Program

Come early and meet the room. Grab a coffee, say hello and start the day with women from across financial services.

A quick welcome before we get into the day.

When life doesn’t go to plan, what do you draw on?

We all have moments when the plan goes out the window – a setback, a difficult decision, a period when work or life feels harder than it should. A moment when you simply have to work out what comes next.

Turia Pitt knows more about those moments than most.

Drawing on her Mana Framework, Turia will explore the three things she believes help us through them: courage, compassion and connection.

Not the kind of courage that means having no fear, but taking the next step when you don’t know exactly where it will lead. The compassion to stop being your own toughest critic when things go wrong. And the people around you who make hard things easier to carry.

A powerful way to start the day and a reminder that resilience isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build.

The career advice they wish someone had given them sooner.

There is no neat formula for a successful career.

The women on this panel have built businesses, led teams, made big calls, taken risks, got things wrong, changed direction and learnt a lot along the way.

So we’re skipping the polished career stories, and instead, we’ll ask about the moments that actually mattered.

When did they back themselves? What did they have to learn the hard way? Which relationships changed things for them? What would they do differently? And what do they know now that they wish they’d known 10 years ago?

An honest conversation about building a career and business your own way, from women who have done exactly that.

Talk to someone you don’t already know.
Banking. Broking. Advice. Accounting. Lending. Fintech.
The point of bringing the whole industry together is meeting people outside the part that you already know.

What would you do if you stopped waiting to feel ready?

The role you haven’t applied for.

The business idea you keep coming back to.

The conversation you’ve been avoiding.

The opportunity you don’t quite feel qualified for.

Most big career moves happen before we feel completely ready for them.

This keynote is about what it takes to make the move anyway.

Hear from a leading CEO and entrepreneur who made the leap from a career in financial services to leading one of the first dedicated Champagne retailers on the planet, Emperor Champagne.

Kyla Kirkpatrick will share her inspiring tale of giving up her corporate life and buying a one way ticket to Paris start her life again..a story of courage, resilience and personal growth.

She'll unpack her fascinating story of going from banking to bubbly - both male-dominated industries - while sharing insights on how she shaped her business strategy inspired by the former great women of Champagne.

Your next major career breakthrough isn’t going to happen in a vacuum. We often think of success as a solo effort. But the most effective leaders don’t go at it alone, they strategically build a personal “board of directors” with the diverse skills needed to accelerate their growth.

In this session, Joanna James, Chief Development Officer of the FBAA, outlines how to cultivate a high-impact network of mentors, coaches, and strategic allies to unlock new pathways in financial services.

How do you audit your own skill set to identify what’s missing?
What is the critical distinction between a mentor who guides you and a coach who challenges you?
How do you reframe the self-doubt holding you back, step out of your comfort zone, and initiate high-value alliances that actually open doors?

You’ll leave with a practical blueprint to assemble your personal dream team of advisers, conquer internal barriers and take decisive, bold action towards your career goals. You might leave with a fresh perspective on your potential. You might leave with your next strategic move mapped out. Ideally, both.

You’ve got an hour. Make it count.

Sit with someone new. Pick up a conversation from the morning. Introduce yourself to the person you’ve been meaning to speak to.

You never know which conversation will matter later.

What does it take to lead a major business and beloved household brand? And how do you become the leader you want to be?

Colleen Callander spent over a decade as CEO of two of Australia’s most beloved retail brands: Sportsgirl and Sussan, and has dedicated more than 30 years to shaping Australia’s retail fashion industry.

Starting her journey at 16 in a summer job and rising to the highest levels of corporate leadership, she became an award-winning CEO and a trusted voice in the business community.

Her career proves that leading major businesses requires more than just commercial strategy—it demands purpose, courage, confidence, and kindness.

In this powerful session, Colleen shares her story from leaving school at 16 to becoming CEO of not one, but two of Australia’s most iconic fashion brands, navigating career-defining burnout, and ultimately redefining what sustainable, high-performance leadership looks like.”

How do you back yourself when the stakes are high? How do you lead authentic, people-focused cultures in fast-moving industries? And what happens when you stop waiting for perfect confidence and start leading with clear values?

This is a chance to hear from the award-winning CEO, author, and founder of Mentor Me Women - a program designed to elevate and empower women to step into their full potential - on taking risks, trusting your judgment, and turning self-doubt into bold action.

No clichés about being fearless. Just a very real conversation about what can happen when you decide to step up, rewrite your story, and back yourself and your team.

You’ve spent the day hearing from some remarkable women. Now it’s time to make more of the people sitting around you.

The Business Exchange opens with one simple question: Who do you need around you to get to where you’re going?

Think beyond contacts. Think clients, referral partners, collaborators, mentors, advisers, advocates and the people you’d want on your personal board.
Then you’ll have dedicated time to find them.

Meet women from across financial services, have useful conversations and make connections you actually want to continue after the summit.

Grow your network. Grow your personal board. Grow your opportunities.