AHRI NT Conference 2026
Program
9 September 2026
| DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, Darwin |
#AHRI26NT
Human-centred HR for sustainable futures
Program at a glance
The AHRI NT Conference 2026 explores sustainable leadership, modern workforce challenges and the capabilities needed to build impactful HR careers. Grounded in a contemporary approach to HR, the program recognises that while the world of work continues to evolve, people remain central to organisational success.
8:30 AM
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM (30min)
Arrival tea and coffee
9:00 AM
9:00 AM – 9:20 AM (20min)
Opening comments
AHRI Update
9:20 AM
9:20 AM – 10:10 AM (50min)
Opening keynote - Messy to magic: Managing time, energy and personal impact
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Let’s challenge the idea that being busy equals being effective. Time pressure impacts behaviour, decision-making and professional development.
Learn how to take back control of your time through a mindful approach to projects, stronger boundaries and more intentional use of your energy. Discover practical strategies to reduce noise, focus on high-impact work and create space for growth, without adding more to your already full plate.
10:10 AM
10:10 AM – 10:40 AM (30min)
Morning tea, expo and networking
10:40 AM
10:40 AM – 11:25 AM (45min)
Session 2 - Positive duty in practice: How to comply with the positive duty to prevent sexual harassment at work
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This session will provide practical guidance on the steps you can take to ensure your organisation is taking a robust and defensible approach to complying with the positive duty to prevent workplace sexual harassment. It will focus on the new regulatory powers, the critical role of legal compliance audits in protecting workers and demonstrating compliance with the law, and how to conduct legal compliance audits.
11:25 AM
11:25 AM – 11:55 AM (30min)
Facilitated networking
11:55 AM
11:55 AM – 12:40 PM (45min)
Session 3 - Further. Faster. High-performing teams through self-awareness and leadership
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The most important leadership question isn’t about strategy, structure, or systems – it’s: “What’s it like to be on the other side of me?”
Many leaders haven’t genuinely reflected on this, and the gap between intention and impact is where communication breaks down, influence weakens, and culture erodes.
Further. Faster. is built around the 5 Voices Framework. You’ll discover your natural voice, where it adds value, and where it can work against you under pressure. You’ll gain language for better conversations across differences, clarity on recurring communication challenges, and a practical personal growth plan.
Because better self-awareness isn’t a soft skill, it’s the foundation of every hard conversation you’ll ever need to have.
12:40 PM
12:40 PM – 1:30 PM (50min)
Lunch, expo and networking
1:30 PM
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM (45min)
Session 4 - Information coming soon
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2:15 PM
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM (45min)
Session 5 - Information coming soon
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3:00 PM
3:00 PM – 3:25 PM (25min)
Afternoon tea, expo and networking
3:25 PM
3:25 PM – 4:15 PM (50min)
Closing keynote - The new EQ: Leading with emotional intelligence in the age of AI
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Emotional intelligence just turned 35, but the world it was built for no longer exists. This high-energy, interactive keynote reframes EQ for the pressures leaders are actually facing: psychosocial risk, burnout, AI disruption, and the demand to lead with both performance and authenticity.
Drawing on original doctoral research and the EQ6 framework, Dr Nathan Jones introduces six practical emotional competencies that go beyond traditional EQ, and gives every participant their personalised Leading Colours to put to work immediately. Expect live technology, a mobile quiz, and a room that leaves with a shared language for emotion in the age of AI.
Emotional intelligence needs an upgrade. And in a world increasingly run by artificial intelligence, it might be the best edge we have left. It’s time to get better at being human. Are you ready?
4:15 PM
4:15 PM – 4:25 PM (10min)
Closing comments
4:25 PM
4:25 PM – 5:25 PM (60min)
Networking Function
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Wrap up the day with a relaxed networking drink – share highlights from the conference, enjoy great conversation, and make meaningful connections with peers and changemakers shaping the future of HR.
Meet the speakers
Sarah McCann-Bartlett MAHRI
CEO
Australian HR Institute
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Sarah McCann-Bartlett commenced at AHRI as its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director in 2020. She has global experience in membership and trade bodies and has held senior roles across a variety of sectors in Australia, the UK and the USA.
Previously, Sarah held the roles of Director General of the British Constructional Steelwork Association, Deputy Commissioner of the Victorian Building and Plumbing Commissions, and President and Group Manager, Americas at the Woolmark Company.
Sarah holds Commerce and Arts degrees from the University of Melbourne, an MBA from Monash University, and postgraduate qualifications in marketing. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Athena Chintis CPHR
NT State President
Australian HR Institute
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Anita Carver is a people and capability leader passionate about strengthening organisations through leadership development, workforce capability and cultures of learning.
At the Northern Land Council, Anita leads learning strategy and systems that support leadership capability, employee engagement and workforce development across one of Australia’s most complex and geographically dispersed operating environments. Her approach combines strategic insight with practical delivery, ensuring learning is embedded in the flow of work and accessible in the moments that matter most.
Anita believes the most effective learning happens every day through curiosity, collaboration and shared experience, and that development should be embedded in how people work, lead and collaborate.
Her career spans the public, private and for-purpose sectors, shaping a grounded and collaborative leadership style informed by real-world operational experience.
She holds a Master of Human Resource Management and Bachelor of Commerce from Curtin University, along with qualifications in Training, Assessment, Leadership and Mentoring.
An AHRI Certified Practitioner (CPHR), Anita has served on the AHRI Northern Territory State Council since 2021 and was appointed NT State President in 2024, championing connection, capability and professional growth across the Territory.
Barbara Clifford
Director
The Hinwood Institute
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Jessica Nicholls
Partner
HWLE Lawyers
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Jessica Nicholls is a Partner in HWLE’s Workplace Relations & Safety group, specialising in employment, industrial relations and safety law. She advises on complex workplace disputes including general protections, unfair dismissal, discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, safety prosecutions and underpayment claims. She also assists with enterprise bargaining, workplace investigations, employment contracts and policies, restructures and redundancies, and delivers tailored training. Jessica regularly appears before the Fair Work Commission and state and federal courts and tribunals, and is known for her pragmatic, solutions-focused approach.
Rohan Dredge
Founder
Zemora Group
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Rohan Dredge is a leadership development consultant who partners with executive teams to turn good leaders into high-performing, trusted leadership groups. He focuses on the moments that matter most: how leaders show up, communicate, make decisions, and lead under pressure.
Rohan designs and delivers leadership programs that lift the quality of conversations, sharpen feedback, and build teams that genuinely trust one another. With over 30 years of experience and a Masters in Educational Psychology, Rohan helps organisations bring their people strategy to life so that leaders, teams, and the business as a whole move further, faster, and with greater confidence.
Dr Nathan Jones
Director
EQ6 Global
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Dr Nathan Jones is a keynote speaker and experimental psychologist shaping the future of emotional intelligence. His work offers practical wisdom on how leaders navigate emotion, make decisions under pressure, and build psychologically safe cultures at work and beyond. Holding a PhD in Experimental Psychology from Adelaide University, his doctoral research – The Colour of Emotion – proposed a data-driven approach to emotional intelligence designed for the digital age.
Over the past decade, Nathan’s work has been featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, ABC Radio, and SiriusXM across the USA. He has spoken at global events including SXSW, TEDx, and the World Congress on Positive Psychology.
