Thursday 4 December 2025 | Melbourne
Part of the team that established Bupa Ventures, Bupa APAC's early-stage investment arm, here to accelerate health techs by providing them access to the corporate's assets and build a portfolio of investments that accelerate Bupa's strategic agenda.
Prior, a founding member of early-stage VC, Antler Australia where Adele built and executed the fund's GTM, was part of the leadership team and sat as an investment committee voting member. Having worked across all functions of the VC firm she is versed in fund set-up, deal sourcing, leading investment processes, and raising early-stage capital.
Aizaz Syed is a Portfolio and Investment Manager at Tenmile, the dedicated health technology investment business owned by Tattarang where he leads, originates and manages investments as well as coordinating the overall portfolio strategy.
He is currently also a non-executive director of Aravax Pty Ltd, which is developing a novel immunotherapy for treatment against peanut allergies currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial and Proton Intelligence Inc. a med-tech startup developing the world’s first continuous at home potassium monitoring sensor for patients with chronic kidney disease and heart failure.
Aizaz has spent the last 10 years investing in early-stage technologies, strategy, financial and commercial advisory roles. Prior to Tenmile, he was an Investment Director at early-stage investment firm Nightingale Partners and he began his career in Corporate and Investment Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Aizaz graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws and is admitted as a solicitor to the NSW Supreme Court.
Angie Corbo is an accomplished Informatics Leader at Roche, with over two decades of experience in designing and delivering health solutions that leverage emerging technologies, human-centered design, and strategic foresight. Passionate about creating value and catalysing transformation within the healthcare industry through digital innovation and collaboration. In her current role as Informatics Global Catalyst Innovation & Architecture, Angie enables and empowers the organization to identify and realise opportunities and risks, skilfully architecting pathways to achieve desired outcomes. Angie's motivation stems from the challenge and opportunity to create a positive impact on the lives of millions of patients and customers worldwide.
Professor Anton van den Hengel is the Chief Scientist, Australian Institute for Machine Learning and Director, Centre for Augmented Reasoning, a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Adelaide, a Chief Investigator of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Healthy Housing, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Australia and former Director of Applied Science at Amazon. The Centre for Augmented Reasoning (CAR), established in 2021, represents a $20m investment by the Australian Government in AI research. Prof van den Hengel was also the founder of AIML, Australia’s largest machine learning research group. Professor van den Hengel has been a CI on over $80m in research funding from sources, including Google, Facebook, Canon, BHP Billiton, and the ARC.
Prof van den Hengel has won several awards, including the 2021 Australasian AI Outstanding Service Award, the Pearcey Foundation Entrepreneur Award, the SA Science Excellence Award for Research Collaboration, and the CVPR Best Paper prize in 2010. According to Google Scholar, he has authored over 420 publications, has an h-index of 82. He has had 8 patents commercialised, formed 5 start-ups, and had a medical technology achieve first-in-class FDA approval. Current research interests include deep learning, vision and language problems, image-based modelling, and weekly supervised learning.
Anya is co-founder of Syrona Health, a YCombinator-backed women's health platform delivering personalised care across life stages from menstrual health, fertility through menopause. Previously, she served as Head of Illumina for Startups across EMEA, directing the genomics giant's engagement with emerging biotech innovators.
A seasoned venture capital investor, Anya has led numerous strategic investments including industry pioneers Oxford Nanopore, Broken String Biosciences, and Alchemab. Her multifaceted career spans banking at Goldman Sachs, venture capital with a focus on spinouts, and entrepreneurship.
Anya holds an MPhil in Bioscience from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from Oxford University. She brings unique cross-sector expertise to discussions on healthcare innovation, women's health equity, and the future of personalised medicine.
Arthur Shih is a Harvard Business School Alumnus with 15+ years of experience in commercialising technology in NZ, Australia, the US, the UK, and Europe, with a strong focus on taking a product-led approach to building businesses.
He previously established businesses in the US and UK, growing from 0 to 10M annual revenues in 3 years. He also established a cloud business in Australia and NZ that is now a 100M ARR business.
Dr Brandon Carp is an experienced medical entrepreneur having co-founded B2B digital health business,UHG.
He is National Entrepreneurial Lead of Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program, Director ofHigh Street Medical Clinic, Director of Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and board chair of Victorian Clinical Genetics Service.
Prof Brett Sutton is a Director at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, leading the Health & Biosecurity Research Unit, comprising over 350 researchers and support staff in areas of digital health, human health and plant, animal and environmental biosecurity.
A qualified public health physician, he brings extensive experience and clinical expertise in public health and communicable diseases, developed through roles in government, emergency medicine, and international fieldwork.
Before joining CSIRO, Brett served as Victoria’s Chief Health Officer and Chief Human Biosecurity Officer, heading the Health Protection Branch within the Victorian Department of Health.
With specialist knowledge in tropical medicine and infectious diseases, Brett has worked extensively in lower-middle-income countries and complex humanitarian settings, including in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Timor-Leste and Fiji.
Brett’s career reflects his passion and commitment to advancing health outcomes in Australia and globally.
Professor Sutton is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health, a Fellow of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine, and a Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine (AFPHM). He is also a member of the Faculty of Travel Medicine.
Bronwyn has over 20 years executive experience in health technology commercialisation, venture capital, capital raising and industry advocacy. In 2017 she founded ANDHealth, an organisation that supports digital health companies in Australia by providing education, resources, non-dilutive funding and mentorship to help them navigate the complexities of the healthcare industry.
ANDHealth is now one of Australia’s leading health technology commercialisation organisations with companies participating in its flagship ANDHealth+ program raising $19.70 in new capital and generating $6.70 in new revenues for every dollar invested. ANDHealth manages over $30M in public and private commitments to digital health commercialisation, and provides specialist support to a further $100M of funding managed by Brandon Capital.
Bronwyn has been a Member of the Council of the National Health & Medical Research Council since 2021. She is also currently a Non-Executive Director of Lumos Diagnostics Ltd (ASX.LDX) alongside a number of other advisory roles.
Catherine de Fontenay commenced a 5-year term as a full time Commissioner with the Productivity Commission in July 2019.
After completing her PhD in 1998 at Stanford University, Catherine has held faculty positions at the University of New South Wales, then University of Melbourne, with a visiting position at New York University. Her research on team in science has been published in Nature Biotechnology.
Catherine leads the Health Productivity stream of research at the PC. She has led work on Measuring Healthcare Productivity, Digital Technologies in Healthcare, Aged Care Employment, and Unpaid Leave for Carers.
Catherine is also currently the President for the Economic Society of Australia.
Professor Chris Bain is the inaugural Professor of Practice in Digital Health in the Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University. He has more than 30 years' experience in the health industry, including 12 in clinical medicine.
He's led numerous software development and implementation projects in the health industry and works with many faculties and Institutes across the University, as well as with a range of health industry partners, in leading the Monash efforts in Digital Health.
Dr Chris Nave is a founding partner of Brandon Capital and Chief Executive Officer of Brandon BioCatalyst. Chris was previously the Director of Commercialisation at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia. Prior to this, Chris was the Manager of the Biotechnology Team at Melbourne Ventures, the commercialisation company of the University of Melbourne. Concurrently he was an Investment Manager for, and on the investment committee of, Uniseed Pty Ltd. Chris has international experience working for the business development group of Leiras Pharmaceuticals in Finland, a wholly owned subsidiary of Schering AG.
Chris is currently a director of; Azura Ophthalmics, Certa Therapeutics, EBR Systems (ASX:EBR), Global Kinetics Corporation, OccuRx, PolyActiva and Que Oncology. He is also an elected board member of the Australian Investment Council, Chair of CUREator and an advisory board member for The WILD Program.
Chris has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from The University of Melbourne and a PhD in Endocrinology and Physiology from The University of Melbourne. He studied Private Equity and Venture Capital at Harvard Business School.
Clare Morgan is a PhD-qualified research scientist with extensive experience in project and stakeholder management and the commercialisation of academic research.
Clare has direct experience in the commercialisation of personalised medicine, bioinformatics and computational biology research projects.
Darby To co-founded Aurenda alongside Michael Sistenich, leveraging their combined 20+ years of expertise to support innovation-driven companies in navigating corporate strategy and capital markets. Darby focuses primarily on the healthcare and clean-tech sectors, where Australia excels in innovation but often lacks access to specialised knowledge critical for capital market success.
Aurenda was created to address this gap, intentionally working with a select number of clients to ensure personalised attention. Over the past five years, the firm has successfully raised over $300 million for its clients, contributing to the growth and success of entrepreneurial ventures.
In addition to his professional endeavours, Darby is actively involved in the education sector. He serves as Chair of the School Council at The Hills Grammar School, a progressive independent co-educational institution in Sydney known for its leadership in entrepreneurial and innovative educational practices. He collaborates closely with the school’s executive team to further its mission.
Outside of work, Darby enjoys traveling, skiing, cooking, pursuing sustainability initiatives and engaging in friendly gaming competitions with his children on Xbox.
Elaine Stead is a member of the investment team at Main Sequence, with a focus on the “Humanity Scale Healthcare” challenge. With a background spanning science, entrepreneurship, and venture capital, she's known for her enduring roles in innovation and has an investment track record that extends to over 80 startups across Australia, the United States and Southeast Asia.
Previously, Elaine served as the Director of New Ventures and Entrepreneurship at the Australian National University (ANU), leading the startup and equity investment strategy of knowledge translation. She has also been a founder of venture businesses, including Blue Sky VC, Human VC and Tribe Global Ventures.
Elaine has advised state governments on innovation policy, directed innovation initiatives, and served on boards in Australia and the US. She's coached startup founders nationwide and contributed to a variety of publications. In all avenues, Elaine prioritises human-centricity, emphasising authentic connections, vulnerability, and compassion. She advocates for values-driven innovation and a desire to make better that which can be.
Elaine holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (Stem Cell Biology) and a B.Sc.in Biochemistry and Microbiology, both from the University of Adelaide.
Elizabeth was appointed Managing Director of Telstra Health, Australia’s largest digital health company and a subsidiary of Telstra Group Limited in April 2022 and is passionate about the potential of Digital Health to transform health care delivery.
Prior to this Elizabeth had a long and distinguished career in the NSW health system, with her most significant role being Secretary, NSW Health for six years from 2016 -2022. As Secretary, Elizabeth was responsible for the management of the NSW health system, the largest health system in Australia with a $30 billion budget and 124,000 FTE. In 2020/2021 Elizabeth led the NSW Health system through the COVID-19 pandemic and advised NSW government crisis cabinet on the management of COVID-19 in NSW, and the subsequent vaccination roll out.
Elizabeth has chaired of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC) and its subsequent iteration of Health Chief Executives Forum. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women and is Chair of Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct (RHIP)
Elizabeth was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to healthcare. She has been awarded Honorary doctorates from Western Sydney University, the University of Sydney and the University of NSW.
Over his 38 year career Gavin has been a leader and champion of Medical Technology in Australia/NZ and Asia. He has also played lead Governance and Executive roles in Industry Bodies, Innovation Initiatives and Not for Profit Boards. Gavin is strong advocate for Gender Equality and Indigenous Engagement.
Gavin is Chair of ANDHealth, Non Executive Director for Rhythm Biosciences (ASX: RHY), Omnigon, Bowel Cancer Australia and SAN Foundation. Gavin is a proud member of the Champions of Change Coalition Health group and serves as an Ambassador for Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC).
Most recently Gavin was CEO of Omnigon, a private Australian company in the Ostomy Care market. And previously Gavin was Managing Director Australia/NZ and Vice President Asia Pacific for Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices (now Med Tech), Chair of the Medical Technology Association of Australia, Governor of American Chamber of Commerce, Co-Founder/Chair of Macquarie Park Business Coalition (in partnership with United Way) and Australian Co-Chair of the Health Technology Sector Group of the Australia/NZ Leadership Forum.
Gavin is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has completed the AICD Boardroom Mastery program.
As a co-inventor on a patented and ASX listed digital health technology; Grace Lethlean has been actively involved in the development of health technologies from invention, through clinical trials, to commercialisation.
Grace is co-founder and Chief Product Officer of ANDHealth, Australia’s national digital health initiative, accelerating the commercialisation of evidence-based digital health technologies. Grace’s focus is on supporting digital health technologies to meet key investor, partner and customer requirements around clinical and commercial validation.
Grace also supports the sector through numerous state and national Advisory Panels and Committees, is a 2020 SuperStar of STEM, is an inventor on patents in the US and Australia, a published author on digital health commercialisation, a 2022 Churchill Fellow, investigating international best practice in digital health business support and recognised in 2024 as an AFR Women in Leadership.
A highly experienced leader in digital health service delivery, Dr Jill Freyne is recognised in Australia and internationally for her work in transformative health technology solutions. She is passionate about improving equity and accessibility in the healthcare industry and has extensive experience in leading teams to devise sustainable health innovations.
Jill is committed to building deep connections across the health system to drive the adoption and acceleration of innovative new technologies that deliver more efficient and engaging services.
Professor John Skerritt AM is Enterprise Professor in Health Research Impact at the University of Melbourne, advising academics and the university on commercial and policy translation of their research portfolio.
In April 2023 Prof Skerritt retired as Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, with responsibility for the Therapeutic Goods Administration, regulation of gene technology and industrial chemicals and control of drug import, export and production. In addition, he was part of the Department’s executive team leading policy development and implementation for Australia’s health and aged care system for over 10 years. He has extensive experience in government and working with ministers, having been a Deputy Secretary/Agency head for 24 years.
Prof Skerritt was previously the most senior scientific leader in Australia’s Foreign Affairs portfolio, lading implementation of more than $1 billion in collaborative scientific programs between Australia and regional countries. More recently he helped lead Australia’s COVID-19 response and was one of the public media faces of the response. He also played a major role in advising the Australian government on the establishment of a mRNA vaccines and medicines industry.
Prof Skerritt has a PhD in pharmacology, is author of over 300 publications and 10 patents and has commercialised a dozen IVD and protein fractionation products internationally. He is a Non-executive Director of AusBiotech Limited and Medicines Australia and is currently Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council of the UK-based Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science and is a member of the Board of the Singapore-based Centre for Regulatory Excellence.
Katherine (Kate) Merton, PhD, MBA, is executive director of the Health Equity Innovation Partners, bringing more than 20 years’ experience working in healthcare R&D and innovation. Previously, she ran Anthem’s Digital Incubator and was the Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS, in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia.
Kate received her undergraduate degree in Pharmacology & Toxicology from King’s College London, holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology & Toxicology from the University of California, Irvine Medical School, and received her MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Since July 2018, Kate Quirke has been the Group Managing Director andChief Executive Officer of the Alcidion Group, a company dedicated to providingsmart technology to the health sector. Kate leads the business globally with current focus on Australia, NewZealand and the United Kingdom with a goal of developing mutually beneficialrelationships with customers, partners and investors.
Kate has 25+ years of digital health sector experience and has beeninvolved in large procurements and implementations of healthcare informationtechnology across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and South-East Asia. Her background includes leadingmanagement roles at large healthcare software firms where she has drivenstrategic product direction. Shestrongly believes that the astute application of information technology will support the transformation of healthcare delivery worldwide.
Kate was recently appointed as a Non-Executive Director of ANDHealth andpreviously served on the Board of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen GardenFoundation for 16 years. During 2021,Kate was recognised as one of Telstra Health’s inaugural Brilliant Women inDigital Health and named Biotech Daily’s CEO of the Year. In 2020, Kate won the Executive Leader awardin the inaugural B&T Women Leading Tech Awards. She received her Bachelor of Applied ScienceHealth Information Management degree from Latrobe University.
Kenneth Bahk, PhD, is co-founder of the Health Equity Innovation Partners. Ken has more than two decades’ experience in life sciences and healthcare with experiences enabling new technologies from idea to commercialisation as a senior executive, venture and impact investor for family offices, and board member for multiple market-leading exits.
Ken graduated from Northwestern University with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and MS in Neurobiology and Physiology, and received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Kunal serves as Founder & CEO at Eugene. The power to predict and prevent health issues is in our DNA. Eugene's purpose is to empower every person to act on this knowledge.
Kunal is an experience healthtech entrepreneur & product designer with a strong commercial background. He loves to build future-focused, purpose-driven companies that deliver strong financial returns while taking on real problems that we face as a multi-cultural global community.
He speaks 4 languages and has lived and worked in Australia, USA, Latin America, Middle East & India. He has started multiple companies over the course of his career and his focus for the past 10 years has been on healthcare.
Liesl Yearsley has been developing AI for 20 years. She was founder and CEO of an AI search engine that went public, she then founded an AI platform (Cognea) that was acquired by IBM.
At the time of acquisition, Cognea was serving six Fortune 100 companies and 26,000 developers, and handling 60 million interactions across financial services, insurance, health, social chat, media, metaverse, robotics etc.
Yearsley is now CEO and founder of Akin, a Public Benefit AI company with its own foundation model. Akin AI are designed to be a true companion to humans and help us improve our lives, our society and our ecosystem.
As a technical founder with four patents to her name, Yearsley offers profound and pragmatic expertise in her domain. Her approach goes beyond inducing fear about AI; instead, she provides a comprehensive understanding of AI’s inner workings, its potential applications, and strategies to stay ahead in the forthcoming AI-centric world.
Lisa Suennen stands as one of the most influential figures in digital health and health technology investment, with a career spanning over 35 years at the intersection of healthcare, technology and venture capital. Renowned for her strategic vision, operational expertise and advocacy for innovation, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the digital health landscape globally.
Lisa is currently the Managing Partner at American Heart Association Ventures, where she oversees a platform of four venture funds investing across the healthcare spectrum. Her focus spans digital health, medical devices and solutions for cardiovascular and brain health, as well as broader determinants of health.
Previously, Lisa served as General Partner at Manatt Ventures, Psilos Group and GE Ventures. At GE Ventures, she directed the healthcare venture fund, evaluating thousands of pitches each year and making selective, high-impact investments in digital health, including AI-driven medical imaging, telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. At Psilos Group, she played a key role in early investments in companies such as Definity Health, ActiveHealth Management and Extend Health, all of which achieved significant exits, further establishing her as a leading healthcare investor.
Lisa’s investment philosophy centres on solutions that address real customer needs and navigate the complexities between patients, payers and providers. Named one of Business Insider’s nine digital health power players, she is widely recognised for her ability to bridge startups and large healthcare organisations. She has also been a critical architect in launching and scaling digital health initiatives such as the Go Red for Women Venture Fund and Cardeation Capital, pioneering disease-focused investment in the nonprofit sector.
Lisa chairs the International Investment Committee for Australia’s ANDHealth Digital Health Accelerator Fund, supporting early-stage digital health startups and international growth. She also led the Scientific Advisory Board for NASA’s Translational Research Institute for Space Health, demonstrating her commitment to advancing health innovation globally.
As Co-founder and CEO of CSweetener, Lisa created a mentorship platform for rising healthcare leaders, later acquired by the HLTH Foundation. She is a leading advocate for women in health tech, providing mentorship, writing on industry challenges and hosting podcasts to amplify female entrepreneurs’ voices.
Lisa is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Health Innovators Fellowship and teaches healthcare innovation and investment at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She authors the widely read Venture Valkyrie blog and is an internationally recognised speaker and author on digital health and investment trends.
Liz Ashall-Payne is an accomplished healthcare leader and the Founding CEO of ORCHA, a global leader in digital health accreditation and distribution services. With a background as a trained NHS Clinician, Liz has been at the forefront of healthcare transformation programs in the NHS, Europe, and North America, leveraging the potential of digital technology to enhance patient health outcomes and drive economic opportunities.
In 2015, Liz established ORCHA, a groundbreaking venture. Under Liz's guidance, ORCHA has experienced remarkable growth, expanding its digital health assessment and distribution services to twelve countries worldwide. Within the UK, ORCHA serves organisations in 70% of NHS regions, positioning itself as a trusted partner in the digital health landscape.
Recognised for her exceptional contributions, Liz Ashall-Payne and ORCHA have received numerous accolades. Liz herself has been honoured as a Tech Trailblazer by the BIMA 100, acknowledged as a Healthcare IT Leader in the HIMSS Future 50, and named Entrepreneur of the Year by prestigious institutions such as the British Chamber of Commerce, Norther Powerhouse, and EY. Additionally, she has been featured within the LDC top 50, further highlighting her influential role in the healthcare and technology sectors.
In addition to her accomplishments at ORCHA, Liz Ashall-Payne actively contributes to the development of future healthcare leaders as a coach for the NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur program. Furthermore, Liz serves as a member of Tech Uk board representing SMES and is the Vice Chair on the Tech UK Health and Social Care Council, where she helps shape policies and initiatives in the intersection of technology and healthcare.
Liz is also an honorary lecturer in the school of medicine at UCLAN, and is a research executive at The University of Warwick
Liz Ashall-Payne's visionary leadership, extensive expertise in healthcare transformation, and dedication to harnessing the potential of digital health make her a prominent figure in the industry, driving positive change and innovation for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems worldwide.
Dr Megan Robertson is the Group Chief Research Officer at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, and Director of Research at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne.
Megan is on the boards of BioMedical Research Victoria, the Caroline Chisolm Centre for HealthEthics and FearLess (PTSD-ANZ), the Bio devices Advisory Board at the ARCTraining Centre in Biodevices at Swinburne University, and the Tuckwell Scholarship Selection Panel at ANU. She also works with national bodies including the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare, AusBioTech, and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Previously, Megan held positions as the Director of Professional Affairs, CICM, as the ExecutiveDirector of Research at Epworth HealthCare, and as the Co-Director of theIntensive Care Unit at Epworth Freemasons. She is also an alumna of theUniversity of Melbourne where she completed a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor ofSurgery (MBBS).
Dr Michelle Perugini is an entrepreneur with extensive experience in healthcare and advanced AI technologies. Michelle is an avid supporter of the AI and women’s health sectors globally, and Winner of the 2021 Women in AI (WAI) Healthcare and Telstra Brilliant Women in Digital Health Awards. She has a PhD in Medicine and was a post-doctoral research fellow in Oncology for a decade. She has founded 2 global AI tech companies, the first of which was acquired by EY in 2015.
Michelle was most recently the Co-Founder and CEO of Presagen, an AI healthcare company that has developed a novel Decentralized Federated AI platform that can safely train on medical data distributed all around the world, without the need to physically move (centralized) or manually view private patient data. Presagen’s flagship product suite, Life Whisperer, uses AI to assess images of embryos and eggs (oocytes) to improve IVF outcomes for couples struggling with fertility. Life Whisperer was authorized for sale in 47 countries prior to being acquired by global IVF manufacturer Astec in 2024.
In 2024, Presagen merged with Qubist to form Qubigen, a company focused on AI driven drug design, where Michelle is a Co-Founder and Board Chair.
Michelle is currently Head of Commercialisation at University of South Australia, and CEO of UniSA Ventures.
Mohamed (Mo) Dirani is an Australian entrepreneur, scientist, and the founder of Plano Pte Ltd, an award-winning Healthtech startup based in Singapore. Plano leverages patent protected technological solutions, educational tools, and AI to address short-sightedness in children. Mo served as the company’s Founding Managing Director from August 2017 to March 2024 and now holds the position of Chair of the Plano Board, while also being an active member of its Science and Innovation Advisory Group.
Plano’s investors include prominent Singaporean government entities, angel investors, venture capitalists, and one of the world’s leading ophthalmic pharmaceutical companies, Santen. Throughout his tenure, Mo demonstrated exceptional leadership and business acumen, successfully securing seed to Series B funding and driving the company’s growth across Singapore, Southeast Asia, and China, where Plano’s strategic expansion is currently focused. He was pivotal in transitioning the company from concept to commercialization, becoming a key first mover in both local and international markets.
In addition to his entrepreneurial accomplishments, Mo has maintained academic roles at prestigious medical research institutes and universities. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School, as well as an honorary Principal Investigator at the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA).
Olivia holds Bachelors degrees in both Science and Engineering, specialising in molecular biology and mechatronics, alongside a Masters of Applied Cybernetics from the Australian National University.
Olivia has extensive experience within both the TGA in the regulation of high risk medical devices, and the Digital Transformation Agency with a focus on enabling better digital services delivered by government. She is currently a director in the Medical Devices Authorisation Branch, responsible for the team that assesses the safety and efficacy of medical device software, including those incorporating AI and ML.
Paul Migliorini is a seasoned technology executive with over 25 years of experience across Asia, Europe, and the US, recognized for his leadership in cloud adoption and digital transformation. As Vice President for Google Cloud in Australia and New Zealand, he leads all of the work we do with AuNZ customers.
Before joining Google Cloud, Paul was the CEO of Versent, a leading digital and cloud services integrator that was acquired by Telstra in 2023. Prior to Versent, he spent 6 years at AWS as Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand then APJ, playing a pivotal role in expanding AWS's regional presence. Prior to that he held senior leadership roles across APAC and ANZ with BT, IWG and Ernst & Young. Paul plays an active role supporting Australian start-ups through his role with Sydney based Venture Capital Fund OIF where he is a Venture Partner.
Paul holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Accounting from the University of Melbourne. He is passionate about helping organisations unlock AI’s potential to drive innovation and efficiency, believing that AI is not just reshaping the technology sector but transforming the world. At Google Cloud, he focuses on enabling businesses to harness cutting-edge AI solutions, including Google's AI hypercomputer and Vertex AI platform, to achieve tangible results. His deep understanding of the local market, combined with his proven track record in scaling cloud businesses, makes him a vital partner for companies navigating their digital transformation journeys. Committed to fostering collaboration, Paul ensures that customers effectively leverage Google's technological leadership to thrive in the age of AI.
Peter Birch is Founder and CEO of Talking HealthTech - a global podcast and membership community originating from Australia, to learn and connect about technology in healthcare.
Pete is a director of the Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) who are the voice of healthcare software vendors in Australia, and also director of MetaOptima Technology who are helping clinicians diagnose skin cancer using artificial intelligence.
He is also on the NSW State Committee for the Australasia Institute of Digital Health (AIDH), and is a NSW State Facilitator for the Australian Clinical Entrepreneurs Program (AUSCEP).He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), is a Certified Health Informatician (CHIA), and also a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA).
Dr Rachel Swift is an accomplished senior executive and board director with a distinguished career spanning health care delivery, strategy, and financial services in Australia and internationally. Her expertise includes epidemic control, emergency health crisis response, prevention & disease management, health care delivery & medical research.
Rachel brings hands-on implementation experience, through her role as the acting CEO of an integrated health system & by developing a global health program across East Africa with the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Committed to improving health outcomes in the NFP sector, she went to West Africa in 2014 to drive the public health response as Expert Advisor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, shaping the strategy and operations that successfully brought the epidemic under control
Rachel has extensive international experience including in Australia, US, Africa, Asia-Pacific & Europe. She is a recognised thought leader, speaking at international forums on health system improvement & serving on the Australian Advisory Board on Healthcare & Technology Innovation. She has been made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health & the Australasian College of Health Systems Management.
Dr Swift has held teaching appointments at the Universities of Oxford and Adelaide, Lincoln and St Hilda's Colleges at Oxford and Magdalen College School & is a published medical & global health researcher.
Rachel is a partner at Giant Leap. Giant Leap invests in founders solving our most pressing global problems at scale across climate, health and people and has invested in over 30 companies to date.
Rachel is also on the Advisory Board for the Victorian Government’s Equity Investment Attraction Fund and formerly the Chair of the Startup Network, a non-profit, grassroots organisation supporting founders through their startup journey.
She has a background in management consulting and corporate finance, and previously co-founded a non-profit organisation to raise funds and awareness for MotorNeurone Disease
In more than 20 years of consulting and leadership in APAC, Ravi’s expertise has focused on helping clients take big-bet investments in complex and uncertain environments at an asset and portfolio levels. Ravi regularly advises clients on their most critical challenges: decisions to enter new markets, and optimize their portfolios and R&D investments.
He has also supervised many multi-year programs for clients that resulted in significant increases in shareholder value while bringing lasting transformation in their organizations.
Ravi holds a bachelor’s degree in Technology from Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
Rob oversees Medibank’s growing role as a health services provider. He is responsible for the health services we deliver on behalf of our health insurance business as well as to customers in the private and public sector. These include prevention programs, telehealth, in-home care, and our healthcare investments across short stay hospitals and primary care. He has been a member of the executive leadership team since November 2023.
Rob joined Medibank in 2022 as Amplar Health’s Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for evolving its health services strategy including our focus on virtual health and growing our prevention services.
Prior to joining Medibank, Rob held senior roles in Private Equity and at leading pharmaceutical company, GSK PLC. Most recently Rob was CEO and Managing Director at MedAdvisor Ltd, a technology-led medication adherence company operating in Australia, US and the UK.
Prof Robyn Langham is the Chief Medical Adviser of the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia. She is a nephrologist and clinician-researcher, focusing on drug development of novel anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic agents.
She is also a director of the Australian Medical Council, chairs the Human Research and Ethics Committee at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, and is a Director of the Australian Medical Council.
In 2022 she was awarded an Order of Australia for her contributions to renal research and medical education.
Sarah is a partner at OneVentures, one of Australia’s leading venture capital firms – she is responsible for sourcing life sciences companies who have developed transformative technology with global application. She applies her global executional experience and entrepreneurial passion to nurture their success, providing pathways for growth and actively shaping their future. Her enterprise level leadership experience has been forged over 20 years in a wide spectrum of organisations, including start-up, private companies, ASX and NASDAQ-listed companies, a multi-national pharmaceutical company and university research organisations.
A passionate Australian champion for our sector she is a deal maker and has a transaction record that spans the spectrum of small investments, to collaborations with universities, to small companies with ambitions to scale, to big pharma transactions worth 100’s of millions of dollars.
Sarah is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and currently serves on the boards of Kira Biotech, Axial Therapeutics, Vaxxas, Blade Therapeutics, Clinical Genomics and Life Sciences Queensland. She is a member of the UQ QAAFI advisory board, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute Commercial Advisory Board and the AusBiotech Investment Advisory Group.
Professor Shelley Dolan joined the RMH in August2023 as Chief Executive. She is a familiar face in the Parkville Precinct, previously serving as the Chief Executive of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
In her previous roles, Professor Dolan has successfully led large specialist tertiary hospitals in the UK, including as Chief Executive of KingsCollege Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Deputy Chief Executive of the RoyalMarsden Hospital.
Professor Dolan is a highly respected clinical and research leader with an impressive track record in health care, having successfully led major organisational and cultural change in Victoria and the United Kingdom (UK).
Key capabilities include executive and non-executive leadership across national and international bodies, strategy development, delivering excellence in quality and performance, overseeing large capital schemes and innovativeresearch projects that require engagement with a broad range of stakeholders.
Professor Shelley Dolan has a PhD in the early diagnosis of sepsis in cancer patients and a master’s degree in advanced practice nursing. She is aProfessor (Enterprise) of the Melbourne School of Health Science at theUniversity of Melbourne.
She is Chair of the Western & Central Melbourne Integrated CancerService, a Board member of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance, the Melbourne Academic Centre for Health, Melbourne Genomics and CRCParticipant Director on the Board of Oncology One. In November 2022, theMinister for Health and Aged Care appointed Professor Dolan as a Member of theCancer Australia Advisory Council.
Prof Shonali Krishnaswamy is the Director of the Monash AI Institute and the Associate Dean Innovation in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. Prior to this Shonali, was the CTO and Co-Founder of AiDA Technologies (www.aidatech.io), a multi-award winning Machine Learning (ML) start-up from Singapore, delivering AI-based Claims Processing technologies for Health Insurers in Singapore and the ASEAN region. AiDA was acquired by Amplify Health in 2023.
AiDA's marquee product SMART-CLAIMS is an AI-based solution for automating the processing of Health Insurance Claims and detecting/preventing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse. SMART-CLAIMS has been adopted by several major insurers in Singapore and increasingly in the ASEAN region.
Before starting her entrepreneurial journey, Shonali was Head of the Data Analytics Department at the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), which is part of the Singapore Government's national R&D arm, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). As Head of Data Analytics at I2R, Shonali led a research team of 70 Data Science researchers and engineers and focused on R&D innovation labs and collaboration projects across multiple industry sectors including Financial Services, Telecommunications, Healthcare and Aerospace. She has also previously held academic/professorial appointments in Australia at Monash University and Swinburne University.
Shonali is the recipient of several national and international awards including an ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship, Monash University Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research by an Early Career Researcher, the Institute of Engineers Singapore Prestigious Engineering Award, the ASEAN Outstanding Engineering Award, and an IBM Innovation Award. In 2020, Shonali was recognised as one of Singapore's Inaugural 100 Women in Technology by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Singapore Computer Society (SCS). More recently, in March 2024, Shonali was recognised as one of Asia's Top 50 Women Technology Leaders.
Dr Steve Burnell is the Managing Director of Tenmile, the HealthTech venture capital company of Tattarang, and lead for Minderoo Foundation’s COVID-19, Cancer, and Ocean Genomics initiatives.
Steve’s 35+ years professional experience spans research, strategy, M&A, start-ups and operating global businesses in fields as diverse as marine ecology, strategy consulting, digital health, and precision medicine. He is relentlessly passionate about the power of new technology to positively impact human health, ocean conservation and climate mitigation.
Prior to his current role, Steve managed global operating businesses and P&Ls, led M&A and established a new informatics and real-world data business for the world’s largest biotech, Roche-Genentech.
He holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Biology and a Ph.D. in Population Biology from the University of Sydney.
