Event Overview
Those who think the Metaverse is a mysterious sci-fi fantasy should think again! We are now stepping into the Metaverse with so much more curiosity, and it is already creating a network effect. As the physical and digital worlds continue to merge, the metaverse concept represents a nascent potential for brands and users to connect in completely new ways. Whether its augmented or virtual reality, mirrored or virtual world or life logging there so much to explore! We can create unified, virtual communities where we can work, play, relax, transact and socialise. The Metaverse has a potential to deepen the overlap between physical and digital worlds and is an opportunity for business innovation. What has captured the imagination of tech innovators, organisations and consumers now than ever before? Is this the confluence of technologies? Do we need to be cautious? Find out more in this virtual conversation.
About AfterNext series: We all think about the present world we live in and wonder what the future will be like. We live in the now and the next, but how often do we think about what comes After Next? The AfterNext series is an inspiration for envisioning the future with fresh and distinctive perspectives. In collaboration with Trans-Tasman Business Circle, this series endeavours to inspire dialogue among leaders and organisations to drive change that will help build a more equitable and sustainable global community.
Speaker Details
Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner
Julie Inman Grant is Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. In this role, Julie leads the world’s first government regulatory agency committed to keeping its citizens safer online.
Julie has extensive experience in the non-profit and government sectors and spent two decades working in senior public policy and safety roles in the tech industry at Microsoft, Twitter and Adobe.
The Commissioner’s career began in Washington DC, working in the US Congress and the non-profit sector before taking on a role at Microsoft. Julie’s experience at Microsoft spanned 17 years, serving as one of the company’s first and longest-standing government relations professionals, ultimately in the role of Global Director for Safety and Privacy Policy and Outreach. At Twitter, she set up and drove the company’s policy, safety and philanthropy programs across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
As Commissioner, Julie plays an important global role as Chair of the Child Dignity Alliance’s Technical Working Group and as a Board Member of the WePROTECT Global Alliance. The Commissioner also serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Coalition for Digital Safety and on their XR Ecosystem Governance Steering Committee on Building and Defining the Metaverse. Under her leadership, eSafety has joined forces with the White House Gender Policy Council and Government of Denmark on the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Harassment and Abuse.
In 2021, Julie oversaw significant increases in the eSafety office’s budget, increased staffing levels and launched the global Safety by Design initiative. As Commissioner, she has led work to stand up novel and world-first regulatory regimes under the new Online Safety Act 2021, with implementation of a sweeping new set of reforms beginning on 23 January 2022. Commissioner Inman Grant was reappointed for a further 5-year term by the Australian Government in January 2022.
The Commissioner was recently named one of Australia’s most influential women by the Australian Financial Review and a leading Australian in Foreign Affairs by the Sydney Morning Herald. In 2020, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Apolitical appointed the Commissioner as one of the #Agile50, the world’s most influential leaders revolutionising government.
Nigel Dobson, Banking Services Portfolio Lead, ANZ Banking Group
Nigel Dobson is the Banking Services Lead at ANZ.
The Banking Services portfolio has responsibility for developing and implementing ANZ’s payment platform strategy, supporting the enterprise and our partners. This includes a number of enterprise functions including build, run and operate across the banks payments services in 32 countries. Nigel manages development and operations teams in Melbourne, Singapore, Bengaluru and Chengdu and is also responsible for the Wholesale Digital team who are dedicated to delivering digital channels and integration services for the Institutional Bank.
Banking Services is also responsible for delivering ANZ’s response to Open Banking in Australia and shaping our business services strategy to meet the demands of an open data economy.
Nigel also leads the banks Digital Asset Services strategy and associated activities, including fostering partnerships and industry pilots. Nigel is currently Chair of Lygon 1B, a digital bank guarantee start-up, a Director of the New Payments Platform (NPPA) in Australia and a Director of the Australian Payments Council (APC) and is a Fellow of Blockchain Australia.
Prior to this role, Nigel spent 4 years in senior Transaction Banking roles at ANZ, including Global Head of Payments and Cash Management and Global Head of Transaction Banking Products.
Nigel joined ANZ in July 2009 from Citi in Hong Kong where he was Regional Head of Trade and Transaction Services. Nigel had spent a total of 19 years at Citi in various senior Markets and Transaction Services roles in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Nigel has a Bachelor of Economics from Victoria University, New Zealand.
Sarah Sorrenson, Media & Digital Hub Director, Unilever ANZ
Sarah is an experienced media & digital leader with expertise in senior roles both within agencies and marketing-led organisations such as Coca-Cola, Diageo & currently at Unilever. She is passionate about driving successful collaborations that create exciting work and deliver business results.
Sarah is responsible for the total paid digital and media investment and the owned digital assets across the brand portfolio. She plays an active hands-on leadership role in all campaigns and rigorously manage the overall media budget.
Sarah enjoys working closely with Brand teams, Agency Partners and Senior stakeholders to inspire excellence and is proud to have been involved in many award-winning campaigns.
Skills and Experience include:-
Strategic Planning, Media Management, Budget Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Advertising, Digital, Operational Effectiveness, Financial Management, Process Improvements, Change Management, Collaboration, Cross-Functional Team Management
Prof. Sally Eaves, Chair of Cyber Trust and Senior Policy Advisor for the Global Foundation of Cyber Studies and Research
Prof. Sally Eaves is Chair of Cyber Trust and Senior Policy Advisor for the Global Foundation of Cyber Studies and Research. Described as the ‘torchbearer for ethical tech’ she is the inaugural recipient of the Frontier Technology and Social Impact Award, presented at the United Nations. A Chief Technology Officer by background, and now Professor in Advanced Technologies and a Global Strategic Advisor across Emergent Technologies, Sally is an award winning International Author, MC, Keynote Speaker and Thought Leader on Digital Transformation (AI, 5G, Cyber Security, Cloud, Blockchain, Governance, IoT, Data Science) alongside Culture, Skills, DEI, Sustainability and Social Impact.
Sally educates and mentors actively to support the next generation of tech talent and has founded Aspirational Futures to enhance inclusion, diversity and equality in education and technology, with her latest book on ‘Tech For Good’ set to be released in 2022. Sally is consistently recognised for global influence in the technology space by leading bodies such as Onalytica, appearing in the top 10 worldwide across multiple disciplines from AI to 5G to Sustainability and beyond.
