Think Summit
Australia & New Zealand

Ticky Fullerton

Award-Winning Journalist and Business Editor at Large, The Australian

Ticky Fullerton is the Business Editor of Sky News in Australia. She presents Business Weekend, the channel’s flagship business program and writes for The Australian newspaper. Ticky is an award-winning journalist and a household name in Australian business circles with over twenty years at News Corp and the ABC. Prior to journalism, Ticky spent ten years with investment bank CS First Boston in Britain and Australia. She is a director of the Australian British Chamber of Commerce and a former director of the CRC for Irrigation Futures. Ticky has a law degree from Oxford.

Ellyse Perry

Australian Sporting icon

“Youngest”, “Only”, “Best” — You don’t get very far into a description of Ellyse Perry’s career before the superlatives appear.

Not only is Ellyse the youngest ever cricketer, male or female, to have represented Australia, she is also one of very few Australians to have represented her country in two different sports, and the only person ever to have played for Australia in both cricket and football (soccer) World Cups.

No wonder Cricket Australia, not short of high achievers to draw upon, calls Ellyse “arguably the best athlete in Australia”.

Currently, the world’s top-ranked women’s all-rounder, the ever-modest Ellyse’s many accolades include being named the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in both 2017 and 2019 and three-times winning Australia’s prestigious Women’s International Cricketer of the Year (Belinda Clark Award) in 2016, 2018 and 2020.

In 2019, Ellyse became the first female outside of England to be named within the Wisden Five Cricketers of the Year and was also named the Leading Women Cricketer in the World, for the second time

Away from the field, Ellyse has been declared Australia’s most marketable athlete.

With a slew of high profile endorsements, including Adidas, Fox Sports and CommBank, Ellyse’s commercial appeal reaches far and wide.

In November 2019, Ellyse released her first non-fiction book, Perspective, which features stories and reflections from her childhood and career on the themes of dreaming, belief, work, resilience, acceptance, opportunity, balance and perseverance –and their importance in everything she has achieved.

In the same month, Facebook announced it had signed an exclusive partnership with Ellyse to be the first Australian athlete to star in their own content series, exclusive to Facebook Watch. The seven-part short-form docuseries, titled INSIGHT, provided global Facebook fans a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into Ellyse’s life during the 2019/20 season, culminating with the Women’s T20 World Cup.

The 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final was a momentous day for Ellyse and her team, winning the tournament in front of a home crowd at the MCG. To make the win even more special, the final which was held on International Women’s Day broke numerous Australian and global sporting records including the highest attended women’s sport event in Australia and the highest attended T20 cricket match, men’s or women’s, worldwide.

Ellyse began 2021 with a bang, taking out a clean sweep at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards winning all three female categories including Women’s Cricketer of the Decade, Women’s ODI Player of the Decade and Women’s T20I Player of the Decade - Perry is truly the flag bearer of women’s cricket globally.

Ellyse is a keen student of high-performance training across various sports, and an innovator who adapts what she has learned into her own training.

Her philanthropic causes include being an ambassador for the McGrath Foundation, raising awareness for breast cancer in Australia.

Michael J. Fox

Iconic Actor, Author and Advocate

Childhood
Michael J. Fox was born Michael Andrew Fox in 1961 to parents William and Phyllis in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. (He later adopted the "J" as an homage to legendary character actor Michael J. Pollard.) Fox, a self-described "Army brat," moved several times during his childhood along with his parents, brother, and three sisters. The Foxes finally planted roots in Burnaby, British Columbia (a suburb of Vancouver), when William Fox retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1971.

Career
Like most Canadian kids, Fox loved hockey and dreamed of a career in the National Hockey League. In his teens, his interests expanded. He began experimenting with creative writing and art and played guitar in a succession of rock-and-roll garage bands before ultimately realizing his affinity for acting. Fox debuted as a professional actor at 15, co-starring in the sitcom Leo and Me on Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) with future Tony Award-winner Brent Carver. Over the next three years, he juggled local theater and TV work, and landed a few roles in American TV movies shooting in Canada. When he was 18, Fox moved to Los Angeles. He had a series of bit parts, including one in CBS' short-lived (yet critically acclaimed) Alex Haley/Norman Lear series "Palmerstown USA" before winning the role of lovable conservative Alex P. Keaton on NBC's enormously popular "Family Ties" (1982-89). During Fox's seven years on "Ties," he earned three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe, making him one of the country's most prominent young actors.

Spin City reunited Fox with Family Ties creator/executive producer Gary David Goldberg. Together with Bill Lawrence, Goldberg created the series expressly for Fox, establishing it as a joint venture of Dreamworks SKG, Goldberg's UBU Productions, and Lottery Hill Entertainment (run by Fox and partner Nelle Fortenberry, now a member of the Board of Directors of The Michael J. Fox Foundation). Goldberg served as co-executive producer with Fox for Spin City's first and second seasons, and Lawrence stepped in during the third. For the fourth seasons, Rosenthal and Cadiff shared duties with Fox.

In other television work, Fox starred in Woody Allen's "Don't Drink the Water" in 1994. He directed Teri Garr and Bruno Kirby in an episode of "Tales From the Crypt" and later directed an installment of the series "Brooklyn Bridge."

Fox also had time during his busy TV work to become an international film star, appearing in over a dozen features showcasing his keen ability to shift between comedy and drama. These include the Back to the Future trilogy, The Hard Way, Doc Hollywood, The Secret of My Success, Bright Lights, Big City, Light of Day, Teen Wolf, Casualties of War, Life With Mikey, For Love or Money, The American President, Greedy, The Frighteners, and Mars Attacks! Fox married his "Family Ties" co-star, actress Tracy Pollan, in 1988. Together they have four children. Inspired to find projects that his kids would enjoy, Fox has lent his voice to a variety of hit children's films since the early 1990s. He began as Chance the dog in Disney's Homeward Bound movies. In December 1999, he provided the voice of Stuart Little for the Sony feature of the same name, and in the summer of 2001 Fox's voice was heard as that of the lead in Atlantis The Lost Empire, his first animated feature for The Walt Disney Co.

Living and working with Parkinson's disease
Though he would not share the news with the public for another seven years, Fox was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease in 1991. Upon disclosing his condition in 1998, he committed himself to the campaign for increased Parkinson's research. Fox announced his retirement from "Spin City" in January 2000, effective upon the completion of his fourth season and 100th episode. Expressing pride in the show, its talented cast, writers, and creative team, he explained that new priorities made this the right time to step away from the demands of a weekly series. Later that year he launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which the New York Times has called “the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world.” Today the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s drug development in the world, the Foundation has galvanized the search for a cure for Parkinson’s disease, and Michael is widely admired for his tireless work as a patient advocate.

In 2012 Fox announced his intention to return to full-time acting. While the announcement may have upended public expectations, Fox had spoken publicly about finding a drug cocktail that helped him control the symptoms and side effects of his Parkinson’s disease well enough to play a character with PD. In 2013, he returned to primetime network TV as Mike Henry on NBC’s “The Michael J. Fox Show.” The show, which quickly gained nationwide attention, centers on a beloved newscaster and family man who returns to work following a diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s families and Michael J. Fox Foundation supporters united around the power of optimism demonstrated by Fox’s return, hosting more than 2,000 premiere night house parties around the country to celebrate the airing of the first episode.

Fox also continued to thrill fans in his multi-episode guest arc as Lewis Canning, a devious attorney who uses his tardive dyskinesia to his clients’ advantage, in the CBS hit drama "The Good Wife" starring Julianna Margulies. In 2011, he guest starred in “Larry versus Michael J. Fox,” the season eight finale of Larry David's acclaimed HBO comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm.” In spring 2009 he portrayed embittered, drug-addicted Dwight in Denis Leary's hit FX Network drama "Rescue Me," a role that earned him his fifth Emmy Award. His 2006 recurring guest role in the ABC legal drama "Boston Legal" was nominated for an Emmy, and he appeared as Dr. Kevin Casey in the then-NBC series "Scrubs" in 2004.

Fox is the recipient of several lifetime achievement awards for accomplishments in acting, including the 2011 Hoerzu Magazine Golden Camera Award and the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters Distinguished Service Award.

Offstage
Fox also is the bestselling author of four books. His most recent memoir, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, was published on November 17, 2020. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, a compendium of wisdom for graduates, was published in April 2010. Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, published in April 2009, debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list. It was accompanied by an ABC-TV primetime special that was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Nonfiction Special; additionally, its audio recording by Fox won the 2010 Grammy award for Best Spoken Word Album, an honor for which all three books were nominated. His first book, the 2002 memoir Lucky Man, also was a New York Times and national bestseller.

Pete Ceglinski

CEO, Seabin Project

Pete Ceglinski has been around the ocean his entire life and enjoyed surfing exotic destinations around the globe.

With a background of product design combined with ten years of boat building for high-end racing yacht teams, the switch to developing a technology that both cleans the oceans, addresses science and behavioural change has proved invaluable for the development of Seabin Project and its Smart Cities focus.

Along with the development of the Seabin Project as a business, Pete is heavily involved in the technical design and development of the products. Speaking engagements include United Nations, Bangkok, TEDX Auckland, Volvo Ocean Summit Valencia and other numerous events.

Free-diving, surfing, scuba diving, stand-up paddle boarding, camping, road trips, travel, photography, art and design are just some of Pete’s interests when he has spare time.

Juggling all of the above, Pete also is a father to two wonderful boys, Koa aged 2 ½ and Ziggy aged 14 months.

Major General Susan Coyle

Head of Information Warfare, Australian Defence Force

Susan Coyle was born in Kyogle, NSW on 21 May 1970. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy she graduated from the Royal Military College in 1992 into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. She has worked at the tactical, operational and strategic level in a variety of command and staff appointments including Commander Joint Task Force 633, Commander 6th Brigade, inaugural Commander Task Group Afghanistan, and Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment.

Major General Coyle has received a Distinguished Service Medal as the Deputy Commander JTF 636 / Commander Task Group Afghanistan on Operation SLIPPER / HIGHROAD, and a Conspicuous Service Cross as the Commanding Officer 17th Signal Regiment. She holds post-graduate qualifications in a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, a Master in Organisational Development and Strategic Human Resource Management from the University of New England, and a Master of Management in Defence Studies from the University of Canberra.

Major General Coyle currently holds the appointment of Head of Information Warfare for the Australian Defence Force.

Grant Straker

Co-founder and CEO, Straker Translations

Grant Straker is the co-founder and CEO of New Zealand based company Straker Translations. Straker delivers AI driven translation solutions at scale around the world. Recently Straker was named a strategic translations partner for IBM globally. Grant is of Māori descent from the Ngāti Raukawa Iwi, a member of the NZ Institute of Directors and served as a paratrooper in the British Army before founding Straker.

Matt Ensor

Business Director in Advisory Services, Beca

Matt Ensor is a Business Director in Advisory Services at Beca. Beca is a 3,500 strong professional services firm providing design and advisory services throughout Australasia, the South Pacific and South East Asia. Matt leads the work Beca does using IBM Watson including AI tools for public consultation and engagement. Matt’s qualifications are a mix of engineering and social science, and he has worked in the field of consulting for more than 20 years.

Scott Cass-Dunbar

Chief Strategy and Investment Officer, Digital Transformation Agency

Scott was appointed as Chief Strategy Officer in June 2020. He leads Strategy and Capability Division, responsible for digital strategy, digital capability and whole-of-government architecture. Scott has more than 20 years experience working as a consultant and public servant on complex technology-enabled transformation, and developing and enabling digital strategy.

Before joining Digital Transformation Agency, Scott was a Partner in a global consultancy firm. He worked in government and private sector digital consultancies on a wide variety of digital initiatives and strategy definition.

Scott is driven by defining and delivering the digital strategy and architecture that enables digital services for Australians that are faster and simpler to use. He is passionate about driving positive change, delivering measurable outcomes and continually improving government through the use of digital, agile delivery.

Jim Whitehurst

Global President, IBM and Former CEO of Red Hat

Jim Whitehurst is the President of IBM. He is responsible for the IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software organization, and Corporate Strategy. Whitehurst is an advocate for open principles as a catalyst for business innovation. With a background in business development, finance and global operations, he has proven expertise helping companies flourish—even in the most challenging environments.

Prior to IBM, Whitehurst served as the President and CEO of Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source enterprise software solutions.

At Red Hat, Whitehurst grew its influence with key milestones—including becoming the first $1 billion revenue open source software company in 2012 and, most notably, the landmark acquisition of Red Hat by IBM for $34 billion in 2019. He has grown revenue from more than $500 million for its 2008 fiscal year to $3.4 billion for its 2019 fiscal year. Under his leadership, Red Hat was named to Forbes’ World’s Most Innovative Companies list, Fortune’s Most Admired Companies list and Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list. He was also named to Barron’s list of the World’s Best CEOs in 2018.

In 2015, Whitehurst published a book with Harvard Business Review Press entitled "The Open Organization: Igniting Passion and Performance," showing how open principles of management can help organizations navigate and succeed in a fast-paced, connected era.

At Delta Air Lines, Whitehurst drove significant global expansion and, as chief operating officer, oversaw all aspects of airline operations,from sales to strategy. He began his career at The Boston Consulting Group in 1989, where he held several corporate development leadership roles.

Katrina Troughton

Managing Director, IBM Australia and New Zealand

Starting her career at IBM in New Zealand, Katrina has since held leadership positions in A/NZ, Asia Pacific and the USA for IBM’s analytics, cloud and software businesses including more than four years as General Manager for IBM New Zealand.

Most recently, Katrina was Vice President for Enterprise and Commercial Sales for Asia Pacific where she revitalised the region’s skills agenda and led a team to deliver strong growth in IBM’s cloud, software and infrastructure business.

She also previously held the global role as Vice President for IBM’s Smarter Workforce Solutions where she worked to reform end-to-end offerings and the go-to-market strategy driving the transformation to SaaS and services solutions.

Katrina has served on a number of external boards including New Zealand Advisory Board for Global Women, and Uniservices (the commercialisation arm of Auckland University). Katrina also chaired the NZ Government Digital Strategy Advisory Board (2006 – 2008).