Dr Tony Warren is currently Group Head Corporate Affairs, Communications and Public Affairs at ANZ. Reporting to the CEO, Tony has responsibility for Government Relations, Public Policy, External and Internal Communications and Sustainability. Tony leads a team of some 130 experts across a range of fields. He has accountability for managing relationships with ANZs wide range of significant stakeholders, the external environment, staff communications and corporate reputation.

As previous Group Executive of Corporate Affairs at Telstra, Dr Warren led the negotiations on behalf of Telstra that culminated in an AUD11 billion deal to secure Telstra’s participation in the Australian Government’s National Broadband Network.

Prior to joining Telstra in 2002, Dr Warren was a Director of the Network Economics Consulting Group (NECG) and helped build it into Australia’s premier regulatory economics consulting firm.

Before joining NECG, Dr Warren was a post-doctoral fellow in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the Australian National University where he led a team of researchers developing methodologies for quantifying barriers to trade and investment in services. This project built on Dr Warren’s PhD dissertation on ‘The Political Economy of Services Trade and Investment’, which he undertook at the Australian-Japan Research centre under the supervision of Professor Peter Drysdale.

Peter O’Sullivan is the Director, Group Communications at Woolworths Group, where he leads internal and external communications across Australia and New Zealand. He supports the Group’s executive leadership and leads teams managing communications and public affairs for the Group’s diverse portfolio of retail brands and business units, including Woolworths, BIG W and Primary Connect.

With a career spanning 30 years and multiple international markets (AU, NZ, UK), his expertise bridges journalism, global communications agencies, and in-house corporate affairs. Prior to his current role as Director, Group Communications, Peter held several senior leadership positions within Woolworths Group, including leading public relations, sponsorships, and community partnerships. He directed the strategic refresh of the corporate master brand which included the Group’s 100 year anniversary and led external communications during era-defining crises, such as the 2019 NSW bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, he established Woolworths Group’s newsroom function, bringing together all communications disciplines within the Group.

His deep agency background includes roles as NSW Market Leader and Director of Content for Professional Public Relations (PPR) managing the agency’s key national clients (Emirates and McDonald’s), Managing Director of Frank PR Australia, and Head of News for the UK’s TVC Group in London. He began his career in media as a TV reporter and newsreader for ABC and Prime Television, and as a producer for Sky News Australia.

Peter was recognised globally by the Provoke100 list of the world’s most influential corporate communications professionals (2020–2025), a recipient of the SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement and was named Mumbrella’s In-house PR Professional of the Year (2017).

Samantha Stevens joined Origin in March 2018 as Executive General Manager, Corporate Affairs.

Samantha is responsible for Origin’s external affairs, government relations, employee communication functions and the Origin Foundation. Samantha is also a Non-executive Director on the Board of the Foundation, a Non-executive Director of the Early Pregnancy Loss Coalition, and is a Board member of Melbourne Montessori College.

Samantha has more than 25 years’ experience in corporate affairs, mainly in the resources, industrials and financial services sectors. Prior to joining Origin, Samantha headed up Corporate Affairs for the global mining services company, Orica, and previously led the global media function and all Corporate Affairs M&A activity at global mining house, BHP, and has held senior Corporate Affairs roles at two of Australia’s major banks.

Elizabeth Rex leads Corporate Affairs for Australia’s largest listed biopharmaceutical company, CSL, where she heads up the team responsible for corporate communications, government relations, media relations and brand and reputation.

Previously, Elizabeth has led corporate affairs and communications in complex, highly regulated ASX-listed and global organisations. She has served as a trusted adviser to CEOs, Boards and executive teams, guiding companies in different sectors through transformation, market scrutiny and leadership transition; supporting strategic repositioning, strengthening brand narrative and leading stakeholder engagement.

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts (USYD), a Master of Commerce (AGSM), is a Graduate of the AICD and is a member of the AusBiotech Board.

Jane is the Executive General Manager, Community, Sustainability & Stakeholder Engagement, responsible for Australia Post’s engagement with key communities and stakeholders, including customers, communities, team members, licensees, government stakeholders, the media, and many others.

Prior to joining Australia Post in 2024, Jane held senior corporate affairs appointments at some of Australia and New Zealand’s leading insurance and financial services organisations, including IAG and AMP. Jane was responsible for managing these companies’ profile and reputation in complex and highly regulated environments. In addition, Jane was accountable for major customer and stakeholder engagement programs and community relationships.

Jane has a Post Graduate diploma in banking and a Master of Management (Communications) from Massey University. She is currently Deputy Chair of SCECGS Redlands, a coeducational K-12 independent school. Jane is a former member of CEDA’s NSW State Advisory Council and a former member of the NZ Advertising Standards Complaints Board.

Stephanie Luelf is an experienced communications and sustainability executive with over 20 years’ experience helping businesses build trust, manage reputation, and drive meaningful change in complex, issues-rich environments across the beauty, retail, transport and energy sectors.

With a background spanning senior leadership roles at MECCA Brands, Origin Energy, and major transport networks, she brings a deep understanding of navigating public scrutiny, engaging diverse stakeholders, and safeguarding organisational integrity.

Known for her strategic counsel and ability to foster trusted relationships, as Chief Corporate Affairs and Engagement Officer for L’Oréal ANZ, Stephanie leads the corporate affairs function to strengthen stakeholder engagement and protect brand reputation in a fast-moving and competitive landscape.

Stephanie Belton joined GrainCorp in February 2019.  Ms Belton leads GrainCorp’s Legal and Company Secretariat, Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and ESG functions.

Ms Belton previously held General Counsel and senior management roles at SurfStitch Group Limited, Helloworld Limited, Qantas Airways Limited and The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

Prior to Ms Belton’s corporate roles, she worked in private practice at Linklaters in London.

Ms Belton holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow) and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Oxford.

Ms Belton is admitted to practice in New South Wales and Scotland and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Aaron is the Director of Corporate Communications for Cochlear – the world leader in implantable hearing solutions, following the invention of the multichannel cochlear implant in Australia.

Aaron joined Cochlear in 2018. In his role, he oversees global external and internal communications. He is responsible for the long-term enterprise communications strategy for Cochlear, ensuring communications changes stakeholder behaviour, and strengthens Cochlear’s brand reputation. This includes leading the global corporate communications team, and enabling cross-functional headquarters, regional and country teams to communicate effectively.

Prior to Cochlear, Aaron led teams across global communications consultancies in London, New York, and Sydney. He has over 15 years’ experience in communications, marketing, and sales, primarily for pharmaceutical, MedTech, and not-for-profit organisations. He has a BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience and is a Certified Digital Marketing Professional.

Lisa Maksimovic is a corporate affairs executive with 20 years’ experience in media, strategic communications and major project delivery.

Lisa is Executive General Manager Communications at Crown Resorts, leading media and PR, internal communications and reputation management across Crown’s Australian business.

Prior to her role at Crown, Lisa led a large strategic communications team and all aspects of media, marketing, government relations and stakeholder engagement for Suburban Rail Loop; Victoria’s biggest infrastructure project, and one of the largest and most complex in construction globally.

She was formerly Press Secretary to the Victorian Premier from 2015 to 2019 and prior to that, an award-winning journalist and TV news anchor for the ABC. During a decade with the national broadcaster, she covered one of the deadliest chapters in Melbourne’s gangland war and natural disasters across the country, including Black Saturday in Victoria and Cyclone Yasi in Far North Queensland.

Lisa presented the 7PM News for ABC TV in Melbourne, ABC News 24 from Sydney and co-hosted News Breakfast.

As Head of Corporate Affairs for Sanofi Australia & New Zealand, Luke leads public affairs, advocacy, government relations, social impact and communications.

Luke drives strategic initiatives that advance access to medicines and vaccines leveraging his deep understanding of healthcare policy, market dynamics and stakeholder engagement to create systemic change.

Luke’s senior roles have spanned policy, external affairs, market access and business development across Health and Resources sectors. His strategic communications expertise is strengthened by his journalism background, and having worked across the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.

A trusted leader at Sanofi, Luke is characterised by his commitment to advancing healthcare equity, as a champion for the responsible use of AI, and for his strategic approach to building coalitions that support improved outcomes for all.

Ross Mitchell is Head of Government Relations at TPG Telecom, where he leads engagement with government, regulators and industry stakeholders on issues affecting corporate strategy, public policy and reputation. He advises senior executives on emerging political and regulatory developments, stakeholder engagement and crisis response, helping navigate complex issues with significant public and government scrutiny.

Prior to joining TPG Telecom, Ross spent seven years as Director of Public Policy at Free TV Australia, the peak industry body for commercial television broadcasters. He led major advocacy and reform initiatives, including work underpinning the News Media Bargaining Code, contributions to the ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry, and reforms to connected TV prominence and anti-siphoning arrangements.

Ross holds a Bachelor of Economics and an Executive MBA from the UNSW Business School (AGSM).

Sophie Lodge is Corporate Affairs Director at Suntory Oceania with responsibility for government engagement, corporate brand, communications, sustainability and community partnerships across Australia and New Zealand. She has held the role since December 2021.

Sophie brings more than 20 years’ experience of corporate affairs roles in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. She has worked across a diverse range of public and private sectors, including FMCG, beverages, healthcare, infrastructure, retail, telecoms, resources and financial services.

Emily Fardoulys is a strategic communications executive who has worked in the health care and media sectors for almost 20 years. She has extensive experience in reputation management, stakeholder engagement, communications governance and media relations. Emily has worked at ASX-listed Ramsay Health Care for the past decade in various senior leadership roles. In her current role, she is responsible for providing enterprise‑wide leadership for reputation, engagement and storytelling. Before joining Ramsay, she worked in news reporting and producing roles for the Seven Network, Nine Network and Prime Television. Emily has a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Journalism from the Queensland University of Technology.

Philip leads the corporate communications team at ASX/NZX-listed Meridian Energy -New Zealand’s biggest power company – overseeing media relations, issues management, internal communications, and communications to support the company’s development and construction projects. His team also has strong content development capability and manages social media in partnership with the brand team.

In addition to his communications leadership, Philip is responsible for assessing and reporting on Meridian’s material impacts and driving collaborative, cross-business initiativesto build trust and reputation.

Philip joined Meridian in January 2023. He has more than 25 years’ experience in communications, both in-house and agency-side, working with leading companies in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

Kelly Fisk is Iress’ Chief Corporate Affairs & Marketing Officer at Iress – an ASX-listed technology company providing software to financial services firms around the world. She joined Iress in 2017 and now leads a global team spanning corporate affairs, marketing and customer experience. Prior to joining Iress, Kelly held senior corporate affairs and marketing roles at Westpac and National Australia Bank. In 2026, she was named Marketing & Communications Professional of the Year at the Women Empowering Wealth awards.