Speakers

Meet some of the speakers we have locked in for 2025

James Laughlin

Bio

James Laughlin stands at the forefront of High Performance Leadership and Personal Mastery, earning global recognition as a pioneering strategist in the field. As a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, James captivates and inspires diverse audiences worldwide with his compelling insights and transformative messages. His extensive experience spans working with elite performers and leading organizations, including professional athletes, influential CEOs, and multinational corporations, empowering them to lead with unwavering conviction and achieve remarkable success.

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Cam Calkoen

Bio

Cam Calkoen is a dreamer, a doer, and a champion of possibility. Born with Cerebral Palsy and told that walking and talking would be his greatest challenges, Cam was determined not to let these predictions define his future. He dreamed big, taking on the world with a spirit of resilience and ambition that would shape every step of his journey.

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Hilary O'Connor

Bio

Hilary is a keen technology advocate and evangelist with a passion for innovation, and nearly 30 years experience in the tech industry. She has recently re-joined Google to lead Public Sector for Google Cloud in New Zealand. In between, she spent time at Accenture and most notably Soul Machines where she held a variety of positions culminating in her role as SVP Revenue. She first worked for Google within their Cloud technologies business as Customer Engineering Lead, and prior to that she spent many years at Microsoft predominantly as Lead Technology Strategist. She has previously held consulting and, earlier on in her career, development roles, with companies such as Cap Gemini, Deloitte and Datacom.

Matt Ensor

Bio

Matt Ensor founded FranklyAI in 2021 on the mission “No Voice Left Behind.” FranklyAI replaced static surveys with AI-driven, user-led conversations, producing large-scale insights while amplifying voices often missed. Through this work Matt discovered AI’s potential to bridge cultural divides, a theme he explored in his 2024 TEDx talk “How AI Can Shape the Future of Human Connections”. Matt is Chair of the AI Forum of NZ's working group on Generative AI, and a director of Kia Ora AI.


Joel Pearson

Bio

Like most people, I’m excited by discovery. I’m a scientist, but unlike many scientists I’m interested in possibilities as much as proof. I’m of the opinion that questions can be more valuable than answers, and that imagination is a powerful catalyst for progress.

It all starts with discovery - radical discovery. I’m addicted to discovery because of how it moves me, but also for how it moves other people. Inspiring people with ideas and explanations is akin to magic in the real world. Beyond inspiration, I use discovery to improve people’s lives: to alleviate suffering and to optimise performance; to lessen depression and anxiety; to control imagination, and to strengthen our decision-making. Radical discovery can improve our realities, individually and collectively, by mitigating the negative and optimising the positive aspects of life. 

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Campbell McKenzie

Bio

Campbell McKenzie is a forensic technology expert and cyber security consultant.  In January 2019, he founded Incident Response Solutions, a speciality forensic and cyber security business which amongst other services, assists clients to develop and simulate incident response plans and procedures.

Campbell was previously a Director at PwC New Zealand (12 years), leading the National “forensic technology” and Auckland “cyber security” practices. He was also a founding member of the NZ Police Electronic Crime Laboratory (4.5 years).  

Ian Palmer

Bio

Ian is an experienced IT leader who understands how technology can support and help drive business outcomes. He understands the need for IT to help support strategic goals and drive business value. With over 15 years’ experience in IT across multiple sectors including education, state government, local government, and consulting. This included leading UTS College to deliver outstanding capability and General Manager – IT for Australia’s largest private education provider. Ian is passionate about helping people and understands the value of technology in driving new opportunities especially in the ever-growing field of AI.As a CIO, Ian developed high performing teams who delivered digital transformations and drove impact across the organization. He was able to identify value opportunities and produce strategic plans including technology roadmaps, digital transformation, cyber security, and AI. 

Ian has presented at multiple conferences recently presenting at THETA and before at the Tertiary ICT Conference in New Zealand.