2017 VET CEO Conference

CEO, television host and best-selling author: in every way Alex Malley is a free spirit in leadership and life.

Alex is the chief executive of CPA Australia, a multi-national business with 19 offices globally and more than 155,000 members worldwide. He also heads its financial services subsidiary, CPA Australia Advice.

He is the host of the Nine Network Australia series In Conversation with Alex Malley, author of the best-selling book The Naked CEO and provides career mentoring to young people via thenakedceo.com.

Alex enjoyed three seasons as the host of the nationally broadcast interview series, The Bottom Line. On his new show, In Conversation with Alex Malley, he continues to reveal the inspiring stories behind influential and thought-provoking leaders. Alex has interviewed an array of impressive people, including first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong - news surrounding it reached an unprecedented global audience.

A LinkedIn Influencer and contributor to The Huffington Post, he is also a regular leadership commentator on the Nine Network Australia’s The Today Show.

Alex has been included on The Accountant magazine’s Global Accounting Power 50 List, has addressed the National Press Club Australia, and his policy thought-leadership has informed key national economic and political debates. He also serves on The Prince of Wales Accounting for Sustainability Project.

From suspended schoolboy to disruptive CEO, Alex Malley always does what he believes in.

Claire Field is the Principal of Claire Field and Associates, a consultancy and advisory practice offering strategic advice on international education, VET and private higher education to providers, government and other tertiary education stakeholders. Previously Claire served as the CEO of ACPET from 2010 – 2014. Prior to ACPET Claire worked in a number of State and Commonwealth government roles, including establishing the Commonwealth’s first national VET regulator, NARA. She has also worked in both TAFE NSW and a leading, national, not-for-profit VET provider. Claire holds a Masters in Educational Assessment, and an Executive Masters in Public Administration.

Darrel Vecchio has been self-employed for the past 35 years. During this period he has been the Managing Director of national multi-trade service company which completed over 110,000 service and installation jobs for commercial food equipment industries and energy sectors for gas and electrical. Clients across the globe were serviced with a 50 plus team. The slogan was not just good service but great service.

Darrel has a fear of working for a single boss or a corporate company and has a passion for seeing people learn from experience. He is qualified and licenced as an Electrician special class, Gas fitter Type A, Type B industrial gas, Gas approval authority, Gas certifier and a qualified educator. Darrel has several diplomas in Vocational Education and Training (VET) and a Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) where he had a light bulb moment on professional development.

Having run a major service company for many years, the biggest challenge was the need for technical training and customer service training and education. In 2007, Darrel decided to focus on education and this started Bizmatrix and is currently the owner CEO of Bizmatrix Group which encompasses Bizmatrix Pty Ltd a small Queensland based RTO which specialises in high risk licence training, technical education and training for the energy sector mainly gas and electrical throughout Australia. Bizenergy Pty Ltd – Gas approvals and technical consultancy for Type A and Type B gas appliances.

Darrel is heavily engaged with the industry and the technical regulators where he assists both with breaking down the complexity of licencing outcomes and is the current President of the Queensland Gas Association Inc, Past President Catering Trade Fair Association QLD and National Association Foodservice Equipment Service Companies – NAFESCO.

Gerry Gannon has been a journalist, broadcaster, MC and media trainer in Australia for the last 30 years and is now one of the best known speakers and facilitators in Australia. A specialist conference MC, facilitator and media expert, Gerry is renowned for his wit, passion, easy-going nature and commitment to those he works with. He has worked extensively in both Australia and overseas and provides media skills training to government, not-for-profit organisations and industry entities, as well as conducting speech and presentation training courses. Gerry’s real passion is people; whether it is helping them reach their potential through training and support, MC at an event or providing valuable perspective and advice, Gerry’s easy humour and experience provides a refreshing opportunity for growth and knowledge for everyone he meets.

John Price has been an educator and trainer for over 36 years and in that time has worked as a Head of Department at TAFE, mentor, facilitator of national workshops covering delivery and assessment, risk management, auditing, leadership and interpersonal skill development.

John has been a keynote speaker at conventions and conferences, and maintained a grass roots level approach to dealing with people at all levels of the organisation.

He has also assisted over 300 organisations in Australia to achieve quality certification to the range of National Training Standards including: Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations; Australian Quality Training Framework standards (AQTF from 2001 – 2010) Australian and International ISO9001 standards (AS/NZS and ISO from 1987 – 2008) and worked with them in establishing continuous improvement systems and strategies for both human and physical resource development.

John Price has been an educator and trainer for over 36 years and in that time has worked as a Head of Department at TAFE, mentor, facilitator of national workshops covering delivery and assessment, risk management, auditing, leadership and interpersonal skill development.

John has been a keynote speaker at conventions and conferences, and maintained a grass roots level approach to dealing with people at all levels of the organisation.

He has also assisted over 300 organisations in Australia to achieve quality certification to the range of National Training Standards including: Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations; Australian Quality Training Framework standards (AQTF from 2001 – 2010) Australian and International ISO9001 standards (AS/NZS and ISO from 1987 – 2008) and worked with them in establishing continuous improvement systems and strategies for both human and physical resource development.

Claire Field is the Principal of Claire Field and Associates, a consultancy and advisory practice offering strategic advice on international education, VET and private higher education to providers, government and other tertiary education stakeholders. Previously Claire served as the CEO of ACPET from 2010 – 2014. Prior to ACPET Claire worked in a number of State and Commonwealth government roles, including establishing the Commonwealth’s first national VET regulator, NARA. She has also worked in both TAFE NSW and a leading, national, not-for-profit VET provider. Claire holds a Masters in Educational Assessment, and an Executive Masters in Public Administration.

Darrel Vecchio - coming soon!

Matt Peachey is the Managing Director at The Learning Resources Group (TLRG). Over the past decade, he has grown the small resource development company into one of the largest training resource providers in the country and industry leaders in digital and LLN space of Vocational Education Support.

Matt has spent extensive time working directly with RTOs all over the country to help them implement their training and assessment programs. He has also assisted a number of RTOs with their marketing and business strategies.

Recently, Matt has orchestrated the transition from Safe Work Resources into The Learning Resources Group to ensure that the organisation is poised to support the VET industry through future changes.

Prior to his work in the VET sector Matt had 10 years working in the automotive industry firstly in sales management and eventually as a process and strategy consultant.

Outside of the TLRG office, Matt can be found volunteering for Lifeline as a counsellor, scouring the countryside for great wine or touring around on his motorcycle.

Gerry Gannon has been a journalist, broadcaster, MC and media trainer in Australia for the last 30 years and is now one of the best known speakers and facilitators in Australia. A specialist conference MC, facilitator and media expert, Gerry is renowned for his wit, passion, easy-going nature and commitment to those he works with. He has worked extensively in both Australia and overseas and provides media skills training to government, not-for-profit organisations and industry entities, as well as conducting speech and presentation training courses. Gerry’s real passion is people; whether it is helping them reach their potential through training and support, MC at an event or providing valuable perspective and advice, Gerry’s easy humour and experience provides a refreshing opportunity for growth and knowledge for everyone he meets.

Jonathan's expertise is in policy design, market analysis and evaluation with a focus on the VET and higher education sectors.

As Director at the Nous Group and Principal of The 5Rs Partnership, Jon works extensively with governments, universities and training organisations to understand and meet student, community and industry expectations, both in Australia and overseas. Jon has worked with a large number of tertiary education and training providers to investigate levels of unmet demand for education and training, benchmark delivery profiles, review market strategies, and identify opportunities for expansion and growth.

Jon’s particular area of expertise is in the design and economics of government funding and finance across the tertiary education sector. Jon has led the research, analysis, modelling and consultation components on a number of projects for government focussed on tertiary funding and financing, policy analysis and program design. Jon was recently a co-author of Funding an Expanded Tertiary System: Designing a coherent financing architecture, published in Visions for Australian Tertiary Education by the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne.

Jon is a director of Conservation Volunteers Australia.

Keith Abraham, has become the world’s premier thought leader on passionate performance and building passionate based cultures. CEO’s of Billion-Dollar companies turn to Keith for inspiration, insights and ideas on how to bring the best out of their people and themselves.

As founder of Passionate Performance INC. he has been dedicated to researching, training and working with people to help them find their passion, harness their passion and turn their passion into personal and professional capital. He has developed a client base of over 265 companies across 20 countries. 

Having been presented with the highest honour for professional speaking, the Nevin Award, Keith was also named ‘Keynote Speaker of the Year’ by the Australian National Speakers Association in 2012.

He has written 3 Best Selling Books and just released his new book … It Starts with Passion, which in it first month has already skyrocketed to #11, an amazing result.

Keith has 4 great passions in his life. Like most people he is passionate about his family, being with them, having different experiences, see them grow as individuals and travelling with Kristine and his two Daughters. He is passionate about the work he does that makes a difference, that is meaningful and matters. 

His third passion is travel, He love being an explorer not a tourist ... experiencing what the world has to offer whether it be in the form of food or sights or culture. Then his final passion, started 6 years ago when he fell in love with photography so if Keith can travel with his family, taking photos of the places he either read about or dreamt about as a kid growing up on the farm.

Lynne works with forward thinking leaders to help create positive, productive workplace cultures.

She speaks the language of the people. With the ability to connect across multi levels of seniority, culture, generation and much more, Lynne’s the speaker you need when you want real, practical and lasting.

Corporate communication has a major crack in it.  It’s fractured by a lack of understanding and respect for our differences, fragmented by unending corporate speak and shattered by high volume clutter.

Lynne’s message is that poor communication and its cousins distrust and toxicity stem from a lack of understanding and respect for our differences. She’s seen it first hand as her adventures have taken her through a start in tourism to working with diverse teams across a range of industry in her performance improvement company.

So when Lynne established Ripe in 2001, it was natural her consulting, workshops and keynotes had a strong message of understanding and celebrating our differences, whether personality, gender, culture, generation or anything else. Creator of the RIPE Personality Profiling System in 2004, she has now trained thousands of people on how to work with the strengths and challenges of being an Apple, Mango, Lime or Banana.

A skilled communicator, Lynne is in demand as a business speaker both in Australia and overseas. She presents to many different audiences: to committees, boards, workshops and as a conference speaker to hundreds. She’s worked with a diverse group of clients such as IAG, Volkswagen, the Department of Immigration, Bunnings Group, Tourism Australia and is a favourite of the Professional Conference Organisers Association.

She is the author of Bite Me! and other do’s and don’ts of dealing with our differences,  with a second book  underway. However, in front of an audience her real gift is in her practical down to earth approach, her willingness to be transparent and a talent for making the complex simple and relevant.

Elected in 2010, re-elected in 2013 and 2016 to represent the southern Gold Coast electorate of McPherson in the House of Representatives, Karen is a member of the Liberal National Party.

Karen is passionate about encouraging the study of maths and science in schools and promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics professions. As a member of the Women in Engineering Alumni Network at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), she promotes study in these crucial fields.

In 2016, The Hon. Karen Andrews MP was appointed as the Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills.
Karen now has a great opportunity to work closely with the Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham to create positive outcomes for Australians undertaking vocational education.

The Hon Michael Lavarch AO has extensive experience in Higher Education and the public policy process. He is a former Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Queensland University of Technology and Secretary-General of the Law Council of Australia. From 1987 to 1996, Mr Lavarch was a Member of the Australian Parliament, and he served as Attorney-General from 1993 to 1996. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2012 for his contribution to the law, education and human rights.

Michael Lavarch commenced as a Commissioner of ASQA on 16 April 2012.