SEVENTEENx Melbourne 25

SEVENTEENx is returning to Melbourne. We're on stage in an amazing new venue , the fabulous Speaker's Corner of our hosts ; Gate 8.

Welcome to SEVENTEENx Melbourne - Keynote speaking from some of Australia's leading social enterprises and purpose driven brands and leaders.

- Connect with like minded people to discuss how businesses can help achieve the UN 2030 Agenda for the Global Goals

- 4 speakers with 17 minute keynotes each

- Live audience of social entrepreneurs , changemakers and corporate leaders 

- Learn about the Sustainable Development Goals

- Network with like minded people and business connections

- Create real , tangible impact through our Tickets4Good

- Be inspired to connect your business to global challenges like climate change, inequality, poverty, biodiversity loss and much more

WHO is SEVENTEENx for?

✅ Business founders and leaders
✅ Start up community
✅ Social enterprise founders
✅ ESG leaders
✅ Sustainability experts
✅ Purpose brands
✅ Impact community

This event is a speaking event, with short, impactful keynotes; fast paced and highly engaging opportunity to connect with brands and corporates looking to engage with purpose and create action for the Global Goals and re-defining the way we do business. 

See you there! 

Time: 6pm doors open for arrival drinks + food - 6:35pm Start - 8:30pm Program Finish With networking and drinks afterwards until 9pm

Venue: Live event held in Melbourne at Gate 8 - East Melbourne

Ticket4Good includes drinks and cocktail food throughout the evening. 

Cocktail food and drinks included

We exist to Educate, Engage and Enable businesses around the world with the SDGs. To inspire us all to take action and imbed the Global Goals and impact into the very core of everything we do.

The Speakers

Each speaker has a 17 minute keynote to share with us how they are using their business to make an impact in the world, and how they align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

All speakers are home grown heroes from the Melbourne area, ready to inspire their community on how to do things a little differently. 

See the current announced speaker with more announced soon...

Kristy Battista - CTO Jupiter Ionics - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-battista-35177819/

Kristy Battista is the Chief Technology Officer at Jupiter Ionics, an Australian startup developing breakthrough green ammonia technology to decarbonise fertiliser production and strengthen global food supply chains.

With nearly 20 years’ experience across Clean Tech and MedTech, Kristy has built a career turning complex ideas into real-world impact—from lab to market. As former CTO of Allume Energy, she developed and scaled a world-first solar sharing technology, advancing access to clean energy for apartments and multi-tenant residents. 

A passionate advocate for innovation that serves both people and the planet, Kristy’s leadership centres on the human side of startups—building cultures of trust, courage, and collaboration where teams can do their best work. She’s known for translating complexity into clarity, inspiring action, and leading with purpose and optimism to create a better future for all.

Robert Hillard - Consulting Business Leader - Deloitte Asia Pacific https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberthillard/

Rob Hillard leads Deloitte’s Consulting businesses across Asia Pacific including China, Japan, Australia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand and Korea. In this role, he oversees the management and growth of businesses with more than 50,000 professionals. He has previously served as a member of Deloitte’s global board (Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited), Chief Transformation Officer for Deloitte Asia Pacific, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer for Deloitte Australia and Managing Partner of Deloitte Consulting in Australia. Rob has spoken and written extensively on topics associated with technology and the digital economy including authoring Information-Driven Business (Wiley 2010), and co-authoring Information Development using MIKE2.0 (Motion 2013). He is a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society and is a previous Chair of the Australian Information Industry Association.

Emma Forster - Climate Innovation and Sustainable Development Lead City of Melbourne - https://www.linkedin.com/in/emforster/

Emma brings diverse experience across the creative, tech, and innovation sectors. She has led hundreds of programs and initiatives to support Melbourne’s startup, social impact, and innovation ecosystem. Her work spans public and private sectors, from launching a global tech education startup in Melbourne to roles at Sustainability Victoria’s Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre. Currently, Emma is the Climate Innovation and Sustainable Development Lead at the City of Melbourne, where she’s leading the charge on embedding the SDGs into Council activities and encouraging the community to take local action for global impact. In her time in local government she’s also contributed through the Smart City Office, CityLab and Economic Development departments. A consistent theme throughout her career is using the power of open innovation and collaboration to engage communities in tackling complex, city-scale challenges like climate change and sustainability.

Meryl Sukumar - Founder Subcinctus - https://www.linkedin.com/in/meryl-sukumar/

Meryl Sukumar is a recognised authority on sustainable business transformation, with over 12 years of experience guiding organisations across APAC, the Middle East, and Europe toward low-carbon, circular, and resilient futures. As Founder of Subcinctus Consulting, she partners with mid-to-large corporations, industrial leaders, and government agencies to embed sustainability into governance, operations, and strategy.

Her expertise spans ESG frameworks (ASRS, ISSB, GRI, SASB, TCFD), decarbonisation pathways, circular economy integration, and climate risk management. Meryl has delivered double materiality assessments, net zero roadmaps, and reporting strategies that not only meet compliance requirements but also drive long-term economic value.

Having worked across commercial, industrial, FMCG, engineering, and government sectors, Meryl excels at identifying material risks, unlocking new business opportunities, and aligning sustainability with core decision-making. She is also a sought-after advisor and speaker, featured among the Top 200 Global Voices in Leadership (2023), and co-author of The ABCs of the TCFD.

Meryl brings a unique combination of engineering precision, strategic governance, and entrepreneurial leadership to help organisations navigate regulatory change, de-risk operations, and achieve meaningful impact.

Our Amazing Partners

This event does not exist without our amazing partners. SEVENTEENx Melbourne is brought to by Chartered Accountants of Australia & New Zealand  and City of Melbourne.

SEVENTEENx Melbourne associated partners include 

Speakers

The format... well is simple.

17 Global Goals to explore...

Amazing Speakers

17 minute Keynotes each

Inspired Audience

1 Shared Purpose!!!

Our Impact

Our "Tickets4Good" are each connected to amazing impacts around the world thanks to our partnership with B1G1. 

Your ticket purchase will contribute to global projects that are directly contributing to achieving the 2030 Agenda for the Global Goals.

1 Ticket4Good will make one of the following impacts in the world:

- 10 Days of education for children in the world

- 100 Days of clean water access for people around the globe

- 2 trees planted in the earth

Thankyou for making this possible.

Our Previous Events

Take a trip down memory lane with some of our speakers from 2019 and 2021 - 2024 on our Youtube channel. This will give you a taste of what to expect from this year's event. Bigger and Better than ever!

https://www.youtube.com/@seventeenx2030

Any questions please send us an email to connect@seventeensdg.com