Andrew Martin

Andrew Martin is the Head of Media Services at Television New Zealand (TVNZ), where he oversees the operational teams managing linear playout, master control and sport streaming, as well as TVNZ’s Digital Production Library. A career highlight came when he joined the launch team of a ground-breaking OTT sports startup in market, helping drive the project from concept through operational testing to live service. The rapid pace and “many hats” culture sharpened his end-to-end understanding of modern media workflows and the value of agile technical adoption. Andrew is an active member of SMPTE Oceania and the Rise ANZ Board, valuing the opportunity to help foster collaboration, advancing the technical standards that keep the industry moving forward, and hopefully helping add to a more diverse industry. Also his headshot is AI, and he’s in no way as serious as the photo portrays.

MENTEE: Amy Still

Anna Lockwood

Anna is an experienced media industry executive specialising in broadcasting and sports. She started her career as a journalist and documentary film producer with a focus on natural history and wildlife programming. After ten years working in the wild she moved from India to London to join the media technology business as a consultant. Anna has since had global leadership roles across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. She currently works at Telstra at the convergence of the traditional broadcast industry and leading edge telecommunications and digital platforms. In addition to her role at Telstra, Anna represents Telstra as a Director on the IABM (International Association of Broadcast Manufacturers) Board, and is an Advisory Board Member and Mentor at RISE, a group for women in broadcast. She brings her interests in innovation, sports, and women in technology to her board and industry engagement.

MENTEE: Zoe Zropf

Boey Song

Boey Song is an Engineering Manager at Qvest Australia, with nearly 15 years of experience in professional AV and broadcast systems. Passionate about mentoring and diversity, she co-founded a community supporting Asian women in Australia. Boey is also pursuing an Executive MBA at UNSW to enhance her leadership and strategic skills.

MENTEE: Lillyana Brady

Brendan Smith

Spending the last 15 years working on global productions including The Olympics,FIFA World Cups, F1 and ATP Tennis alongside countless Australian sporting productions and films I have seen the very best that the industry can offer. After all that time I still get excited every time the countdown to on-air is called and I get to share in the fantastic creative process of production.

MENTEE: Caitlin Bibby

Brooke Guy

With over a decade of hands-on experience in the television and media industry, Brooke has built a dynamic career from the ground up—starting as a runner and rising through the ranks to her current role as Production Manager at Gravity Media. Her journey has taken her across the full spectrum of production, from boutique advertising agencies to high-volume network television, Children’s programming, reality TV, and some of the world’s biggest live sports broadcasts, including the Olympics. Known for her enthusiasm and positivity, Brooke thrives in high-pressure environments and brings a calm, solutions-focused approach to every project.

Beyond her attention to detail and logistical expertise, she is deeply passionate about mentoring emerging talent and guiding new professionals through the ever-evolving challenges of the industry. Her commitment to fostering the next generation of creatives and crew is at the heart of everything she does.

MENTEE: Sarah Lewis

Christie Bense

With twenty-plus years of broadcast television production experience across varied genres and sports with the Seven and Ten networks, Christie Bence has been the architect and designer of MKTG Sports & Entertainment bespoke content management and playout system, Stadium Media. She manages a small, dedicated team that strives to provide an efficient, transparent system and tailored solutions for her clients.

Christie is passionate about building strong, efficient systems that simplify processes, eliminate duplication, reduce human errors and deliver a great user experience. She has had a life long love for netball and has been involved as a player, coach and administrator. Above all, her biggest passion is being an outstanding role model for her two daughters, inspiring them through her actions and values.

MENTEE: Stef Canard

Cora Spears

Cora is a technology executive with 20+ years of digital innovation experience in sports and media. She mentors emerging tech professionals, sharing insights on digital transformation, strategic leadership, and cutting-edge technology strategies that drive business growth and engagement.

MENTEE: Keeley Dillon

Doxia Brownlow

With over 35 years in television broadcasting, Evdoxia (Dox) leads Broadcast Operations at Tabcorp’s Sky Racing, managing teams across Outside Broadcast, Technical Operations, Studios, and more. Her career began in Darwin and progressed to roles with the BBC, Network 10, and Foxtel.Dox has recently been appointed Chair of SMPTE Oceania, is a committed mentor through RISE - Women in Broadcast, and is passionate about industry engagement with students keen to enter our industry. Outside work, she’s a devoted Mum of two teenage boys, two Jack Russell’s, and partial to a G&T!

MENTEE: Sandra Page

Hoda Mohaghegh

Hoda Mohaghegh is a machine learning developer at Rising Sun Pictures,applying cutting-edge AI techniques in visual effects. She holds a PhD in ComputerScience and Software Engineering from the University of Western Australia.

MENTEE: Rebecca Dempsey

Jennifer Martin

Jennifer Martin has built an impressive career spanning broadcast TV and content production across the globe, working at major events including Olympic and Paralympic Games, and multiple FIFA World Cups. At SBS and Optus Sport she's been an integral part of the production and management teams delivering live broadcasts of sports such as Athletics, Cycling, Cricket and Football in locations such as South Africa, Japan, England and Greece. Her expertise was first honed at Sky Sport London, where she specialised in cricket but also enjoyed short stints on Darts, Snooker and Motorsports - proving you really can get invested in any sport if you work on it for a season. She was part of the groundbreaking 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup hosted across Australia and Aotearoa NZ, leading the team responsible for the host broadcast infrastructure in 9 Host Cities, film and digital content for global rights holders, broadcast services for travelling and remote rights-holders and overseeing the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) at Homebush.

Currently Jen is a member of the LOC helping to deliver another world-class women's football tournament as General Manager - Broadcast & Media Operations for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup. She is the mother of 2 school age kids, and dreams of one day having a mini farm with a dog, chooks, a veggie garden and a verandah overlooking the beautiful Australian bush.

MENTEE: Maya El Baya

Kate Land

Kate Land is a strategic operations and people leader with a strong background in both human resources and business. With extensive experience and sharp commercial acumen, she brings a broad understanding of business structures that enables her to influence executive-level decision-making. Her work spans the transformation of operations, enhancement of workforce engagement, development of organizational culture, and elevation of HR capabilities. Kate has been with EMG/Gravity Media for three years, initially serving as Head of HR before transitioning into a role focused on Commercial Administration and ESG. This evolution in her career has allowed her to leverage trusted relationships and collaborate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders. Kate is particularly passionate about advancing the company’s environmental initiatives and driving efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

MENTEE: Shelley Brann

Manda Hatter

Manda is a passionate Television industry professional who started over 38 years ago as one of the first female camera operators in Australia and since then has worked across all facets of TV including various Production & Operational roles and has spent the last 23 years in Senior Leadership. Manda’s main focus over the past few years has been building values based collaborative teams and leading major transformation projects which included developing and implementing technical systems, organisational restructuring, streamlining processes and productivity improvements. Manda’s strengths lie in building a motivated and committed team with 360 degree collaboration as a key element.

A proven leader of large and complex teams, Manda has a focus on building sustainable change in the culture of the organisations she works for. Manda has a strong focus on Diversity and Inclusion and believes in bringing your whole self to work. Jan 2017, Manda moved to the ABC as Head of Operations and quickly became the LGBTQIA+ Champion for the ABC. Manda founded, and Chaired ABC Pride from 2017 to 2023 when she handed over the role to two Co-Chairs to elevate their vision for ABC Pride. In 2018 the ABC entered the AWEI Awards (Australian Workplace Equality Index) for the first time. Manda led ABC Pride to it’s history making inaugural participation in the Mardi Gras parade in 2019 and was incredibly proud of her team at ABC Pride whose work throughout the past 5 years saw the ABC to receiving three awards both at the AWEI 2021 & AWEI 2022 events. Most improved employer (2021), Gold employer (2021 & 2022), Best External Media (2021 & 2022) and CEO of the Year (2022). Manda also worked with Executives and Senior Leadership to ensure the Mardi Gras and Sydney WorldPride events across 2021 – 2024 came home to the ABC as host broadcaster. Outside of her leadership role in television, Manda has been involved in the LGBTQIA+ community since returning from the US in 1997.

She held the roles of Secretary and Ride Leader with Dykes on Bikes before becoming President for the term 2014 – 2016. During her time at the ABC, Manda has been involved in several committee’s including being a Mentor both for the ABC and for ‘Rise Women in Broadcast’ (where she is also on the board); on the Sustainability Committee and Modern Slavery Sub-committee; Diversity Advocates Network and is a Peer Supporter. An Example of Awards & Achievements

- 2015 saw Dykes on Bikes receive an Honour Award for best “Community Organisation”.

- Manda became a Board member of ACON where she served from July 2016 to January 2018.

- The year 2018 saw two achievements for Manda who was honoured to be included in them both: - Featured in a photographic book to record the 40 years of Mardi Gras titled “Telling Tales” - And was announced as one of Deloitte's 50 Outstanding LGBTI Leaders of 2018

MENTEE: Emma Hooper

Martin Ferreira

With over two decades of experience in the broadcast and media production industry, Martin currently serves as Director of Technical Operations for Fremantle Australia, overseeing all IT and technical operations, including the company’s fully integrated post-house, Max Post."

MENTEE: Anna Phelps

Mike Lewis

Mike Lewis is a seasoned senior leader with over 30 years of broadcast and production experience, renowned for delivering exceptional results and innovative solutions. Backed by a top-tier team, he specialises in large-scale sports productions and network projects that elevate fan engagement for Australia’s premier sporting events. Passionate about operational excellence, Mike is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of industry talent.

MENTEE: Mike Lewis

Nina Walsh

Nina Walsh is the Head of Business Development, APJ & Americas for Media & Entertainment at AWS. She joined AWS in 2020 to lead M&E strategy for the region and is a global leader for Content Production, with over a decade of experience in visual effects (VFX) and animation. Prior to AWS Nina held senior leadership roles in business operations, strategy, commercial, creative, and technology. She led large-scale digital transformation and strategic growth programs for Tier 1 Film and Television production studios in the US, Canada, and Australia. Nina is an industry leader in her field, drawing from more than 18 years in M&E, spanning broadcast, radio, sports, and content production.

She enjoys public speaking and presents regularly at global industry events. Nina has held production, technology, and leadership roles across some familiar industry brands including: Fox Sports, AFL, NHL, MLS, Bell Media, Deluxe, Company 3/Method, Encore Post & VFX, and Animal Logic. She is a passionate mentor and people leader who enjoys building inclusive and high-performing teams. Nina holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Sydney, and is a member of industry association, the Visual Effects Society (VES).

MENTEE: Rebecca Cushway

Oliva Grimshaw

Olivia Grimshaw started her career in London in the theatre industry and transitioned into commercial television. After relocating to Sydney, Australia Olivia continued in broadcast operations for cable and commercial television. Upon returned from 3 years in the Netherland Olivia expanded into digital and online consulting for an Australian Sports Code. Olivia is currently providing content solutions to the media industry as the Presales and Customer Success Manager APAC at Grass Valley.

MENTEE: Taryn Ireland

Padraig O Donovan

Padraig is a digital innovator who has worked for the past 20+ years across the Media, Broadcast and Entertainment industries. He led Digital Technology at Network Ten through their most transformative phase with the successful rollout of Tenplay, a 7 Million dollar capital project, the first of its kind in Australia.​ Padraig delivered world leading broadcast and digital innovations including the world’s first live ad replacement during Sochi Olympics. As the Digital Strategy Director at OzTAM, Padraig developed the world leading digital measurement platform (VPM) and delivered a world first in the reporting of Linear and Digital TV in overnight reporting.

As the CEO & Founder of Layercake, Padraig continues to deliver smart, innovative solutions, products and strategic support for all his customers with an unmatched drive and energy.​ Personally, Padraig is a devoted husband and doting father to four inspirational humans – which he considers his greatest achievement of all.

MENTEE: Syeda Ayesha Javed

Richard Kelly

I am the owner and director of Atomise Limited, New Zealand’s exclusive Avid Technologies Elite Partner who also supply many associated technologies to support the media industry. Working alongside my staff, we provide supply and support services to the editorial departments of world-leading feature film creators, broadcasters and production facilities throughout New Zealand. Outside of my professional work, I am a passionate motorsport competitor, and I am proud to serve as an elected member and Chair of the Motorsport New Zealand Race Advisory Commission, where I help provide governance and strategic planning to support the Board in ensuring our sport remains enjoyable, successful, and accessible.

Additionally, I have been actively involved in my local community, serving on and leading School Boards. I am a strong supporter of youth sports, recognising the importance of providing a safe and enjoyable environment for young people to play. I coach netball and serve as Treasurer for Waves Netball Club.

MENTEE: Li Han

Sam Yee

Sam is a senior Product Management leader with 20+ years’ experience across the UK and Australia, specialising in consumer tech for sports and media and start-ups. She’s led strategy, insights, personalisation, and digital product delivery for major platforms including Kayo Sports, AFL, Seven West Media, Guardian Australia, and FOX SPORTS. Now building a portfolio career, Sam is focused on shaping the future of sports and health tech, alongside practical career coaching and mentoring.

MENTEE: Maria Henderson

Sophie Belluomo

Sophie Belluomo is a dynamic and visionary executive with over 17 years of distinguished leadership across broadcast television, digital media, and large-scale live event production. As General Manager of The HELM Technology, Sophie works closely with the CEO to oversee day-to-day operations, lead high-impact productions, and cultivate strategic client relationships that drive commercial success.

Renowned for her operational excellence, Sophie excels in managing complex, high-pressure projects with precision, ensuring compliance, mitigating risk, and delivering on time and within budget. Her sharp analytical insight informs data-led decision-making that fuels sustainable growth, improves performance, and sets new standards of quality across the business.

A forward-thinking leader, Sophie is a trailblazer in adopting emerging technologies to transform production workflows and service delivery. Her ability to drive innovation has consistently enhanced business models and operational agility, positioning her teams and clients at the forefront of media evolution.

Sophie's career includes a standout tenure as General Manager at crybaby Productions and senior leadership roles at FOXTEL, where she led major projects such as the Country Music Awards and the AACTA Awards broadcast live from Los Angeles. Committed to championing diversity in the industry, Sophie is a passionate advocate for women in media. She actively mentors aspiring female professionals, sharing her expertise to empower the next generation of leaders in production and broadcast television.

MENTEE: Maddie Harvey

Stephen Langdon

Currently the Principal Lead for Media, Entertainment, Games and Sport across APJ for AWS, Steve has had over 20 years' experience within media. In roles that have connected the industry dots from Content Production to Distribution, Sales, Consulting, Business Development and Media Technology. He holds a Masters Of Screen Business from the Australian Film and TV School.

MENTEE: Hannah Facey

Tanya Kelly

Tanya is a highly experienced professional in the broadcast and media industry, having over a decade of experience at the senior management level. She began her career in London's Soho, working with major film distribution companies. Her operational roles included being a videotape operator, editor, and telecine colourist, where she worked on new documentaries and restored old films.

Moving up, she joined the ABC in Australia, utilizing her skills for colour grading and restoration in their digital project. Later, she became Head of Studio Operations at Fox Sports, managing and developing the studio crew and facilities teams and facilitating their move to a new location while keeping broadcasting uninterrupted. In 2016, she founded her own consultancy, specializing in project management and technology solutions for the broadcast and media sector. She worked with numerous broadcasters and vendors, integrating resource management systems for automation and self-provisioning. Tanya's strong relationship with ScheduALL led to a partnership with Xytech in 2021. She helped deliver the Xytech Media Operations Platform to Australia and New Zealand, improving efficiency for large broadcasters and is now Xytech’s Managing Director in APAC.

With an educational background in Psychology and English Language and Literature, Tanya is an innovative and collaborative leader. She excels at driving successful transformation projects, understanding processes, and engaging stakeholders for effective change. Her expertise in scheduling systems and workflows and her prioritisation of training and engagement ensures optimal technology utilization and smooth business operations.

MENTEE: Rucha Bhagat

Trupti Patel

MENTEE: Indrani Rajendran

Urvashi Pal

Dr. Urvashi Pal is a business and technology leader specializing in media, cloud computing, automation, and security. She holds a PhD in UHD Video Broadcasting from Victoria University, Melbourne, and an MSc in Mobile and Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey, U.K. With two patents and ten research publications, she has contributed to innovation in media technologies and industry best practices. Currently, she is a Senior Solutions Engineer at Akamai Technologies, driving media, compute, and security solutions for the APJ region, helping businesses optimize content delivery, cloud infrastructure, and security frameworks.

Previously, she worked at Telstra as a Senior Networks Engineer, focusing on enterprise media solutions and automation. Her earlier experience includes roles at Blackmagic Design as a Technical Writer and at Doordarshan, where she played a key role in the DVB-S2/DTH project (now DD-Free Dish). Urvashi is passionate about bridging technology with business strategy, helping organizations navigate innovation, digital transformation, and scalable solutions in the evolving media landscape.

MENTEE: Regine Delmo

Vanessa Arden-wood

Vanessa is an accomplished digital leader who has over 20 years’ experience working for start-ups, digital agencies and broadcasters in the UK and Australia. She has led digital and social teams to drive innovation in content and product development and led digital campaigns for some of Australia’s most-loved TV shows.

MENTEE: Maddeison Secker