Conference Program

Arrive at the venue for registration and to meet your colleagues over a morning refreshment.

Official conference opening, featuring a Welcome to Country from Uncle Shannon Ruska

Brent Hill, Chief Marketing Officer for the 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Organising Committee

Imagine your communications brief is: the entire world is watching. No pressure.

That's the reality for Brent Hill, CMO of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games Organising Committee — and our keynote speaker at IABC APAC Fusion 2026.

Brent will take us behind the scenes of one of the most complex, high-stakes communication challenges on the planet. How do you build a global brand with a decade-long runway and evolving stakeholder expectations? How do you manage reputation risk when there's nowhere to hide? And how do you keep thousands of partners, governments, sponsors, and communities aligned behind one story?

These are not hypothetical questions. They are Brent's Monday morning.

For anyone who works in marketing, communications, or reputation management — this is the session that reminds you why our profession matters.

David Imber GAICD, Principal, David Imber Advisory

Effective crisis management is critical to protecting an organisation's reputation. In the era of social media and AI, the pressure to respond quickly and professionally has never been greater. Yet so much of what communications professionals are taught about crisis management leaves out the skills they actually need most.

In this session, David Imber — crisis and issues management specialist, former Director of Public Affairs in the Victorian Government, and a familiar face to IABC audiences — goes beyond templates and checklists to share the hard-won, real-world skills that determine whether communicators truly lead in a crisis or simply survive it. Drawing on current research and personal experience from some of Australia's most complex issues, David unpacks the emotional as well as practical capabilities that make the difference when the stakes are highest.

Because getting through a crisis successfully requires working in real time, in ambiguity — and sometimes pushing leaders to do the right thing, even when it's the scary thing.

Learning Outcomes

By attending this session, you will:

1. Master the Emotional and Practical Skills of Crisis — Understand the full range of capabilities required to manage a crisis effectively, including emotional regulation, courage under pressure, and the ability to speak truth to power when it matters most.

2. Navigate Competing Stakeholders and Non-Linear Recovery — Learn how to manage conflicting internal and external expectations, and how to guide organisations through the reality that crisis recovery is rarely quick, rarely linear, and often far longer than anyone wants to admit.

3. Apply Real-World Lessons Immediately — Hear directly from David's experience in the room with leaders and founders, explore cross-cultural perspectives on crisis management, and leave with a practical handout of top crisis management tips you can put to work straight away.

Wayne Aspland MAICD FCSCE & Zora Artis IABC Fellow, SCMP, ACC

Most organisations say strategic alignment is a priority. The evidence says otherwise — and the gap between what leaders say and what organisations do remains stubbornly wide.

For communication professionals, this is the moment the function has been building toward. No other function has the same cross-functional view across an entire organisation. No other function sees where message and reality diverge before the data does. No other function is better placed to spot misalignment forming before it shows up in results.

And yet many communication professionals are still waiting to be invited to the conversations that matter.

Drawing on a global research study of more than 50 CEOs, Chiefs of Staff, and senior leaders, Wayne Aspland and Zora Artis make an honest, evidence-based case for why communication professionals are uniquely positioned to enable strategic alignment — and what it actually takes to operate at that level. This session introduces the alignment spectrum, from order taker to alignment architect, and poses a direct challenge to everyone in the room: where do you sit, and what are you going to do about it?

Provocative, research-grounded, and practical.

What you’ll learn:

• Understand Why Alignment Is Failing — Discover why strategic alignment is breaking down in most organisations, including two underlying paradoxes that explain why good intentions and hard work aren't enough — and why communication professionals are uniquely positioned to change that.

• Recognise What High-Level Influence Looks Like — Learn what communication professionals operating at the highest levels of strategic influence do differently, and identify the specific behaviours and choices that move people up the alignment spectrum.

• Assess and Advance Your Own Position — Honestly evaluate where you and your function currently sit on the alignment spectrum, and leave with concrete moves you can make in the next quarter to operate at a higher level of influence — regardless of title or organisational context.

Take a break and debrief about the morning session with your colleagues.

Bosco Anthony, CEO, Global Rev Gen (GRG)

Communications used to be crafted, approved, and distributed. Now, it is adaptive, responsive, and alive.

In this keynote, Bosco Anthony — digital strategist, marketing futurist, and CEO of internationally recognised marketing collective GRG — explores how agentic AI, predictive communications, and robotics are fundamentally reshaping the role of the modern communicator. 

Drawing on real-world deployments across education, tourism, and enterprise sectors, Bosco reveals how the shift from one-off campaigns to always-on, intelligent systems is creating a new mandate: communicators are no longer crafting narratives alone — they are designing influence ecosystems.

The future of communications will not be written. It will be run.

What you’ll learn:

• From Campaigns to Systems — Understand how marketing and communications are shifting from linear funnels to always-on, adaptive systems powered by agentic AI and real-time feedback loops.

• Designing Influence, Not Just Messaging — Learn how to build influence ecosystems that combine behavioural nudging, conversational AI, and predictive creative to shape decisions before intent is fully formed — while maintaining trust and brand integrity.

• Leading in an AI-Driven World — Redefine the role of the modern communicator as a system architect, orchestrating human and machine intelligence to deliver relevance, scale, and impact.

Anshuman Kumar, Chief Strategy Officer, SeedlingLabs | IABC Asia Pacific Board Secretary & Governance Director

In an era where AI can generate infinite content, the true differentiator for the modern communicator is no longer the ability to produce — it's the ability to contextualise.

In this session, Anshuman Kumar — Chief Strategy Officer at SeedlingLabs, former Director of Global Brand and Communications at Intuit, and Harvard Business Review case study subject — introduces Contextual Intelligence (CI) as the essential bridge between technical AI output and strategic human intent. 

Drawing on his award-winning work scaling employee ambassadorship at Intuit to achieve the #1 "Best Company to Work For" ranking in India, Anshuman shows how communicators can move beyond the role of messenger to become strategic architects of organisational influence.

Attendees will leave with the CI Compass — a practical framework for navigating organisational nuance, influencing C-suite decision-making, and leveraging AI as a powerful engine while keeping human judgement firmly in the driver's seat.

Because in a world drowning in content, context is everything.

From this session, you will learn:

• The CI Compass Framework — How to move beyond content production by mastering the four critical layers of context — Product, Market, Leadership, and Employee Aspirations — to position yourself as an indispensable strategic business partner.

• Scaling Authentic Storytelling — Proven techniques for building an Inside-Out brand, using the Intuit case study to show how employee ambassadors can be empowered at scale to drive trust and earn genuine organisational recognition.

• AI as Engine, Human Intelligence as Steering Wheel — How to lead the AI evolution by using technology for scale while leveraging Contextual Intelligence to ensure messages remain ethical, nuanced, and strategically aligned.

Julissa Shrewsbury, Specialist in Board, Leadership & Team Branding

As AI accelerates output and trust becomes increasingly fragile, communications professionals are under pressure to do more — faster — while proving their strategic value. But what if the answer isn't doing more? What if it's being clearer about what you're actually worth?

In this interactive session, Julissa Shrewsbury — one of Australia's leading specialists in board, leadership, and team branding — introduces a different lens: Communications Leadership Value as the driver of immediate impact. Drawing on research into the top concerns of senior leaders in the age of AI, and advisory work with Communications and Corporate Affairs teams, Julissa challenges participants to answer a deceptively simple question: what value do you want the executive and board to associate with your team's judgement?

This session presents leadership brand as a practical tool for clarifying, prioritising, and making visible the true value of the communications function — beyond activity and deliverables. Designed for immediate application in high-pressure environments.

What you’ll learn:

• A Sharper Lens on Your Value — A clear distinction between activity and contribution in your current role, and how to articulate the difference in terms that resonate with executives and boards.

• A Practical Way to Reposition Your Work — A simple, immediately applicable shift to make your strategic value more visible — moving from being defined by output to being recognised for leadership, judgement, and stewardship.

• A Reset on Priorities — A clear understanding of leadership brand in a communications context, plus a practical prompt to identify what to stop, what to elevate, and where to focus for greater impact.

Join us in recognising and celebrating IABC Asia-Pacific’s Communicator of the Year award winners!

Continue meeting new people over lunch!

Dr. Donald Patrick Lim

In today's hyper-visible world, leadership is constantly tested — by audiences, employees, algorithms, and public scrutiny. Communications is no longer just about messaging; it's about helping leaders and institutions survive visibility.

Drawing on real-world experience across media, digital transformation, corporate leadership, and public service, Dr. Donald Patrick Lim presents a powerful framework: The 7 Laws of Leading in Public. Through compelling stories and practical insights, he explores how trust, tone, presence, consistency, and credibility define communication leadership in the digital age.

This session challenges professional communicators and reputation leaders to rethink their role — not merely as storytellers, but as custodians of legitimacy, trust, and institutional resilience in a world where every action is public and every message is permanent.

Subho Das, Communications Professional & Former Journalist | IABC India & IABC APAC Board Member

The creator economy is a $480 billion industry — and it's looking for people exactly like you.

Communication professionals already possess the single greatest competitive advantage in the creator economy: they know what to say, how to say it, and to whom. Storytelling, audience intelligence, brand voice, content strategy, persuasive writing — these aren't skills creators spend years learning. They're skills communicators use every day before lunch.

In this session, former journalist and seasoned communications leader Subho Das makes the case that the transition from communicator to creator is not a career pivot — it is a natural, powerful evolution. Supercharged by AI tools that compress production timelines and eliminate technical barriers, the path from professional expertise to public audience has never been more accessible.

Whether you want to build a YouTube channel, launch a podcast, grow a LinkedIn following, or simply stop being the best-kept secret in your industry — this is your starting point.

What you’ll learn:

1. Your Skills Are Already the Edge — Why communication professionals hold a structural competitive advantage in the creator economy, and how to activate those skills immediately as a creator — not just as a professional.

2. How to Create Consistently Without Burning Out — A practical, AI-assisted workflow that allows full-time professionals to build a creator presence with as little as four focused hours per week, without sacrificing quality or career performance.

3. A Roadmap from Zero to Monetisation — Using the PACE Framework (Position, Anchor, Compress, Expand) and the five-tier Monetisation Ladder, leave with a personalised plan to choose your niche, select your platform, build your audience, and generate a meaningful second income stream from your expertise or passion.

Mel Loy SCMP, CEO & Principal Consultant, Cuttlefish | Emma Boddington-Stubbs, Director, The EBS Effect

In a world being rapidly reshaped by AI, it's understandable that communication professionals are asking hard questions about the future of their roles. But while AI can draft an email or generate an intranet article, there's something far more valuable it cannot replicate: the human lens.

As organisations navigate relentless change — with one-third of workers experiencing 15 or more major organisational changes in a single year, and change fatigue at a record high — human connection has never mattered more.

In this session, Mel Loy and Emma Boddington-Stubbs draw on case studies, personal experience, and sharp practical tools to share five ways professional communicators can tap into the human side of communication to level up, stand out, and lead with genuine impact.Because no matter the tool, we're still talking to humans. And that's where communication succeeds or fails.

What you’ll learn:

• Identify and Articulate Your Irreplaceable Value — Understand and clearly communicate what you bring as a professional communicator in an AI era — beyond drafting, planning, and production.

• Strengthen Connection, Trust and Impact — Build and apply human-centred communication practices that deepen trust and create meaningful impact with your audiences, even in times of uncertainty and change fatigue.

• Position Yourself as a Strategic Advisor — Influence leaders to prioritise human-centred communication, elevating your role from execution to strategic counsel where it matters most.

It’s time to get up, stretch the legs, grab a cuppa, and set yourself up for the last session of day 1!

Katie Bennett-Stenton CPM & Trudi Rowley

The future won't belong to communicators who produce more content — it will belong to those who create more clarity.

In an AI-driven environment, executive influence increasingly comes from translating complexity into decisions leaders can act on. But too often, communicators present the numbers without the narrative, the data without the judgment, the update without the recommendation — and that gap erodes trust and limits authority.

In this interactive session, Katie Bennett-Stenton and Trudi Rowley introduce The Authority Cycle, a practical framework that helps communicators use AI, data, and judgment to build trust, strengthen authority, and earn a stronger voice at the executive table. Through live exercises, attendees will learn how to identify the numbers that matter, reframe tactical updates as strategic recommendations, and leave with a one-page cheat sheet they can put to work immediately.

Because in a world of noise, authority belongs to those who bring clarity.

What you’ll learn:

• Connect Data to What Matters — How to link data and insights to business metrics through practical scenarios, identifying the numbers tied to outcomes, risk, and value creation — not just activity.

• Reframe Updates as Recommendations — How to move beyond reporting performance to creating decision-ready narratives that give executives something they can act on.

• Build Authority Through Clarity — How to position yourself not as a message manager, but as a strategic advisor who helps leaders navigate complexity, risk, and trust in an AI-driven world.

Mitchell Welch, Head of Strategic Communications & Katherine Oakley, Director of Communications & Stakeholder Relations, Melbourne Park

What does it take to build a brand from scratch for a major public asset — where scrutiny is high, stakeholders are many, and outcomes are business-critical?

Melbourne Park is one of Victoria's most valuable public assets: a world-class destination comprising six iconic venues and delivering a year-round program of sport, music, and entertainment at scale, including the Australian Open. In March 2025, it launched its masterbrand — moving from a disparate collection of venue identities to a single, cohesive destination brand, spanning deep research, naming, positioning, visual identity, and platform development.

In this session, Katherine Oakley and Mitchell Welch unpack how that transformation was led through a strategic communications lens — balancing creative ambition with the governance, rigour, and accountability required in a high-profile public environment. For any organisation operating in a complex or sensitive setting, this is a practical, real-world model for delivering brand transformation that is both creatively compelling and institutionally robust.

Because brand development isn't primarily a creative exercise. In complex organisations, it's a strategic communications challenge first.

What you’ll learn:

• Govern Complexity Without Killing Creativity — How to structure and govern a complex brand development program in a high-scrutiny, multi-stakeholder environment — establishing clear frameworks that enable creative collaboration while maintaining strategic clarity and control.

• Communications as an Enabler, Not a Constraint — How a robust strategic communications approach can actively enable productive agency relationships and creative outcomes, rather than limiting them.

• Align Narrative, Stakeholders and Delivery — Practical ways to bring together reputation management, stakeholder expectations, and program delivery to successfully launch a masterbrand that lands — and endures.

We’ll wrap up the first day before heading to networking drinks at the nearby W Hotel.

We’ve got something special planned for networking drinks!

You’ll be heading to the W Hotel, a short walk from our conference venue. The Wet Deck at the iconic hotel overlooks the Brisbane River, toward the world-class Southbank Parklands.

How to get a ticket

During registration, you would have been invited to select to attend our networking drinks on the evening of Day 1. If you didn’t select this option but still want to come along, please email us as soon as possible at iabcapacfusion@gmail.com