Our comprehensive program features an exceptional line up of keynote speakers.
Watch this space for all the latest exciting speaker announcements.
Simon Kuestenmacher is a Director and co-founder of The Demographics Group based in Melbourne, Australia. Simon holds degrees in geography from leading universities in Berlin and Melbourne and worked for several years as a business consultant with KPMG Australia. In 2017 Simon, with Bernard Salt, co-founded The Demographics Group. The group provides specialist advice on demographic, consumer and social trends for business.
He presents on demographic and global trends that are shaping Australia today and into the future and his presentations and quirky observations are enjoyed by corporate, government and industry audiences alike.
Simon is a columnist at The New Daily newspaper and a regular contributor to The Australian newspaper; and he is also a media commentator on demographic and data matters. Simon has amassed 600,000 global followers on social media, reaches over 35 million people every month and ranks as one of the world’s Top 10 influencers in data visualisation. If you can’t get enough of data that explains how the world works, make sure to follow him on Twitter or any of his other social channels.
John Duguid is a senior leader and planner with a proven track record of managing and delivering complex, high profile projects. Between 2007 and 2010 John was the planning manager for Auckland’s city centre. During his time in this role, he and his team were heavily involved in transforming Wynyard Point, a large, prime waterfront site, from a port/industrial precinct to what is now a thriving, mixed use neighbourhood.
In 2010 Auckland’s eight councils were amalgamated to create a single entity - Auckland Council. John secured a senior management role in the new organisation with the responsibility for place-based planning and developing a new statutory land use and environmental management plan for the region - the Auckland Unitary Plan. Working on the Auckland Unitary Plan was an incredible journey, rich in experiences and learnings, with an end-product that is widely regarded as a game-changer for Auckland and an exemplar for others.
In 2024, Auckland Council’s policy and regulatory planning functions were merged into a single department and John was successful in being appointed General Manager Planning and Resource Consents.
The department processes around 15,000 development approvals each year and is in the middle of implementing a major city-wide change to the Auckland Unitary Plan that will further increase opportunities for housing and development within the urban area and improve the management of development in areas prone to natural hazards.
John is an avid stand-up paddle boarder, has a passion for music of all sorts with a particular soft-spot for the 90s and early 2000s - and considers it a privilege to have such a challenging and influential role within the planning profession.
Hon Clare O'Neil MP grew up in Melbourne's south-east.
After she finished school, Clare studied Law at Monash University in Clayton. While she was at university, Clare was elected to the City of Greater Dandenong Council and a year later she became mayor of the City of Greater Dandenong.
After graduating from Monash University, Clare travelled to Harvard University in the US to study Public Policy. While she was there, she lived in Boston and New York and worked in the New York Stock Exchange.
Clare has served as an adviser to the Office of the Commonwealth Treasurer and has worked as a consultant with CEOs around Australia in key industries including mining, manufacturing, banking and retail. Clare has a special interest in economics, Indigenous Australia and the welfare of children.
Clare was elected to Federal Parliament in 2013. She represents the electorate of Hotham in Melbourne's South East, which stretches from Oakleigh in the north to Springvale in the south and is home to over 130,000 people. Hotham is one of the most diverse electorates in Australia, with 35% of residents born overseas.
Clare was appointed to the Shadow Ministry as the Shadow Minister for Justice in 2016 and was also appointed Shadow Minister for Financial Services in 2018.
In July 2019, Clare was appointed the Shadow Minister for Innovation, Technology and the Future of Work, and since February 2021 Clare was the Shadow Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services. In 2022, Clare was appointed the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security and became a Cabinet member. In 2024, she became Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness, and after the 2025 election she took on the Cities portfolio.
Hannah Ferguson is at the forefront of the Australian media industry, and she's doing it differently!
Her first book, Bite Back is now a best seller spending weeks at the top of the non-fiction chart in Australia. The title delivers the conversations we've been missing on everything from diet culture to the future of the #MeToo movement. Articulating sharp, progressive perspectives on the social and political issues that matter, Bite Back offers constructive talking points to provoke and inspire meaningful change.
From examining how to have hard conversations with loved ones, and the realities of reforming a criminal justice system that isn't fi t for purpose, to analysing the role of popular culture icons in upholding beauty standards and a toxic culture of dieting. The book is packed full of opinions and ideas with bite, it's news that talks back.
Personally, Brisy-born Hannah has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Master of Writing, Editing and Publishing from The University of Queensland. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, the Sydney Morning Herald, and she's one of 2024's Forbes 30 Under 30.
LEADING CHANGE | HEADS OF PLANNING PANEL
Kiersten has worked in the public service for nearly three decades, across multiple portfolios and two tiers of government. She’s widely ambitious and passionate about delivering thriving environments, communities and helping NSW achieve its full potential.
Kiersten was formerly Secretary of the Department of Planning and Environment, Deputy Secretary, Cities & Active Transport at Transport for NSW, and the CEO of Liverpool City Council. She also previously held leadership roles with Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Accessible Arts and City of Sydney.
George Cilliers MPIA is the Chief Planner and Executive Group Manager overseeing the Statutory Planning Division within the City and Environment Directorate.
The division comprises statutory decision‑making for the independent Territory Planning Authority, administration of the leasehold system, and the Office of the Surveyor‑General. George has over 30 years’ experience in planning and development assessment across local government, the private sector, and the Territory Government
Kathy Bonus RPIA is a Registered Planner and a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia. Her work has spanned a broad spectrum of planning, from remote Indigenous communities in the central desert to high density inner city local government.
Appointed as the State’s first Chief Planning Advisor in 2019, Kathy is responsible for leading critical planning and infrastructure projects, providing high level advice to the Minister for Planning, Director General and the Western Australian Planning Commission on delivering Government priorities and advising on key State and National planning policies, strategic projects and Government planning priorities.
With experience across the public and private sectors, Kathy’s passion extends to ensuring the quality of future State planning, through her guidance and mentorship of young planners and she is a co-founder of Western Australia’s Women in Planning Network.
With extensive experience in urban and regional planning, Nicole works closely with governments, industry leaders, and the planning profession to advance policy reform on some of the country’s most pressing challenges including housing supply, productivity, climate resilience, and sustainable growth. Her work focuses on strengthening the role of planning in delivering thriving, prosperous, and resilient communities.
Nicole is a respected voice in the planning profession and regularly engages with senior policymakers, industry stakeholders, and the broader community to elevate the importance of strategic planning in shaping Australia’s future.
She is passionate about building stronger connections between planners, decision makers, and the communities they serve, and is committed to championing the role of planners as key contributors to the nation’s long-term success.
PLANNING THE LONG VIEW | CHOICES, TRADE OFF'S AND RESPONSIBILITIES PANEL
Ben Rimmer was appointed the first Commonwealth Director‑General of Housing in September 2025, based in the Department of the Treasury. Prior to this role, he served as Deputy Secretary of the Higher Education, Research and International Group in the Department of Education.
He is a committed and passionate public servant, focused on building strong, capable, diverse and inclusive teams to provide excellent service to Ministers and the government, and through them the Australian community.
Ben has previously held a range of senior positions across the Australian Government including Associate Secretary in the Department of Human Services (now Services Australia) and Deputy Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and for the Victorian Government include leadership roles in the Department of Premier and Cabinet. He returned to the Australian Public Service in April 2023 following roles as Associate Secretary in the Victorian Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and Chief Executive Officer of Homes Victoria, and before that as Chief Executive Officer of the City of Melbourne.
He is a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration, a recipient of the James Wolfensohn Public Service Scholarship, and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Ben was a member of the Champions of Change Coalition between 2015 and 2019, spent 2002 working to support Cape York First Nations organisations through a secondment with Jawun, and previously held the role as Chair of the Australian Youth Orchestra. He holds an MBA from the University of Oxford, and Arts and Law degrees from the University of Melbourne.
Since 2006, she has been a faculty consultant for NeighborWorks America and is an adjunct faculty member in the Public Administration Program at UNC Greensboro. She is also an accomplished TED Talk speaker. Being active in APA has been integral to Sue's growth as a planner and planning director.
She previously served as president of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), APA’s professional institute. Schwartz also had held multiple leadership positions for APA North Carolina, APA Chapter Presidents Council, and the Planning Accreditation Board. She has a bachelor's from the University of Pittsburgh in geography and urban studies and holds a master's in geography from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Sue was inducted into the AICP College of Fellows in 2003 and was elected to the National Academy of Public Administration’s class of fellows in 2025.
Professor Barbara Norman MPIA (Life Fellow) is Emeritus Professor of Urban & Regional Planning, University of Canberra and Honorary Professor, Australian National University, Australia. Barbara is Chair of the Urban Policy Forum advising the Australian Government, a Director of the Urban Climate Change Research Network Oceania Hub (Columbia University, USA), co-chair of Planners for Climate Action (UN Habitat) and a member of the World Cities Knowledge Council (Singapore).
Professor Norman is a global expert and adviser in sustainable cities and regions, smart infrastructure, coastal planning, climate change adaptation and urban governance. Professor Norman has a combined professional and academic background, having worked at all levels of government and run her own practice. She is a former national president of the Planning Institute of Australia, and an honorary member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (UK).
Recent international research includes Sustainable Pathways for our Cities and Regions: planning within planetary boundaries (Routledge, 2018); Are autonomous cities our urban future? Comment in Nature Communications (Nature Communications, 2018) and Apocalypse Now: Australian Bushfires and the future of Urban Settlements (Nature Urban Sustainability). Professor Norman’s recent book is Urban Planning for Climate Change (Routledge, October 2023).
Seija Wellington MPIA leads Arup’s Planning business for Australia and New Zealand. She is an urban and regional planner with over 25 years experience in state and local government and the private sector. At Arup, Seija directs and manages a range of multi-disciplinary projects across different sectors such as energy transition, ports and rail.
Seija leads and challenges teams to resolve complex strategic planning, design and infrastructure challenges through collaboration and evidence-based decision making, creating opportunities that ultimately benefit the community, our cities and regions. Seija is also Queensland’s Business and Markets Leader, driving strategic business priorities by leading integrated market planning and strengthening client relationships.
Amy Wilkins MPIA has over 6 years experience in statutory planning, strategic planning and social planning. She is passionate about social justice and skilled at project management co-ordination, research and policy and has an in depth understanding of the NSW Planning System. She has actively contributed to numerous social and strategic planning projects throughout Greater Sydney and Regional NSW.
Amy champions the planning practice for young and emerging planners in the industry. Previously serving as Co-Convenor of the Planning Institute of Australia’s NSW Young Planner’s Committee, her dedication to the profession has been recognised at the national level, with her appointment to the PIA Board as Emerging Planner Director in 2024.
Amy is an advocate for women’s rights, with a particular focus on women’s safety in public spaces at night. Her significant contributions have been recognised with accolades at both the NSW and National Awards for Planning Excellence in 2022/2023.
AI | HYPE, HELP OR HAZARD? PANEL
Bonnie Shaw is Chief Innovator in Residence at the Municipal Association of Victoria, where she leads MAVlab - an innovation lab serving all 79 councils across Victoria. MAVlab equips councils with the tools, capabilities, and shared intelligence needed to navigate rising complexity, strengthen decision-making, and build adaptive, future-ready systems. The lab’s work in AI, democratic resilience, and civic storytelling has been recognised through multiple industry awards and, more importantly, for delivering tangible, sector-wide impact.
Bonnie also holds the role of Professor of Practice in the School of Design & Social Context at RMIT University. Her research focuses on the cognitive and behavioural impacts of chronic stress - particularly how sustained pressure is reshaping leadership, decision-making, and organisational performance. She teaches practical frameworks and practices that help leaders and organisations understand and interrupt patterns of cognitive overload, reactivity, and institutional fatigue to improve resilience and high performance under pressure. Her work reframes stress not as a wellbeing issue, but as a core governance, performance, and risk challenge.
Prior to MAVlab, Bonnie worked at the forefront of advanced technology, innovation, and strategic change across federal, state, and local government, financial services, major brands, and startups. She was co-founder and product lead of a GEO-AI startup, and previously served as Smart City Practice Lead at the City of Melbourne, where she helped establish Australia’s first multi-award-winning Smart Cities team.
Bonnie has held adjunct professorial roles at Georgetown University in Washington DC and Melbourne Business School. She has been recognised as a finalist in the Australian and New Zealand Women in AI Awards and received a global Relativity Award for AI Leadership. She is also a trained Human Potential Coach, integrating data-driven biohacking approaches into her work on stress management, cognitive performance, and leadership effectiveness.
Prof Chris Pettit MPIA is Scientia Professor and Director of the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW Sydney—an internationally renowned institute that has delivered rigorous, applied public-interest research on cities since 2005. Professor Pettit’s work sits at the intersection of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, data science, urban planning, and city shaping, with a focus on translating advanced analytics into better urban decision-making.
In 2018, he founded the City Analytics Lab, followed by the establishment of the Housing Analytics Lab in 2025—both purpose-built facilities designed to better connect data, technology, and people to support evidence-based city, and housing policy. He is a past Chair and board member of CUPUM (Computational Urban Planning and Urban Management) and currently serves on the Planning Institute of Australia’s National PlanTech Advisory Committee and the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN) Scientific Committee.
Professor Pettit is also the founder of two start-up companies: Value Australia, an AI-enabled property valuation toolkit, and MapAI, an AI-powered assistant for spatial data.
Michael Comninos MPIA has over twenty years of experience developing and implementing strategy, policy and regulatory reform in planning and infrastructure. His unique mix of skills and experience has allowed Michael to develop insights into how to work across all levels of government and industry to develop tangible benefits for citizens.
Michael is a nationally recognised infrastructure planner having advised local, state, and national governments in Australia and New Zealand. Michael’s expertise in how to effectively plan for and manage change encompasses strategic infrastructure planning, land use planning, and social and economic infrastructure. He has pioneered data driven approaches to planning and furthered digital transformation for better user experience and more adaptive and responsive plans.
Michael is well-renowned for facilitating conversations between levels of government and the private sector. He has been an advisor to over 40 councils in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and NSW in digital transformation, innovation and infrastructure matters.
Dr Claire Daniel MPIA is an Urban Planner and Technologist with broad experience in Local Government, Consulting and Research. They are currently undertaking post-doctoral research on the relationship between AI and Urban Governance at the University of Sydney. Claire has been involved with PIA’s PlanTech initiatives for many years and is Chair of PIA’s National PlanTech Advisory Committee.
Tina Perinotto is editor and publisher of The Fifth Estate, an online specialist newspaper focused on the sustainability transition of the built environment and the policy and economic environment that influences it.
The publication was established in 2009 and has become essential reading for developers, designers, business and government professionals working on how to accelerate the net zero and sustainability transition.
The Fifth Estate holds regular thought leadership and interactive events designed and has published a range of digital magazines and special reports.