North Queensland Work Well Conference 2024

*Program subject to change

*Program subject to change

As Queensland's Mental Health Ambassador, Hayley shares her story and commitment to reducing stigma associated with mental illness and the importance of mentally healthy workplaces.

Hayley Lewis captured the hearts of Australians by winning five Gold Medals at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games at the age of 15. A year later, she went on to become one of Australia's youngest ever World Champions by winning the 200m freestyle at the Perth World Championships. In 1992, at her first Olympics, Hayley brought home a silver and a bronze followed by more medals at the '93 Pan Pacs, the '94 Commonwealth Games, the '95 World Championships and the '96 Atlanta Olympics. After a short break, she returned to swimming in 1999 and achieved her goal of making the 2000 Olympic team, as well as the 2001 World Championship team.

Since her retirement from professional swimming, Hayley has become the owner of multiple small businesses in her hometown of Brisbane, hosted five seasons of the reality show The Biggest Loser, authored a small business book Dream, Believe, Create and completed a psychology degree.

As the General Manager at Move 4 Life, Terry harnesses his background in medical science and physiotherapy to actively simplify the complexities of the human body. Renowned for his practical, common-sense approach, Terry empowers everyday individuals to lead lives free from pain and full of vitality.

He challenges commonly held beliefs, providing fresh perspectives that resonate with his audience. Terry focuses on delivering tangible value, guiding people towards a healthier, more active lifestyle.

Change strategist and bestselling author of ten books, Michael is also a regular contributor on The Morning Show (Channel 7) with a segment that explores the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the implications of these technologies for the future of healthcare, wellbeing, and aging.

His focus extends to the role of AI in injury prevention, workplace monitoring, and data-driven predictive maintenance within highly regulated environments, incorporating elements such as robots, digital twins, and smart sensors.

Michael is a familiar face on the international conference circuit having shared the stage with the likes of Bill Gates, Mel Robbins and Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak. Energetic and lively, he has engaged with over 500,000 people across 5 continents since 2004 and is known for his entertaining and practical presentations.

Michelle is a qualified Occupational Therapist/ Mediator and accredited AHPRA practitioner with over 25 years' experience in injury management and health management services. Michelle commenced her career in a large tertiary hospital environment before moving to WorkCover Queensland where she held various roles in their statutory and common law divisions.

Having now moved into private practice, Michelle is a highly regarded and respected industry expert, with extensive experience in providing support and rehabilitation for catastrophic injuries and facilitating complex and challenging cases. She owns and operates Brisbane-based Occupational Consultants which employs a 15 Occupational Therapists and assistants.

Dr Sid O’Toole is an Occupational and Environmental Physician, providing expert advice on a wide range of issues relating to the health of workers and employers. His experience includes the development of best practice protocols for national and international operations for both private and government organisations.

As the current Chair of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine QLD Regional Committee, Sid is an advocate for evidence-based medicine and is a strong supporter of the ‘It Pays To Care’ —an initiative developed by the Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. It is this drive to promote best practice that led Sid and his business partner, Dr Angus Forbes, to establish Phoenix Occupational Medicine in 2019.

As Sentis CEO, Anthony has worked with thousands of people, across hundreds of organisations globally, to develop safety culture solutions that support strategy and enable the person component to reach its full potential.

Anthony has been committed to the application of psychology to enhance human performance for over 20 years and his background as a psychologist managing addiction and chronic mental health treatment facilities has informed his cognitive-behavioural insight. Regarded as a dynamic facilitator and keynote speaker, Anthony has presented globally on safety, leadership, wellbeing and organisational performance.

With a strong background in research, data analysis, and policy advocacy, Dr Potter specialises in psychosocial factors and workplace safety. One of her current projects is a five-year undertaking at the Psychosocial Safety Climate Global Observatory (PSC-GO)—a world-first research platform for managing national and international research on workplace psychosocial safety.

In addition to contributing to high-level journals and media outlets, Dr Potter has conducted extensive research on various aspects of workplace psychology, including national and international public policy analysis, leadership in psychosocial factors, and the impact of digital communication on work stress. Throughout all of her work and advocacy, she is committed to improving work-related psychological health and injury prevention.

Matt is a thermal physiologist, adjunct professor, former exercise scientist of the year, and has contributed to over 50 published papers and book chapters.

Prior to specialising in worker heat stress in 2010, Matt was the heat specialist of the Australian Olympic Team in the lead up to, and during, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He is Australia's pre-eminent occupational heat stress consultant, working across a wide range of industries to maximise the health, safety and performance of heat-exposed workers.

Jordana, a multi-talented keynote speaker, humourist, communications expert, author, and magician, brings dynamism, playfulness, and vibrancy to her presentations. She shares creativity, insights and learnings in an engaging and meaningful manner, inspiring audiences to feel excited, confident, and passionate about connecting, collaborating, communicating, and innovating in brand new ways.

Previously, Jordana served as a News Corp Australia journalist and worked at Nova Entertainment as an online music editor, content producer, and social media manager. She has authored two business-marketing books and an illustrated children's book.

Sharon has a background in Occupational Therapy, and serves as an Organisational Consultant and Mediator, while also being the Founding Director of Strive Occupational Rehabilitation. Drawing on over 25 years of consulting experience, she developed the M.A.G.I.C. model to assist businesses, teams, and individuals in rediscovering what makes work effective for them.

The ethos of early intervention underpins Sharon's work at Strive, wherein she advocates for workplaces to prioritise their people and make business decisions that promote the overall health and wellbeing of their workforce.

Nicole is a registered Occupational Therapist and Principal Advisor in the Psychological Health Unit at Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. Nicole has 20 years' experience working in workplace mental health with a particular interest in psychological safety, employee support, injury management and early intervention.