Paul is a leading figure of Australian retail having worked in the industry for 40 years including in senior executive and non-executive roles and as a company advisor. He has previously held senior leadership positions at Target, Officeworks and at David Jones where he was the CEO and Managing Director. Paul leads the team at the Australian Retailers Association – Australia’s oldest, largest and most diverse retail body, representing a $400 billion sector that employs one in ten Australians.

Belinda has worked within the fashion world for the last 25 years. She understands the demands placed upon the industry to always be ahead of the trend.

Everyone is curious about what the future holds for textile waste, the statistics are HUGE, and it is hard not to feel overwhelmed by them. Belinda wanted to ‘chunk things down’ to a point in which we can all have access to an action that will make an immediate difference to the environment in which we live and so created RCYCL.

Scottish born Elizabeth is founder of Fashion True Futures, a fashion focused consultancy and innovation centre dedicated to building a more sustainable future by guiding and supporting efficient and responsible practices within teams, operations and supply chains. Using a clear and systematic approach, Elizabeth works with fashion companies to reduce social and environmental impacts and implement clear pathways for continuous improvement. Elizabeth is an expert in fashion sustainability with 20+ years of leadership experience in strategy development and execution including ethical sourcing, human rights, product technology, sustainable supply chains and circular economy.

Brian Goldberg, Trademark Attorney.

Brian has been operating in the Intellectual Property industry for 20 years. He is a professional Trademark Attorney and has worked with many entrepreneurs, start-ups, businesses and international companies in relation to protecting trademark rights.

Zoe Goodhardt, Head of Growth and Marketing, TAG.

Zoe Goodhardt is the Head of Growth and Marketing at TAG, renowned for securing outstanding results and forming collaborative partnerships with clients to meet their strategic objectives with precision. With expertise in digital strategy, business development, and creative direction, Zoe drives innovations that significantly enhance brand visibility and market reach. Her achievements in the property, health, and e-commerce sectors showcase her ability to deliver tangible returns on investment through forward-thinking strategies.

Dr Alice Payne is a Professor and Dean of the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT. Her research focuses on environmental and social sustainability issues throughout the life cycle of clothing. Recent work has examined labour issues in the cotton value chain, as well as technologies to address the problem of textile waste. Alice was part of the Australian Fashion Council-led consortium designing the National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme, Seamless. She is author of the book Designing Fashion’s Future, co-editor of Global Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion, and is an award-winning designer and educator.

Athena Voudiotis, Huxbaby.

With 16 years of experience working across supply chain, design and general management, Athena brings a holistic understanding of the fashion ecosystem. An alumna of RMIT with a Bachelor of Fashion Technology, Athena recently added an Executive MBA from Melbourne Business School to her credentials. Currently working full time and pursuing a Master of Marketing, Athena is passionate about continuous learning, and curious about all things fashion and business. Athena deeply values the contributions of supply chain partners and is committed to driving sustainable solutions that will shape the future of fashion.

Paul Murdoch

Paul has over 28 years of experience Sourcing around the Globe with a focus on building Key partnerships and building sustainable partnerships.

Courtney Holm, A.BCH

Courtney Holm is a circular fashion designer, thought leader and entrepreneur. Courtney founded experimental circular fashion label A.BCH in 2017 and recently launched Circular Sourcing – a climate tech platform that keeps surplus textiles in use. Courtney’s expertise is in circular design for clothing, systems thinking and practical approaches to industry. Courtney is passionate about business and personal transformation for a sustainable and equitable future.

Neale O’Connor

Dr. Neale O’Connor is one of the foremost experts on technology and innovation in manufacturing in China. Neale has spent over 20 years in Hong Kong where he researched the modernization processes of Chinese firms, examining issues such as performance measurement, order qualification, and trust. He has undertaken factory quality audits for multinational clients and advising on operational and marketing improvements as Founder of Ricebox.com (www.ricebox.com). Neale is also a Cofounder of China Sourcing Academy (www.Chinasourcingacademy.com) a complete training system for professional buyers seeking to source from China.

Melinda is a trusted and experienced specialist in the fashion and multi category retail sector, with a decade of experience advising on ethical sourcing and sustainability strategies for a range of Australia and New Zealand’s leading brands and largest retailers including David Jones and THE ICONIC. A Churchill fellowship recipient and Good Design Australia award winner, Melinda founded the Australian arm of the global not for profit, Fashion Revolution as well as Australia’s leading fashion summit on responsible business, LEGACY.

Jude is a highly sought after professional in the fashion and retail industries with over three decades of experience in both the Australian and international landscapes where she has established herself as a respected global expert utilising her extensive knowledge and expertise to benefit organisations and clients.

Jude’s career began in fashion buying and progressed to senior roles working with renowned retail brands in Australia and overseas. Her industry knowledge and insights have made her highly regarded among clients worldwide. She is an advisory board member, industry commentator, guest lecturer, and has consulted with key industry stakeholders in New York where she is recognised for her business acumen and industry expertise.

Jude is a featured guest speaker at New York Fashion week and collaborates with Times Square Fashion Week and Hamptons Fashion Week to showcase Australian designers and models providing them with valuable exposure and opportunities.

Jude recently launched The Australian Fashion Advisory a business that leverages her experience to offer fashion mentoring, business strategy & planning, study tours and international market exposure. Additionally, she is the Founding Director of Mind your Fashion a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness and supporting mental health in the fashion and creative industries. Through this initiative Jude is leading efforts to bring about a much-needed change in the perceptions and management of mental illness within these industries. Jude is also a qualified health psychologist.

Ellen Whippy-Knight

Ellen Whippy-Knight was born in Suva where she lived until she migrated to Sydney in 1982.  The only daughter of the late Nurse Senimelia Niumataiwalu and renowned pioneer Fiji journalist and news editor the late Stan Ritova.  She is the eldest in her family of 7 other brothers. Ellen was employed as a journalist at the Fiji Times when she made the move to Sydney which is home although she travels to Fiji quite frequently.

She is the proprietor and Managing Director of Fashion Week Ltd a limited liability company established in Suva Fiji in March 2009.   Her husband Mark Knight is also a Director. A lover of all things fashionable, she became involved with the inaugural Fiji Fashion Week in December 2008 and in 2009 purchased the naming rights and created a limited liability company based in Suva.

With 25 years of business experience gained in Australia she corporatized the event and sought to make it a household name which it is today.   Her intention was to also ensure each of the major pacific nations would have its own Fashion Week and went on to help establish, this in Port Moresby, Samoa and Solomon Islands.

Robert Cromb

Fijian born Ratu Qativi Robert Cromb is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the global women’s fashion brand KOOKAÏ. From its beginnings in 1992, Rob has led the strategic direction of the business and maintains a hands-on involvement in everything from overseeing garment designs to choosing new boutique locations, and managing company finances.

Rob was the driving force behind KOOKAÏ’s transformation from an importation model to a vertically integrated design and manufacture business with the establishment of its Suva-based manufacturer – Lyndhurst in 2005. Today, KOOKAÏ has a retail presence throughout Australia, New Zealand and Europe, and employs around 2,500 people, inclusive of over 1,000 in Fiji. Rob remains committed to the continued development of Fiji’s reputation as an apparel manufacturing destination.

Against the backdrop of KOOKAÏ’s continued success, an endeavour closest to Rob’s heart has taken him back to his homeland where he’s started his own charity – Katalyst Foundation. Katalyst Foundation is dedicated to improving the outcomes of underprivileged communities in Fiji through funding projects aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty for lasting change.

Temesia Tuicaumia

Temesia is the founder and creative director of TEMESIA.CO, a menswear brand that combines Pacific and Western fashion. As a bridge between cultures, he brings a unique perspective to menswear, blending bold Pacific Island-inspired designs with modern Western sensibilities. Temesia aims to create clothing that tells stories and reflects his own experiences, connecting with Pacific cultures. He wants to redefine traditional menswear and build a global community of like-minded individuals who share his passion for fashion, culture, and self-expression.

Rick Lambell

Rick is Founder and CEO of Beyond Sustainable Retail Group (BSRG). He is a sustainable retail specialist with over 20 years’ experience in corporate sustainability, consulting and academia. He has worked with some of the industry’s most progressive brands from strategy development to program execution in areas ranging from human rights, to sustainable supply chain, and circular economy.

Rick was previously the Head of Sustainable Development at Kmart Group (a Wesfarmers business), incorporating Kmart Australia, Target Australia and Anko Global. He oversaw the sustainability strategy and program for nearly a decade, leading teams that established Kmart Group as an industry leader across a range of sustainability and human rights benchmarks, including the Fashion Transparency Index, Corporate Human Rights Benchmark, and the Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report.

Rick’s experience spans the broad spectrum of retail and consumer goods, including apparel, homewares, toys, food and agribusiness, with in-country experience in Australia, New Zealand, UK, USA, China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.

Liam Salter

Liam is Founder and CEO of RESET Carbon.  RESET’s work focuses on developing and implementing commercially driven low-carbon programs for Asia-based and international clients. He has worked with many of the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers on supply chain decarbonisation strategy and factory-level programs.

Previously Liam was the Director of WWF’s International’s Asia-Pacific Climate Programme, where he built and managed a pan-Asian team.  At WWF Liam also co-led the design and set-up of the Gold Standard Foundation, which is now a leading certification system for project level carbon offsets and other environmental and social attributes.

Completed graduation in B.Sc. [Electronics] from Jai Narayan Vyas University (JNVU), Jodhpur in 1994 and completed MBA from the same university in 1996. Post Graduate Diploma in International Business Operations (PGDIBO) from IGNOU in 2000. Obtained diploma in French from Alliance Francais de Delhi and also in Spanish from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, New Delhi.

Began career in 1996 with a Research Company in Delhi and after working with the company for a year, joined National Centre for Trade Information (NCTI), A Govt. of India Enterprise at New Delhi as Assistant Manager in 1998 and worked there for seven years.

Joined Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) in the year 2005 as Assistant Director and is currently working as Addl Executive Director.

Was the first CEO of Handicrafts & Carpet Sector Skill Council (HCSSC) under Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship from December 2013 till August 2016. It was an additional charge.

Travelled extensively across the globe and made presentation on various topics including timber legality at Chatham House, London, UK; Forest Trends, Valencia, Spain; Furniture Shows in India, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, CoP18-Geneva, CoP19-Panama City; brand Image promotion Programmes in Santiago, Chile, Frankfurt Germany, Hong Kong and many others.

Narasa is an experienced Apparel/Fashion Designer and Production specialist in the Fashion Industry. With over fifteen years of experience across Development, Design, Production, Trend Analysis, Wholesale, Retail, Sourcing, Fashion writing both online and print, Melbourne LMFF/David Jones/Sydney MBFW fashion shows, also with both local and offshore manufacturing in Australia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Turkey, India and Portugal, Shipping experience, standard sewing skills and basic pattern making skills.

Strong fashion professional, working for some of the major designer boutiques in Melbourne, with great experience in all areas of fashion business. A degree in Professional Writing/Communications (attained partially in the USA and Melbourne), an Advanced Diploma in Fashion and Cert.2 in Fabrics for Fashion Designers – ganed from London College of Fashion.

Natasha currently designs for her own womenswear label, works in the local Production scene in Melbourne and teaches at LCI Melbourne.