Ahead of the Game: Gold Coast

Meet the speakers

• More details about Dominique Lamb, Director of Community Affairs to the President of the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games

  Dominique Lamb, Director of Community Affairs to the President of the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games

  Dominique Lamb has a diverse background in corporate affairs, industrial relations, and not-for-profits. Dominique was previously the CEO of the National Retail Association and a director of NRA Legal. In her role as CEO, Dominique advocated on behalf of 60,000 shop fronts across the country about a diverse range of issues, including but not limited to crime, ESG, youth employment, industrial relations, leasing and tenancy, franchising, and the digital economy.  Dominique served as the Queensland Small Business Commissioner from December 2022 until October 2025, where she focused on improving the operating environment for small businesses and reducing the time and cost of resolving disputes. From October 2025, Dominique has taken on the role of Director of Community Affairs for the Brisbane Olympic Games, where she will continue her commitment to community engagement and advocacy. Beyond her professional endeavours, Dominique is deeply committed to social causes, particularly those addressing domestic and family violence and closing the gap in our regional, remote, and rural communities. 

• More details about Ben Lazzaro, Chief Executive, Australian Made

  Ben Lazzaro, Chief Executive, Australian Made

  Ben Lazzaro is the Chief Executive of Australian Made Campaign Ltd (AMCL), the organisation behind Australia’s iconic green-and-gold Australian Made, Australian Grown certification trademark. He leads the strategic direction of the not-for-profit organisation in promoting and protecting genuine Australian-made and Australian-grown products, supporting local manufacturers to build trust, recognition and competitiveness in domestic and international markets. Ben is also the Chief Executive of ReMade in Australia, an initiative focused on accelerating Australia’s circular economy by promoting products and projects made using recycled materials. In this role, he champions innovation, sustainability and local manufacturing, helping businesses add value to waste streams while strengthening Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capability. Ben joined Australian Made in 2011 as Marketing & Communications Manager and progressed to Deputy Chief Executive in 2016 before being appointed Chief Executive in August 2018. He brings more than 25 years’ experience across management, sales, marketing and communications, spanning consultancy, agency and in-house roles, with an academic background in engineering. Across both organisations, Ben is committed to advancing Australian manufacturing, sustainability, and consumer confidence, ensuring the Australian Made logo and ReMade in Australia logo are trusted symbols of authenticity and integrity.

• More details about Laura Maxwell, Managing Director, Queensland, News Corp Australia

  Laura Maxwell, Managing Director, Queensland, News Corp Australia

  Laura Maxwell is News Corp Australia’s State Managing Director of Queensland. Laura is a highly experienced C-Suite Executive and Board Director with a proven track record of driving sustainable profit and market-share growth with powerhouse brands. Most recently as CEO of Stuff Media Group in NZ and with prior roles of Chief Digital Officer and Chief Commercial Officer at New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME), her experience spans both transformation at large-scale corporations and building digital start-ups such as OneRoof real estate platform. Known for thriving in complexity, Laura excels at strategic thinking, stakeholder engagement and looking for the magic at the intersection of people and technology. Member of the alumni of Otago University, University of Canberra and University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Member of the NZ Institute of Directors and Global Women. 

• More details about John Warn, Chief Executive Officer, Experience Gold Coast

  John Warn, Chief Executive Officer, Experience Gold Coast

  John is the Chief Executive Officer for Experience Gold Coast – an entity focused on leading and driving tourism, events, arts and culture, and education outcomes for the City of Gold Coast. The economic impact of this business is over $8bn and is a critical part of the thriving Gold Coast and SE Queensland economy. John has had an extensive executive and non-executive career across Hospitality, sport, tourism, executive search, business consulting, and in the retail property sector spanning over 25 years. He has held senior roles with global hotel chain Accor as COO - Pacific, executive search firm Odgers Berndtson, and Westfield (Scentre Group) at Group Executive level. He has worked for other iconic Australian brands including David Jones and Westpac, and earlier in his career worked in investment banking in the UK. John has held a number of non-executive roles. In January 2025, he was appointed as Chair of the Stadiums Queensland Board, charged with the management of major sports venues including Olympic and Paralympic venues, the Gabba, Suncorp and others on behalf of the Qld State Government. Formerly based in Sydney, he served as the Chairman of the NSW Government’s lead tourism agency Destination NSW (2018-2021), including leading it through Covid-19 and was also the youngest ever Chairman of Cricket NSW, a role he held from early 2013 to June 2018. He also served on the Bradman Foundation as Deputy Chairman from 2019 to 2022. John completed the esteemed Stanford Executive Program (SEP) at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, in Silicon Valley, California, USA. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders, a Fellow of the Customer Service Institute of Australia and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He was made a Life member of Cricket NSW in 2021.

• More details about Schuyler Weiss, Managing Director at Bazmark

  Schuyler Weiss, Managing Director at Bazmark

  Schuyler Weiss is an Academy Award nominated producer based in the Gold Coast, Australia. He has worked with Baz Luhrmann’s production company, Bazmark, since 2005 and currently serves as Managing Director and producing partner to Luhrmann and his creative partner Catherine Martin. In addition to producing Luhrmann’s hit 2022 feature Elvis, which garnered eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Weiss also produced the recent documentary companion piece, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, which has already become one of the most successful IMAX documentaries of all time. Outside of his work at Bazmark, Weiss recently produced the widely acclaimed 2024 feature film How To Make Gravy, based on Paul Kelly’s iconic song. In the US, Weiss co-founded New York-based Tandem Pictures in 2010, which he built into a successful film and commercial production company and sold in 2016. He has produced numerous independent films, including three features selected for the Sundance Film Festival. Weiss’s work in entertainment spans film, TV, commercials, live events, VR and even co-writing a song with Elton John. His next production will be Luhrmann’s much-anticipated film based on the life of Joan of Arc.

• More details about Heidi Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, Business Chamber Queensland

  Heidi Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, Business Chamber Queensland

  Heidi Cooper is a leading business executive and Chief Executive Officer of Business Chamber Queensland, where she advocates for the strategic growth and sustainable transformation of Queensland’s business environment. In this role, she leads with purpose, driving business success while shaping the state’s economic future through policy influence, stakeholder collaboration and strategic reform. With a career spanning business, law, corporate affairs and strategy, Heidi has led major initiatives for Top 20 ASX-listed companies, top-tier law firms and industry bodies across infrastructure, energy, financial services, education and sport. She is a recognised leader in aligning business outcomes with social and environmental impact and advancing sustainable business practices. She brings a global perspective to local leadership, strengthened by participation in the Chambers of Commerce international network and executive programs at Harvard and Princeton Universities.