victorian Leadership Development Centre, and Victorian Leadership Academy.
Tony has dedicated his professional career to improving community safety outcomes. He is a Blue-Ribbon Day Council Board member, and through his role as Chair of the Emergency Services Foundation is a passionate advocate for improving the mental health and well-being of emergency service/management volunteers and paid staff.
Day 2 - Thursday 25th August, 2022

Australian Energy Regulator
Rowena Park leads the Australian Energy Regulator’s Compliance & Enforcement Branch as General Manager, focusing on making energy consumers better off. She is responsible for retail authorisations, exemptions, retail and wholesale compliance, compliance assessment and reporting and all investigations and enforcement undertaken by the AER.
Rowena has previously led enforcement teams at ASIC, focusing on financial services and credit misconduct, including as Group Senior Manager in Financial Services Enforcement. She led ASIC’s Royal Commission Litigation Program focusing on misconduct arising from the Royal Commission into Banking and Financial Services.
Rowena has also led policy development and law reform projects including ASIC’s project team for the Treasury-led ASIC Enforcement Review Taskforce. The Taskforce made a number of recommendations resulting in law reform which has enhanced ASIC’s regulatory toolkit considerably.
Rowena has 17 years’ experience in litigation, dispute resolution, regulation, compliance and enforcement both in the private and public sectors
• My career journey and how regulation in Australia and internationally has changed over the past 40 years
• Leading regulation in different sectors and at different levels of government – what is the same and what is not?
• Why being a leader in regulation can be different from being a leader in other public sector settings and what strategies work best to lead the regulatory workforce
• What women can bring to leadership in regulation – approaches to tough situations and negotiations

Former Deputy Secretary, Better Regulation Division & Commissioner, NSW Fair Trading
Rose worked for regulators for most of her career including ASIC, the ACCC and the Commonwealth Environment Department. In 2014 she went to Hong Kong to assist setting up their Competition Commission where she was CEO. From 2017 to the end of 2021 Rose was Deputy Secretary of the Better Regulation Division in the NSW Department of Customer Service looking after a range of regulatory agencies including NSW Fair Trading, SafeWork NSW and Liquor and Gaming NSW. Rose is now semi-retired but is still participating in a number of regulatory projects including her role as Chair of the National Committee of the ANZSOG National Regulators Community of Practice.
• Communicating and collaborating with diverse stakeholders to maximise regulatory performance
• Balancing the ‘hard skills’ of analysis and technical expertise with the so-called ‘soft skills’ of leadership
• What strategies do you use to find meaning and purpose in your leadership?
• How do you manage your mental health as well as the wellbeing of your team?
• How do you get the work/life balance right when leading hybrid teams?
• What are your tips for managing hybrid teams and your staff returning to the office?
• How do you stay true to yourself and overcoming stereotypes
• How do you overcome preconceived notions of what a leader in your position should be doing and understand your true purpose and value?

Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR)
Margaret Sexton leads the development and implementation of NRAR’s innovation and technology strategy. Her work is crucial to the development of organisational capability in intelligence and innovation, research, data analytics, remote sensing and technology.
Margaret has extensive experience in strategy development, executive development, learning and development initiatives and data insights research and policy. Margaret has worked across a variety of aspects of the public sector including executive leadership, education, child protection, disability services and most recently water.

Essential Services Commission
• My journey with suicide and mental health, and the lessons it has for you
• The importance of mental health awareness for leaders
• Staying connected, checking in and keeping the lines open

Royal Australian Navy
Commander Kelly Haywood joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1997 as a Combat Systems Operator. After achieving the rank of Leading Seaman, Kelly changed over to a commissioned Maritime Logistics Officer in 2005. Outside of Navy, Kelly is extremely passionate about raising awareness about suicide, depression and mental health and is a Lifeline Ambassador. Through her initiative ‘Choose to Live, Love your Life’ Kelly actively fundraises and speaks in the community about her own personal experiences with suicide. Kelly won the Western Australian and National Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year Award in 2013 and in 2015 was named as one of Business News 40under40 entrepreneurs, taking out the Intrepreneur category. Kelly was selected as the Navy Women’s Strategic Advisor in May 2019.
In this live networking activity on Zoom Meetings, you will be placed in groups of 4. Come prepared with a leadership challenge that you’re facing at work. Allocate a timekeeper to ensure everyone has a turn. Each participant will have 1 minute to explain their problem and then gain feedback from the group for the remaining 4 minutes. Then it is the next person’s turn!

Former Deputy Secretary, Better Regulation Division & Commissioner, NSW Fair Trading
Rose worked for regulators for most of her career including ASIC, the ACCC and the Commonwealth Environment Department. In 2014 she went to Hong Kong to assist setting up their Competition Commission where she was CEO. From 2017 to the end of 2021 Rose was Deputy Secretary of the Better Regulation Division in the NSW Department of Customer Service looking after a range of regulatory agencies including NSW Fair Trading, SafeWork NSW and Liquor and Gaming NSW. Rose is now semi-retired but is still participating in a number of regulatory projects including her role as Chair of the National Committee of the ANZSOG National Regulators Community of Practice.
• Leading change as a regulator
• Managing personal resilience and perspective
• Empowering people and building collaborative leadership
• Evolving team capabilities to boost agility and successfully manage evolving regulatory environments
• Top three tips to progress your career in regulatory leadership

Environmental Protection Authority Victoria
Rachel Gualano is an executive leader with significant experience in leading change, strategic programs and operations in regulatory agencies. Rachel is passionate about developing and applying highly effective regulatory practice and influence to positively impact the community.
Rachel has worked for a number of regulators focused on prevention of harm to people and the environment. At WorkSafe Victoria, she led the design and delivery of the Work Health program, was on the executive team that implemented Victoria’s OHS Act 2004 and led a number of industry performance improvement programs at WorkSafe Victoria. Rachel was also General Manager at Medical Panels Victoria. At Transport Safety Victoria, she led Maritime Safety including key industry stakeholders to transform the regulation of marine pilotage provider permissioning in Victoria. Rachel has led Regulatory Programs at EPA Victoria, and introduced a new Waste Crime Prevention capability to the organization including a mullti-agency Waste Intelligence Network. Rachel’s current role involves leading Operations in the Melbourne Metropolitan Area of EPA Victoria, which spans compliance, enforcement, education and engagement functions. Rachel’s experience is underpinned by qualifications applied science, occupational health and safety, organizational behaviour and business management.
• Demonstrating accountability, integrity, and building trust as a leader
• Understanding and tackling learned helplessness and transitioning to learned or earned authority
• Creating a positive culture within a regulatory environment
• How can you analyse, measure culture and seek pockets of improvement
• Leadership challenges in the sector and what male allies can do to change the narrative

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

WorkSafe Victoria

EPA Victoria
Key Speakers


Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Leigh Sales AM is a multi award-winning author and journalist at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and currently anchors the network’s prime time current affairs program 7.30.
She is the face of the ABC’s major events coverage, including federal election and budget nights. She has interviewed every living Australian Prime Minister and innumerable world leaders and celebrities from Hillary Clinton and Tony Blair to Paul McCartney and Elton John.
Leigh has held numerous roles at the ABC, including as Washington Correspondent, and is a three-time winner of Australia’s highest journalist prize, the Walkley Award.
She’s the author of three books, the most recent being national bestseller Any Ordinary Day.
Leigh also co-hosts a wildly popular podcast with Annabel Crabb called Chat 10 Looks 3. It attracts hundreds of thousands of downloads monthly and has an associated facebook group with almost 40,000 members.
In 2018, Leigh was awarded the Order of Australia for her services to Journalism. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master of International Relations and was awarded Deakin University’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award.


EPA Victoria


Better Regulation Red Tape Commissioner
Anna Cronin is Victoria’s first Commissioner for Better Regulation (appointed in 2015) and also Red Tape Commissioner (appointed in 2018).
Anna started her career as an economist in the Federal Government and has also held senior executive positions in the Victorian and Western Australian Governments.
She has considerable experience in regulatory issues across many policy areas, including in agricultural and mining regulatory and approvals frameworks. Anna was CEO at the National Farmers’ Federation for 5 years and was responsible for the management and co-ordination of the regulatory approvals for some of the world’s biggest iron ore and oil and gas projects when she was a senior bureaucrat in the Western Australian Government. In 2019, Anna led the Victorian Government’s review into planning and building approvals and is now chairing the Expert Panel advising the Victorian Government on the current review of the building system, including legislation and regulators.
Anna was awarded the Centenary of Federation Medal for services to rural leadership. She currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Melbourne School of Government at the University of Melbourne.


Essential Services Commission