Visual Impact Conference & Expo Sydney 2026

Rob Griffith is a communications professional, editor, and educator with more than 18 years of experience across the print, sign, and visual communications industries. Throughout his career, he has worked with leading organisations and industry stakeholders, building a reputation for strategic communication, creative leadership, and a deep understanding of the evolving media and print landscape. As Editor of Visual Impact and writer for LabelsPlus magazines, Rob highlights industry innovation, emerging technologies, and the people shaping the future of print and visual communications. His work has provided a platform for industry collaboration while fostering strong relationships with businesses, educators, and professionals throughout Australia and internationally. In addition to his editorial work, Rob is a sessional lecturer and tutor in the Bachelor of Communications (Media) program at RMIT University. He is passionate about developing future communications professionals and is a strong advocate for closer collaboration between industry and education, believing this partnership is essential to building a skilled and sustainable workforce. An enthusiastic supporter of the print and sign industry, Rob is committed to promoting its ongoing growth, innovation, and long-term success. Through his work across industry and education, he continues to champion the value of creativity, professional development, and knowledge sharing, helping connect people, ideas, and opportunities across the sector.

Gillon McLachlan is one of Australia’s leading Chief Executives, joining Tabcorp as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in 2024. He was previously the CEO of the Australian Football League (AFL) for a decade, where he led significant change, transformation and growth. He held various other management roles during his 20-year career at the AFL. Gillon has a deep knowledge and understanding of wagering, sport, racing and negotiating broadcast rights deals. He also has extensive racing knowledge as a thoroughbred owner and breeder. Gillon holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce. He has also completed the Senior Executive Program at Stanford University.

Charbella is a Signwriter at Cunneen Signs, bringing a background in design to hands-on signage production. She joined the production team at Cunneen Signs as an apprentice, developing her trade skills through formal industry training. Throughout her early career, Charbella has focused on bridging the gap between digital graphics and physical spaces through various roles in graphic design and marketing, including event and directional graphics for ActivateUTS's O'Fest and Winterfest. Charbella completed her Certificate III in Signs and Graphics at TAFE NSW in 2025. During her training, she gained experience in fleet branding, assisting with vinyl preparation for vehicle layouts and supporting in large-scale visual applications. Her day-to-day work now spans the production cycle, from cutting and weeding vinyl, to sign assembly and on-site installations. Charbella holds a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and was driven by a foundational passion for calligraphy and creative design to a hands-on trade pathway.

<p><strong>Making change your superpower</strong></p> <p><strong>About Steve</strong></p> <p>Steve Vamos is an author, advisor and Director with over 40 years of experience in the global technology&nbsp;and digital media industries. He has lived and worked in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Asia.&nbsp;Steve was CEO of ASX-listed tech company Xero from April 2018 to February 2023, where he led the&nbsp;company&rsquo;s growth and performance with a team of more than 4,500 employees.&nbsp;He has served as a non-executive director of Telstra, Fletcher Building, Medibank Private and David Jones&nbsp;and as a non-executive director and advisor to a range of Australian organisations, from start-ups to large&nbsp;established companies.</p> <p>Over a 40-year career in technology, Steve was Chief Executive Officer of ninemsn, Managing Director of&nbsp;Microsoft Australia &amp; New Zealand, Vice President of Microsoft&rsquo;s Online Service Group, Vice President&nbsp;and Managing Director of Apple Computer Asia Pacific, and Managing Director of Apple Computer&nbsp;Australia.</p> <p>As Vice President of worldwide sales and international operations for Microsoft Corporation's Online&nbsp;Service Group, Steve was responsible for the organisation's international business in more than 30&nbsp;countries around the world.</p> <p>Steve was the founder and President of the Society for Knowledge Economics (SKE), a not-for-profit thinktank that operated from 2005 to 2014. SKE aimed to encourage and promote new and better leadership&nbsp;and management practices, enabling innovation, productivity and sustainability.&nbsp;Steve holds a degree in Civil Engineering (with Honours) from the University of New South Wales.</p>

Dr. Craig Emerson is a highly respected economist with over 40 years of experience in public policy, politics, and public service. He is the Managing Director of Emerson Economics Pty Ltd, and holds key academic positions, including Director of the Australian APEC Study Centre at RMIT University and Adjunct Professor at Victoria University. A former Australian Minister for Trade and Competitiveness, Dr. Emerson was the architect of the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century and led major regulatory reforms in business regulation. He has advised Prime Minister Bob Hawke, chaired key government reform groups, and served as a senior public servant in Queensland and at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

David is the Executive Director of ESG Advisory and is an Adjunct Professor at UTS Business School in Sydney He is the author of the book Kind Business: How Values Create Value. David previously held senior executive roles at Xerox and Canon and the position of Managing Director for ANZ for global technology firm Konica Minolta. He has held the positions of Chair at the United Nations Global Compact Network Australia, the world’s largest corporate sustainability network, and for the Australian Human Rights Institute Advisory Committee. He was awarded a doctorate for his research entitled “Building Social Capital through Corporate Social Investment” and an honorary doctorate for his work in promoting sustainability within the corporate sector

Mel Ireland is an experienced facilitator and operations leader with a strong background in manufacturing and print. Known for guiding insightful and engaging discussions, she combines practical industry knowledge with a results-driven approach. Mel has extensive experience helping businesses improve operational performance and identify energy efficiency opportunities, while championing innovation, collaboration, and sustainable growth across Australian industry.

Mick Harrold is a well respected professional in the signage sector, with well over two decades of experience running signage businesses in Australia. Currently, Mick is the Owner and Managing Director of Visual Exposure, one of Melbourne's leading signage companies, providing a full range of services from creation to installation. He is also Managing Director of Visual Technologies, a multi-national distributor of class-leading LED lighting and signage solutions. Mick is also a longstanding champion of the sign and graphics industry. He has been involved with the Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) for 12 years, holding positions as Victorian Chair and Treasurer for more than four years, and his current role as honorary President since 2022.

Callan Laughton is a signage industry professional with over a decade of experience in manufacturing, project delivery and operations. As Managing Director of Insigns, he has overseen projects for major Australian brands while leading the development of technology solutions designed specifically for the signage industry.

Megan Lilly is Deputy Commissioner at Jobs and Skills Australia, bringing more than two decades of leadership in education, training, and workforce development. She joined JSA in September 2024, following a distinguished career at the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), where she served as the Executive Director of the Centre for Education and Training. Throughout her career, Megan has been a prominent voice in national policy development, advocating for stronger links between education and industry. At Ai Group, she led strategic initiatives to address workforce capability, vocational education reform, and skills development across key sectors of the economy. Megan has held senior roles in TAFE and industry training bodies, and has served on numerous national boards, councils, and working groups, including the Australian Industry Skills Committee, National Skills Standards Council, the Victorian Skills Commission, the Australian Qualifications Framework Council, and the Australia India Education Council. Megan was also a member of the AQF Review Expert Panel, the VET Qualifications Design Reform Group, the Australia Pacific Technical College Advisory board and was Chair of Manufacturing Skills Australia for a decade. She is currently Deputy Chair of the WorldSkills Australia Board. Her collaborative approach and deep expertise have earned her recognition across government, industry, and education sectors. Megan holds a master’s degree in educational policy and administration, reflecting her commitment to lifelong learning and system-wide improvement in workforce development.

Dr. Xun Li is the Team Leader of the Quantitative Imaging Team and Senior Research Engineer in Cyber Physical System Research Program, CSIRO Technology. She is a passionate and impact-driven researcher specialising in applied computer vision and artificial intelligence, developing vision-based technologies that address real-world challenges across digital agriculture, environmental monitoring, robotics, and human wellbeing. Before joining CSIRO in 2022, Dr. Li was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where she conducted research on computer vision and deep learning for human behaviour analysis . Earlier, she worked at CSIRO's High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre, leading the development of automated computer vision pipelines for large-scale plant phenotyping. She received her PhD in Surveying and Geospatial Engineering from UNSW's SNAP Lab, where her research focused on vision-based positioning and navigation using geo-referenced 3D maps. Dr. Li leads multidisciplinary research projects translating cutting-edge AI into practical industry solutions and has jointly secured over AUD $3 million in competitive industry and research funding. Her research interests include 3D scene understanding, digital agriculture, human behaviour analysis, embodied AI, and vision systems for environmental monitoring. Her work has been recognised internationally, including the 2023 Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Award for Research and Development Project of the Year, a Merit Award for Artificial Intelligence Project of the Year, and selection as a 2023 Women in AI Awards Asia-Pacific Finalist.

I am an award winning business leader who has served the United Kingdom (UK) signage and graphics industry for over three decades. I am the Founder and Managing Director of The Vehicle Wrapping Company Limited, based in West Sussex, where I lead the strategic direction and day to day operations of a specialist vehicle branding and wrapping business. I was elected to the Board of Directors of the British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA) in 2018 and, in 2024, was approached by our President, David Allen, and Chairman, Craig Brown, to undertake a more formal role as Managing Director of the Association - a responsibility I was both honoured and delighted to accept. Recognised by The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education as an influential industry leader, I am part of an independent Trailblazer group responsible for developing, launching, and overseeing the occupational standards for the Level 3 Technical Apprenticeship in Signmaking - the industry’s only formal apprenticeship framework in the UK. This group continues to evolve its work, including the early development of a Level 2 framework to strengthen and widen entry routes into the profession. In addition, I am one of the first Independent End Point Assessors for the Level 3 apprenticeship, ensuring apprentices meet the required industry standards in line with SIAS guidelines. I am a strong advocate for vocational education. I have personally completed both Level 2 and Level 3 NVQs in Signmaking, alongside qualifications in Business Management and Leadership. I further advanced my professional development through the Senior Leader Master’s Degree Apprenticeship (Level 7), graduating in 2023, and the CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership, alongside Chartered Management status. In conjunction with my work with BSGA, I am a member of the Envelope Group, one of the Construction Leadership Council’s newly formed Super Sectors. In this role, I work with wider stakeholders to help shape competency and compliance standards across the industry, ensuring the signage and graphics sector maintains a visible and influential voice within the broader construction landscape, particularly in relation to safety, compliance, and professional standards. Throughout my career, I have focused on building effective systems, processes, and strategies that support sustainable growth and operational improvement. My leadership approach is centred on collaboration, continuous improvement, and creating environments where individuals and teams can perform at their best. In my role at BSGA, I work closely with the Board, Chairman, and Executive team to align strategic priorities with the needs of members and wider industry stakeholders. I am committed to strengthening the Association’s position as an authoritative voice for the sector, promoting standards, accountability, and best practice across the industry. I am passionate about improving visibility and access to the signage industry, supporting the development of future and existing talent, and ensuring the sector continues to evolve in response to changing industry demands and opportunities. To inspire emerging talent - whether entering the industry or developing further expertise - we must acknowledge and celebrate those who have shaped and continue to shape our sector. In doing so, we provide role models, context, and the confidence for individuals to see themselves as part of our industry’s future. The signage and graphics sector is often unseen or overlooked, which makes it our collective responsibility to champion its value, raise standards, and formally recognise the skill, creativity, and impact of those within it. By sharing practical experience and visible examples of excellence, we show that this is an industry where talent can belong, grow, and contribute meaningfully. We must continue to advocate, celebrate, and lead by example - ensuring the industry’s voice is visible, recognised, and valued.