Kim McConnie

Group Executive Marketing, Tourism and Events Queensland

The CMO role is being rewired, and Kim McConnie is navigating that shift from one of the most competitive arenas in global marketing. With more than 25 years across sports marketing, sponsorship, broadcasting and streaming, she has held senior roles with PepsiCo, led the Big Bash Leagues, and helped scale Kayo Sports to nearly 1.5 million subscribers as Director of Marketing.

Now Group Executive Marketing at Tourism and Events Queensland, Kim leads one of Australia’s most globally recognised destination brands at the intersection of brand, experience and growth. In her session, she’ll explore how brand and performance work together as a commercial multiplier, how agentic AI and Generative Engine Optimisation are reshaping discoverability, and what it takes to build the evidence boards actually act on.

See Kim's full bio here.

Mitch Wallis

Psychology Thought Leader & Connection Expert

AI may change how marketing works. EQ will define how its leaders lead.

Mitch Wallis is a psychology thought leader and connection expert who explores what it takes to lead people in an increasingly complex, high-pressure world. As the founder of Real Conversations®, his work has helped leaders across more than 200 organisations build stronger relationships, trust and psychological safety, with clients including American Express, KPMG, Allianz and Google. In his session, he'll explore the human side of high performance and what it takes to build connected, resilient teams that can do their best work under pressure.

See Mitch's full bio here.

Jeremy Lee

Head of Middle East and South Asia, POP MART

POP MART hasn't just built a customer base. It's built a global community of fans. Jeremy Lee led the brand's expansion across Southeast Asia, growing its presence to more than 40 stores across six markets, and now oversees commercial expansion across the Middle East and South Asia. Drawing on experience with POP MART, LEGO Group, Johnson & Johnson and Nestlé, he'll share how brands can build loyalty, community and cultural relevance in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

See Jeremy's full bio here.

Aarron Spinley

Fellow, Field Bell Institute

Modern marketing is rich with tools, but often poor in understanding where customers, technology and commercial value truly intersect. Aarron Spinley has built his career challenging that gap, bringing sharp behavioural insight and academic rigour to the assumptions that shape customer experience, loyalty and growth.

A Fellow at the Field Bell Institute, Aarron is a trained marketer whose 30-year career spans customer science, strategy, technology and transformation. He is the author of the Institute’s core text and has been featured by Forbes, ZDNet, CMO, Mumbrella and Mi3. Known for his evidence-based approach and highly regarded teaching, Aarron brings a provocative perspective to one of marketing’s most untapped opportunities—what it really takes to align commercial outcomes with how customers decide, engage and stay loyal.

See Aarron's full bio here.