2026 Australian National Conference

Molly Benjamin

Founder, Ladies Finance Club

Molly Benjamin was not very good with money, and neither were many of her friends. The catch? Molly worked at a bank. You would think having a successful career as a communications specialist for Barclays would go hand in hand with managing money well. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and she was not the only one.

One evening, while sipping prosecco with her gal pals and having a competition over "who was worse with their money", she realised they were all a bit #clueless when it came to their personal finances.
The day she had to ask her friend for money for food shopping, she knew something had to change. Molly took action and hosted an information night in her living room. No big deal, just a few girls, some champagne and a money expert with real-world insights to teach them "how to do money right." The ladies loved it, and wanted more! Molly grew the events from outside her living room to venues across London. She brought in female financial experts from and filled the rooms with hundreds of women eager to learn. Through humour, relatable life stories, and jargon-free analogies anyone can understand, Molly made financial education accessible, empowering and most of all, FUN.

Ladies Finance Club was born in the UK in 2018, followed by Australia in 2019. Since inception, over 50,000 women have attend events, masterclasses, webinars or workshops, and Molly has worked with the likes of Google, Pinterest, Deloitte, Audible and more to run corporate workshops for their teams too. Ladies Finance Club has celebrated winning the Australian Women in Finance Awards in 2021 and being a finalist in 2022 and 2023, and the launch of Molly’s book Girls Just Wanna Have Funds released Jan 31, 2023.

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Lyndsey Douglas

Editor-in-chief, Writers Who

Lyndsey is the editor-in-chief at agricultural content agency Writers Who, where she brings her journalism expertise to lead an all-female team of 14 rural content creators. The team handles marketing for their clients while living on the land, working with a diverse portfolio that includes global companies, government bodies, breed societies, and membership organisations.

Her recognisable voice has anchored agricultural events, podcasts, and television programming across Australia. She has hosted major beef breed initiatives including WagyuEdge, World Angus Forum, and Beef Australia's Beef TV; commentated at royal shows including the Ekka, Sydney Royal Easter Show, Melbourne Royal Show, Royal Adelaide Show, and Canberra Royal; and emceed agtech, sustainability, and policy events including the Queensland AgTech Summit, Wilmot Field Day, and the national Citrus Congress.

Lyndsey's leadership extends beyond broadcasting through her roles as former chairman of Australian Wool Innovation's consultation panel, NSW Rural Ambassador, and founding director of Agricultural Shows Australia.

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Stacey McKenna

Australian Chair, Meat Business Women

Stacey McKenna serves as the Australian Chair of Meat Business Women, having recently signed on as the Australian Territory partner, Stacey is excited to grow the Meat Business Women initiative in the Australian market.

With extensive experience in the meat industry, she brings valuable knowledge and leadership to elevate women's roles and foster inclusivity.

In addition to this pivotal role Stacey also serves as the Industry Affairs Manager for The Midfield Group, a prominent meat Australian meat processor and holds board positions with both the Australian Meat Industry Council and the Australian Meat Processor Corporation.

Stacey is passionate about industry development and actively contributes to the development of the meat industry via these positions. Her dedication to industry engagement and diverse skill set position her as a strong advocate for the red meat sector.

Stacey's academic credentials include a Graduate Certificate in Agribusiness, a Diploma in Meat Technology, and graduation from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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Carli Phillips

Carli is a Wellbeing Keynote Speaker across the globe.

Leading Wellbeing for Johnson & Johnson, Carli was the recipient of “Best Health & Wellbeing Program 2020.”

With a degree in Health Science and a Masters in Business, Carli’s research uncovered key success criteria 
needed to build successful employee Wellbeing programs. Carli is a Nutritionist, Mental Health First Aider and 
Lead Researcher for wellbeing in primary industry. 

Carli deliberately ditched her own wellbeing, whilst juggling work, studying and caring for loved ones. The 
physical and mental illness of burnout stopped her in her tracks. Through recovery, Carli has now prevented 
recurrence whilst ducking life’s curve balls for the last ten years. Presenting wellbeing science and strategies, 
Carli will inspire you to protect and uplift your wellbeing.

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Anders Sörman-Nilsson

Founder, Thinque

Anders Sörman-Nilsson (Global EMBA / LLB) is a futurist and the founder of the think tank and trend analysis firm - Thinque, which provides data-based research, foresight and thought leadership assets for global brands across 4 continents. The company's vision is to disseminate and decode ‘avant-garde ideas which expand minds and inspire a change of heart’, and clients like Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Adobe, MINI, Brisbane Broncos, Rugby New Zealand and Lego trust his future guidance along agriculture innovators like Nutrien, Mosaic, Microbeef Technology, and Certified Angus Beef. He is an awarded keynote speaker who helps leaders decode trends, decipher what’s next and turn provocative questions into proactive answers. He has published 3 books on digital transformation and innovation including ‘Aftershock’ (2020), ‘Seamless’ (2017) and ‘Digilogue’ (2013), is a member of TEDGlobal, Entrepreneurs Organization where he is the Sydney Chapter's Leadership Impact Chair, and was nominated to the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders in 2019. He is the author of the Microsoft & Thinque whitepaper "How Artificial Intelligence is powering Australian Retail", the co-creator of the B2B marketing award-winning Adobe Creative (CQ) Intelligence test, and is the host of the 2nd Renaissance Podcast. His futurist thinking has been shared by the Wall Street Journal, Financial Review, Monocle, BBC, South China Morning Post, Esquire and ABC TV.

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Edwina Toohey

CEO, Australian Meat Processor Corporation

Edwina Toohey is the CEO of the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, bringing more than 20 years of experience in research, development, and adoption across the agriculture and red meat processing industries. She joined AMPC in June 2023 as General Manager, Development & Adoption, and was appointed CEO in 2025.

Before joining AMPC, Edwina provided strong leadership in industry‑driven R&D outcomes at the NSW Department of Primary Industries. A respected meat scientist and Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging alumna, she has authored more than 55 scientific papers and reports and is widely recognised for building high‑performing teams across the value chain.

Edwina is passionate about supporting dedicated industry professionals to build long, influential careers in red meat and ensuring the sector continues to benefit from skilled, diverse leadership.

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