Keynote Speakers

Rae Johnston
Multi-award-winning
STEM journalist and broadcaster

Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen
Founder & CEO Tech Girls Movement Foundation

Dr Charlotte Keating
Psychologist, PhD in neuroscience

Dr Catherine Ball
Co-Creator, World Of Drones Congress

Rae Johnston

Rae Johnston is a multi-award-winning journalist with a focus on the geekier side of life. The first Science & Technology Editor for NITV at SBS, her work appears across television, radio, podcasts and online. Previously, Rae was the first female editor of Gizmodo Australia, and the first Indigenous editor of Junkee.

A leading commentator on all things technology, science and pop culture, Rae has worked with every major television and radio network in Australia at some stage of her decade-long career. Today, she makes regular appearances across SBS, ABC and Network Ten.

Rae’s work has seen her awarded the Lighting The Way prize for advocacy and support of the Australian games industry at the Australian Game Developer Awards. The Australian Games Awards named her both Journalist of the Year (2018) and The Gamechanger – awarded for challenging the negative misconceptions about video games throughout her career.

Rae is a proud Wiradjuri woman who was born and raised on Dharug and Gundungurra country in Western Sydney. Becoming a single teenage Mum fuelled her to follow her passions and show her son how to achieve your dreams. He’s now 19, and only a few games away from ranking Immortal in Valorant.

Working in casual minimum wage hospitality jobs for 15 years, sometimes three at once, Rae hustled hard for opportunities in media. After a decade of freelancing, in 2013 she got her first full-time job as the Lifestyle Editor of Techlife. She hasn’t looked back since.

Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen

Dr. Jenine Beekhuyzen is a futurist who believes existing structures in the technology industry must change in order to serve tomorrow’s digital landscape, and that our children’s future job prospects depend on it.

Her focus is on leadership, innovation, and education to champion Australian tech entrepreneurship, and address the necessary rebalancing of gender roles within the traditionally male-dominated STEM space.

In 2020 Jenine was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her service to information technology, and to women.

Dr Charlotte Keating

Dr Charlotte Keating is a psychologist, with a PhD in neuroscience, specialising in adolescents and executives. She is a passionate advocate for mental health, particularly for young people. Charlotte is a Member of the Australian Psychological Society and an Associate Member of the College of Clinical Psychologists.

She is uniquely placed as a result of her expertise in psychology and neuroscience to understand the needs of young people and adults and effectively communicate about them as a media personality, psychologist and researcher.

Charlotte is an insightful, compassionate and engaging presenter. Her scientific understanding of how the brain behaves enables her to provide accessible, intriguing insights into why we respond as we do as humans, that truly resonates with audiences.

Dr Catherine Ball

Associate Professor, Dr Catherine Ball is a scientific futurist, speaker, advisor, author, founder, executive producer, executive director, and company director working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. Catherine also likes to create businesses and champion movements, collaborate with peers, and advise game-changers.

A sought-after voice across the start-up, futurist and tech world, Catherine works globally across a wide range of projects from creating documentaries and world-leading conferences and events, to advising on the use of novel approaches (e.g. drones) across environmental and humanitarian projects. Catherine is a proponent of community engagement with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and likes to demystify emerging tech.

Having been called a ‘social architect’, Catherine likes to connect people from different backgrounds across common themes. A champion of diversity and inclusion, Catherine believes we need points of difference to truly innovate and curate the changes we want to see in the world. Working to protect the natural environment and empowering all members of society through mutual education are core aspects of the projects Catherine chooses to spend her time and energy on.

Catherine continues to support Australia as being the world leader in the advancement of ethically driven technological applications. Industry 5.0 is emerging; with society and community at the heart of how we operate and curate emerging trends and capabilities.

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