QLD Gold Coast Network

As organisations navigate rapid change, the future of work demands alignment across finance, people and technology. Join key industry leaders for a candid panel discussion on what’s really shaping the workplace of tomorrow. 

The way we work is changing fast and no single function can navigate that change alone. This panel brings together senior leaders from finance, human resources and technology to explore what the future of work really looks like from three different perspectives.

Hosted in partnership by AHRI, CPA Australia and ACS, this event unpacks how leaders across these disciplines are each responding to shifting workforce expectations, emerging technology, and the pressure to do more with less and where their priorities intersect.

This panel reflects a diverse range of voices and experience, offering a well-rounded view of where the profession is heading.

What you’ll hear:

• How finance leaders are thinking about workforce investment and cost in a changing economy

• How people leaders are redesigning talent, culture and capability strategies for the future

• How technology leaders are shaping the tools, systems and AI-driven change reshaping how we work

• Where these three perspectives align and where the tension lie.

Target Audience  

HR, finance, and digital professionals, and business leaders.

Speaker: Mandy Flatley, Consultant – Ex-People Director, W Living (Woolworths)

Mandy Flatley is a transformation leader who’s spent two decades turning complexity into clarity for multi-billion-dollar retailers and founder-led ventures alike.

She’s led major change across Woolworths Group, Morrisons, and Ocado in the UK, including scaling a $500M marketplace in just 18 months. But what clients value most isn’t the scale, it’s that Mandy is as comfortable rolling up her sleeves and getting her hands dirty as she is advising a boardroom. She has a knack for cutting through noise, solving the real problem, and getting people moving in one direction.

A lifelong learner, Mandy is currently studying Applied Agentic AI and Transformation with MIT and, with rather less success, mastering Mahjong with a group of friends. She now works across organisations of every size, helping teams find clarity, build capability, and create change that actually sticks for people, not just performance.

Speaker: Mathew Eames, Chief Information Officer at Protech Group.

Matt is passionate about driving meaningful change through ICT. With deep experience in service delivery across multiple industries and complex environments, he has led strategy, planning, and transformation for global enterprises, always with a focus on improving service satisfaction and reducing costs.

Beyond the corporate world, Matt is proud to contribute to the growth of ICT in Australia, especially in regional areas. Through his work with the Australian Computer Society, particularly as Chair of the ACS QLD Branch executive Committee and immediate past chair of the Gold Coast Chapter, Matt has supported education, students, and disadvantaged youth, helping build a stronger, more inclusive tech community. Matt has been honoured with multiple ACS awards, including the National President’s Award, which reflects the impact of combining strategic vision with community engagement.

Matt is a firm believer in a culture-first approach: people before process, and process before technology. Matt focuses on empowering teams and building capability creating environments where individuals and systems thrive together.

Speaker: Laura Wedmaier FCPA CFO, Norco Co-operative Limited

Laura is an experienced Chief Financial Officer with over a decade of board level experience across manufacturing, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), retail, circular economy, and education.

Currently the CFO at Norco Co-operative Limited, Laura leads the finance and IT team for the only 100% Australian farmer owned dairy co-operative. Previously, she was Chief Finance and Commercial Officer at Exchange for Change leading the container deposit scheme with NSW & ACT governments. Laura has led nation-wide revenue growth strategies at Coca-Cola South Pacific, and commercial finance strategy and a transformational manufacturing project at BAT. With Startmate she advises and invests in ANZ start-ups, testing early-stage propositions for viability, scalability and opportunity cost.

She has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor of Information Technology, is a Fellow of the Certified Practising Accountants (FCPA) Australia. Laura is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program and Alumni of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). In 2020, Laura was recognised as a Finalist – Young Executive of the Year by The CEO Magazine ANZ 2020.

Other Event Information 

Fee:

AHRI Member- $20.00

Non-Member- $25.00

You will obtain 2.5 CPD points for this forum.

Registration Information

Registration close: Monday 26 October 

Having trouble registering? Contact Us or phone 1300 811 880.

By confirming your registration, you agree to AHRI’s Event Terms & Conditions.