This session equips participants to collaborate effectively across complex professional services environments. It focuses on understanding the priorities, pressures and success metrics of partners and key internal stakeholders, and aligning your approach accordingly. Participants will learn how to map stakeholder influence, anticipate objections and connect marketing and BD initiatives directly to revenue, profitability and client outcomes. The session includes practical scenarios on navigating partner dynamics and balancing immediate demands with long-term strategic value. Designed to strengthen commercial credibility and cross-firm alignment, this session sharpens participants' ability to drive outcomes without formal authority.
Participants will leave with:
- A stakeholder engagement planning framework
- A practical influence pathway map
- A business case template to secure faster decisions and approval
Facilitator:
Kate Stephens
Head of Clients, HPX Group
Kate is Head of Clients at HPX Group, where she leads client engagement initiatives across the Group's portfolio of businesses, including law firm Hamilton Locke and managed services provider Source.
With expertise in stakeholder engagement, business development, and cross-functional leadership, Kate partners with leadership teams to drive client growth initiatives across complex, multi-stakeholder environments. She works with a diverse range of stakeholders (from C-suite to operational teams), each with their own definition of success, and takes pride in finding the common ground that moves relationships and outcomes forward.
A dual citizen with experience spanning both the legal industry and engineering sector, Kate brings a client-centric and commercially grounded perspective to relationship management. She is passionate about building meaningful client relationships and delivering business outcomes through strategic BD and marketing.
Speakers:
Kylie Pepper
Association Director, Client & Strategy, AECOM
Kylie Pepper is an Associate Director, Client and Strategy, AECOM(Building and Places, ANZ), focused on helping design-led engineering businesses grow with purpose.
With over a decade of experience across business development, marketing and client engagement, she specialises in developing and delivering strategies aligned to organisational growth objectives. She brings a strong ability to align market opportunities with business priorities and capability, with a focus on sector-led planning, strategic partnerships, and building meaningful client relationships that deliver long-term impact.
She works across regions, sectors and disciplines to align priorities with broader growth objectives, strengthening market positioning and embedding a focused, client-led approach to how teams go to market.
She thrives in environments where growth depends on clarity, collaboration and bold thinking, bringing a systems mindset and a deep understanding of the built environment.
Melissa Mooney
BD Market Lead Australia, A&O Shearman
Melissa Mooney is BD Market Lead – Australia at A&O Shearman, where she leads the firm’s business development and markets agenda nationally. She is a senior business development and client relationship leader with deep experience across client, sector and practice‑based growth in professional services.
Melissa has spent more than 13 years in senior client relationship and BD leadership roles, designing and delivering initiatives that drive sustainable client growth, strengthen priority relationships and support firm‑wide change. Her experience spans leading firms including Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, Spruson & Ferguson and King & Wood Mallesons, working closely with partners across financial services, M&A, technology, and disputes.
She is known for her pragmatic, client‑focused approach and her ability engage diverse stakeholder groups to align strategy with execution and deliver meaningful outcomes for both clients and the business.
Event Details:
Date: 12 May 2026
Times:
13:00 pm - 14:30 pm: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane
12:30 pm - 14:00 pm: Adelaide
15:00 pm - 16:30 pm: New Zealand
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Perth, Hong Kong, Singapore
Price:
Members: $100 | Non-Members: $160*
Full series registrants will automatically be added to this event.
* All prices in AUD.
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