Dr Catherine Ball 

Adjunct Professor, Dr Catherine Ball is an award-winning, company director, bestselling author and futurist working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. 
Working to protect the natural environment and empowering all members of society through mutual education and respect are core aspects of her chosen projects.
As well as supporting start-ups and leaders from all generations across the globe; Catherine is particularly passionate about social mobility and equity. 
Catherine is proud to be an advisor to a broad range of enterprises and philanthropic organisations including being an XPRIZE visioneer and member of their Global Brains Trust. Catherine is also proud to be a member of Australia’s Robotics Advisory Council, and an advocate for xFoundry, supporting the NEXPLORE2040 series of global conferences. Catherine holds a BSc Honours (Environmental Protection), a PhD (Spatial Ecology, Descriptive and Predictive Statistics) both from the University of Newcastle- upon-Tyne in the UK, and recently was awarded a DSc (Doctor of Science Honoris Causa) from Worcester Polytechnic in Massachusetts, USA. Catherine operates globally with headquarters in Singapore, London and Sydney. 

Dr Jonathan Reichental 

Dr Jonathan Reichental is the founder of Human Future, a global business and technology advisory, investment, and education firm. Previous roles have included senior software engineering manager, director of technology innovation, and he has served as chief information officer at both O’Reilly Media and the City of Palo Alto, California. In 2013 he was recognized as one of the 25 doers, dreamers, and drivers in government in America. In 2016, he was named a top influential CIO in the United States and in 2017, he was named one of the top 100 CIOs in the world. He has also won a best CIO in Silicon Valley award and a national IT leadership prize. Reichental is a recognized global thought leader on a number of emerging trends including urban innovation, smart cities, sustainability, blockchain technology, data governance, the fourth industrial revolution, and digital transformation. He holds several degrees including a Ph.D. in Information Systems. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Management at the University of San Francisco and instructs at several other universities. Reichental regularly creates online video courses for LinkedIn Learning and Coursera. Reichental is a popular global keynote speaker and writer. He writes for Forbes and has published many books including: Smart Cities for Dummies, Exploring Smart Cities Activity Book for Kids, and Data Governance for Dummies. 

Our CEO panel topic is 'The Future of Local Government: Ready or Not?'. We will explore a broad range of topics from Ai, LG working conditions, Importance of cyber security and emerging technologies. Hosted by Dr Jonathan Reichental. 

Jacqui Weatherill, CEO City of Greater Dandenong 
Jacqui Weatherill is an accomplished public sector leader with over 20 years of senior executive experience in not-for-profits, local government, and the broader public sector. Currently, Jacqui is the Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Dandenong City Council, where she has been leading since 2022. She is an energetic and visionary senior executive with a passion for positively influencing organisational leadership and corporate culture to achieve enterprise-wide transformation and change. Jacqui has held Board and Executive roles across Local Government, State Government, and the Not for ProfitSector. She is deeply committed to working with diverse communities and making a meaningful difference.Jacqui is also dedicated to promoting community health and wellbeing. Her work in this area is driven by a belief in the importance of supporting healthy, thriving communities through accessible and inclusive health programs. In 2017, Jacqui was honoured to be named one of the Top 50 public sector women in Victoria. Jacqui's qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts, a Graduate Diploma in Sports Science, a Masters in Business Administration, and she is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Sam Johnson OAM, CEO City of Launceston 
Sam Johnson OAM is the Chief Executive Officer of the City of Launceston and a nationally recognised local government leader with two decades of experience spanning local government, community leadership, and corporate banking. Sam has served the sector as a Councillor, Mayor, and Chief Executive across regional and metropolitan councils in South Australia and Tasmania, giving him a deep, lived understanding of governance, service delivery, and the evolving expectations placed on councils and their workforces. In his current role, Sam is leading major organisational reform focused on sustainability, capability, and culture, including positioning the City of Launceston as Australia’s first council to implement a genuine four day working week, embedding productivity, wellbeing, and attraction and retention at the centre of workforce design. Sam holds numerous formal qualifications, with a strong emphasis on local government, leadership, governance, and management. He is a recent graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he completed executive education focused on public leadership, organisational performance, and leading reform in complex systems. Sam is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and brings deep financial and commercial acumen shaped by his earlier career in corporate banking. Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for distinguished service to local government and regional communities, Sam is known for his collaborative, reform driven leadership style and his strong advocacy for innovation, fairness, and future fit local government. He brings a practical, evidence-based lens to the challenges and opportunities shaping the future council workforce, making him a compelling contributor to today’s discussion.

Ali Wastie, CEO City of Greater Geelong 
With degrees in Arts, Education and holding a Masters of Diplomacy and Trade, Ali has held executive positions within the Victorian Public Service and Local Government in Victoria.
She is the CEO of the City of Greater Geelong, Australia’s premier regional city and one of the largest and fastest growing municipalities in the country.  She is Chair of Alpine Resorts Victoria and the Independent Chair of the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds. 
Ali is known for creating high performing organisations and improving workplace culture by placing employees and community at the core of all decision making. Her ability to authentically connect and build sustainable partnerships is key to her success and her inclusive leadership style.

Gail Gatt, CEO Horsham Rural Shire Council 
Horsham Rural City Council welcomed Gail Gatt as its new Chief Executive Officer in May 2025. 
Gail Gatt brings a wealth of experience in local government leadership, having held senior roles across regional Victoria.
Previously, she served as General Manager Strategy and Effectiveness at Surf Coast Shire, led key portfolios at Latrobe City Council and also worked at Wellington Shire Council.
As CEO, Ms Gatt leads the organisation’s day-to-day operations and works with Councillors to implement policy and deliver services that are consistent with the Council Plan.

Council Case Studies 

Shane Conserdyne, Geospatial & Data Manager City of Newcastle 

Data Strategy & Governance journey  

Emma Hatch, Centre Services Coordinator, Maribyrnong City Council Aquatics Centre 

AI in action at the MAC 

Cosimo Cirillo, Application and Integration Specialist, Mildura Rural City Council 

Process first, Technology second 

Bruce Eaton, GIS Coordinator Mildura Rural City Council 

Process first, Technology second 

Andrew Downie, Manager ICT and Digital Transformation Golden Plans Shire Council 
Andrew is a digital transformation leader with over 25 years’ experience helping organisations get real value from technology. As Manager ICT and Digital Transformation at Golden Plains Shire Council, he delivers practical initiatives that improve services and outcomes for the community.Andrew has previously held senior technology roles in Local Government and as a Consulting Practice Manager across the APAC region for a multinational software company.He’s known for his pragmatic, down-to-earth approach, focusing on what works and helping organisations successfully navigate change.

Alison Edwards, Team Leader Information management Cardinia Shire Council 

Workshops

Artificial Intelligence & Data Workshops 

Customer and Process Workshops

 
Lisa Ippolito, AI Enablement Lead
Whitehorse City Council 
Lisa is the AI Enablement Lead at Whitehorse City Council, where she’s focused on making local government work smarter, faster, and more purposefully. With deep expertise in process improvement and digital transformation, she’s now applying that same mindset to the possibilities of AI. Lisa is driven to find practical, real-world applications that councils can trial, tailor, and embed. Her approach is grounded in hands-on experimentation, strong collaboration and a firm belief that AI must be used responsibly, ethically and safely, while also being accessible and tailored to the needs of the public sector.


David Hansen, Technology Change Manager Whitehorse City Council 
David Hansen is a strategic advisor and organisational transformation specialist with extensive experience driving innovation and change across complex public sector organisations. Previously a consultant at both KPMG and PwC, David has partnered with senior leaders in government agencies, ASX-listed companies and major public institutions on workforce strategy, organisational development and technology-enabled transformation with a focus on human-centred design and sustainable change.

Justin Daly, Emerging Technologies Lead, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Justin leads the Emerging Technologies function at Mornington Peninsula Shire, where he runs AI strategy, governance, and implementation across the organisation. He took the role in November 2024 to scale work he had already been doing, implementing MPS's Responsible Use of GenAI Guidelines in early 2024, complementing organisation-wide GenAI training for 350+ staff, and securing Executive and Councillor endorsement of the approach.  Beyond MPS, Justin co-convenes the LGPro AI Enablement SIG, co-leads ALGIM Australia's AI, Web & Digital group, and sits on the MAV AI Taskforce, and has presented on local government AI at LGITSA, MAV Conference, and the Microsoft AI Tour. He is interested in the questions the sector tends to skip past: privacy in an agentic context, custodianship of organisational knowledge, and the difference between building in-house judgement and renting it from vendors.

Josh Bearup, Emerging Technologies Officer, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council 
Josh is the Emerging Technologies Officer at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, where he drives the design and delivery of AI initiatives across the organisation. His work spans building agentic solutions tailored to specific business areas, training staff to use AI and emerging technologies safely and responsibly, and assessing the opportunities and risks AI presents to local government. Before joining the Shire, Josh delivered cybersecurity initiatives at the Department of Government Services, bringing a governance-first mindset to his current work. He is particularly focused on how local councils can adopt AI in ways that are practical, safe, and grounded in real staff needs, balancing efficiency gains with the accountability that comes with operating in the public sector.

Matthew Tulloch, Manager Business Systems and Transformation Southern Grampians Shire Council 




Mardi Hirst, ALGIM Australia Learning Consultant 

Dwight Faulkner, Technology Enablement Lead, City of Greater Geelong