Kate Torney - CEO, State Library Victoria

Kate Torney was announced as the new Chief Executive Officer of the State Library of Victoria in July 2015. State Library Victoria is Victoria’s oldest cultural institution and Australia’s busiest public library with around 1.8 million visitors each year and 3.3 million visits online.

Kate joins the Library as it embarks on an exciting period of transformation, overseeing its evolution into an innovative contemporary centre for knowledge, learning and culture.  This includes a five-year, $83 million redevelopment projecting building new facilities and function spaces, including a centre for digital media, an e-Town Hall featuring emerging communication technologies, a centre for entrepreneurship and new education, learning and exhibition spaces.

From April 2009 Kate was Director of News at the ABC, leading 1400 journalists and production staff around Australia and in 11 international bureaus. Kate was a member of the ABC’s executive leadership team and reported to the Managing Director. She managed a $200 million divisional budget.  

ABC News produces scheduled radio and television news bulletins as well as continuous news coverage through ABC News Digital, News Radio and ABC News 24. Its stable of television and radio current affairs programs includes Four Corners, 7.30, AM and PM, Australian Story, and Foreign Correspondent. Kate was also responsible for the Asia Pacific News Centre, which produces news bulletins and specialist programs for the ABC’s international services.   

Kate led the News Division through a period of transformational change in the global news industry, expanding the national broadcaster’s news services with the launch and growth of News 24 and the rapid expansion of the ABC’s online and mobile news services. As a result, ABC News is now at the forefront of innovation in digital news delivery, with cross-platform news teams including ABC Fact Check and an interactive digital storytelling unit. Under Kate’s leadership, ABC News climbed from 15th to third place in the digital news marketplace. 

Before taking up the position of Director of News Kate was head of the Asia Pacific News Centre. She previously worked as a reporter, producer, executive producer and editor. 

Martin Hosking - CEO and co-founder, Redbubble

Martin is one of the original founders of Redbubble and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. A creative writer at heart, he started the company in 2006 after he identified a market opportunity for artists to share their creative work with the world in an online marketplace. Martin's mission is to make authentic art and design available to everyone, creating a global platform for artists and designers to sell their work more easily and more often. Under Martin's leadership, Redbubble has become one of the world's largest and most diverse online marketplaces, selling work from over 225,000 artists printed on t-shirts, hoodies, canvas prints, posters, stickers, iPhone cases and more. He has in-depth knowledge of the Internet and e-commerce and a love of art. Martin has spent the last six years growing RB globally, crafting the vision and charting the future. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Martin has over 15 years of international management experience with high-growth technology companies. He started his career as a diplomat in Egypt and Syria before joining McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm serving clients focusing on emerging technologies. He received his Master's in Business Administration from the University of Melbourne. Martin's personal interests include writing poems and prose as well as plumbing, welding, home electrics and the general tasks required to keep his small farm in the hills working. His favorite artists on Redbubble include GloveBox, Mel Brackstone, Paul Vanzella, Karin Taylor, Puddin Don't, Chris Wahl, thickblackoutline and Paul Villani.

Karen Skinner - Country Director, Change.org

Karen is a social movement leader, campaign strategist, innovator and thought leader on digital and offline campaigning.

She’s also a regular media commentator on issues including the future of democracy, innovation in campaigning and protest, combatting political disillusionment, empowering the voiceless and the triumph of people power. Karen has featured most recently in the Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, ABC News and Lateline

In 2012 Karen led the launch of Change.org in Australia. She has grown the user base to 3.6 million meaning one in seven Australians have now signed or started a Change.org petition. A petition now wins a victory every 24 hours in Australia. Karen has empowered petition starters to decriminalise medicinal cannabis, get domestic violence prevention lessons in schools and cap credit card surcharges.

Always at the forefront of campaign innovation, Karen has more than 15 years experience in leading union, political and social issue campaigns across Australia and New Zealand. In the past, that has included serving as the National Student President for the New Zealand University Students’ Association, several campaign roles within Australia's leading unions, a marginal seat campaign manager and the National Coordinator for the 'Say Yes' carbon price campaign.

Simon Cronshaw - Co-Founder, REMIX Summits

Cultural entrepreneur & Co-founder of REMIX Summits - further details and full bio →