ICON Melbourne Forum 2018 – full day event plus cocktail party

The ICON Melbourne Forum provides an exclusive opportunity to connect with industry leaders and network with like-minded industry professionals.

The must attend experience comprises six high calibre plenary sessions including a keynote from Joanne Gray, Managing Editor of the Australian Financial Review, two engaging breakouts followed by the gala cocktail party, generously hosted by the Peter Rowland Group.

This intimate, hands on learning and exploration will equip you with new skills, ideas and connections and help take your career to the next level.

Here is a snapshot of the day’s agenda… with more sessions to be announced shortly:

Disruption and the Future of Media

Joanne Gray, Managing Editor of the Australian Financial Review

Building Partnerships to Create New Audiences

Scenario Planning session: Providing structure in uncertainty

Rebuilding a Brand

Mohan Du, Founder & Managing Director, Capital Alliance

Emma Yee, Chief Executive Officer, Peter Rowland

Have you taken an honest account of what your brand really stands for? What is your market image? Do you know what people think of your business? What does your brand exactly stand for?

Join Peter Rowland Group, Capital Partner, Mohan Du, and Emma Yee, recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, the youngest and first ever female, as they discuss acquisition, transitioning, and re-building of the Peter Rowland brand. A frank discussion of the steps taken to help change how customers feel about your brand and how they perceive your business.

Design Thinking: What is the problem we are trying to solve?

A design mindset is not problem-focused, it's solution focused and action oriented towards creating a preferred future. This session will unpack design thinking and explore how it can help solve complex problems and find desirable solutions for clients. Join our expert panel discussion to gain valuable insight as to how design thinking can help lead any business or profession to achieve extraordinary results.

• Neil Cook - Head of Legal Operations, Woolworths
  
• Libby Jarvis - Head of Legal Project Management, Australia & Asia, Herbert Smith Freehills
  
• Juliana Proserpio - Co-Founder & Global Design Director, Echos – Innovation Lab
  

Avoid #youtoo: Managing a brand and personal profiles in a diverse and dynamic culture

Societal norms are changing. More rapidly now than ever. #itstopswithme #whiteribbon government campaigns and #loveislove, #timeisnow and #metoo movements are live examples that the community in which we move, tweet, post, position and pitch have changing expectations.

When you are responsible for a business, brand or individuals' profiles how can we make the best decisions and give the best advice to ensure that our message is inclusive and doesn't miss the mark? Should marketers and business developers advise our stakeholders to step up and take the high ground or stay safe on the plains of indifference and avoidance? If we advise on stepping up and speaking out, how do we navigate the potholes of moral hazard? This panel session, will share their experience and insight on managing a wide range of scenarios - from advising on aligning with causes and policies, managing PR hiccups through to deciding how to craft inclusive communications that hit the right note.

Joining our panel, includes:

Stefan Grun, Executive Manager, Marketing and Communications – VicHealth

Leilani Abels, Founder & MD - Thrive PR

Christine Finnegan, Chief Commercial Officer, St Kilda Football Club

Stefan joined VicHealth in 2014 motivated by linking his more than 20 years’ experience in the sporting industry– including nine years as an Australian Football League field umpire – with helping Victorians becoming more physically active, playing sport and making healthy food choices. Their most recent launch is VicHealth’s #ThisGirlCanVIC campaign in April 2018 in partnership with Sport England.

Leilani is founder and MD of Thrive. She started the company at 25 and has built it to be one of the most successful independent PR agencies in Australia with established offices in Melbourne and Sydney and most recently Brisbane and Auckland. She has represented some of the world’s biggest brands and has devised strategic communications plans that have delivered great success to emerging companies. With an enviable network of influencers and in-depth local knowledge, her expertise lies in media communication and strategic planning.

Christine began her career in Federal politics working in the media office of the Deputy Prime Minister for over 7 years. Christine relocated to Melbourne in 1997 and commenced her career in sport working at Tennis Australia. Christine was appointed Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer of the St Kilda Football Club in July 2014. Prior to joining St Kilda, Christine was General Manager, Commercial & Marketing at the Melbourne Rebels, AFL Players Association and Melbourne Storm. Christine also worked at Newks Group Marketing agency, the ACT Brumbies and Commonwealth Games.

Christine has extensive leadership experience and mentors a number of young women in sport. She is a passionate advocate for gender equality in sport and actively champions women in this landscape. Christine was a member of the inaugural AFL Women in Leadership Program and the inaugural AFL Executive Leadership Program.

Your Network is your Networth

Francesca Meldrum, Co-Founder and CEO of ‘Ideas Fight Club’

Francesca Meldrum is the Co-Founder and CEO of ‘Ideas Fight Club’, an event-series-turned-dinner-party group that’s rebuilding networking for the new world of work. A woman of many hats, Francesca also leads ‘Major Sales Pursuits’ at ASX50 listed Computershare, consults to high growth start-ups – and champions fiercely for #dangerousideas and #womenintech. She can generally be ‘found’ one-catalytic-question-away from freaking out a group of execs out about the future – or, enjoying a Melbourne coffee.

Now more than ever, networking is one of the most important things you can do for your current career success, your future career prospects and ultimately your networth. In this dynamic speed networking session, Francesca will share a fresh, new approach to networking – demonstrating how removing barriers and anchoring your conversation around authentic topics and ideas can be a networking game-changer.

About #IDEASFIGHTCLUB:

#IDEASFIGHTCLUB is a meeting of minds unlike any other.

Industry agnostic - solution centric - future focused.

You: interested in the intersections 'between' ideas, industries, macro trends and people.

Us: ready to provide an event infrastructure conducive to left of field thinking, and conversations.

Together: #co-creating the kind of high value connection generating event we are all after, from the ground up.

Making Data Meaningful

Otto Ottinger, Managing Director, Datalabs

John "Otto" Ottinger is a data visualiser, specialising in the visual design of complex data systems. Co-founder of Datalabs, a visualisation agency, Otto works in the intersection of UX/UI design, analytics systems, and storytelling. At Datalabs, he focuses on the creation of real-time, interactive dashboards and data tools, as well as innovative visual reports. He previously held positions at National Geographic, in Washington, DC, and at Telstra.

In his presentation, Otto will share data visualisation techniques to simplify data, weave it into a story, and present it in an engaging visual story. This presentation will take attendees through relevant case studies that will illuminate the methodologies and processes Otto uses as a data visualiser. In addition, attendees will learn tips and tricks to make them better report designers.

Event details

ICON thanks event sponsors