The Organisational Culture Summit attracts a fantastic mix of inspirational speakers and successful case study speakers.
You can find details of the confirmed 2027 speakers below:
For more than two decades, Darren Shand was the driving force behind the culture and high-performance environment that shaped the New Zealand All Blacks into the world’s most successful international sports team.
His focus is on building the “team around the team” and creating an environment that wholeheartedly supports peak performance was instilled into the very fabric of All Black’s leadership. It is no accident that their winning percentage of 76.77% across more than 600 test matches is unrivalled in world sport.
Today, Darren shares his concept of ‘Winning Teams’ with business and sporting leaders around the globe empowering them with the tools and guidance they need to navigate the intricacies of team dynamics, become more effective leaders, and foster empowering and collaborative environments that cultivate peak performance.
Darren’s philosophy and leadership style are deeply influenced by the profound insights and principles articulated by eminent thought leaders such as Jim Collins, renowned for his groundbreaking work on organisational excellence; Patrick Lencioni, celebrated for his expertise in team dynamics and organisational health; Simon Sinek, known for his innovative approach to inspiring leadership and finding purpose; and Nicholas Janni, recognised for his profound understanding of conscious leadership and personal development. Drawing from their collective wisdom, Darren integrates diverse perspectives to shape his approach to leadership and management.
A globally recognised leader in artificial intelligence and technology education, Dr Mahsa McCauley is Head of Computer and Information Sciences at Auckland University of Technology’s School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, where she combines academic leadership with bold advocacy for equity and innovation in tech.
Mahsa’s journey into computing began at just seven years old, when she helped her father build a computer—an experience that sparked a lifelong passion for problem‑solving and systems thinking. That curiosity led her to doctoral study at Massey University, where she developed a pioneering hybrid machine translation system for English and Persian, integrating statistical and linguistic techniques to significantly improve translation accuracy.
Now an Associate Professor and academic leader at AUT, Mahsa has supervised more than 70 research projects and authored over 80 publications spanning artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity and natural language processing. Her recent work includes the development of the Scaffolded AI Literacy (SAIL) framework, designed to build meaningful AI capability in education, alongside advances in neural networks for sound event detection.
Beyond the university, Mahsa plays a major role in shaping New Zealand’s technology ecosystem. She serves as Chair of AI Forum NZ and holds board roles with NZTech, EdTech and the AI Research Association, contributing to national AI strategy, policy development and research direction. Internationally, she has been appointed Communication and Information Commissioner for the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and has worked as a Fulbright Scholar at North Carolina A&T State University, collaborating on AI applications in agriculture and cybersecurity.
In 2014, Mahsa founded She Sharp, a not‑for‑profit organisation dedicated to empowering women and non‑binary people in technology. Under her leadership, She Sharp has grown into a nationwide community of more than 2,000 members, delivering over 80 events in partnership with organisations such as Google, Microsoft and Xero, and helping to reshape who sees themselves reflected in tech leadership.
Her contributions have been widely recognised, with accolades including the 2023 Unsung Hero Award at the Women in Security Awards, the 2020 Massey University Distinguished Alumni Award, and the 2019 YWCA Equal Pay Champion Award.
A respected public voice on artificial intelligence, ethics and the future of work, Mahsa regularly appears across New Zealand media including TVNZ, The AM Show and RNZ, bringing clarity and nuance to complex technological issues.
Outside of her professional life, Mahsa competes in the Iron Māori triathlon, enjoys home renovation projects, and values restorative time with her family—believing that true innovation is sustained by balance, reflection and wellbeing.
Dom Price is a Work Futurist, team obsessive, and Partner at Be Luminous – and someone who has lived the chaos of scaling a business from the inside out. Joining Atlassian as employee #600, Dom stayed for 12 years as their resident Work Futurist, helping grow the company to over 16,000 people globally. That’s not theory – that’s scar tissue.
Dom operates at the intersection of tech and humans, and his mission is simple: upgrade the human operating system of how we work. Because as he’ll tell you, “a fool with a tool is still a fool… you’ve just made them faster.” In a world drunk on AI and the next shiny solution, Dom is the pragmatic voice asking whether your people are actually set up to use it well — driving change that’s sustainable, not just spectacular.
As a keynote speaker, Dom doesn’t trade in polished frameworks or borrowed wisdom. He shares real, lived experience – the messy, hard-won kind – which is exactly why he’s in demand. Less thought leader, more battle-tested practitioner.
Co-creator of the Atlassian Team Playbook, TED speaker, and advisor to C-suite leaders globally. Dom believes that work – and life – should be about thriving, not just surviving. A keen traveller and veteran of 53+ countries, he calls Australia home. Manchester made him. The rest? Still very much in progress.
Dr. Denise Quinlan’s mission is to Make Work Better by preventing burnout, protecting wellbeing, and enabling sustainable performance. Her research and workshops inspire change, sharing practical tools and insights that generate hope. Recognized as one of the world’s leading resilience experts and a world-class facilitator, Denise’s immersive retreats and diploma-level training are most frequently described by participants as ‘life-changing.’
Dr. Quinlan’s ground-breaking academic research on the impact of strengths-based approaches to relationships, wellbeing, and social climate is acknowledged internationally. Her corporate background in the financial sector and management assessment and development, coupled with her expertise in course design and delivery, has enabled her to deliver transformative training to corporate leaders around the world.
As an award-winning guest lecturer at the globally ranked IE Business School in Madrid, Denise has taught strengths-based leadership to senior executives from Fortune 500 and leading global organizations. Co-founder of the Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the University of Canterbury, Denise’s work is published in international academic journals and has won her international impact awards.
Fiona Hewitt is the Founder and Managing Partner of Unboxable, a New Zealand future of work consultancy helping organisations strengthen the leadership, culture and ways of working they need to evolve.
A strategy and workforce transformation advisor with more than 25 years’ experience, Fiona works with boards, executive teams and leadership groups across Australia and New Zealand to navigate growth, transformation and organisational change.
Her work spans strategy, leadership, workforce capability, organisational design, future of work and AI workforce strategy. Combining practical executive experience with ongoing study in the future of work and organisational revitalisation through executive programmes at Harvard and Sydney universities, Fiona helps leaders ask the questions that matter most and build the capability to perform today while preparing for tomorrow.
Known for her clear thinking, practical insight and human-centred approach, Fiona brings a valuable perspective to one of the defining leadership challenges of our time: how to build adaptive, trusted and future-ready cultures in an AI-enabled world.
Alicia Curtis is the Founder of Alyceum, a values-driven leadership education platform that inspires people to lead positive change in business and the community.
Alicia established Alyceum in 2001 and has spent more than two decades designing and delivering transformational leadership programs, working with thousands of leaders to challenge traditional ideas of who can lead and the difference they can make.
With a Master’s in Business Leadership and a long history of professional and community impact, Alicia is known for her ability to create powerful learning experiences that combine purpose, values, reflection and action. Her work has been recognised through awards including Business News 40under40, EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the western region, Westpac 200 Businesses of Tomorrow and the Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence list.
Alicia is also the co-founder and inaugural Chair of 100 Women, a giving circle supporting women and girls locally and globally. Passionately driven by her purpose to ignite leaders to transform the world for the better, Alicia brings a deeply practical, values-led and human perspective to the work of cultural transformation.