Jillian Kilby is the Managing Director of The Stable Group, a regional consulting company firmly fixed in its pursuit to leave a legacy of change in regional Australia.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia, an Australian Sir John Monash Scholar, A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds an MBA and Public Policy Masters from Stanford University.

In 2018, Jillian founded The Exchange, a regionally-based social impact organisation focused on the facilitation of space for coworking and community. Jillian bought and renovated an 1880s iconic post office building and a State Heritage Listed Bank in Dubbo and an old Cordial Factory precinct in Narrabri which have been restored and converted into vibrant coworking spaces.

Jillian holds a number of advisory roles, including as Director of the Australian Public Policy Institute, Member of the Council for Women’s Economic Opportunity, Chair of the Regional Advisory Panel for the Daily Telegraph Bush Summit, and Member of the NSW Skills Board.

This year, Jillian develops her newest venture, Good Foundations, with the acquisition and planned restoration of a fifth heritage building in Wagga Wagga. She was the 2013 NSW/ACT Rural Woman of The Year.

Peter Duncan AM has over 40 years’ experience in government and infrastructure, working at local, state and national levels. He has held various senior public sector roles including in local government, Premier and Cabinet Department, Transport for NSW, Primary Industries and for the Olympic Coordination Authority.

Peter has worked as Chief Executive in areas such as transport, infrastructure, forestry, parks, maritime, technology and services. He is the principal of an Advisory business and holds non-executive director and board chair roles. He is currently Chair of the Australian Rail Track Corporation, WaterNSW, and NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission, and a non-executive director of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.

Peter is a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and a Companion of The Institution of Engineers Australia.

Amy Persson is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice and Inclusion) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Amy is a public policy specialist who has worked extensively across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors to deliver major social, economic and environmental initiatives with social impact and social justice at their heart. For the last three years Amy has overseen UTS’s government and external engagement from the Vice Chancellor’s office, and before this spent eight years in various Senior Executive roles in the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, overseeing portfolios such as child protection, Aboriginal Affairs, social and affordable housing, city shaping and public transport, intergovernmental negotiations and media and communications for the Premier.

During this time, Amy ran the NSW Government’s Behavioural Insights Unit and Office of Social Impact, trialling innovative new ways to implement public policy initiatives aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable people in NSW. She also ran the Cities Branch, which was critical to delivering a more joined-up approach to transport and strategic planning in NSW. Earlier on in her career, Amy was a senior political adviser to several State Government Ministers and spent time in the UK driving climate change and environment initiatives with the major environmental groups headquartered there. Amy studied Arts/Law and is passionate about driving greater equity and diversity in the higher education sector.

Joseph Rizk AM is the CEO & Managing Director of Arab Bank Australia for the past 12 years. Prior to his appointment as Managing Director, Joseph held the position of Chief Banking Officer for over five years, overseeing the retail, commercial and trade banking operations as well as its branch network, and being responsible for all revenue generating arms of the Bank.

Joseph has 48 years of corporate, commercial and international banking and finance experience along with extensive experience across the banking spectrum with the ability to generate positive results in the face of tough market conditions and in an increasingly competitive business environment. Prior to joining Arab Bank Australia, Joseph worked predominantly for the National Australia Bank in a senior executive capacity, leading and managing a series of large business units in Sydney and NSW and headed up the NAB’s NSW & ACT Property Finance Groups.

Joseph is a member of The Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD) and a fellow of The Australian Institute of Management (AIM).

Professor the Hon. Verity Firth AM is the inaugural Vice-President Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Prof. Firth has over twenty years’ experience at the very highest levels of government and education sectors in Australia.

Prior to her role at UNSW, Prof. Firth was the Pro Vice-Chancellor Social Justice and Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney (2015-2022). Prof. Firth was NSW Minister for Education and Training from 2008-2011, where she focused on equity in education, and how to best address educational disadvantage in low socio-economic communities, including rural and remote Indigenous communities. As NSW Minister for Women (2007-2009), Ms Firth implemented sector wide strategies to improve women’s recruitment, development and employment in the NSW public sector, and delivered the NSW Government’s first Domestic Violence Strategy. As Chief Executive of the Public Education Foundation (2011-2014), Prof. Firth led the Foundation’s transformation from a fledgling organisation into a major provider of scholarships and support for teachers and students in public education. Prof. Firth was the Member for the state seat of Balmain from 2007-2011. Before her parliamentary career, Ms Firth worked as a lawyer and was Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney.

Professor Deborah Sweeney is Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research, Enterprise and International) at Western Sydney University. Her previous positions include Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Health and Science, Director of Research for the College of Health and Science, and Chief Executive Officer of Vision Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). Deborah is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and continues to be active in national and international organisations, holding executive positions in the CRC Association and VisionCare NSW. Her major research area is corneal physiology, and her work has been instrumental in developing an understanding of the physiology of the human cornea and the effects of contact lens wear and refractive surgery on corneal function characteristics and the development of alternative forms of vision correction. Deborah has published over 100 refereed articles and several book chapters, and is a co-inventor on two patents. Deborah holds a Bachelor of Optometry and a Doctorate in Optometry from the University of NSW. She is also a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.