Course Instructors
Associate Professor Bernard McKenna
Associate Professor in Leadership, UQ Business School
Bernard McKenna is an Associate Professor in the UQ Business School. Prior to his appointment in 2002 he was in QUT's (Queensland University of Technology) Business Faculty for nine years. His academic teaching background covers communication theory, corporate and scientific communication, political communication, organizational communication, and business ethics at graduate and undergraduate level.
Associate Professor Bernard McKenna's research interests include wisdom and knowledge management in the new economy; technical, political, and managerialist discourse; and professional writing. He has published in both national and international journals. In 2007, Bernard won the UQ Business School Excellence in Research award. He has also won and completed two ARC Linkage Grants.
Dr Carol Bond
Lecturer, UQ Business School
Dr Carol Bond has a growing research profile, working on the business case for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in large footprint industries. Carol’s focuses on industry: community engagement including co-operative project design and delivery in rural Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. She is currently researching leading CSR practice in Peru, India, and Viet Nam.
Carol was recently awarded funding for a prestigious Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) project. Her three-phase research project within the Future Fuels CRC will unfold over seven years. It highlights the creation of a knowledge-sharing platform for industry and communities to communicate relevant information in a trustworthy and durable way to enhance Australia’s energy future.
Carol has recently published a monograph on novel approaches to CSR within large footprint industries. Carol publishes on CSR, Leadership, and Communication in internationally recognized, high-quality peer-reviewed journals. Carol has taught and coordinated a range of postgraduate units at UQ Business School, and is a leader within the UQ Business School Centre for Social Impact and Sustainability.
The Course Team thanks the following for their contributions:
Experts and Leaders
John Buchanan
Founder and Director of Buchanan Success Coaching
Former Coach of the Australian Cricket Team 1999-2007
John is a former World Cup winning coach of the Australian national cricket team. Since retiring from that role, he has focussed his full attention as director and owner to his coaching business, Buchanan Success Coaching. The business is dedicated to enhancing corporate success through the winning lessons from sport.
John is passionate about coaching and the striking impact that quality coaching has on peak performance for individuals, leaders and teams. His credentials as a leader and coach of teams is world renowned. A leader with a unique perspective on the world, John is at home in any environment which seeks change, a desire for peak performance, and a vision to be the game changers.
Professor Julie Cogin
Academic Dean and Head of School, UQ Business School
Julie Cogin is the Academic Dean and Head of UQ Business School, University of Queensland, a role she took up in January 2018.Prior to joining the University of Queensland Julie was the Deputy Dean of UNSW Business School and Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) from May 2014 – January 2018. Preceding this, she held multiple senior academic roles at the University of New South Wales including Deputy Dean Engagement, Head of School (Management) and Associate Dean Education.
Julie is a recognized thought leader in high performing workplaces and corporate culture, having authored three books and published more than 30 articles, including those in prestigious academic journals ranked in the world’s top 40 by the Financial Times.
Julie has over 25 years’ experience delivering education or consulting engagements for many leading companies throughout Australia, Asia and in the USA including Australia’s top four banks and Hong Leong Bank in Asia, several large insurance companies, Qantas, GE, News Corp, Boral, Deutsche Post DHL, PWC, KPMG and Optus.
Dr David Cooke
Managing Director
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia
With a doctorate in Corporate Social Responsibility, David demonstrates the value of managing a company with ethics and equality as the driving force as Chairman & Managing Director of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia. He is passionate about making a difference and shows how ethics and sustainability can be drivers, not inhibitors, of business success.
In his own words,
"As well as our on-going community partnership programs, we’re dedicated through our efforts and influence to improve the quality of life for people affected by modern slavery or unfair work practices throughout the supply chain. Increasingly, we’re finding customers and employees are moved to work with companies that have purpose, diversity and are committed to doing the right thing. It’s been wonderful to see the company growing in strength over the years, as a result".
Annika David
Consultant, Performance
People Advisory Services & Indigenous Sector Practice
Ernst & Young
Annika David is a proud Torres Strait Islander, from Iama (Yam Island) who aims to give a voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through her work and extra-curricular memberships. Annika studied a Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (Hons) at the University of Queensland, and holds a dual consultancy role within EY's People Advisory Services team and the Indigenous Sector Practice.
Annika has a particular passion for youth, which she calls on through her role as a Youth Champion for the Queensland Family and Child Commission. Her role as a Youth Champion entails engaging with young people across Queensland, to give them a voice in policy reforms and initiatives across the state. Annika calls on her leadership skills and passions to plant seeds that empower change for her people, and young people across the sector.
Darren Edwards
Vice President and Managing Director of Boeing Defence Australia
Darren Edwards is the Managing Director and Vice President of Boeing Defence Australia and can look back on a distinguished leadership career in the areas of aerospace, defence, security, supply chain management, large scale operations, logistics, quality, compliance and capability planning. Prior to joining Boeing in 2001, Edwards held various positions in command and logistics with the Australian Defence Force.
Audette Exel AO
Founder and CEO of the Adara Group
Audette Exel AO is the founder of the Adara Group and CEO of its Australian businesses, Adara Advisors and Adara Partners. She is also the Founder and Chair of Adara Development and a Non-Executive Director of Suncorp Group Limited, an ASX 20 company.
Audette is internationally recognised for her work to bridge the worlds of finance with philanthropy. In 1995, Audette was elected a Global Leader for Tomorrow by The World Economic Forum. In 2012, Audette won the Telstra 2012 NSW Commonwealth Bank Business Owner Award, and was the winner of the 2012 NSW Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award. In 2013, Audette was awarded an honorary Order of Australia for “service to humanity through the establishment of the Adara Group to provide specialist care to women and children in Uganda and Nepal” and was recognised by Forbes as a “Hero of Philanthropy” in 2014. Most recently, Audette was named Australia’s 2016 ‘Leading Philanthropist’ by Philanthropy Australia.
Nick Hammerman
Coral Reef Researcher
The University of Queensland
Nick is originally from the United States where he obtained his Bachelors in Marine Science at Roger Williams University and then completed his Masters in Biological Oceanography at the University of Puerto Rico, Department of Marine Sciences. His work mostly dealt with population genetics, phylogeography, as well as species interactions and diversity on both shallow and mesophotic reefs. He has commenced PhD research at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. His PhD thesis will revolve around coral paleoecology of the Red Sea and understanding how coral composition has changed during the past millennia. He also hopes to in some way continue his mesophotic-themed research.
Professor Matthew Hornsey
School of Psychology
The University of Queensland
Professor Matthew Hornsey is an accomplished academic at The University of Queensland’s School of Psychology. He has published in excess of 120 papers, mostly in the field of social psychology. A problem that he has examined throughout his career is: “Why do people resist apparently reasonable messages?” His focus is on the psychology of how feelings of mistrust and threat can lead people to reject messages. These insights are then translated into concrete and do-able strategies for overcoming defensiveness. Specific examples include ARC-funded research on (1) why people embrace or resist scientific messages about, for example, climate change, vaccination, and evolution, (2) how people respond to gestures of reconciliation from transgressor groups (particularly apologies), and (3) what drives defensiveness in the face of group criticism and recommendations for change.
Dr Ali Intezari
Senior Lecturer, School of Management
Massey University, New Zealand
Ali Intezari (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Management, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. His current research interests include Organizational Wisdom theory, Organizational Knowledge Culture, Decision-making, and Knowledge Management. His research studies are published in the very top international journals such as Decision Sciences, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Knowledge Management, Communications of the Association for Information Systems, and Journal of Management Inquiry. His body of work has attracted considerable scholarly attention. His work has also attracted attention from external stakeholders. This is evidenced in the publication (by invitation) for business magazines such as Leader to Leader (USA), the New Zealand Board of Directors Magazine, and the New Zealand Management. Dr. Intezari is the co-author of book, “Wisdom, Analytics and Wicked Problems: Integral decision-making in and beyond the information” (Routledge, 2018), and the co-editor of “Practical Wisdom in the Age of Technology: Insights, Issues and Questions for a New Millennium” (2017). He also regularly has (co-)authored papers presented at conferences, most notably: AoM, HICSS, ANZAM, ACIS, and AMCIS.
Ronni Kahn
Founder & CEO OzHarvest
Ronni Kahn founded food charity OzHarvest in 2004, driven by a passion to make a difference and stop good food going to waste. After starting with one van in Sydney, she helped to change the law to make it safe for companies to donate surplus food, and has grown OzHarvest to be Australia’s leading food rescue organisation. She has since opened the first rescued food supermarket and is now taking the unique food rescue model global.
Ronni is a powerhouse in the fight against global food waste. OzHarvest partners annually with the United Nations Environment Programme to raise awareness on the issue and is working with Government and key stakeholders to halve food waste nationally by 2030. The ripple effect of her commitment is fuelling action across the globe.
Dr Kooshyar Karimi
Medical Doctor, Author and Refugee
Medical doctor, author, award‐winning translator, artist, inventor and public speaker, Dr Kooshyar Karimi came to Australia from Iran in 2000, through the UNHCR, fleeing persecution and torture for his Jewish family roots, his medical practices and his outspoken writing.
He is now an Australian citizen, practices medicine full‐time in New South Wales, Australia, works on a renewable energy project, and writes in his spare time.
Kooshyar has published a number of books and translations in Farsi and in English, and remains committed to telling sometimes uncomfortable truths.
Jemma King
Researcher on Dealing with Fear
The University of Queensland
Jemma King is a researcher in the field of behavioural and organisational psychology. Her primary research interests are focussed on stress and bio-markers of stress (e.g. cortisol, testosterone, oxytocin and Immunoglobulin A), psychoneuroimmunology/endocrinology, wearable emotion tracking devices, and the moderating effect of emotional intelligence and emotional management / resilience training.
Jemma is also the founder and Director of BioPsychAnaltyics (BPA). BPA is an Australian based company specialising in Advanced Human Performance Optimisation. BPA has developed scientifically validated methodologies to reduce stress, burnout, manage complex change, educate on negotiation, influence, and improve behavioural outcomes in high-performing individuals, teams and organizations.
Jemma consults to a range of organizations, including Swimming Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport and Special Operations Command at the Australian Army on performance optimization, training and recruitment. She has previously taught organizational behaviour at the UQ Business School.
Jemma’s qualifications include Bachelor of Science, Majoring in Psychology, Bachelor of Business Management 1st Class Honours, and soon to be a Doctor of Human Behaviour.
Dr Charles Massy
Farmer, Philosopher and Environmental Academic
Charles is a scientist, farmer, public speaker and innovator with a passion for sustainable farming. He has managed an 1,820 ha. (4,500 acre) sheep and cattle farm for 40 years. In the course of this he has led various local rural organizations plus was a regional bushfire captain.
Over many years, Charles has conducted research, initially in the fields of transformation and innovation in the Merino sheep and wool industries, and more latterly in the fields of regenerative landscape management, grazing systems for healthy landscape function, and addressing climate change and the current global ecological challenges for our species. He has worked with various government and community groups – including Greening Australia, Regional Landcare groups, and the Federal Governments Carbon Farming Initiative and Human Ecology students at the Australian National University (ANU).
More recent engagement has been in on-farm workshopping with farmers in regenerative agricultural fields, and working with Aboriginal elders in regard to regenerating ‘Country’, including with cool patch-burning.
Donna McDowall
Vice President Quanta Services Australia
Director, Australian Pipelines and Gas Association
Donna has a diverse background spanning 20+ years in the corporate and consultancy sector throughout Australia, United Kingdom and Malaysia. A highly-skilled communicator, she holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), Degree in Public Relations and is a GAICD with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
For the last five years, Donna has been in the role of Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy for Quanta Services Australia (QSA) Pty Ltd. QSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of US company Quanta Services Inc., that provides specialty infrastructure services for the energy sector. In Donna’s role she is responsible for developing and implementing short, medium and long-term corporate strategies to achieve the overall business growth and objectives.
She is also a Director on the Board of the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association.
Raqual Nutley
Regional Engagement Officer
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (ATSIS) Unit
The University of Queensland
Raqual Nutley is a Mununjali and Yiman woman, who grew up in Brisbane and completed her Bachelor of Arts, with a major in History and Cultural Heritage in 2012 at Griffith University.
Studying at university provided Raqual with many opportunities and because of that, Raqual is passionate about supporting and encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people attending and graduating university.
Raqual worked at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (ATSIS) Unit at The University of Queensland in 2016 as a Student Support Coordinator and currently holds the position of Regional Engagement Officer within the Outreach and Engagement team.
Professor Will Steffen
Emeritus Professor, Australian National University
Councillor - Climate Council Australia
Will Steffen has a long history in international global change research, serving from 1998 to 2004 as Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), based in Stockholm, Sweden, and before that as Executive Officer of IGBP's Global Change and Terrestrial Ecosystems project.
Will was the Inaugural Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute, from 2008-2012. Prior to that, he was Director of the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society. From 2004 to 2011 he served as science adviser to the Australian Government Department of Climate Change. He is currently a Climate Councillor with the Climate Council of Australia, and from 2011 to 2013 was a Climate Commissioner on the Australian Government's Climate Commission; Chair of the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee, Co-Director of the Canberra Urban and Regional Futures (CURF) initiative and Member of the ACT Climate Change Council.
Steffen's interests span a broad range within the fields of sustainability and Earth System science, with an emphasis on the science of climate change, approaches to climate change adaptation in land systems, incorporation of human processes in Earth System modelling and analysis; and the history and future of the relationship between humans and the rest of nature.
Jim Walker
Coordinator and Lecturer
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit
The University of Queensland
Jim is an Aboriginal man of the Jagera, Yiman and Goreng Goreng First Nations peoples of Queensland, Australia.
He is a lecturer at The University of Queensland within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Unit. He is also a Director of the Foundation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Action (FAIRA), Deputy Chair of the Murri Mura Aboriginal Corporation and Board of Advice member of the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation.
Jim has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights of Indigenous Peoples in excess of 20 years, both in Australia and internationally. He has worked within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission at executive and senior management level, and was previously the National Manager of the CSIRO Indigenous Engagement Strategy. He was also Chair of the Indigenous Caucus within the World Intellectual Property Organization Intergovernmental Committee on the Protection of Intellectual Property, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions.
Jim has been involved in the development and implementation of policies and programs in the fields of social justice, education, health, housing, economic development, Indigenous rights advocacy (nationally and internationally), Indigenous cultural protection, environment protection and science research.
He holds a Bachelor of Business and a Masters degree in Public Administration.
Dr Pia Winberg
CEO Venus Shell Systems
CEO Phyco Health
Honorary Fellow - School of Medicine University of Wollongong
Pia Winberg has worked across both sustainable marine industry development and academia for the past 20 years and has a background is in marine systems ecology. Pia’s main research interest is in marine food production systems that are sustainably integrated with the coastal and marine environment. Pia’s published research efforts therefore span aquaculture and sustainable estuarine systems. Pia has developed a focus on the development of seaweed cultivation systems for Australia. Australia is placed to contribute to the value adding of seaweed metabolites, species diversity in culture and quality control systems from production to processing.
Pia was the Director of the Shoalhaven Marine and Freshwater Centre at the University of Wollongong from 2008-2013, and is now CEO of Venus Shell Systems Pty. Ltd., a new Australian Company taking the science of marine biological systems through to production of high quality marine biomass.