NFC23 Keynotes

DR Richard Harris SC OAM

Dr Richard “Harry” Harris has worked in anaesthesia, diving and aeromedical medicine around the world.

His passion for cave diving goes back to the 1980’s and has taken him to the corners of the globe in search of new adventures.

Harry has a professional and voluntary interest in search and rescue operations, establishing the first flooded cave rescue capability in Australasia. The 2018 Thailand cave rescue was an opportunity to put this training to work.

In 2018 he received the Star of Courage, Australia’s second highest civilian award for bravery, and the medal of the Order of Australia for his role in the Thailand cave rescue. Harry was the joint 2019 Australian of the Year with his dive partner Craig Challen. He is now primarily working as a speaker, author and film maker.

Harry is an advocate for sensible risk taking in young people, encouraging youth to get off their screens and outside to build independence, resilience and improved mental health.

Michael McQueen

Michael McQueen is a bestselling author of nine books and trends forecaster helping organisations and leaders stay one step ahead of disruption.

With clients including KPMG, Pepsi and Cisco, he has helped some of the world’s most successful brands navigate disruption and maintain momentum.

Michael is a regular commentator on TV and radio and his work has featured in publications ranging from the UK Daily Mail to Medium.com and the Huffington Post. In addition, Michael is a familiar face on the international conference circuit having shared the stage with the likes of Bill Gates, Dr. John Maxwell and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Michael has spoken to over 500,000 people across 5 continents since 2004, and is known for his engaging, entertaining and practical conference presentations.
Having been formerly named Australia’s Keynote Speaker of the Year, Michael has been inducted into the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame.

Pauline Nguyen

Pauline Nguyen is a best-selling author and award-winning businesswoman – and her achievements are all the more impressive for her having escaped Vietnam on a boat and survived a Thai refugee camp. She has overcome these adverse beginnings to transform her approach to success by re-engineering her beliefs, questioning the status quo and hacking cultural norms to become one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs.

As the owner of Red Lantern the most awarded Vietnamese restaurant in the world, in 2012 Pauline won the Australian Telstra Business Award for Medium Business. However, that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Pauline’s achievements; her memoir, Secrets of the Red Lantern, has been critically acclaimed around the world and appeared in numerous bestseller lists. She holds a BA in Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney, and in 2008 won Newcomer Writer of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards.
Pauline has achieved outstanding success as an entrepreneur, author, businesswoman and acclaimed speaker with the unique ability to connect with her audience in a profound way, empowering them to change their story for a better future.

Pauline is an original ‘Rare Bird’ – one of Australia’s top 50 influential female entrepreneurs – and is included in Blackwell and Hobday’s global recognition of 200 Women Who Will Change the Way You See the World.

She has a high-performing Western business background combined with an Eastern slant of spirituality – and her unique philosophy is taught with warmth and humour, telling her own story of what can be achieved through key alignment of thoughts and intentions.

Amna Karra-Hassan

Amna Karra-Hassan founded the first ever AFL Women’s team in Western Sydney and is widely recognised for the diversity she brought to the game and for taking the code to Western Sydney. The Club played a critical role in establishing the game in the region, both for women and for its engagement with diverse communities, contributing to the recent inauguration of the GWS Giants in the AFLW.

Her courage has been the centre of much conversation and the reason behind the accolades acknowledging Amna’s contribution to the community and women’s sport.

Amna shares her experiences on collaborating with community leaders, small business owners, local government, traditional and social media and thought leaders. She shares how she engages in the story telling process to help others overcome adversity, build confidence and resilience, and lead with perseverance and courage.

She offers insights on how she lead the growth of the Auburn Giants, and the importance of leveraging media. Countless football metaphors of Amna ‘kicking goals’ have been widely shared and celebrated.
Amna believes the heart of innovation, civic participation and community building is a ‘strengths based approach’ and commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Amna holds a Bachelor in Organisational Learning from the University of Technology Sydney and recently completed the Advanced Leadership Program with the Applied School of Management. After 9 years, Amna resigned from the Australian Federal Police having led Community Engagement strategies, and contributed to Reform, Culture and Standards portfolio – responsible for driving cultural change within the AFP.