12-13 MAY 2026 | SYDNEY | Ilumina
The Future of Corporate Affairs Starts Here
Unravel Complexity, Create Advantage, Command Influence
The future starts at the Corporate Affairs Summit 2026. Positioned as Australia’s essential event for corporate affairs leaders, join to gain actionable insights that address the real-world challenges facing businesses today. Designed with strategy and tactics at its core, this Summit will equip you with the tools, skills, and connections needed to navigate complexity, build stakeholder trust, and transform your function into a strategic business driver.
Why Attend
- 1Unrivaled Expertise
- 2High-Calibre Content
- 3Invaluable Networking Opportunities
2026 Speakers
Stephen Kehoe
EVP, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer & Chairman PepsiCo Foundation
Felicity Ross
Chief Corporate Affairs & Marketing Officer
Nathan Scholz
Chief Communications & Investor Relations Officer
Nathan Scholz is a senior corporate affairs and investor relations executive with more than 20 years’ experience leading communications strategy, stakeholder engagement, and crisis management across ASX-listed and high-profile organisations. As Chief Communications and Investor Relations Officer at Domino’s Pizza Enterprises (ASX:DMP), he oversees investor relations and communications across 12 markets.
Nathan has built and led high-trust functions in complex, high-velocity environments, including establishing Domino’s first investor relations and ESG programs, steering communications through the COVID-19 pandemic, and shaping corporate affairs at Virgin Australia, Queensland Rail, and Rio Tinto.
He began his career in journalism at The Courier-Mail, grounding his leadership in financial and political reporting.
Libby Davidson
Chief General Manager Corporate Affairs & Governance
Emily Gatt
General Manager, Corporate Affairs & Community
Alexandra Staley
Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer
Alexandra Staley is the Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer of Kmart Australia and New Zealand and Target Australia. With two of Australia’s most loved and trusted brands, and a combined footprint of over 450 stores across Kmart and Target, Alexandra leads her team across internal and external communications, government affairs, community, sustainability, and ethical sourcing. Alexandra is highly experienced in retail and consumer goods, with over 20 years in the industry as a specialist in global sourcing, merchandise, marketing, and CSR. Prior to joining Kmart Group in 2024, she spent 12 years at fellow Wesfarmers owned business Officeworks, where she held a number of different roles including General Manager of People, General Manager of Corporate Affairs and Head of Global Sourcing & Sustainability. She has also worked in several national and international companies including IKEA and Mitre10 and has also spent some time doing freelance consulting. Alexandra is particularly passionate about collaboration and driving successful business outcomes through and with people.
Julia Foley
Group Director, Corporate Affairs
Delphine Cassidy
Chief Communications Officer
Suzanne Falvi
Executive General Manager Corporate Affairs
Suzanne joined AGL in May 2023 as Executive General Manager, Corporate Affairs.
Over the past 14 years Suzanne has worked extensively on a broad range of regulatory, governance and policy issues and leading reforms across energy and climate change frameworks. Formerly a dispute resolution lawyer, she has held numerous senior leadership roles at the Energy Security Board and the Australian Energy Market Commission and has deep experience in strategic stakeholder engagement and communications, strategy and economic analysis.
Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Law (Honours) and a Master of Laws (International Law) from the Australian National University.
Fiona Landis
Chief of Corporate Affairs
Alistair Marshall
General Manager Communications
Leonie Mayson
Group Head of Communications
Kathryn House
Head of Corporate Affairs
Will Hetherton
Will Hetherton
Will is a member of the Future Fund’s Senior Leadership Team, which is collectively responsible for the organisation’s strategy and culture, and leads the Fund’s corporate affairs function. In this role his team stewards the Future Fund’s reputation with external stakeholders, managing communications and relationships across government, Parliament, the media, and the investment industry and drives the organisations internal communications. He is active in shaping the organisation’s engagement with peer institutions to identify, contribute to and learn from international best practice in institutional investment. He is on the Board of the Investor Leadership Network and the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Before joining the Future Fund in 2007, Will worked in the corporate affairs team at National Australia Bank including roles in Australia and the UK. Will began his career in communications consultancy first in London and then in Melbourne. He has a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and a postgraduate qualification in Applied Finance.
Renée McCarthy
Director of Corporate Affairs
Bas Bolyn
Global Head of Communications
Bas is the Global Head of Communications at Svitzer, the world’s leading provider of towage and marine services with responsibility for corporate affairs, internal and external communication, stakeholder strategy and strategy execution. Svitzer operates across 37 countries providing mission critical towage infrastructure services to more than 140 ports and 40 terminals around the world. Bas was previously Regional Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs at Svitzer Australia – which is also the largest private employer of Australian seafarers in the country at 28 ports in Australia and PNG. With a career spanning both public and private sectors, his experience has mostly been working within and advising senior leaders at complex, highly regulated industries in Defence, Technology, Maritime, Transport and Logistics.
Jess Simons
Head of Corporate Affairs & Government Relations
Jess Simons is an experienced corporate affairs leader, responsible for GrainCorp’s communications, media, social media, government relations, and community investment, including the GrainCorp Community Foundation. With more than 17 years in agriculture and higher education, she brings expertise in strategic communications, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement. Originally from country Victoria, Jess began her career in rural journalism, later working in industry policy and senior corporate communications roles in London before returning to Australia in 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism).
Meghan Senior
Head of Public Affairs
Speakers
Sessions
and Networking
Days
Content by leaders, for leaders
Our cutting-edge content is carefully researched and curated in step with the expertise and insights of Connect Media’s vast network of industry specialists. Timely and uniquely tailored, our content ignites innovation, addresses leading industry challenges, all while delivering the skills and tools needed to achieve business excellence in the future.
Agenda
Future-Proofing Corporate Affairs: Redefining Value & Influence in Uncertain World
- How are leaders currently aligning corporate affairs strategy with board-level priorities
- When budgets tightened, what channels, tools and resources are leaders prioritising?
- How are Corporate Affairs leaders transforming strategic government relationships into reputational assets?
- What non-traditional KPIs are being used to measure the impact and ROI of the corporate affairs function?
From Crisis to Opportunity: Strategic Risk Management in the Age of Complexity
- How are leaders balancing competing demands from investors, employees, regulators, and communities in times of crisis?
- What unconventional risks are leaders now actively monitoring that weren’t on the radar previously?
- In the age of misinformation, what is your rapid-response protocol for fact verification and message coordination?
Building Credibility: Authentic Communications in an Age of Skepticism
- When communicating about ESG, sustainability, or corporate purpose, what strategies cut through audience cynicism about greenwashing and corporate spin?
- How are leaders demonstrating community-level impact while maintaining consistent brand messaging across national or global markets?
- How are leaders ensuring authentic communications across traditional (and emerging) media channels without losing message integrity?
Digitally Aligned: Harnessing AI as Your Strategic Communications Ally
What beginner-friendly AI tools are being successfully integrated into team workflows?
In today’s fragmented media landscape, how are you using AI for audience segmentation and message testing without losing authentic voice?
How should we balance automation with human oversight?
How do you ensure AI-enhanced communications build genuine trust rather than feeling automated or impersonal?
Culture as Catalyst: Transforming Internal Communications into Strategic Advantage
- What specific frameworks have leaders implemented to break down silos across teams?
- How can we empower employees to be genuine brand advocates while maintaining authenticity in messaging?
- How are leaders building internal storytelling capabilities that function as both a creative catalyst and crisis preparedness tool?
What’s included in my delegate pass
Access to Full Event Program
Exclusive Networking Opportunities
Executive Insights & Event Content
Delegate registration is strictly for in-house Corporate Affairs and Communications professionals from consumer or government facing organisations. Please note, service providers are not permitted to attend through standard delegate registration. If you are a Service Provider, please email duncanh@connectmedia.com to discuss your involvement.
Registrations will be reviewed for the correct rate, Connect Media reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone not paying the correct rate. Furthermore, we will not be responsible for travel costs if you do not pay the correct rate.
Join Our Invitation List
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Our Partners
Become A Partner
The Corporate Affairs Summit is Australia’s premier event for in-house Corporate Affairs and Communications professionals. We focus on actionable insights and real-world solutions by bringing together the leading voices shaping the sector. Every year we refine our event model to unlock greater value for our partners and to ensure that our delegation’s expectations are exceeded.
Whether you’re looking for brand visibility, lead generation or exclusive event networking opportunities, our sponsorship packages are tailor made and designed to maximise your ROI.
Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss what these opportunities could look like for you and your brand.
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Duncan Hladik
Partnership Executive
Tel: +61 411 636 010
Email: duncanh@connectmedia.com
GENERAL ENQUIRIES
Tel: 61 2 8004 8590
Email: team@connectmedia.com
Connect with these companies attending
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with the industry’s most prominent brands at The Corporate Affairs Summit. Explore the companies already confirmed and secure your chance to network with the best in the business.
Venue & Accommodation
Ilumina
1 Elizabeth St, Sydney NSW 2000
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What’s included in my delegate pass?
A Delegate Pass includes access to all sessions, refreshment breaks, networking lunches, and access to provided speaker presentations. Please note: Sharing of speaker presentation’s is subject to approval from the guest speaker. One delegate ticket is entry for one person only, passes cannot be shared. Organiser’s reserve the right to deny entry to anyone not registered.
Is there a group booking discount?
Yes – groups of 3 people or more are entitled to a discount. Full discount information is available on our registration page. If you have any questions about how group bookings work, please contact team@connectmedia.com
Can I transfer my pass?
A delegate pass is entry for one person only, passes cannot be shared. A substitute delegate is welcome at any time prior to the event, provided the request is made in writing to team@connectmedia.com
How do I receive my delegate pass?
Following the completion of your registration, you will receive an email confirmation. We will contact you via email the day prior to the event with a QR code, to make your arrival as seamless as possible have your QR e-ticket ready and visible on your device.
Is media registration available?
No, this is a closed and confidential event. Media registrations are not available.
Cancellation Policy:
A full refund less a $250 (GST Inclusive) processing fee is applicable on cancellation requests made in writing within 10 days of registration. No refunds are available for cancellations made more than 10 days after registration. Where Connect Media is required to reschedule the event in the interest of the event partner’s and guests, your pass will be automatically transferred to the rescheduled dates. Should Connect Media be unable to offer, deliver or fulfil any engagement within 12 months, you will be entitled to a full refund.
What is a Service Provider?
A service provider refers to an individual or organisation who supplies products and/or services to the primary audience of the event.
Will there be a delegate list available?
No, Connect Media does not provide delegate lists to attendees.
Fraudulent activities
We’ve been alerted to instances of companies proposing to purchase and sell lists of attendees for our events. Please be assured, we do not engage in the sale or distribution of event-related data. Such companies have no association with us, and we are actively working to halt these deceptive practices.
Regrettably, this type of scam is not uncommon in the media industry. Any information purported to originate from our events and offered by a third party would be completely fabricated. Should you have doubts about the legitimacy of a potential supplier, we urge you to contact us directly.
For any additional questions please contact us on 02 8004 8590 or team@connectmedia.com.
Terms and Conditions
Delegate Pass:
Delegate Pass includes access to all sessions, refreshment breaks, networking lunches, networking drinks reception, and access to approved speaker presentations/on demand content. Please note: Sharing of speaker presentation’s is subject to approval from the guest speaker. One delegate ticket is entry for one person only, passes cannot be shared. Organiser’s reserve the right to deny entry to anyone not registered.
Digital Pass (only applicable for digital events):
A digital pass is valid for the use of 1 user and provides access to live content, inclusive of all keynotes, and sessions. The pass also includes access to approved speaker presentations/on demand content; this will be available to you via email in the week following the event. Please note: Sharing of speaker presentation’s is subject to approval from the guest speaker. Access must not be shared by multiple user’s or redistributed in any way. Organiser’s reserve the right to deny access to anyone who is found violating the above terms.
Payment & Discounts:
Only one promotional discount code can be applied per registrant. All prices and promotions are valid at the time of purchase only and may not be redeemed after the point of purchase.
Registrations will be reviewed for the correct rate, Connect Media reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone not paying the correct rate. Furthermore, we will not be responsible for travel costs if you do not pay the correct rate.
Organiser’s Rights:
Connect Media and Communications Group Pty Ltd endeavours to ensure the conference programme and speaker line-up is correct at the time of the event. All advertised details are correct at time of publishing. Due to unforeseen circumstances Connect Media and Communications Group Pty Ltd reserves the right to alter the programme prior to the event without notice. We also reserve the right to cancel or postpone the event. Where Connect Media is unable to run the event in the next 12 months (from the date of the event), you will be entitled to a full refund. In the unlikely event that it is cancelled or postponed, no compensation will be provided for cancelled/amended travel arrangements.
Connect Media and Communications Group Pty Ltd reserves the right to deny access to any individual that engages in or is alleged to engage in practices that are considered unprofessional and inappropriate for a business conference. We reserve the right to deny access to delegates that may affect the client / vendor ratio of attendance in favour of the interests of sponsors and commercial partners of the event.
In registering for this event, delegates grant permission to Connect Media and Communications Group Pty Ltd to take and to have full and free use of video/photographs containing their image/likeness for promotional use. Should a delegate not agree to the above image release, they must advise team@connectmedia.com.
Cancellation Policy:
A substitute delegate is welcome at any time provided the request is made in writing. A full refund less a $250 (GST Inclusive) processing fee is applicable on cancellation requests made in writing within 10 days of registration. No refunds are available for cancellations made more than 10 days after registration. Where Connect Media is required to reschedule the event in the interest of the event partner’s and guests, your pass will be automatically transferred to the rescheduled dates. Should you be provided with a credit note at the discretion of the event organisers, this credit is valid for the specified amount of passes, and not the monetary value. Should Connect Media be unable to offer, deliver or fulfil any engagement within 12 months, you will be entitled to a full refund.
Event Delivery:
In case of a change in government restrictions and advice, Connect Media reserves the right to make the decision to deliver the event completely digital, or completely in person. Should you hold a different pass, you are entitled to move your registration to digital/in person, or receive a credit for the following edition of the event.
Privacy Disclosure:
We take your privacy seriously. Information collected on this registration will be held in the strictest of confidence on a secure database. This information may be used in order to contact you regarding future events, product development and services offered. If you do not wish to be contacted please email team@connectmedia.com. To view our full privacy policy please visit: https://dashboard.connectmedia.com/privacy-policy/.
