Conference Speakers 2026
Conference Speakers
We are thrilled to bring you such a great group of speakers from across Australia sharing their journeys toward constructive culture and leadership in TedX style micro shares. Learn from CEOs and leaders from a diverse range of backgrounds, industries, and challenges, as they share their successes, learnings and future focus.
Hosted by David Byrum
Managing Director | Human Synergistics Australia
David is a pragmatic leader focused on improving organisational performance through capability building and system alignment. Before joining Human Synergistics, he held senior leadership roles at Kepner Tregoe, including Regional Managing Director (Australasia) and Representative Director (Japan), following an early career with Pilkington PLC in Australia and the UK.
With more than 30 years’ experience across industries, David has led transformation programs, post-merger integrations, operational improvement initiatives, and leadership development. He helps organisations improve performance by aligning roles, behaviours, and processes to create clarity, collaboration, and measurable results.
As Managing Director of Human Synergistics Australia, David coaches boards and executive teams to strengthen effectiveness through constructive behaviours and practical tools. During the pandemic, he helped clients adapt while keeping the business responsive and future-focused.
His clients have included ASIC, Red Cross, Telstra, IBM, Cisco, Airbus, Royal Australian Navy, and Rio Tinto. David holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of Sydney, an MBA from Deakin University, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Travis Auld
Chief Executive Officer | Australian Grand Prix Corporation
Travis Auld is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, leading the delivery of the Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix and the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
His career spans senior executive roles across elite sport, including as inaugural CEO of the Gold Coast Suns and in executive leadership positions with Essendon Football Club and the AFL, where he oversaw industry finances, broadcast partnerships, club relations, and major venue redevelopment.
Travis began his career as a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business from La Trobe University.
Tony Davidson
Director and Chief Strategy Officer | Plan Group
Tony Davidson is a Director and Chief Strategy Officer at Plan Group, bringing more than 25 years of experience across the construction and building services industry. A degree‑qualified Mechanical Engineer, Tony is recognised for his deep technical understanding of highly engineered environments and his ability to lead complex projects from strategy through to delivery.
Tony co‑founded Plan Group over 14 years ago alongside two fellow directors, with a clear mission to stand out by listening closely to clients and tailoring solutions to suit their needs. Since inception, he has been instrumental in shaping the business’s culture, capability and reputation for delivering technically demanding projects across healthcare, education, government, and commercial sectors.
As Chief Strategy Officer, Tony leads Plan Group’s strategic direction across sales, marketing, people and culture. He plays a key role in strengthening the brand, building high‑performing teams and ensuring the company’s values are embedded in how projects are led and delivered. This hands‑on, director‑led approach has been central to Plan Group’s sustained growth and long‑term client relationships.
Today, Tony continues to focus on aligning technical excellence with strong leadership and a values‑driven culture, supporting Plan Group’s national presence across Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Brisbane and Sydney.
Nikki Sorensen
People & Culture Manager | Plan Group
Nikki Sorensen is the People & Culture Manager at Plan Group, where she leads the organisation’s people strategy across its national footprint. With extensive experience in the construction industry, Nikki specialises in building high-performing, engaged teams and embedding practical, scalable people practices that support both growth and culture.
At Plan Group, Nikki is responsible for shaping and delivering key initiatives across performance and reward, leadership development, employee experience, and organisational design. She has been instrumental in implementing frameworks such as salary banding, competency development, and balanced scorecards, ensuring alignment between individual performance, business outcomes, and long-term strategy.
Nikki plays a central role in driving Plan Group’s culture agenda, including leading the rollout and application of Human Synergistics tools such as OCI and LSI. She is passionate about translating insights into meaningful, actionable outcomes that enhance leadership capability, strengthen team effectiveness, and create a more constructive organisational culture.
Adopting a practical and people-first approach, Nikki partners closely with directors and operational leaders to balance commercial outcomes with strong cultural foundations. She continues to focus on building a workplace where clarity, accountability and engagement underpin sustainable performance across all regions.
Charlie Hodgson
Chief Executive Officer | South Australian Cricket Association
Charlie Hodgson is a values-led authentic leader, recognised for his honesty, humble approach, and unwavering commitment to achieving meaningful results. As CEO of the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA), Charlie has guided the organisation through a period of strong performance, cultural strengthening, and on-field success. Under his leadership, SACA has celebrated standout achievements including a WBBL Championship, One Day Cup Championship, National Pathway Championships, and back-to-back Sheffield Shield titles — milestones that reflect both strategic clarity and the collective belief he instils across teams.
That commercial acumen has been on full display at SACA, where Charlie, alongside his leadership team, has transformed the membership model through a strong commercial lens. Together, they have grown the membership base, developed more compelling propositions for members at every level, and ensured strong revenue foundations to support both elite performance and community participation. Charlie and the team have invested time in deeply understanding what members truly value, using those insights to design offerings that resonate. As a result, membership has evolved from a transactional relationship into a genuine sense of connection—one where fans and followers feel part of something bigger.
Charlie leads with trust. He is deliberate about empowering the leaders around him, giving them the space and autonomy to excel in their own areas of expertise rather than micromanaging from the top. This approach has helped SACA build a leadership team with real depth — people who are confident in their roles, accountable for their outcomes, and aligned to a shared sense of purpose.
Driven by a strong commitment to both performance and people, Charlie places equal importance on results and the wellbeing of those who deliver them. His leadership is grounded in genuine connection, thoughtful decision‑making, and a deep respect for the role sport plays in community and culture. Charlie continues to champion behaviours and initiatives that elevate performance, reinforce organisational values, and ensure SACA remains a place where people can grow, contribute meaningfully, and achieve great things — together.
Lisa Coderre
General Manager, People and Culture | South Australian Cricket Association
Lisa Coderre is an experienced People & Culture leader recognised for her strategic approach to organisational development, leadership capability, and workplace culture transformation. As General Manager, People and Culture at SACA, Lisa plays a central role in shaping a positive, high-performance environment — bringing a people-first philosophy that places human potential at the heart of everything the organisation does.
Lisa joined SACA with a clear mission: to introduce a dedicated people development strategy that would lift capability, strengthen culture, and create meaningful growth opportunities across the entire organisation. That strategy has since been successfully rolled out across a genuinely varied workforce — spanning elite sport and commercial departments through to community cricket — a testament to the practical, inclusive approach Lisa and her team have taken in bringing it to life.
With a career grounded in building strong relationships, elevating leadership capability, and aligning people initiatives with business strategy, Lisa brings a thoughtful and human-centred approach to her work. She also draws on leadership experience across local and global organisations spanning Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Her background has shaped a deep understanding of diverse cultures, workforce dynamics, and the strategic levers that drive high performance in complex, multi-market environments.
What sets Lisa apart is the energy and enthusiasm she brings to work every single day — felt equally by the CEO and the newest community cricket volunteer. Known for her warm, playful, and kind approach, she is deeply committed to creating workplaces where individuals feel respected, empowered, and supported to perform at their best. Outside of work, Lisa recharges through yoga — a practice that reflects the same mindfulness and balance she brings to her leadership.
Lisa is also passionate about gender equity and leadership development. She is currently developing a Women in Leadership program that reflects her belief in fostering growth, confidence, and opportunity for emerging female leaders. Recognised for her collaborative style, strategic mindset, and ability to build trust at all levels, Lisa continues to champion initiatives that strengthen culture, enhance employee experience, and drive organisational success.
Ash Smith
Senior Consultant | Human Synergistics Australia
With a background in global leadership and organisational change, Ash is a strategic thinker known for achieving tangible outcomes. He brings extensive experience from a broad career spanning a number of senior GMHR roles with APT, Carter Holt Harvey, Ansett Air/ New Zealand and the RAA.
Ashleigh has developed his competitive edge in the consulting space over 10 years with LeadHR. After 16 years working in the corporate space with some of Australia’s largest and more complex businesses alongside a number of global consulting firms, he launched LeadHR to develop and deliver targeted solutions and change outcomes. Ashleigh has implemented Cultural, Leadership, Team and Strategic Business solutions to great effect across a wide variety of industries and his approach to work closely with key stakeholders ensures sustainable improvements whilst increasing internal capability. This included supporting many ASX Top 100’s such as NAB, BHP, Westfarmers, Australia Post and Fosters right through to over 100 x SME organisations.
Ashleigh’s areas of expertise at an organisational level includes strategy development, cultural transformation, employee engagement, and change management methodology. His skills at an individual level comprises of executive coaching, leadership development, and professional development.
As well as holding Bachelor of Business degree (Human Resource) and postgraduate qualifications in Organisational Development, Ashleigh is accredited in DISC, MBTI, and the full suite of Human Synergistics tools.
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