The Hawkesbury Conference

INNOVATION AND INSPIRATION

Hawkesbury Business Events (HBE) run an annual program for local business  people. By participating, businesses and business people will discover innovative methods of operation while growing their networks and uncover the inspiration to overcome challenges. The program includes events across the entire region for organisations of all sizes, industries and at all stages of growth so that everyone in included.

2022 Hawkesbury Conference

Regardless of the size or stage of your business, we will have speakers to inspire innovation for you and your business. All our speakers have a deep connection with the Hawkesbury community and will share their ideas and experience.

Our speakers include:

• Angela Maguire of The Gap Consultancy, Enterprising Hawkesbury and Enniskillen Orchard. Raised on an orchard in Grose Vale and educated on the other side of the river in South Windsor, after a time away in the CBDs of Sydney and Melbourne, came back home to raise her children and run her business from the beautiful and unique Hawkesbury. Small business and entrepreneurship make her tick. She has been fortunate to work for some of the world’s biggest brands including Dior and Vodafone and now uses this knowledge and experience in her business and to give other local businesses an edge in their communications, strategic outlook and internal processes. Angela is also the President of Harvest Trails and Markets, a local organisation that aims to enhance the sustainability and viability of Australian Agriculture.

• Dave Graham of Farmer Dave and RuffTrack. The youngest of 11 kids, he grew up on a beef cattle, cropping and sheep station that has grown to  almost 100,000 acres. Like many restless bushies who deal with the intensity of droughts and floods he's tried to pack as much into his 40 years as possible. He walked the catwalks and graced the billboards of Europe at 19, travelled to over 80 countries on a quest to understand the people and places of the planet, used reality TV to change people's views about gay Australians and raise awareness of the plight of drought stricken farmers. He built a lamb business that changed the consumer producer relationships, built the worlds premier dog Disneyland and education facility, became an internationally recognised dog training expert and MC, introduced a plethora of dog sports to doglovers around the world and runs a host of education and entertainment platforms to build relationships between the city and country. He is skilled in articulating complex issues to people who are often unaware of what is going on outside their lives. After working with the incredible team at BackTrack he has taken on their amazing philosophy of empowerment to young people in the city through the founding of RuffTrack that aims to keep kids alive, out of prison and skilled up for a secure future.

• Sharon Grech and Liz Germani of Hawkesbury Remakery. The founders of the successful social enterprise business based in Windsor Mall, created the Remakery to build upon the makers economy in the Hawkesbury.The enterprise is a Makerspace that is open to all Makers in the Hawkesbury region that work in all materials and forms. The Remakery supports Makers by providing opportunities for education, socialisation and building a business in their chosen art form that match the aims of the Maker. While many Makers work with new materials, the Remakery also aims to inspire people to think sustainably and use unwanted resources to create upcycled works. They provide reusable resources and sustainability education around recyclables and divert materials from ending up in landfill. Their retail spaces are a space to sell, inspire and evoke wonderful conversations on imagination and sustainability. 

• Erin Wilkins of Yanmala Cultural Education and Darug Custodian Aboriginal Corporation. A Darug woman and an Aboriginal educator, consultant and facilitator working across all sectors, Erin has been sharing her knowledge for the past 15 years. She enjoys being on Country, protecting and connecting with Culture, participating in revitalised traditional practices and encouraging others to share the old ways. Erin develops and delivers Aboriginal Cultural workshops in addition to providing interpretation support, cultural awareness activities and consultation facilitation. As a member of the collaboration team that brought together the current State Library of NSW exhibition, Real Secret River Dyarubbin, Erin has helped bring awareness of our local indigenous culture to a wider audience and help uncover some of the local stories and language that were believed to be lost. With a passion for celebrating diversity and the advantages to the community that come from bringing people of varied backgrounds together in a supportive environment, Erin is a champion for community cohesiveness through respect and understanding of alternate perspectives. 

• Nadia Cruz of Vibe Property. A witty, smart and intensely passionate property manager, that is an efficient and effective network builder with exceptional skills in stakeholder management. Nadia is proud to live and work in the Hawkesbury and believes that the unique characteristics of the area mean that it is essential that local business is built to compliment the existing environment and meet the needs of locals, this is why being one of the owners of a local start up was the only fit for her. Having built a strong career on the belief a small, diverse team of focused professionals is the key to an efficient workplace and great customer service, Nadia continues to work with such a team. Other keys to success for Nadia have been a deep knowledge of the subject matter, professionalism, empathy with the client, active listening skills, collaboration and real passion. With experience in managing peoples biggest financial assets, Nadia works to be innovative in both asset management and customer service so that she and her team can exceed expectation. 

The conference includes morning tea and a two course lunch to accompany a panel discussion on resilience and recovery for our business community. There will be an opportunity for networking with other keen local business representatives and talk to local business support services.

Due to changing NSW health orders, this event may be postponed at short notice. All participants are asked to wear masks and maintain social distancing during the event. If you are unwell, please do not attend the event.