Australia’s Workplace
Culture Conference
Experience a fast-paced, action-packed one day conference designed to engage, educate and challenge leaders seeking to shift and shape culture to support new ways of working.
18th September 2025 | International Convention Centre (ICC), Sydney
Host
Karl Treacher, CEO of The Culture Institute and founder of CultureCon
Venue
International Convention Centre (ICC), Sydney
Date
Thursday 18 September 2025
Audience
CEOs, HR & business leaders and change-makers
Format
One-day immersive conference
Early bird rates end 30 June 2025
- Non-Member: $795
- TCI Member: $595
Tickets include:
- General seating
- All-day conference Program
- Lunch
- Catered refreshment breaks with Barista coffee
- Notebook and pen
Plus:
- $200 voucher for Culture Institute Executive Certificate Course
- Access to two live virtual sessions at Growth Faculty:
- Erin Meyer: Reinvent Your Organisation Culture on 6th August 2025
- Jefferson Fisher: The Next Conversation on 25 September 2025
CultureCon™ Sydney 2025
Sold out last year and back, bigger than ever!
CultureCon™ is Australia’s premier annual workplace culture event and returns to Sydney on Thursday 18 September. Bringing together world class speakers, thought leaders, practitioners, and organisations sharing their passion for building thriving and exceptional workplace environments.
This one-day event offers attendees the opportunity to explore innovative approaches to workplace culture through engaging sessions, workshops, and an interactive expo showcasing practical culture initiatives.
With workplaces facing increasing pressures and uncertainty, CultureCon™ 2025 will be an essential forum for robust discussion on culture plays to ensure both long-term success and survival.
According to a Korn Ferry survey, a third of the World’s Most Admired Companies say culture accounts for 50% or more of their company’s market value. Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) executives said that culture was so important they would continue to prioritise it in an economic downturn.(1)
What to Expect at CultureCon™
Join your peers for this full day of honest discussions and up-to-date insights on culture challenges and initiatives. Expect:
- Real Business Cases of Culture Excellence: Hear firsthand insider perspectives of cultural transformations including organisations improving human connection while embracing technology
- Two Key Learning Tracks; Culture Health & High Performance Cultures: Positive psychology, psychologically safe environments and repairing workplace trust and how these factors lead to exceptional achievement
- Practical Wisdom from Diverse Fields: Gain insights from sports, military, unicorn startups, indigenous leadership traditions, and organisations with cutting-edge AI implementation
What You'll Experience
- Immersive Learning: business thought leaders will share research and practical approaches across interactive sessions and workshops
- Valuable Connections: Network with peers who share your commitment to cultural excellence
- Interactive Expo: Practical culture initiatives you can implement immediately
- Live Virtual Event with Erin Meyer: All CultureCon™ ticket holders will receive access to – Reinvent Your Organisation Culture – a pre-conference, live virtual session on the 6th August.
Proudly presented by Growth Faculty and The Culture Institute, this highly anticipated in-person event builds on previous sold-out success. Secure your place today to be part of Australia’s most important conversation about the future of workplace culture. You can’t afford not to bring your leadership team to CultureCon™ to gain your competitive edge through culture.
Reference: S. Clayton and M. Royal, 2024, The key role of culture in sustaining organisational performance, HR Executive, Korn Ferry
*Early bird ends 30 June 2025. Limited seats available, book quickly to avoid missing out.
Level: Intermediate, Advanced
CPE Credits: 6.5
The CultureCon™ Sydney 2025 speaker line-up
With more speakers coming soon!
Karl Treacher (GAICD) is the CEO of The Culture Institute of Australia, founder of CultureCon™ and The Brand Institute. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith Business School, specialising in corporate brand reputation governance. With 20 years of experience, he is an expert in aligning organisational reputation, brand, culture, and customer experience. Karl has educated leaders through the Australian Institute of Company Directors and guided boards and executives in repositioning many iconic Australian companies. Notably, he led NAB’s retail experience program and contributed to the transformation of brands like Bupa, APRA, PwC, and RACQ.
His expertise stems from a background in human science, creative advertising, and culture and experience development, enabling him to drive brand performance by integrating marketing, culture, and customer experience. A prolific writer, Karl authored over 65 industry articles, served as Marketing Magazine's resident brand and culture expert (2010–2016), and studied organisational leadership at Oxford University.
Heidi K. Gardner, PhD, is the author of the best-selling books “Smarter Collaboration: A New Approach to Breaking Down Barriers and Transforming Work” (2022) and “Smart Collaboration: How Professionals and Their Firms Succeed by Breaking Down Silos” (2017, both Harvard Business Press).
A Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School and previously a professor at Harvard Business School, she is currently the faculty chair and instructor of multiple executive education programs at both institutions.
Dr. Gardner has lived and worked on four continents, including as a Fulbright Fellow, and for McKinsey & Co. and Procter & Gamble. She co-cofounded the research and advisory firm Gardner & Co.
Alicia Stephenson is a visionary leader and CEO of Workforce Dynamics, a professional services firm that partners with complex organisations to solve people, culture, and workforce challenges. With a background in workplace psychodynamics, high-stakes corporate intervention, and military service, Alicia brings over 15 years of experience navigating complex stakeholder environments across sectors including infrastructure, corrections, advanced manufacturing, engineering, and government.
At the helm of Workforce Dynamics, she leads a team that supports large-scale, high-pressure projects by improving behavioural dynamics and fostering constructive collaboration. Her firm’s signature offering—Project Guardianship—focuses on the human elements that drive success, such as leadership effectiveness, trust, and conflict resolution. Since 2016, Workforce Dynamics has supported clients across portfolios exceeding $35 billion, helping to build psychosocially safe, high-performing teams in environments where the stakes are high and outcomes matter.
Alicia’s expertise spans executive advisory, strategic workforce planning, organisational psychology, industrial relations, and competency frameworks. She is a Practitioner Member of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organisations and is widely recognised for her ability to lift the relational and strategic capability of leadership teams.
Andrea is a Sydney-based work futurist, author, and speaker helping leaders and learners make sense of change and build future-ready mindsets. Through writing, foresight reports, and keynotes, Andrea guides people to engage with signals, anticipate disruption, and shape intentional futures. As part of the team at SOON Futures, she helps brands move fast and think ahead with strategic insights and creative execution.
A former foreign correspondent in Washington, D.C., she worked across global news and human rights advocacy before founding Future Fit Learning—a company that helps organisations like Rio Tinto and Austrade adapt through communication and change programs.
Her first book Future Fit won the Australian Business Book of the Year; my latest, Adapt (Simon & Schuster), was released in March 2025.
Barbara Harvey is known for her expertise in the intersection of organisational learning, leadership, and behavioural change. With a background in both academic research and practical implementation, she has spent decades exploring how people learn best, what drives engagement, and how organisations can create cultures of continuous learning. As a speaker and consultant, Barbara challenges traditional learning models, advocating for more experiential, human-centred, and disruptive approaches. She believes that learning should inspire action, not just transfer knowledge, and that it must compete with the fast-paced, attention-driven world of modern media. Her work integrates cutting-edge research with real-world case studies, making complex ideas accessible and actionable for leaders and teams. Barbara’s insights have shaped learning strategies for some of the world’s leading organisations, and she continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in leadership development and workplace learning.
Jason Ross is the Co-founder of Time Under Tension, Australia’s first generative-AI experience agency. A 25-year veteran of creative technology and digital strategy, he was previously VP Head of frog AUNZ and a Managing Director at Accenture, where he led a 350-strong global team for one of the world’s largest tech brands. Jason combines board-level P&L acumen with a hands-on love of design and AI, building vibrant, high-performing teams that deliver world-class customer and employee experiences.
About Time Under Tension
Time Under Tension is Australia’s first generative AI experience agency, founded to help forward-thinking organisations create world-leading customer and employee experiences through AI.
We uncover high-value generative AI use-cases, build solutions and upskill teams so they can move from curiosity to in-market impact with generative AI.
Everything we build is guided by our Responsible AI Charter, ensuring every experience is ethical, sustainable and human-centred.
Recognised with the 2024 Pause Awards “Singularity” prize, our team continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with generative AI.
“2025 will formalise many pandemic-led culture norms and organisations need to be ready for that”
– Associate Professor Karl Treacher
Learning out comes
- How to shape a successful Human + AI organisational culture, integrating artificial intelligence into your team dynamics
- Latest insights on psychological safety, trust, wellbeing, and inclusion
- Initiatives for a high-performing culture in the digital era, adapting to rapid technological changes
- Effective measurement systems that demonstrate the ROI of your culture initiatives
Brought to you by
