2023

This year’s theme "Energise. Enrich. Empower: Realising our Future" was centered around three key concepts:

• Energise: To recharge and invigorate staff by learning new strategies for self-care, stress management, and mental health.
• Enrich: To deepen professional staffs’ knowledge, broaden their horizons, and expand their perspectives, both personally and professionally.
• Empower: To equip professional staff with the tools, resources, and confidence to take charge of their careers and make a positive impact at the University.

We were thrilled to have Kirk Docker, one of Australia's finest interviewers and producer of the award-winning ABC TV series "You Can't Ask That", in the morning keynote session. He shared with us the processes and techniques of interviewing and explained the difference between interrogating and understanding.

In the afternoon keynote session, Kirk facilitated the intimate panel discussion with two of the University’s senior leaders, Professor Nicola Phillips and Professor Pip Nicholson.

The 2023 Professional Staff Conference committee was led by below chairs:

• Chairs: Myron Yovannidis (FBE) and Antony Stark (CFO Group)
• Deputy Chairs: Melissa Bruorton (FOA) and Ashley Michailaros (FOA)

The following staff led the four main portfolios:

• Logistics: Raveena Grace (Business Services) and Alison Broadby (FEIT)
• Program and Content: Tram McQueen (CFO Group)
• Promotion: Pian Zhang (CFO Group)
• Sponsorship: Sabrina Rahman (SASS)

The committee was supported by Executive Sponsor, our CFO, Katerina Kapobassis.

The 2023 PSC committee was made up of a team of dedicated and talented volunteers from across the University.

2023 committee (listed alphabetically): Adrianne Huang, Amelia Catalano, Carolin Sudkamp-Baldoni, Dinesh Chikurumelli, Ellie Clay, Gabbie Hepworth, Ilene Shen, Jasmine Stiff, Jennifer La Torre, Jo Steinle, KK Hong, Karen Kennedy, Linda Footit, Lourdes Sanchez, Madalyn Conwell, Marcus Robson, Nicole Zhang, Oliver Smith, Poonam Mehra, Rina Gao, Sai Atulya Bhaskaran, Sakshi Sakshi, Sally Ly, Sophie Grant, Tania Temple, Veronica Wade, Yajing Chen and Yuhong Hou.

Photo: Breeana Dunbar

If you are interested in volunteering in the 2024 committee, please fill out the form.

Catering:

• 100 mile catering - all ingredients were sourced locally within 100 miles
• Almost all of the catering was vegetarian
• All food waste was given to Oz Harvest
• Reusable crockery, cutlery and cups were used (no biocups or bioplastics)

Stationary:

• You brought your own note pads/ pens
• You wore lanyards that were made from bamboo fabric and will be reused for PSCs for years to come
• You wore a badge made out of seeded paper (and will hopefully plant it at home!)
• Committee wore shirts made from ethically produced, recycled fabric from a B-corp certified sustainable company

Materials:

• Plants were used on the plenary stage instead of cut flowers
• All materials used for guest experience were recyclable/ made from recycled materials and will be reused at future events
• Sponsors and presenters were briefed to be as sustainable as they can, avoid using paper and post it notes and use a whiteboard instead

We also invested $748 in offsetting 20 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Selected session slides are available for download now.

Click the link here.