Thriving Through Change: Talent, Technology, and the Future Workforce
Date: 12 November 2026
Location: The Promenade Docklands, Suite 2, Level 1/78 Newquay Promenade, Docklands, Melbourne, VIC 3008
Headline Sponsor
Headline Technology Sponsor
After the incredible success of the IEP Summit Australia 2025, we’re back for our third year: bigger, bolder, and more impactful than ever.
This is an ‘anti-conference’. It’s a high-energy, future-focused experience that brings together the brightest minds in employability for real conversations, actionable insights, and powerful connections.
Why Attend?
- Connect with top industry leaders and forward-thinking peers
- Explore cutting-edge policy, practice, and innovation
- Advance your career with insights you can act on
- Influence the future of employability in Australia
More Than Just Seminars
The IEP Summit Australia is not just another sector event; it’s a unique opportunity for sector leaders and key figures to connect, discuss, and share best practice. The Summit offers a unique blend of formal seminars and informal networking sessions, creating an environment conducive to meaningful conversations and the forging of valuable connections.
Bridging Borders in Employability
Building on the success of the past two years, the IEP Summit Australia 2026 is committed to promoting global collaboration. The Summit aims to maximise engagement from our international colleagues and partners, ensuring a diverse range of voices and perspectives to shape the future of employability.
Shaping the Future of Employability
The IEP Summit Australia is not just a gathering; it’s a platform for sector professionals to discuss, debate, and shape the strategic agenda of the employability sector. It provides a space for learning from experienced colleagues, offering insights and solutions to the challenges facing the sector now and in the future.
Your Opportunity to Contribute
The IEP Summit Australia is for anyone passionate about employability services, policy, and strategy. It offers a unique chance to have your say, contribute to the sector’s growth, build new business opportunities, and partner with like-minded individuals. By participating, you actively contribute to the development of effective practices that benefit both practitioners and participants.
What's On the Agenda
☀️☕ Coffee, Tea and Networking | 9.15AM
🎤 Welcome and Introduction | 9.45AM
Speakers: Zac Ashkanasy FIEP and Scott Parkin FIEP
🗣️ Session 1: The Changing Face of a Candidate | 10AM
Speaker: Bernard Salt AM (The Demographics Group) | Followed by IEP Fellows Panel
Best selling author and one of Australia’s leading social commentators, Bernard Salt, sets the scene on Australia’s shifting workforce, followed by a panel on the pressures facing young people, the rise of mature-age participation, and what genuine workforce inclusion looks like — with perspectives spanning youth, mature-age employment and neurodiversity.
☕ Morning Tea Break | 11.30AM
🔥 Session 2: The Changing Nature of Recruitment | 11.45AM
Speakers: Julie Watkins (UniSuper) & Jodie Haydon (Regis Aged Care) | Followed by IEP Fellows Panel
A discussion on how recruitment is evolving to meet the changing needs and expectations of candidates. Topics include AI in hiring, skills versus qualifications, inclusive recruitment practices, and the retention challenges facing the employability sectors. Expect diverse perspectives on balancing traditional HR approaches with emerging workforce trends.
🍱 Lunch | 1.15PM
💙 Session 3 – What Happens When You Have No Dedicated HR Function | 2PM
Speaker: Rasmus Rossi FIEP (Kontakt – Arenakoncernen) | Followed by IEP Fellows Panel
Recruitment is undergoing a fundamental shift, and Rasmus believes this should also make us question one of the most established assumptions in modern organisations: should recruitment and skills assessment primarily be an HR responsibility?
☕ Afternoon Tea Break | 3.30PM
🛠️ Session 4: Skills, Competencies & Professionalisation | 3.45PM
Speaker: Beth Bundy (Swinburne University)
A hands-on session built on IEP’s latest skills gaps research. Your input here will directly feed into IEP’s ongoing work defining core competencies for the profession — a genuine chance to help shape where this industry is headed.
🥂🍻 Pre-Dinner Drinks | 5.30PM
🌉🥘 Networking Dinner and Awards | 6:15pm – 10PM
An evening of dinner (all inclusive), light entertainment, and the Fellow of the Year toast — hosted by a distinguished cybersecurity leader whose identity stays under Chatham House Rules until the night itself.
Meet the Speakers
Bernard Salt AM | The Demographics Group
One of Australia’s leading social commentators, Bernard is a best-selling author of six books, TV host, and podcaster who has spent 20+ years decoding the demographic and social trends shaping Australian life and work. After two decades as a partner at a global advisory firm, he founded The Demographics Group. A columnist with The Australian for over 20 years and an AM recipient, Bernard is the mind behind viral concepts like the “goat’s cheese curtain” — and the person who put “smashed avocado” on the world’s radar.
“I am so looking forward to the IEP Summit in Melbourne. I will be talking about jobs on the rise, the impact of AI, and the changing nature of work including the role of WFH, the coming of the 4-day week, and the challenges of managing mental health concerns in the workforce.
“Now is the time for big, bold thinking not just about work but the way of life we want to build and bequeath to the next generation of workers.
“And, if you do come along, make sure you come up and say hello!”
Julie Watkins | Chief People Officer, UniSuper
As the Chief People Officer at UniSuper, Julie has over 25 years of HR experience in various sectors including financial services, healthcare, consumer goods and professional services across Multinational, Asia Pacific and Australia.
Julie is passionate about developing future leaders, and creating a work environment where employees can do their best and be themselves. She has a reputation for delivering HR initiatives that is anchored in the business strategy. She is a straight shooter, an advocate for change and is driven by seeing the Fund and their members prosper.
She is accredited with the Australian Institute of Company Directors, has a Bachelor of Business and a Graduate Diploma of Business (Major: Organisation Development), both from Monash.
Jodie Haydon | Chief People Officer, Regis Aged Care
Jodie commenced with Regis in August 2024 and oversees talent acquisition, employee engagement, learning and development, employee relations and workplace health and safety.
She has vast experience in human resources and people management, with a proven track record in executive management and senior leadership roles at Shell, Viva Energy Australia and Energy Australia.
Jodie holds a Bachelor of Economics and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also a Non-Executive Director at Afford Disability Services.
Rasmus Rossi FIEP | Kontakt - Arenakoncernen
Rasmus is a Swedish entrepreneur and education innovator with 25+ years at the intersection of employability, adult education and digital transformation, Rasmus previously led one of Sweden’s largest employment services organisations. He’s a vocal challenger of conventional HR thinking, arguing that people leadership belongs with managers, not a separate function. Now Co-Founder of ScaleApp Education, he explores how AI can amplify — not replace — human potential in learning and work.
“I’m particularly looking forward to comparing the Australian experience with what we are seeing in Sweden, the Nordic countries and Europe more broadly. Many of the challenges are remarkably similar: employers reporting skills shortages while significant groups remain outside the labour market, rapidly changing skills requirements, demographic change and the growing impact of AI. Yet countries have chosen very different ways of organising employment services and working with providers.
“The most valuable part of an international Summit is therefore not simply sharing success stories. It is being able to compare systems honestly, understand what has actually produced measurable results, and take those lessons back into our own markets. I’m also very interested in the professionalisation of the employability workforce and how we can strengthen the skills, methods and status of the people who work every day to help others into sustainable employment.”
Beth Bundy | Swinburne University
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