Previous speakers

The QUT Business Leaders' Forum has a reputation for attracting high calibre leaders as keynote speakers and will continue to strive to present eminent leaders in their field.

 

Previous speakers

2013

• Helen Clark | Administrator, United Nations Development Programme and Former Prime Minister of New Zealand
  
• Grant O'Brien | Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Woolworths Limited
  

2012

• Don Argus AC | Former Managing Director and CEO of the National Australia Bank & Bob Bryan AM | Former Chairman and Founder of Queensland Gas Company
  
• Steve Wozniak | Co-founder Apple Computer, Inc. and Chief Scientist, Fusion-io
  
• Mike Smith | Chief Executive Officer, Australia and New Zealand Group Limited (ANZ)
• Harold Mitchell AC | Executive Chairman, Aegis Media Pacific
  

2011

• Cameron Clyne | Chief Executive Officer, National Australia Bank
• Gail Kelly | CEO and Managing Director, The Westpac Group
• Sir Richard Branson | Entrepreneur and Founder, Virgin Group
• Andrew Forrest | CEO, Fortescue Metals Group
• Ahmed Fahour | Managing Director and CEO, Australia Post

2010

• Mr Alan Joyce | Chief Executive Officer, Qantas
• Mr Steve Vamos | Non-Executive Director, Telstra Corporation Limited; Founding President, Society for Knowledge Economics (SKE)
• Ms Linda Nicholls AO | Leading Chairman and Australian Company Director
• Mr James Strong AO | Chairman, Woolworths Limited and Insurance Australia Group

2009

• Dr Ken Henry AC | Secretary to the Treasury, Australian Government
• The Hon John Key MP | Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Ms Jillian Broadbent AO | Board Memeber, Reserve Bank of Australia
• Mr Lindsay Fox AC | Chairman and Founder, Linfox
• Mr Sol Trujillo | CEO, Telstra Corporation Limited

2008

• Mr Michael Luscombe | CEO, Woolworths Limited
• Ms Cynthia Cooper | WorldCom Whistleblower
• Mr Peter Holmes á Court | Chairman, White Bull Holdings
• Mr Roger Corbett AM | Leading Company Director
• The Hon Kevin Rudd MP | Prime Minister of Australia

2007

• Bob Geldof KBE | Anti-poverty global leader
• Dr Ziggy Switkowski | Chairman, The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
• Mr Glenn Stevens | Governor, Reserve Bank
• Mr David Kirk MBE | Chief Executive Officer, Fairfax Media

2006

• Mr Leon Davis AO | Chairman, Westpac Banking Corporation
• Ms Margaret Jackson AC | Chairman, Qantas Airways
• General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC (retd) | Chairman, Operation Recovery Task Force and former Chief of Defence Force
• Sandy Hollway AO | Memberk, Operation Recovery Task Force & former Chief, Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games
• The Hon Peter Beattie | Premier of Queensland

2005

• Mr David Gonski AC | Chairman, Coca-Cola Amatil and Investec Bank (Holdings) Limited
• Mr Narayana Murthy | Chairman and Founder, Infosys Technologies Limited
• Mr Malcolm Broomhead | Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Orica Ltd
• Dr David Suzuki CC, OBC | Award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster

2004

• Mr John O'Neill AO | Chief Executive Officer, Football Federation Australia
• Mr Kevan Gosper AO | Chairman, IOC Press Commission
• Mr Michael Chaney AO | Chief Executive Officer, Wesfarmers Ltd
• Mr Graham Kraehe AO | Chairman, BlueScope Steel Ltd

2003

• The Hon J. Thomas Schieffer | US Ambassador to Australia
• Mr Fred Hilmer AO | Chief Executive Officer, John Fairfax Holdings Ltd
• Dr David Morgan | Chief Executive Officer, Westpac Banking Corporation
• The Hon Andrew Peacock AC | President, Boeing Australia

2002

• Mr Peter Hanenberger | Chairman and Managing Director, Holden Limited; Group Vice-President, General Motors Corporation
• Professor Allan Fels AO | Chairman, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
• Mr Paul Anderson | Former Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, BHP Billiton Ltd
• The Hon Paul Keating | Former Prime Minister of Australia
• His Royal Highness Prince Philip | The Duke of Edinburgh

2001

• Mr Rick Allert AM | Chairman, Southcorp Ltd and AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd
• Mr Don Argus AO | Chairman, BHP Billiton and Brambles Industries Ltd
• Mr James Strong AO | Managing Director, Woolworths Ltd
• The Rt Hon David Lange | Former prime minister of New Zealand
• The Hon Barry Jones AO | Former federal minister for Science

2000

• The Hon Graham Richardson | Mayor, Olympic Village, Sydney 2000
• Mr Ian Macfarlane AC | Governor, Reserve Bank
• Maj-Gen Peter Cosgrove AC, MC | Chief, Defence Force
• Mr Brian Johns | Managing Director, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1999

• Ms Janet Holmes á Court AC | Businesswoman and a leader of the republican movement
• Mr John Ralph AC | Author of the Review of Business Taxation
• Mr David Hoare | Chairman, Telstra
• The Hon Genta Hawkins Holmes | US Ambassador to Australia

1998

• Mr Graeme Samuel AO | President, National Competition Council
• Sir Roderick Carnegie AC | Chairman, Pacific Edge Holdings Pty Ltd and La Trobe Lignite Developments Pty Ltd
• Professor Allan Fels AO | Chairman, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
• Mr Reg Clairs AO | Chairman, Woolworths

Speaker testimonials

Harold Mitchell | Executive Chairman, Aegis Media Pacific
"I found the QUT Business Leaders' Forum an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas about Australian media, the economy and business futures with a very well informed and interested audience. Thank you for the opportunity."

Cameron Clyne | Group CEO, National Australia Bank
"The QUT Business Leaders Forum was an excellent event. From the organisation of the day itself to the people attending and the questions asked by both the audience and the facilitator all made for an enjoyable and thought-provoking discussion on the business climate in Australia and the fundamentals of trying to build a strong culture."

Steve Vamos | Non-Executive Director, Telstra Corporation Limited
"The opportunity to present to the QUT Business Leaders' Forum was a pleasure and an honour given those that have presented on previous occasions. It is rare to have the opportunity to share thoughts and have a discussion through a professionally facilitated question and answer session with such an important audience of leaders. The team at QUT were great to work with, looking after all the arrangements in a first class manner."

Michael Luscombe | CEO, Woolworths Limited
"There are few events where, as a guest speaker, you feel you can have an engaging and thought-provoking two way conversation.  I found the forum an excellent opportunity to discuss some of the challenges and insights of leading an Australian icon business with a highly-engaged and professional audience."

Michael Chaney AO | CEO, Wesfarmers
"I found the QUT Business Leaders' Forum an excellent event with a high calibre of attendees and an extremely stimulating and searching set of questions from the audience. Forums such as these are important in generating vigorous discussion and debate in our communities about topics of national importance."

John O'Neill AO | CEO, Football Federation Australia
"I greatly enjoyed the unique occasion and the opportunity that the QUT Business Leaders' Forum provided to be able to put the perspective of 'sports business' to a well informed and thoughtful audience, representing mainstream Queensland."

Leon A. Davis AO | Chairman, Westpac Banking Corporation
"The forum is an excellent venue to discuss issues of the day. The audience ranges from undergraduates of the University to business leaders. The question and answer session at the end of the presentation is particularly effective in testing the theses put forward, allowing good audience participation."