Speakers

Plenary Speakers

These were the 2024 plenary and elective speakers. 2025 will have different speakers, but this list is typical of the kinds of speakers that address the CMA Conference.

Prof. Ian Harper

Ian Harper is a professional economist best known for his work in public policy. He is a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Chair of the Australian Statistics Advisory Council.
For five years until November 2023, Ian was Dean & Director of Melbourne Business School and Co-Dean of the Faculty of Business & Economics at The University of Melbourne. Prior to that, he was a partner at Deloitte Access Economics for seven years.
From March 2014 to March 2015, Ian chaired the Australian Government’s Competition Policy Review and, prior to that, served as inaugural Chairman of the Australian Fair Pay Commission from December 2005 to July 2009.
Ian was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia in 2000 and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in 2009. In 2016 he was elected a Distinguished Public Policy Fellow of the Economic Society of Australia and received a Vice-Chancellor’s Alumni Excellence Award from the University of Queensland.
Ian was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours List with the citation “For distinguished service to education in the field of economics, and to public and monetary policy development and reform”.

Rebecca Lambert-Smith

Rebecca Lambert-Smith is a Practice Leader in the Corporate Advisory Team and heads up the For Purpose Team at Moores in Victoria.

Rebecca provides expert advice to charities, not-for-profits and social ventures on a wide range of legal and governance matters.

As a trusted advisor to For Purpose clients experiencing creation, crisis and change, Rebecca enjoys helping clients navigate the challenges of the current regulatory environment. This includes helping new organisations get established, providing complex structuring advice, improving governance, resolving internal disputes and responding to ACNC investigations.

Having served on a number of Boards, Rebecca understands the competing priorities of modern governance. She regularly provides Board training and presents seminars and webinars to the For Purpose sector.

Mike Stevens

Mike is the husband to Michelle and father to Ella, Ben and Lucy. Mike has a passion in seeing people come to know Jesus, coaching leaders, and developing effective discipleship pathways in the local church. He has worked as a teacher and Pastor and currently serves as the Lead Pastor at Clovercrest Baptist church in Adelaide.

Mike is a Reverend with the Baptist Churches of SA, is the current Chair of Arrow Leadership Australia, teaches a Leadership subject at Tabor College, and has recently completed his Doctor of Ministry, focusing on Missional Renewal in the Western church.

Amy Brown

Amy Brown is a senior executive leader with deep experience across the public and private sectors, with a 25-year career in law, finance, consulting and government. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Christian Education Ministries.

Amy has also served as the Secretary of the NSW Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade, CEO of Investment NSW and a Deputy Secretary within the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Amy believes she’s been saved for a personal and eternal relationship with our creator God, through Jesus Christ. She is part of the Christian community at Bridge Church Neutral Bay, with her husband Rory and kids Zac and Evie.

Mel Murray

Mel Murray will be Zooming in to open our conference, live from Manhattan NY where she serves as Partner, Global Community at Praxis. She loves to journey with venture-builders from all corners of the world. After a decade in marketing she launched multiple ventures in North India, including a vertically integrated fashion brand and a nonprofit that partners with under-resourced entrepreneurs in challenging regions.

At Praxis, Mel oversees our global community efforts, serving a diverse group of ecosystem builders and leaders, activating redemptive entrepreneurship in their communities. She serves on the Board of HOPE International. After many years in India and Northern Thailand, Mel and her husband, David, now live in Manhattan, enjoying a full life with teenage sons in the city.

Elective Speakers

More speakers are being added continually as elective sessions get finalised