Evelyne de Leeuw is professor and holds the Canada Excellence in Research Chair ‘One Urban Health’ at the Université de Montréal. The Chair connects two exciting health promotion fields: Healthy Cities and One Health. She is also Professorial Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales (Sydney) ‘Cities Institute’ – here she assists in health promotion dimensions of urbanism and healthy public policy. Evelyne has a decades long connection to the global health promotion and public health community. She was at the eponymous Ottawa Conference in 1986, which stirred her critical appraisal of the idea of Healthy Public Policy (later Health in All Policies). She was Secretary-General of the Association of Schools of Public Health ASPHER 1992-1998 and (helped) establish(ed) several Schools of Public Health. With Patrick Fafard she edits a book series on health political science. An upcoming book with Cambridge University Press (Well – Together) looks at intersectorality and One Urban Health. She also writes ‘recreatively’ (tree novels) aside from 400+ peer reviewed pieces and seven books. Current research projects include a strategic governance vision of Vertical Cities (including Montreal’s Underground City), urban cartographies of biodiversity, ruminant grazing in urban parks, re-introducing nature into healthcare systems, walkability for health and healthcare, transport justice in and for First Nations communities, policies for the gut microbiome and urban microbiome, place and culture and health in Aboriginal communities, wellbeing and place-based spirituality and eco-anxiety, and others.

Alison has a PhD which focused on the implementation of collaborative primary health care services. Her career has had a focus on understanding and addressing complex public policy challenges, with board and executive roles including at the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, and the Parenting Research Centre. Alison has been co-lead commissioner on the PC's inquiry into Delivering Quality Care More Efficiently.

Blair commenced as the Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing on 17 July 2023. Blair has served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. Blair has also served as Secretary of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, NSW’s most senior public servant. Prior to these positions, Blair held senior leadership positions in Treasury and the Acting Chief Executive of the Australian Office of Financial Management with responsibility for managing the Commonwealth’s debt and derivative portfolio. Blair has had extensive engagement with Commonwealth State relations, including reform of the Federation and Health funding in his role as Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in the NSW Government. Blair also has significant private sector experience as a strategy consultant advising governments, not for profits, and corporates on a wide range of matters including climate, energy, human services, health, organisational leadership and design, governance and economic policy. In 2012 Blair was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in the development of public policy, particularly in the areas of carbon pricing and emissions trading, tax policy design and debt management. Blair has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons), a Master of Economics and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Studies.

Ellen is a proud Queer and disabled leader based in Launceston, with an undergraduate degree in sociology and postgraduate qualifications in human services. She brings more than fifteen years of experience across community development, engagement, disability advocacy, and senior roles spanning government, governance, and the not‑for‑profit sector. She is currently the CEO of Health Consumers Tasmania. Ellen’s journey into health advocacy accelerated in 2020 following her lived experience of young‑onset bowel cancer. This shaped a deep commitment to elevating the voices of consumers and communities, and strengthened her belief that meaningful, sustainable change happens when people with lived experience are not only heard but enabled to shape the decisions that affect them. Across her work, Ellen champions place‑based, community‑led approaches and is known for bringing honesty, energy and connection to conversations about prevention, equity, and systems transformation. She works collaboratively across sectors to bridge gaps, build trust, and amplify local wisdom as a driver of long‑term wellbeing. At the heart of her leadership is a simple conviction: communities hold the knowledge and insight needed to guide lasting change, and when their voices are elevated, we create opportunities for healthier, stronger, and more resilient futures.

Dr Akbar is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Science at the University of Queensland. As a Pasifika Fijian researcher, her work centres Pacific knowledge systems, Pacific health models, and Indigenous participatory methodologies to co-design and co-create solutions with First Nations, Māori, Pacific, and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities to address health inequities. She works closely with Māori and Pasifika communities in Australia and internationally, strengthening pathways for Indigenous and Pacific researchers to lead Māori and Pacific health research in Australia. Dr Akbar has extensive experience in community development and research translation, with a strong commitment to amplifying community and consumer voices through advocacy, capacity building, and culturally grounded partnerships.

Professor Raymond Lovett is one of Australia’s most influential and respected Indigenous (Ngiyampaa/Wongaibon) epidemiologists. Professor Lovett leads the Mayi Kuwayu Study longitudinal study, which is directly informing the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan. Professor Lovett was instrumental in founding the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research: Yardhura Walani at Australian National University and has extensive experience in policy and practice implementation. Professor Lovett has a reputation for building Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander majority teams and leading large-scale research programs that translate to tangible and enduring benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Harvard School of Public Health in 2024 and in 2025 was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to Indigenous Health.

Professor Anna Peeters AM, PhD, is a globally recognised public health expert and advocate for health equity. Appointed CEO of VicHealth in 2025, she brings decades of experience in collaboration, epidemiology, health system transformation, and policy-driven research. Previously, she was Director of the Institute for Health Transformation at Deakin University and a Distinguished Professor of Public Health. A former VicHealth Board Member, she has led groundbreaking initiatives, including the RE-FRESH Centre for healthier food environments. Committed to evidence-based health promotion, she champions equity and collaboration to improve health outcomes for all Victorians.

Leading a contemporary statewide health agenda, Robyn advances productivity and economic reform through prevention. With a PhD, a Master of Business, a Master of Medical Science, and currently completing a Master’s in IT and AI, she brings a uniquely interdisciplinary lens to demonstrating the value of health and wellbeing — and its system-wide benefits, particularly for communities who need it most. Robyn is passionate about advancing health and wellbeing for all — activating communities, empowering clinicians and strengthening the health system.

Carina brings more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer, journalist, communications strategist, government advisor and commercial executive to her role as Executive Director of Healthway. With experience across commercial, government and not-for-profit sectors, she takes a collaborative and cooperative approach to achieve common outcomes and champions policies and initiatives that promote healthier and happier lives across Western Australia.

Marina commenced as Chief Executive, Preventive Health SA in September 2023. Prior to this date she was State Director, Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia. She has been responsible for South Australian tobacco control legislation, policy and programs for two decades, and has worked at the national and state level of tobacco policy and strategies. Since being appointed Chief Executive, Preventive Health SA, she successfully led the establishment of a legislated preventive health agency for South Australia; developed and implemented the SA Tobacco Control Strategy 2023 – 2027, and SA Alcohol and Other Drug Strategy 2025 – 2030; and implemented new preventive health policy and programs, including new legislative restrictions for tobacco, e-cigarette and novel nicotine delivery systems; and, restricting unhealthy food advertising on South Australian public transit assets. Marina has built a reputation for delivering and influencing public health outcomes through effective integrated responses. This includes leading legislative change; implementing state-wide and community-based programs, including social marketing programs; developing, implementing and evaluating whole of government strategies at the state and national levels; partnering with government, non-government, and Aboriginal community controlled agencies to implement evidence-based prevention; developing specific programs for disadvantaged and marginalised populations; and implementing business systems to support effective governance and the achievement of measurable outcomes. Marina is the Co-Chair of the National Tobacco Officials Group, Presiding Member of South Australia’s Controlled Substances Advisory Council, a member of the South Australian Suicide Prevention Council, and a member of the National Obesity Strategy Officials Group.

Katherine Cullerton is an Associate Professor in Global Health and Health Policy at the University of Queensland’s School of Public Health. Her research explores why evidence often fails to inform public health policy and examines the tactics used by the corporate sector to influence policy decisions. She also investigates how public health advocates can more effectively shape policy outcomes in Australia and internationally. A key focus of her work is understanding and managing conflicts of interest, particularly around engagement between public health researchers and the food industry. Katherine is a qualified dietitian and has worked across diverse settings, including Aboriginal health, schools, tobacco control, and national health policy.

Gary Sacks is Co-Director of the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition (GLOBE) at Deakin University, Australia. He is also Director of a new research translation centre focused on addressing the economic and commercial determinants of health. Gary co-founded INFORMAS - an international network (active in >70 countries) for improving the healthiness of food environments. Gary has co-authored several international reports on food policy and corporate influences on health, including the Lancet Commission on Obesity, and several reports for UNICEF and the World Health Organization.

Mark Petticrew is Professor of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). He is Director of the NIHR Public Health Policy Research Unit. His main research interests are in evidence-based policymaking, and health inequalities. His research has a particular focus on the commercial determinants of health – in particular, the influence of unhealthy commodity industries on health (e.g. through the promotion of tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy foods, and gambling products). Recent research includes analyses of misinformation disseminated by industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) bodies, and the common “playbook” which is used across these and other industries, including pharma, tech and digital media industries.

Adjunct Associate Professor Mark West is Executive Director of Prevention Strategy Branch, Population Health Division, Queensland Health. He has more than 30 years’ experience of working in public health. For 29 years he has led the Queensland Government’s response to tobacco smoking and now vaping. This has included the provision of expert advice for the development and implementation of National Tobacco Strategies and Queensland Tobacco Strategic Frameworks; extensive law reforms for banning tobacco sales to children, restricting tobacco retail display and advertising, smoke-free public places, smoking product licensing scheme and strengthening enforcement; the statewide tobacco and vape enforcement network; Queensland Quitline service including a nation-leading intensive support program that has provided free nicotine replacement therapy to priority groups for more than 20 years; cutting edge public health campaigns; and research and evaluation. His current responsibilities include strategic oversight of chronic disease prevention, tobacco and vape control, skin cancer prevention, healthy built environments, health promotion services for the bowel and cervical cancer screening programs, food regulation advice, women and girls’ health promotion, and healthy pregnancy, kids and family’s strategic policy and initiatives.

Professor Clair Sullivan is an internationally recognised leading practising and academic clinical informatician who helps drive digital health transformation in Queensland and globally. Clair is the Director of the Queensland Digital Health Centre at The University of Queensland. A specialist endocrinologist, Clair graduated with Honours in Medicine from The University of Queensland and earned a Research Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Leeds. In 2014, Clair began a parallel career in the emerging field of digital health and has held significant leadership roles in digital health practice and governance across government and academia. Her work is regularly translated into practice and informs policy in Australia and globally. Clair was appointed Associate Professor of Medicine in Clinical Informatics at UQ and is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology and an Adjunct Professor, School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. She is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian College of Health Informatics and the Australasian Institute of Digital Health. Clair serves on several national advisory boards for digital health. She is the recipient of several awards including the 2021 Premier’s Award for Excellence for her team’s work on the digital response to COVID-19 and the 2022 Telstra Brilliant Connected Women in Digital Health Award. She has generated over $30M in grant funding and has deep collaborations with government and industry. She is ranked in the top 1% of Medical Informatics researchers globally.

Carol Maher is a leading Australian researcher in digital health and population health. Her work focuses on practical ways to improve physical activity, diet, sleep, and wellbeing at scale, using tools such as wearable devices, AI-driven coaching, and community-based partnerships. Carol’s research spans the full translation pathway. She has co-designed national guidelines, run large multi-site trials, developed and tested digital behaviour-change platforms, and partnered with government and service providers to deliver programs that reach real communities. She provides regular expert advice to government bodies and international organisations, including WHO and UNESCO. With more than 270 publications and strong engagement with policy, industry, and the public, she is recognised for helping shape how digital tools can improve health at a population level.