Anna Burkey - Co-Founder, Foundry658 - Creative Industries Accelerator by State Library Victoria & Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

As the Head of StartSpace, Anna Burkey is leading development of a new statewide StartSpace Network for State Library Victoria, supporting early-stage entrepreneurs in a state-of-the-art new $2million facility. StartSpace is part of the Library’s $90million transformation program to increase public access for Australia’s oldest and busiest library.

She is also the Co-Founder of Foundry658, a new creative industries accelerator created by ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) and State Library Victoria which launched in 2018 - http://foundry658.com

From 2005, Anna was half of the founding staff team at Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust, presenting innovative public engagement initiatives across Scotland. As one of Creative Scotland’s International Creative Entrepreneurs (ICE) Anna delivered programs in design and social enterprise in South Africa, including global social investment event COMMON Pitch SA.

Anna has worked with Arts Centre Melbourne (Aus), the Edinburgh Festivals and Small Business Gateway (UK), presented the Meet the Author live web series for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and has written and presented extensively for media outlets including Time Out, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and the BBC. She likes tea.

Alex O'Mara - Deputy Secretary Arts, Screen & Culture, Create NSW

Alex O'Mara has been the Deputy Secretary for Create NSW since May 2017. Ms O'Mara has a proven record of achievement in leading the delivery of multi-dimensional projects, including infrastructure, policy and reform projects, as well as complex stakeholder engagement. She is an experienced senior executive who has worked across a range of sectors, including planning, industry, infrastructure, building, environment, water and insurance. Alex began her career as a private sector lawyer after graduating second in order of merit from the University of Sydney with first class honours.

Alex has been a member of boards including the Australian Building Codes Board and is currently a member of the board of the State Archives and Records Authority. Alex has a degree in arts (majoring in English and Australian literature) and a Masters in Administrative Law and Policy. She holds a current practising certificate as a lawyer with private sector experience.

Stephen Moore - Principal, Roberts Day - named as one of the top 50 Creatives Shaping Sydney by City of Sydney

As director at Roberts Day Stephen Moore is creating cities full of great places people love, everywhere. He has been identified by Fifth Estate as one of Sydney’s most influential designers and planners. Stephen has led a number of high profile projects inlcuding the Greater Sydney Regional Plan, North-West Metro Transformation, Waterloo Urban Renewal and Western Sydney Parklands South.

Stephen helps private sector clients create value by creating place. He has been awarded the GBCA Six-Star, Green Star Community; NSW Green Globe; UDIA National Best Residential Project; UDIA NSW Best Masterplan Community and PIA NT Great Place Award. City of Sydney recognised Stephen as a key creative talent. He is a contributor to the City’s Cultural Policy and Resilient Sydney, part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Initiative.

As part of Sydney University’s Faculty of Architecture Stephen tutors integrated urbanism and urban design studio for Master of Urban Design. His publications include Shaping Sydney’s Squares, Liveable Centres and Making Great Places. In a previous life Stephen was based in London where he focused on major renewal projects including Birmingham’s Bullring and Sunderland’s Sunniside.

Barrie Barton - Urban Visionary & CEO, Right Angle & Golden Age Cinema

Barrie Barton is a lawyer by qualification, an entrepreneur by nature and an urban strategist by profession. He has spent most of his adult life thinking about the relationship between the places where we choose to live and the sorts of people we become as a result. In 2005, he set up Right Angle Studio: a business dedicated to understanding and improving life in cities.

At the institutional end of town, Right Angle provides strategic advice to governments, large brands and developers who want to understand what city people will need in the future and how to develop property that can meet those demands.

At the fine-grain end of town, Right Angle have started a number of notably successful businesses that they own and operate including Australia’s first ever online city guides, Melbourne’s Rooftop Cinema, Sydney’s Golden Age Cinema & Bar, and most recently The Paramount Recreation Club: a rooftop café and fitness studio that provides busy city people with a beautiful space to improve physical, mental and social health.

Barrie currently calls Sydney home but is engaged in property projects across Australia, in London, Bangkok and Johannesburg where his casual and intelligent approach to creating valuable property is yielding extraordinary results for the industry and end-users alike.