PCA2023

Speakers

Kirstin Ferguson Keynote Speaker

As an award-winning and globally recognised leader, executive coach, company director, writer and speaker, Kirstin is one of Australia’s most prominent leadership experts, derived from her 30-year executive career in addition to her PhD in leadership and culture. Kirstin is also making a global impact, with UK-based Thinkers50 naming her one of the world’s top 30 “Thinkers to Watch” and she was shortlisted for the Distinguished Award in Leadership in 2021. Kirstin’s unique combination of skills and experience has driven her passion to inspire and educate all to lead from the head and the heart – because she believes everyone is a leader. Kirstin’s career includes over a decade of experience on a range of company boards,

including a previous appointment by the Australian Prime Minister as Acting Chair and Deputy Chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She’s also been the CEO of a global consulting company, a senior executive at a leading corporate law firm, and spent nearly 10 years as an Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force. A passionate advocate for women, diversity, and inclusion, she’s responsible for sparking a viral social media campaign called #CelebratingWomen, and is the co-author of award-winning book, Women Kind. Her next book, Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership will be published by Penguin Random House. © ICMI Speakers and Entertainers Adelaide • Auckland • Brisbane • Gold Coast

• Hobart • Melbourne • Newcastle • Perth • Sunshine Coast • Sydney Kirstin is a sought-after executive coach and public speaker, sits on multiple boards and writes for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, answering the nation’s work, leadership and culture questions in her weekly column, Got A Minute? Kirstin is deeply committed to helping people become the best leaders they can be and helping them to leave a positive legacy in the world. Kirstin believes that while curiosity, wisdom, perspective, and capability will always be important; leading with humility, insight, courage and empathy is just as vital. Leading with the head and the heart is the art of modern leadership and is an ethos Kirstin embodies, and inspires others to live by, every day.

Henry Gordon-Smith Keynote Speaker

Henry Gordon-Smith is a sustainability strategist focused on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies. Henry was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Canada, Spain, Austria, and the United States. Henry earned his BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, coursework in Food Security and Urban Agriculture from Ryerson University in Toronto, and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. In 2011, Henry started exploring urban agriculture and launched the blog “Agritecture” to share case studies and analysis from around the world. In 2013,

Henry Co-Founded the Association for Vertical Farming (AVF) and served on the board until July 2017. In 2014, Henry responded to a global need for technology-agnostic guidance on urban agriculture by launching the advisory firm Agritecture Consulting which has now consulted on over 250 urban agriculture projects in over 40 countries. Agritecture Consulting primarily helps entrepreneurs with vertical farming feasibility studies, recruiting, and systems design. In 2018, Henry was voted top 10 in Produce (USA) and 40 under 40 food policy influencers (NYC). In 2019, Henry was accepted as a Guelph University Food Policy Fellow and an advisor to the Ryerson University urban agriculture and food security

curriculum development committee. Henry was named as a top 20 influencer in food and agriculture by Rabobank in December 2019. Henry serves on the advisory board of numerous AgTech startups including Smallhold and Foodshed.io. Henry serves on the board of directors for the not-for-profit food access organization Teens for Food Justice in NYC. Henry has spoken on the topic of urban agriculture in 6 continents and has been interviewed about urban and vertical farming for the WSJ, Futurism, Men’s Health, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, Arabian Business, CNBC, and many more.

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