Check out the brains, voices, and creative geniuses that headlined Content Summit Australia 2025.
See the full program featuring a full day of keynotes, Q&As and panel discussions across three content streams PLUS an optional second day of interactive workshops.
With over 20 years of experience in communications across various sectors and a Master of Business (Communications Studies), Claire is a dedicated communications professional who thrives in dynamic and challenging environments. With experience in internal and external communications, stakeholder engagement, change communications, media relations, issues management, and public relations, Claire is focused on creating meaningful communications to drive positive change and foster trust and collaboration.
At Suncorp Bank, Claire manages communications and change activities supporting customer-facing team members in branches and contact centres.
Travis Hunt is the Founder and Creative Director of Explanimate! and IPER, a video production and animation studio that helps brands tell stories people actually want to watch. With a background in storytelling, cinematography, and a knack for turning complex ideas into engaging content, Travis has worked with clients of all sizes – from household names to scrappy startups – helping them cut through the noise with compelling visuals and sharp messaging.
For nearly two decades, he’s been at the forefront of motion design and content creation, blending creativity with strategy to produce work that not only looks good but gets results. Having collaborated with major brands and government organisations, Travis understands the challenges of storytelling at scale, whether it’s crafting an engaging explainer video or building an organisation-wide content strategy.
Passionate about authenticity and creativity (and allergic to boring content), Travis thrives on finding fresh, effective ways to connect brands with their audiences. Whether it’s through animation, live-action or a mix of both, he’s always looking for new ways to push the boundaries of storytelling.
Rosanna Ryan is the digital editor at Brisbane Times, where she works with a team of journalists to keep Brisbane audiences informed about the events and issues that matter most to the city. She has worked in journalism for more than 15 years, including in senior digital roles at ABC News and ABC Radio National. She also helps run the Brisbane chapter of Hacks/Hackers and sits on the board at 4ZZZ community radio.
Liz is an accomplished journalist, media consultant, and communications expert with nearly 20 years of experience in the media industry. Known for her sharp storytelling skills and deep understanding of the real estate and business sectors, Liz has made her mark as one of Australia’s leading voices in journalism. Liz has worked for some of Australia’s top media outlets, where she covered real estate, business, and finance with insight and integrity. Her work has earned her a reputation for delivering high-impact stories that engage readers and provide valuable industry knowledge. In her current role as News Corp’s Queensland Real Estate Editor, Liz leads a team responsible for driving a key revenue earning sector of the business and generating property-related digital and print content that resonates with a wide audience.
Liz also runs a separate business as a media consultant, where she helps businesses and individuals in the property space elevate their public profiles by crafting compelling narratives and developing strong media strategies. She is passionate about helping professionals in the real estate industry understand the power of media and public relations in building credibility, authority, and long-term success. As a speaker, Liz brings her extensive experience in live television reporting and presenting to the stage. Known for her captivating presentations and engaging content, Liz has been a key voice in showcasing luxury homes and industry developments across Queensland. As a presenter and MC, she seamlessly combines depth of knowledge with an approachable style that resonates with audiences.
Bec Evans is an experienced destination marketing professional, currently heading up activity for Tourism, Business and Major Events, as Marketing Manager at Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA).
Bec has a strong track record in brand management and executing strategic marketing campaigns, from creative and media through to management of public relations and partner activity to generate visitor expenditure propelling Brisbane’s tourism and economic growth. Bec manages strategic partnerships across major and business events to further build Brisbane’s brand in domestic and international markets, and also leads BEDA’s digital strategy across B2C ‘Visit Brisbane’ channels.
Prior to BEDA, Bec worked across residential and commercial placemaking marketing, as well as retail and brand marketing for consumer brands. Bec is passionate about sharing Brisbane’s story and delivering impactful outcomes for the destination now and into the future.
Callum Wood is an accomplished marketing professional who leads BEDA’s Marketing team and champions the Brisbane destination brand globally. With a focus on driving economic growth, Callum leads a diverse team of marketing and place activation professionals to develop and execute impactful marketing strategies across diverse sectors and audiences. From tourism, business and major events, to business growth, trade, and investment, Callum manages the Brisbane destination brand holistically, both domestically and internationally.
Prior to joining BEDA, Callum held several destination and event marketing roles across Melbourne and regional Victoria, including City Marketing Manager for the City of Melbourne. Callum has completed an MBA with a focus on marketing and brand management. He is also admitted as an Australian Lawyer.
Michaela is a corporate affairs and communications specialist. Although she began her career as a lawyer, she has worked in media and communications for more than two decades. She is an experienced journalist, having written predominantly for magazines and online publications. She has also worked in PR and communications in the higher education and agriculture sectors, and managed website and multimedia production for several Network Ten television productions.
For many years Michaela ran her own video production and communications business. She is now the General Manager of Bespoken, an integrated marketing, communications and engagement agency based in Brisbane, serving clients nationally.
Matt Liddy is the Editor of ABC News Story Lab, a cross-disciplinary team of journalists, designers and developers who use their skills to find and tell stories in new and compelling ways. Story Lab creates data journalism, visual journalism, explainers, breaking news coverage, and develops new formats for storytelling.
Matt has covered every Australian federal election since 1998, led innovative news coverage of events across Australia and around the world, and driven major digital projects such as Vote Compass and Australia Talks. Within the ABC, he’s helped shape two decades of digital transformation.
Tim Schaefer’s career has taken him from newsroom deadlines to crafting impactful internal comms strategies that bring people together. With a Bachelor of Communications majoring in Journalism and Public Relations, Tim cut his teeth in regional journalism with Fairfax Media, worked across a variety of publications in Queensland, including the Brisbane Times.
Eventually, Tim crossed over to what he jokingly calls “the dark side” of media and communications, joining an environmental not-for-profit, where he had his first taste of internal comms. From there, he moved to Queensland Health, working on the Suicide Prevention in Health Services initiative to educate frontline staff on recognising suicidal ideation.
Since 2019, Tim has been at RSL Queensland, playing a key role in evolving their internal communications. Whether designing strategies or delivering initiatives, Tim is all about keeping staff informed, engaged and connected to the mission. His work ensures that internal comms are tools for building connection and purpose within the organisation.
With 15 years’ experience in corporate affairs and strategy within the energy and technology industries, Bec is focused on developing a seamless customer experience for SAMCo clients. Bec oversees the commercial, governance, business development, branding and mobilisation functions of SAMCo’s operations as the business works to establish itself as Queensland’s most trusted clean energy operations and maintenance partner. SAMCo was launched in late 2023 and is subsidiary of Stanwell Corporation, Queensland’s largest electricity generator which generates 40-60% of the state’s total energy demand.
Bec has a side hustle as the Co-Chair of United Nation’s Women Australia’s Brisbane chapter, and she’s always looking for any opportunity to weave in the importance of pursuing a more gender-equal world. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and Business from QUT; and an MBA from UQ.
Chris Connell is a marketing veteran with more than 20 years experience across a range of industries both locally and abroad. Specialising in marketing technology, he is currently Chief Growth Officer at We Brand, the world’s leading Brand Enablement Platform.
Chris is passionate about the impact AI can have on business growth, and keen to help marketing professionals understand the right way to approach potential investments.
Rachael is a seasoned professional in the field of marketing and social media, currently serving as the Social Channels Lead at RACQ. With a diverse background that spans the university and financial services sectors, Rachael has honed her skills in strategy, community engagement, content creation, and performance analysis.
Her dedication and expertise have been recognised with prestigious accolades, including being previously awarded Mumbrella’s Social Media Community Manager of the Year. Rachael’s passion for connecting with audiences and driving impactful social media strategies is unwavering.
Outside of her professional life, Rachael enjoys exploring new trends in social media and marketing, always staying ahead of the curve to deliver innovative solutions.
Analiese joined the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) as part of the Census team in 2021 helping to translate the data into meaningful stories. She worked closely with the media and social media section before officially joining the team in 2023. At the ABS, Analiese is part of the team responsible for content creation, monitoring and metric analysis.
She is passionate about looking for stories within the data, and helping all Australians understand statistics can be relevant and fun.
Erin is a solar-powered North Queenslander who’s questioning her life choice of swapping Bowen’s beaches for Brighton’s seaside (the pebbly, grey, English one).
As a strategic, customer-obsessed and outcome-focused Digital Product Manager at the Natural History Museum in London, she solves visitors’ problems in a way that they love, that also adds value to the museum. Her ultimate goal? Make it easy for visitors to plan, book and explore the museum, so they feel welcomed, have a fun day out and become advocates for the planet. Before becoming a Product Manager, she was at the helm of the NHM’s visitor experience digital content.
Once upon a time, you would have found Erin smashing out digital content and social posts for the likes of Transport for London, Bentley Motors and — back in the sunshine state — Visit Brisbane (alongside CSA’s Brittanie English and Kurt Sanders, oh hey!).
With a background in film, Lawrence spends his spare time either scoping out the latest top-rated restaurants or cooking up a storm for one of his famous dinner parties. He loves Spider-Man and hates cyclists on the pavement, loves ’70s New American cinema and hates parking in Sydney’s Inner West.
He’s Creative Director at Chello and brings a culture-first approach to creative problem-solving.
Tom has been in the business of branding, design, and strategy for over a decade, moving from London to Sydney in pursuit of better coffee, weather, and wine.
At the time of writing, he’s reading about wine, listening to a podcast about wine, and doing a knowledge course on wine. Take from that what you will.
He’s Creative Strategy Lead at Chello, and brings method to the madness.
Bree is a video producer and digital communications all-rounder who’s produced social, digital, broadcast content for a bunch of recognisable Australian and international brands. She’s worked across multiple sectors and industries. Her roles have taken her into production companies, PR and advertising agencies, airlines and the Queensland Government.
Bree’s currently at Inland Rail, and enjoying the storytelling opportunities that come with building a once-in-a-generation project that will transform the way we move freight around the country. As Inland Rail’s content producer, she manages the end-to-end production of video, photographic and animation content to connect with communities along the project’s Melbourne to Brisbane route.
Ricky Robinson is the CEO of Shorthand, the beautifully simple storytelling platform for iconic brands. Ricky is passionate about combining technology innovation and art to build software platforms that unlock high-fidelity human expression and enable positive change in the world.
A former researcher and business development manager at Australia’s premier technology institute, Ricky holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Queensland and talks rather too much about football (the round ball sport). Prior to finding success with Shorthand, Ricky co-founded several failed startups — experiences that have proved invaluable to leading Shorthand.
Kirsty has a knack for transforming brands through smart marketing.
After years of guiding professional services firms and large corporates, she now leads Group strategy at businessDEPOT while helping clients build their brands from the ground up. Equally strategic and creative, she blends big-picture thinking with hands-on expertise to help businesses grow.
Whether it’s brand building, digital marketing or content strategy, Kirsty focuses on getting results that help businesses reach their potential.
Gayle’s passion for advertising began as a copywriter working in the industry for more than a decade. She shifted from writing advertising to researching and teaching it as a Professor in the School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations at QUT.
Gayle’s PhD was first in Australia in the field of IMC. Her work in teaching, research and industry engagement has been recognized by many national and international awards, including the inaugural Don Schultz Award for Innovation in Teaching, Theory and Practice in 2022. Gayle has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles on creativity, self-regulation, advertising avoidance and engagement and IMC.
She was the founding President of the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Advertising and served on the Executive of the American Academy of Advertising for three years. She also served as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Marketing Communications for more than a decade.
Gayle led the celebration of 50 Years of Advertising Education in Australia in 2024.
Sofie is a dynamic digital marketer, ex-agency professional, and founder of a thriving digital consultancy business and SoSo’s Run Club.
In less than two years, SoSo’s Run Club has become Brisbane’s most popular, amassing nearly 30,000 followers on social media and creating a vibrant community of a few hundred runners every week.
Balancing multiple roles with a passion for people, connection, and storytelling, Sofie brings a unique perspective on tailoring a career in digital marketing while maintaining a positive work-life balance.
David is a proud Wakka Wakka man and the Executive Director and founder of Gilimbaa creative agency. He is driven by a deep passion for harnessing the transformative power of creativity in order to amplify, celebrate, and educate wider Australia about Aboriginal culture.
Under his visionary leadership, Gilimbaa has become a trailblazing company, weaving First Nations stories into Australia’s national fabric, while using a diverse range of artistic mediums and communication to foster connection and understanding across communities.
Through his work, David aims to shine a light on First Nations culture at home and overseas, leaving an indelible mark on public art, design, and cultural projects. He also contributes to Queensland’s cultural landscape through his positions as Chairperson of the Indigenous Advisory Panel and Board of Trustees Member at Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art.
Kurt was the strategy director and co-founder of Brisbane content agency The Content Division.
For 20 years he has been a journalist and marketer covering industries from economic development and business services to fast moving consumer goods, software and tech, food, B2B, and much more.
Kurt brings a simple and solid strategic lens to his work, and is deeply passionate about creativity and forging distinctive brands.
Brittanie has more than a decade experience in digital and content marketing roles across agency, local and state government, and private enterprise.
In 2017, she co-founded The Content Division – a content marketing and production agency based in Brisbane. As the Managing Director at The Content Division, she manages the strategic direction of the business and leads a team of epic content creators.
Part of the team that founded The Betoota Advocate, DM podcasts and ButtonMG. Antony is an entrepreneur, with a background in Digital Media, Community Building, and content strategy.
Antony has ensured that Betoota has been able to scale, diversify, and collaborate with brands, while maintaining the authenticity of its content principles.
Wendell is a writer, podcaster and content creator at The Betoota Advocate.
Deciding against treading the well-worn path of traditional news organisations – Wendell left a role at News Corp to pursue a career at The Advocate. He’s never looked back, breaking numerous Walkley snubbed stories and battling with the trials and tribulations of an ever changing media landscape.
Wendell is responsible for Brand partnerships.
As Managing Director at Bespoken, Sarah Morgan is all about strategies that deliver. With a career spanning media management, crisis comms and corporate engagement, Sarah has worked with clients across sectors to build communications strategies that move the needle.
Sarah brings the perfect mix of sharp strategy and calm leadership, guiding organisations through complex challenges while keeping an eye on evidence-based results. She knows what it takes to create communications that resonate with audiences and stand up under pressure.
Flo is a dynamic social media strategist who knows how to captivate digital audiences – especially Gen Z.
Passionate about more than just trending hashtags, Flo helps teams cultivate a social media mindset that extends beyond just one department. Flo’s expertise spans social trends, content innovation, and authentic digital storytelling.
With a deep understanding of digital culture and Gen Z, he’s all about breaking down silos and making social media a company-wide game.
Ready for insights, laughs, and a fresh take on Zoomers? Flo’s got you covered.
Liam started his career in Intellectual Property Law before transitioning into Marketing. Since then, he has worked in the US, UK and ANZ on some of the world’s largest B2C / B2B brands, such as: Amazon, Burger King, American Express and Specsavers.
Educated at the London School of Economics and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, Liam is an expert in the practical application of marketing best-practice to business challenges – as evidenced by winning x4 Global Effies for integrated client work.
His transition client-side started when he became CMO of one of the fastest growing multi-channel retail brands in Australia, My Muscle Chef, before switching categories to CMC Markets – a FTSE 250 trading & stockbroking brand – to lead the Marketing function for APAC. Before departing CMC, he was promoted into the role of Chief Commercial Officer APAC, driving the integration of Marketing, Sales and Customer Support functions. Liam now enjoys a Fractional CMO remit and consults to Small/Medium businesses to enhance their sales, new business and product disciplines.
As a Marketing Academy Alumnus, Liam is passionate about sharing validated approaches to the commercialisation of marketing investment and moreover, encouraging Marketers to diversify their skill-set beyond the ‘core’ of Marketing
Ben Woodley Judd is a Social and Digital Media Team Leader at Queensland Health. Yes, that Queensland Health. The one making oral health brat, encouraging STI tests via classic showtunes and something about pooing at work.
He leads a team of creative digital content specialists to craft content that cuts through the noisy media landscape, to educate and inform Queenslanders about healthy behaviours and the broader system. And along the way, trick people into liking our brand.
Ben knows that behaviour change and humour are a powerful combination, so will gladly act a fool if it helps people live healthier lives. He also loves the chance to deliver an on-point Darren Lockyer impersonation whenever it is needed.
With a background in video and podcast producing, clinical communications, and social and digital media strategy, he feels at home working in the public healthcare system.
Caitlin Cash is a Social and Digital Media Team Leader at Queensland Health. She leads a team of talented digital marketers (best known for their viral ‘It’s okay to poo at work’ content) to create easily digestible, educational, and on-trend health content that enhances health literacy, encourages healthier behaviours, and demystifies medical jargon.
Caitlin believes in the power of social and digital media to inspire, engage, educate, and break down barriers between the government and public. She is passionate about creating meaningful behaviour change to help people live better and healthier lives. Her weakness? Being chronically online (she will not reveal her screen time).
With a background in media, crisis communications, and social and digital media strategy, her career expands over several industries including the emergency services, public health, and regulatory sectors.
With a background in business communication, a flair for working with complex stakeholders, and the passion to create better experiences for users, Sally has been committed to improving digital products with content since 2001.
She has worked extensively across a wide variety of industries including some of the big names in government, retail, superannuation, higher education, banking and publishing.
Now, as the head of Content Design at Canva, she’s on a mission to bring clarity and joy to over 190M people who use Canva every month. Sally is based in Brisbane and, if you listen carefully, you can hear her pug Henri snoring at her feet.
Rachael Sarra’s vibrant creative practice embodies her experience as a proud mixed race, First Nations woman from Goreng Goreng Country. Driven by a belief that art and design are vital to communication, connection and culture, Rachael invites us to see the world through her eyes with bold colours and dynamic contours. Her distinct contemporary style is resonating around the world, and challenging societal perceptions of Aboriginal art and identity.
Rachael is a change-maker. She is redesigning how First Nations businesswomen navigate success while anchoring their business in culture. Building a business bigger than herself, she is committed to significant charitable donations and pro-bono work that has a tangible impact back into the community. When values align, Rachael sees collaboration as an empowering way to foreground First Nations voices through meaningful partnerships with major brands and organisations.
Hedley Thomas, 57, has been a journalist for 40 years. Since 2017 he has focused on deep-dive investigations into the unsolved murders of women in Australia.
His podcasts – The Teacher’s Pet, The Teacher’s Trial, The Teacher’s Accuser, The Night Driver, Shandee’s Story, Shandee’s Legacy and Bronwyn – have had more than 100 million downloads.
Hedley’s investigations help expose and solve serious crimes.
Hedley has won eight Walkley Awards in his career. He has won the Gold Walkley twice, most recently for his podcast The Teacher’s Pet which contributed to the prosecution and conviction of Chris Dawson, four decades after killing his wife, Lyn.
For his internationally renowned podcasts and investigative reporting, Hedley was awarded Australia’s Journalist of the Year in 2022.
Hedley worked across Europe and Asia in the 80s and 90s. A father of two, he has lived in Brisbane with his wife Ruth since 1999.
Over a long career in media and marketing, Russel has been one of the most prominent voices on the cultural and economic importance of advertising, particularly through his role as a panellist on the ABC’s Gruen program and host of ABC documentary How Australia Got Its Mojo. Howcroft co-hosts 3AW Breakfast with Ross & Russel – the #1 breakfast radio show in Melbourne. He is also engaging new audiences through his advertising podcast AdMission which he co-hosts with industry up-and-comer Freddie Young (co-founder, Good One), in partnership with 9Podcasts. AdMission delves into untold stories behind the world’s most talked-about brands, as well as exploring the latest in advertising news, creative ideas and business.
Howcroft has held multiple senior roles across the industry having served as PwC’s first Chief Creative Officer, Executive General Manager at Network 10, and CEO of one of Australia’s leading agency groups, Y&R Brands – where he was also a member of the global management team. He is currently Partner & Brand Design Advisor at Sayers Group. Russel has had board involvement at a number of prominent organisations and is currently serving as Chair of the Jim Stynes Foundation. Previous positions include the inaugural ThinkTV Chair, Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) Council Chair, AFI/AACTA board member, Screen Forever Advisory Board Member, Enero (ASX: EGG) board member and Advertising Federation of Australia Chair.
Howcroft has written or co-written three best-selling books, with his most recent book Right Brain Workout II currently published throughout the world. He is a founding partner and Brand Design Advisor at Sayers Group. He continues to be actively involved in the advertising industry via investments including marketing software platform Mutinex, and in particular, the young creative agency Good One.
In 2023, Russel was inducted to the Advertising Hall of Fame – recognising his long career and impactful role in shaping the industry.
