Keynote Speaker
John Grant, Managing Director, Data#3

John was a director of Data#3 from its foundation in 1984 and then Managing Director from 1996. He stepped down from the board as a director in November 2000 along with all other executive directors and took the position of Chief Executive Officer. He was reappointed as Managing Director in July 2004. From 1980 until he joined Data#3 in 1982, John worked with IBM in sales.

John has a degree in Engineering with Honours from the University of Queensland and worked as a civil engineer with the Brisbane City Council from 1970 until 1980. John is Chairman of the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), the ICT industry's peak representative body; a member of the Queensland Government's Ministerial Advisory Group whose charter is to provide advice to the Minister for Tourism, Regional Development & Industry on Queensland ICT industry development policy; a member of the Queensland Government's Smart State Council and a member of Hewlett Packard's Asia Pacific Partner Advisory board whose charter is to provide advice and input to HP on its relationship with its distribution and reseller partners in Asia Pacific.

Skills For Surviving

Increasingly our future will be determined by our performance in the global community. In an environment where survival will be of the fittest, business and personal skills will be a vital element of the continuum that can drive wealth creation and sustain the enviable lifestyle we enjoy. John will provide a perspective on the imperative that exists for us to understand where we sit in the global business community and how investment in innovation and skills will underpin a successful future.

John Ambrose, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Emerging Business, SkillSoft

John Ambrose is SkillSoft Senior Vice President of Strategy, Corporate Development and Emerging Business, and in this role speaks with thousands of learning professionals around the globe each year in various forums. He has spent 25+ years exclusively at the intersection of technology, publishing and learning, having lived/worked in France, England and both coasts of the USA. In 1995 he was named CEO of DeltaPoint, one of the earliest providers of website management tools. He was a founder of Books24x7 in 1998 then acquired by SkillSoft in 2001.

The Decade Ahead: Why Social is Where Knowledge Goes to Thrive

Organisations will undergo massive change in the next decade to remain agile and globally competitive in the “new normal.”  Learning organisations, too, must adapt to remain relevant and aligned.  In this presentation, John will explore what’s in store for learning in the decade ahead and why “social learning” is a game changer.  We’ll look at the market, the science, the application and the economic benefits of social technology in the enterprise.

Aldo Antolli, CEO, AIBA

Aldo is the CEO of the AIBA, Australia’s premier membership and certification organisation for business analysis. He obtained his BSc (Hons) in Psychology in the United States and graduated with High Distinction. He was studying for his Masters in Psychology when he was recruited by Cardservice International, the USA’s largest third party merchant processing company. Based in Seattle, he pioneered a referral system that allowed banks to keep customers in house who previously were unable to obtain credit due to the strict government enforced AAA credit rating system at the time.

After six years in the USA, Aldo worked in senior roles in Australia in the airline industry, and then the search and recruitment industry for various major banking and financial services customers. In 2000 Aldo underwent a career change and obtained his Diploma in Financial Planning and entered the funds management sector, and at one point was a Director in the nation’s first shared equity fund, designed to allow superannuation funds to invest in the residential property sector. Over the past four years Aldo has been involved in senior sales and management roles with both publicly listed and boutique project management and consulting firms.

Creating Business Capability for Today’s Flexible Workforce

The Australian Institute of Business Analysis (AIBA) has uniquely developed an Australian first: a framework and supporting tools to identify who within an organisation can function in business analysis (regardless of their title) and how to lift their capability with targeted mentoring and training solutions. The AIBA is helping organisations create flexible workforces. In this discussion, Aldo will share the fascinating story behind the AIBA and its strategic partnership with SkillSoft in driving capability uplift in ways that can be applied in any work related discipline.

Mark Cook, Senior Business Partner, Human Resources, Suncorp

Mark has worked with the Suncorp Group since 2004 having previously come from a HR Business Partner role with Westpac. He has managed areas including Suncorp Business Services, Group Finance, Group Risk, and Human Resources. As a Senior Business Partner, Mark is the key HR Partner for the Shared Services and Corporate Business Units within Suncorp. These Businesses include IT, CRO, CFO, Real Estate, Strategic Sourcing, Marketing and HR. Mark provides leadership and strategic HR direction to the Group Executives of these business units, as well as lead a team of highly skilled Advisors who implement Group and business specific initiatives across these groups.

e-Learning Goes Tribal

Join the Suncorp e-Learning Tribe team as Tribe Leader Mark Cook takes you on the Suncorp e-Learning journey. Horse races, Tribes and Go Green... learn how Suncorp develops creativity and business benefit across its IT and Shared Services Division through e-Learning.

Tim Hildreth, Director, Product Marketing, SkillSoft

Tim Hildreth joined SkillSoft in October, 2004 as the Senior Product Marketing Manager in charge of a number of SkillPort Modules including the Instructor-led Training, Credentialing, and Customer Publishing Modules. In 2006, Tim led the team that planned, designed, and launched SkillSoft’s KnowledgeCenter product line. Most recently Tim and his team launched SkillSoft’s Leadership Advantage, a targeted leadership development program focusing on key leadership and management competencies that uses multiple modes of instruction, including text, video, and interactive practice activities to keep the learning quick, easy, and engaging.

Innovation in Technology Enabled Learning - SkillSoft Product Direction Update

Tim will present an update on SkillSoft product and content directions, including accomplishments for the past 12 – 18 months and a look ahead at the next 12 – 18 months. Highlights will include a look at the on-going content development build plan, the new SkillSoft Leadership Advantage, and a look at SkillPort features.

Kieran King, Global Director, Loyalty Strategy, SkillSoft

Kieran King began her career in learning 15 years ago. Kieran has years of experience working for private companies to build curriculums, implement LMS systems, conduct needs analyses, and analyse ROI. In 1999, Kieran joined CBT Systems (was SmartForce, now SkillSoft) and participated in the evolution of the learning industry by consulting with various Fortune 500 organisations as they made the transition from the classroom to blended models. During her career, Kieran has contributed to many industry white papers and received multiple awards and professional honours. Today, Kieran serves as the Global Director of Client Loyalty for SkillSoft.

L&D’s “New Normal” - Emerging Faster and with Higher Impact

As the economy turns the corner and the pace of business continues to accelerate, it is challenging to identify the most successful L&D strategies to apply. What is the new “new normal” mode of operation for corporate learning? Attend this session to understand how you can increase your L&D speed, maintain cost control, and deliver a higher impact to your business. You’ll also learn about a five-stage model that will help you chart a course through a series of progressive milestones. The results will help your organization prosper, penetrate more market share, and increase your workforce agility. A white paper that details the five-stage model will also be made available to each attendee.

Glenn Nott, Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, SkillSoft

Glenn Nott is SkillSoft’s Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, and is responsible in overseeing the entire SkillSoft operation in the region, including business development, sales, marketing and the successful implementation of SkillSoft’s products and services. Glenn also focuses on building collaborative client partnership programs and works closely with international counterparts in North America and Europe.

With more than 20 years of expertise in corporate training, Glenn has held many positions which involved training and development and e-learning. They include State Bank of Victoria, Coles Myer, Applied Learning, Acumen, CBT Systems and Smartforce.

SkillSoft Asia Pacific Update

Glenn will give a SkillSoft Asia Pacific update. He will discuss the direction of the company in our region, the importance of our partnerships, global trends affecting Asia, and give a SkillSoft Asia Pacific overview.

Lynne Stephens, Director, Australasian Leadership Academy
Gail Matthey, Learning Consultant, SkillSoft

Lynne Stephens' career spans 13 years with TAFE Queensland. Firstly with the Barrier Reef Institute, then to Wide Bay TAFE as the Corporate Business Manager and 2 years ago she was seconded to Sunshine Coast TAFE to build Sunshine Coast TAFE’s commercial capability. She has more recently formed her own company, Australasian Leadership Academy.

Her role includes developing customised training solutions for Corporate Clients Nationally, building strong relationships, developing business alliances and partnerships. One of those partnerships is with SkillSoft Asia Pacific. Lynne and her team have worked closely with the SkillSoft team over the past 4 years, mapping SkillSoft online courses to National AQF Qualifications, delivering flexible/blended training programs Nationally and Internationally and assisting clients to achieve their training goals.

Lynne’s background is in teaching; however over the past 7 years she has been the Key Account / Project Manager for a number of Corporate Clients throughout Qld and Australia; including hospitality, business, management and leadership which are outcomes driven to meet the specific needs of the clients.

Gail Matthey has been involved in the training industry for over 15 years – predominantly working with industry clients to plan and implement successful training programs that are aligned to the goals and needs of the organisation. Gail has a strong AQF background and holds her Certificate IV in Training and Assessment as well as the Diploma of Vocational Education and Training. Her background is also in Teaching and Business Development. Gail joined SkillSoft in 2007 and works with over 25 clients in the QLD Region to ensure success and ROI for their Learning Programs.

Licensed to Skill: Accreditation – The Road to The Future

In this session, Lynn and Gail will discuss the programs that are currently available and showcase some amazing stories from organisations that are taking advantage of this new age delivery of Australian Qualification Framework Qualifications.