2026 Leaders' Summit speakers

Leigh Sales AM

Host ABC Australian Story

Leigh Sales AM, the anchor of ABC-TV’s Australian Story, is one of the country’s most recognised and respected journalists. From 2011 to 2022, she presented the ABC’s flagship evening current affairs program, 7.30, as well as being the face of major news coverage for the network, including federal elections and budget nights. She has been a foreign correspondent based in Washington DC, covered various rounds including national security and politics, and worked for TV, radio, print and digital.

She is the author of five books: Detainee 002: The Case of David Hicks (2007), On Doubt (2009), Well Hello (2021), the national bestseller Any Ordinary Day (2018) and her latest work Storytellers: Questions, Answers & the Craft of Journalism (2023).

Leigh co-hosts a wildly popular podcast called Chat 10, Looks 3 with her friend Annabel Crabb. It attracts hundreds of thousands of downloads each month, performs sell-out live shows around Australia and covers subjects ranging from arts and culture to friendship and grief.

Leigh also anchors the popular ABC TV program The Assembly, in which she mentors a group of autistic journalism trainees, helping them interview well-known Australians.

Leigh has been decorated with many honours, including three Walkley awards for journalism and an Order of Australia for her public service. She has also been awarded two honorary doctorates – from the Queensland University of Technology and Edith Cowan University – in recognition of her achievements in journalism.

She is the mother of two sons.

Acknowledgement: Leigh Sales AM appears by arrangement with Claxton Speakers International.

David Speers

Host ABC Insiders

David Speers is the host of Insiders on ABC TV, Australia’s premier political interview and discussion program. He appears across ABC television and radio programs providing political analysis and writes a regular Sunday column for ABC news online.

Prior to joining the ABC in 2020, David was the Political Editor of Sky News Australia for 19 years.

David is one of Australia’s most respected political journalists and interviewers and has been chosen to host Leaders’ Debates and Forums at the last 5 federal elections.

David has won 3 Walkley Awards, 2 Kennedy Awards, an AACTA award and the 2019 Press Gallery Journalist of the Year Award. He served as Press Gallery President for 3 years and a Director of the National Press Club in Canberra for 15 years.

Acknowledgement: David Speers appears by arrangement with Claxton Speakers International.

Rohan Mead

Chairman BCCM

Rohan recently retired as Group Managing Director and CEO of Australian Unity, where he served from 2004. He is Chair of the Business Council of Australia’s Healthy Australia task force and a member of its Indigenous Engagement task force. He is also a Director of the Centre for Independent Studies, Platypus Asset Management Pty Limited and Private Healthcare Australia Limited.

Melina Morrison

Chief Executive Officer, BCCM

Melina Morrison is a passionate and tireless advocate behind many of the wins our co-operative and mutual sector has achieved. As founding CEO of the BCCM, Melina has helped shape the national conversation on co-operatives and mutuals, from leading key reforms to commissioning the first National Mutual Economy report.

Her work on capital access, legislative change and ethical business models continues to create real, lasting opportunities for our member-owned enterprises. Whether in boardrooms or with policymakers, Melina continues to champion the values we all share – putting members first and building a fairer economy.

Bernadette Inglis

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, NGM Group

Bernadette Inglis is Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Newcastle Greater Mutual Group Ltd (NGM Group). NGM Group is one of Australia’s largest customer-owned financial institutions, providing retail banking services to more than 600,000 customers under its brands Greater Bank and Newcastle Permanent. Bernadette has over 20 years’ executive leadership experience in financial services, including in retail banking, wealth management, insurance and core corporate functions at national and regional organisations. Bernadette is also an experienced Non-Executive Director, with a broad spectrum of Board appointments encompassing arts, education, infrastructure, supply chain and charitable foundations.

Jo Dodd

Partner, Corrs Chambers Westgarth

Jo is a leading debt capital markets lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience. Jo specialises in advising a range of financial institutions and corporates on debt capital markets transactions and regulatory matters. She has a particular focus on regulatory capital and other hybrid securities in both retail and debt markets. Jo’s expertise spans all debt capital markets instruments, and includes debt issuance programmes and drawdowns, standalone issuances, retail bond and regulatory capital offerings and liability management transactions. She has extensive experience across developments in financial and prudential regulation, the retail corporate bond market, sustainable finance and digital bonds.  Jo has been advising mutuals for many years in relation to capital raising and prudential matters.  She is a Partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

Lorraine Thomas

Chief Executive Officer, HCF

Ms. Thomas was appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of HCF in July 2025, bringing with her more than a decade of deep experience within the organisation. Having joined HCF in early 2015, she has held various roles, including Chief Officer, Product & Innovation, Chief Officer, Product & Diversified Business and Chief Operating Officer.

Ms. Thomas has over 20 years of experience in innovative, customer-centric product delivery and business strategy. She has played a key role in driving organisational transformation, leading high-performing teams to achieve outstanding results, and improving member outcomes through innovation and service excellence. Responsible for Product Innovation, HCF Life and HCF’s International Business she has also led key Strategic initiatives supporting HCF’s 2025 Strategy. Ms. Thomas serves as a Director of HCF Life, Flip Insurance Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of HCF life Insurance Company Ptd Ltd), and the Corporate Trustee of The HCF Research Foundation. Ms. Thomas is also a Director of Private Healthcare Australia.

Doug Taylor

Chief Executive Officer, The Smith Family

Doug Taylor is the CEO of The Smith Family (appointed August 2021), with a 30-year career in the social sector. He has led innovative social impact initiatives across not-for-profit, government, philanthropic and corporate sectors, both nationally and internationally.

Previously, he was Deputy Executive Director at Uniting NSW and ACT, managing large organisations focused on human services, community development, education and social enterprise.

Doug Taylor serves on several boards, including Western Sydney University (for whom he is also a Community Fellow), Wayside Chapel and as Chair of the National Strategy for Volunteering Council. He is also an Adjunct Professor at UNSW Business School and has held leadership roles at Warakirri College, WorkVentures and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation.

His education includes postgraduate management studies, the Stanford Executive Non-Profit Leadership Program and the Australian Institute for Company Directors.

Amit Singh

Managing Partner, Mandala

Amit works at the intersection of economics and data, policy and regulation, and technology and strategy. He is a former Managing Director at a major NYSE-listed global consulting firm, has completed economic research and policy projects in over 25 countries, and has presented in international forums such as the ILO and OECD. He has published papers in leading academic journals such as the Australian Economic Review.

Amit previously served as the Global Head of Economic Policy at Uber Technologies Inc. based in San Francisco. He was one of the founding directors of Reset Tech Australia (formerly Responsible Technology Australia), and previously co-founded a consumer aggregator startup. He has also worked as a corporate transactions and strategy advisor.

He is a member of the National Museum of Australia Council as well as the Independent Advisory Board for Services Australia and the Centre for Australia-India Relations. He also sits on the Strategy and Social Policy Committee for the Brotherhood of St Laurence.

Earlier in his career, he served as a senior economic advisor to multiple Australian prime ministers and senior leaders (Rudd, Gillard, Albanese and Shorten).

He began his career as a solicitor and holds Honours degrees in commerce and law from the University of Sydney.

Bradley Gannon

Group Chief Executive Officer, Capricorn Society

Bradley is an experienced director, executive, governance and risk management professional. He has a demonstrated history of helping to drive innovation and transformation, designing effective strategy and inspiring others to perform at their best delivering superior results for ultimate member benefit. Bradley has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law (with Honours). Bradley is a graduate from both the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Order of Merit) and Governance Institute of Australia (GIA). Bradley was the recipient of GIA’s Ian Falconer award for Top Graduating Student in August 2011. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School. Bradley’s current role is CEO Automotive of Capricorn Society Ltd, Australia and New Zealand’s largest automotive parts buying co-operative with over 29,000 Members and purchases exceeding over $3.73 billion. He has recently been appointed as Capricorn’s next Group CEO, a role he will take over from 1 January 2025. Bradley is also a Director of various Capricorn subsidiary companies, a State Councillor of the Governance Institute of Australia and Independent Director of Western Rock Lobster Inc.

Damian Pretty

Director, Acacia Partners

Damian Pretty is a principal and co-founder of Acacia Partners, a Melbourne-based corporate advisory firm specialising in mergers and acquisitions and capital raising transactions. With over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, he has held senior roles at Evans and Partners, including Head of Debt Capital Markets, and has worked in research, broking, and institutional derivatives at Goldman Sachs JBWere and Bell Potter.

Damian has advised on a wide range of transactions, including equity and debt raisings, hybrid issues, and capital management initiatives.  His transactional experience includes bonds for mutuals and the Australian Unity MCI offers. He also serves as an independent investment committee member for Stellan Capital’s Family Office and is a member of the Commercial Advisory Board of Venso Labs.

Nicholas Chaplin

Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, Seed Funds Management

Nic’s financial markets experience extends over 35 years with a specialist focus on regulatory capital for banks & insurers as well as hybrid securities’ issues for Australian companies, and the development of highly successful listed investment companies. Nic has personally managed the Financial Income Fund since September 2015.

n 2024, Nic moved to Seed Funds Management to progress the Financial Income Fund – his long-term specialist investment fund that optimises his skills with prudential capital investment and capital markets. In October 2025, the fund added a listed Active ETF class to the Financial Income Fund which now trades on the ASX. Nic’s experience includes key periods within major bank treasury functions including capital management and core funding roles. This led to a variety of lead arranging and structuring roles in the domestic and offshore hybrid markets and a leading position in developing the kangaroo hybrid market.

Nic has led innovative issues for global companies including Axa S.A, Swiss Re, QBE Insurance, Rabobank, Origin Energy, Genworth, Caltex and Macquarie Bank as well as numerous other major Australian and global companies. Most recently, Nic led the team responsible for arranging the highly successful IPO’s for listed investment companies including VGI Partners, Hearts & Minds Investments and Regal Funds Management LIC.

Paul Lewis

Chief Executive Officer, Great Southern Bank

Paul is the CEO and Managing Director of Great Southern Bank, one of Australia’s largest customer-owned banks with more than 400,000 customers. Paul joined the mutual in February 2018 as the Chief Sales Officer. He was appointed CEO in November 2019 and subsequently joined the Board as a Director. In his time leading the bank, Paul has overseen a number of transformative projects including the rebrand from Credit Union Australia (CUA), the embedding of a new purpose to help all Australians to own their own home, and the sale of the CUA Health business to mutual sector peer, HBF. Prior to joining Great Southern Bank, Paul was the Senior Head of Strategy and Transformation at Westpac. He also held a variety of senior executive roles within ANZ in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia including Managing Director, Retail Banking at AmBank Malaysia and General Manager of ANZ’s Australian branch network.