Small Business Expo 2023 - Docklands | Australian Business Forum (ABF) | 23 May 2023 | Marvel Stadium, 740 Bourke St, Docklands VIC 3008, Australia

This event is a major business-to-business expo. Our mission is to help small and medium businesses to engage, connect, and grow.

More than ever SMEs face increased competition, the ability to adapt to a rapidly changing market demand, technological and business innovation updates, and the ongoing need to review the latest trends, solutions and business opportunities.

This expo servers as a high-profile event-media platform for SMEs to showcase products and services, network, forge new business opportunities and grow their business.

2023 Speakers

Sally Capp
The Lord Mayor of Melbourne, City of Melbourne

Lynda McAlary-Smith
Victorian Small Business Commissioner

Bruce Billson
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, ASBFEO

George Feast
Deputy Director, SME Connect, CSIRO

Bree Petherbridge
Digital Transformation Specialist, Enterprise, Salesforce

Dan Ferguson
CMO, Adore Beauty

Colleen Callander
Former award winning CEO of Sportsgirl & Author of Leader by Design

William Mailer
Chief Behavioural Scientist, Commonwealth Bank

Caroline North
Market Research Manager, SEEK

Harish Vellat
Executive Director – Small, Medium & Corporate Business, Microsoft ANZ

Amanda Johnstone
Founding CEO, Transhuman

Dr Natassia Goode
Program Manager, Manual Handling, WorkSafe Victoria

Jason Murrell
Group Executive, AustCyber

Carolyn Breeze
CEO, Scalare Partners

Stephen Wu
Economist, Commonwealth Bank

Jane Thomson
General Manager Corporate Finance and ESG, Major Client Group, Business Banking, Commonwealth Bank

Liz Huxley
General Manager, Working Capital, Commonwealth Bank

Melanie Timbrell
Acting Executive Manager, Security Education and Outreach, Commonwealth Bank

Dean Salakas
Chief Party Dude, The Party People

Sarah Hadj
People Programs Manager, Mr Yum

Kim Hughes
General Manager, Digital & Transformation, Commonwealth Bank

Justus Hammer
Co-Founder, Group Chief Executive Officer, & Executive Director, Mad Paws

Geoffroy Henry
Founder & CEO, Ofload

Vincent Nair
CEO, SMARTECH Business Systems

Nadine Freitag
People & Culture Manager, BGL Corporate Solutions

Michael Breedon
Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO

Emily Bobis
Co-Founder, Compass IoT

Shira Levine
Chief Community Officer Australia, Nextdoor

Trent Barnes
Chief Innovation Officer, Zerocap

Di Newell
General Manager - Real Time Payments, Commonwealth Bank

Benjemen Elengovan
Founder & CEO, MyGigsters

Melissa Giles
VP, Learning & Organisational Development, Culture Amp

Elizabeth Gould
Best Selling Author, Entrepreneur & Success Coach, Zuckerberg Institute

Tegan Gilchrist
Director - Marketing and Digital, 89 Degrees East

Bridget Carmady
Director, Clémence Organics

Nick Kumaran
Managing Director - Australia & New Zealand, Accubits Technologies

Meena Wahi
Director & Insurance Specialist, Cyber Data-Risk Managers

Peter Strohkorb
Founder, Peter Strohkorb Sales Advisory

Tim Griffiths
Partner, Scalare Partners

Amal Wakim
CEO & Co-Founder, Equalution

Rebekah Murphy
Chief Experience Officer, Hub Australia

Mike Halligan
Co-Founder, Scratch Dog Food

Darren Pauli
Senior Project Specialist, Telstra

Zhoe Low
Global General Manager, July

Regan Bunny
General Manager & Human Resources, AFL Players’ Association

Trudy Bownds
National Procurement Manager, Total Hardware

Lucy Lin
Founder & CMO, Forestlyn

Jessica Sciberras
Financial Controller, Peter Stoitse Transport

Chris Montgomery
Assistant Director, Business Industry and Regional Outreach VIC/TAS, Immigration Group, Department of Home Affairs

Karen Katz
Director, KK Consulting Melbourne

Venkatesh Kanchan
Director, BroadWeb Digital

Sara Sutton
General Manager Small Business, Commonwealth Bank

Michael Ermer
General Manager, Boost

Renee Francis
Founder & Director, The Bubble Co.

Xavier O’Malley
Cyber and Infrastructure Security Outreach Officer, Department of Home Affairs

Krunal Panchal
CEO, Groovy Web

Caleb Harward
Senior SEO Specialist, Studiohawk

Amy Morgan
Executive Manager Small Business Banking, Commonwealth Bank

Dennis Midgley
Sales & Service Operations Manager, SEEK Business

Ben Ford
Head of Growth, Frollo

Ashesh Jalota
Senior Associate, Blue Rock Law

Alyssa Herr
Editor, Small Business Connections & Co-Host ABF Vision , Small Business Connections

Hollie Thistlewood
Head of GTM & Commercialisation, Products & Solutions Australia, New Zealand, and South Pacific, Visa

Lucia Vuong
Head of SEEK Business, SEEK Business

Dr Nataliya Ilyushina
Research Fellow, Blockchain Innovation Hub RMIT University

Sonja Bernhardt OAM
Serial technology entrepreneur - Founder of ThoughtWare, Women in Technology, WIT

Scott McCartney
Chief Executive Officer, Kinaway - The Victorian Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce

Malcolm Calder
Enterprise Business Development Manager, Waterman Workspaces

Farzin Hesari
Managing Director, LINK Business Brokers

Gavin Morse
Senior People Scientist, Culture Amp

Jade Spooner
Co-Founder & Director, Big Uppetite

Maddie Campbell
Customer Success Coach, Culture Amp

Matthew Addison
Director & Chair, COSBOA

Grant Cairns
Executive General Manager, Business Lending, Commonwealth Bank

Holly Foster
Senior Culture Enablement Partner, Culture Amp

Mark Oliver
Managing Director, PALO IT

Kerryn Saward
General Manager Commercial Transaction Products and Growth, Commonwealth Bank

Karen Cohen
Founder, Emerging Tech Talent & Founder & AlgoHUB.io

Giovanni Pino
Co-Founder & CEO, Sourci

Alex Kain
CEO, Human Pixel

Allana Smith
Senior Associate, Gilchrist Connell

String Nguyen
CEO, Chubbiverse

Sara Pantaleo
Founder, Affari SP

Tiziana Bianco
Head of Product & Solutions for Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific, Visa

Iolanthe Gabrie
Director, Ruby Assembly

Ryan Jones
Managing Consultant, Hyperception

Jessica Wilson
Co-Founder, Women Making Waves

Katrina Murdoch
Account Executive, Culture Amp

Libby Briggs
Project Manager, Scale Investors

Vivienne Ryan
Co-Founder & Director, Gravia Media

Vikki Maver
Founder & Strategic Director, Refresh Marketing

Franz Munnich
Solution Sales Director, Cloud Factory Solutions

Bill Nikolouzakis
Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach & Entrepreneur, Levels Growth Consultants

Tim Smith
National Membership Manager, Family Business Association

Thomas Bligh
Grants Development Consultant, Grants Office Australia

Susan Brown
Partner, Deloitte Digital

Trena Blair
Founder & CEO, FD Global Connections

Ron Gounder
Head of Customer and Partner Lifecycle, Wiise

Andreas Rey
Sustainability & Public Affairs Manager, Neste

Brad Daffy
Partner, Intelligent Automation, Low Code & AI - Data & Cloud, KPMG

2023 Sponsors and Partners

NAMING SPONSOR:
• Commonwealth Bank

EVENT SPONSORS:
• Visa
• Culture Amp
• Wiise

TECH PARTNER:
• HP

EVENT SUPPORTERS:
• Microsoft
• CSIRO
• ASBFEO
• Australian Government Department of Home Affairs
• Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre
• Australian Government IP Australia
• AustCyber
• Small Business Organisations Australia
• Cyber Wardens
• SBMS
• Emerging Tech Talent
• Work Safe Australia
• Startup Victoria
• Human Pixel
• Employment Hero

PREFERRED PARTNERS:
• Good Things
• Hamper World
• Levella
• URL Networks
• Speedy
• Etainment

PREFERRED ACCOMMODATION PARTNER:
• Peppers Docklands Melbourne

SMS PARTNER:
• Message Media