Indeed FutureWorks Melbourne 2025

Thursday 19 February

• 12:00pm – 1:00pm
  Attendee registration & lunch
• 1:15pm – 1:35pm
  Partnering for the next wave of hiring innovation

  Speaker: Laura Ford, Managing Director, Indeed

• 1:40pm – 2:00pm
  What’s Changing in Hiring and How Aussie Teams Can Stay Ahead?

  Speakers: James Whitemore, Indeed; Jess Bragg, CBRE

  A fireside chat discussing the biggest shifts in hiring and the practical steps Australian teams can take to stay ahead – blending global insight, AI innovation and grounded, action-oriented advice.

• 2:05pm – 2:50pm
  Curiously Connected: Where the Future Becomes Human

  Speaker: Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie

  In a time of rapid change and growing complexity, it’s easy for our systems, conversations, and decisions to become faster, but more distant. Curiously Connected is an interactive keynote that explores curiosity as an openness to the unexpected: the joy of not knowing exactly what will emerge from a new idea, new connection or new experience, and the confidence to trust that something meaningful will. It is about stepping into uncertainty, with confidence.

  Powered by SUPERCONNECT®️ – a globally used experiential framework built on LEGO®️ Serious Play®️ — this interactive session invites participants to both learn and experience how curiosity enables real human connection, deeper understanding, and new possibilities.
  Through guided, curiously playful interactions, participants will experience how curiosity strengthens relationships, supports innovation, and helps people navigate uncertainty with clarity, hope, and humanity. Curiously Connected offers a human-centred perspective on the future – one grounded not in certainty or control, but in curiosity, connection and humanity.

• 2:55pm – 3:30pm
  Afternoon tea
• 3:35pm – 3:55pm
  How Shifting Economic Trends Are Shaping Work

  Speaker: Callam Pickering, Senior Economist APAC, Indeed

• 4:00pm – 4:30pm
  Decoding the Next Generation of Job Seekers

  Speakers: Sally McKibbin, Indeed; Samantha Devlin, The Careers Department; Jarrad Carroll, Telstra; Melanie Sutherland, Gem Personal Care

  An industry  panel to talk about Australia’s next generation of talent is arriving with new expectations, new pathways into work, and new ideas about what a “good job” looks like. In this panel, we bring together leaders who work with young people every day – from high school students to graduates to early career professionals, to unpack what really matters to the modern job seeker. Hear what they’re searching for, what they’re worried about, who they trust, and how employers can evolve their attraction strategies to connect with this emerging workforce.

• 4:35pm – 5:15pm
  Into the Unknown: A Life of Exploration from Ice to Orbit

  Speaker: Eric Philips OAM

  Join us for an enthralling presentation with renowned Australian polar explorer and astronaut, Eric Philips. Eric was Mission Specialist on the FRAM2 Polar Orbital Mission, a pioneering venture to one of the most unexplored orbital trajectories around our planet.

  Inspired by early polar explorers and the Apollo moon landings, Eric’s narrative is vivid, personal, and emotionally charged. Weaving a lifetime of expeditions to the farthest reaches of Earth into his epic account of spending 4 days in orbit, Eric shares a truly singular story of a life ignited by adventure and a mission that electrified the space community.

  Using hard-earned imagery and unique animations to unfold his extraordinary tale, Eric takes viewers on a journey through the fifteen months of crew selection and high-pressure training, the dynamic phases of launch, re-entry, and splashdown, the crew’s experience of microgravity and life in a space capsule, and of course the uniqueness of FRAM2’s polar orbiting mission.

  Eric’s story highlights the power of forging your own future, breaking away from established processes, and thinking beyond conventional boundaries. His key lessons are clear: take direct control of your life and new opportunities will follow; commit to becoming the best at your craft; and stay true to your own line, no matter how unconventional it may be. Together, these ideas speak to the heart of true potential and innovation.

  From expeditions on ice to observations from space, from groundbreaking research to the joy and wonder of our cosmos, Eric’s presentation is for those with a passion for world-class exploration, both on Earth and beyond.

• 5:20pm – 5:30pm
  Closing remarks

  Speaker: Laura Ford, Managing Director, Indeed

• 5:35pm – 7:00pm
  Canapes, drinks and networking