Confirmed Speakers

Confirmed Speakers

H.E. Francesca Tardioli (Ambassador of Italy at Embassy of Italy)

H.E. Francesca Tardioli

Ambassador of Italy at Embassy of Italy

Francesca Tardioli is an Italian senior career diplomat.
She holds the position of Ambassador of Italy to Australia since September 2019.

In her thirty-year career she has held various positions in Embassies and Consulates, including Tirana, Riyadh, Tripoli, as well as in multilateral Organisations, in particular NATO, and in Italy, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where before coming to Australia she was Central Director of the United Nations and Human Rights at the Directorate General for Political and Security Affairs.

Dr. Nadia Boschi (Head of Sustainability Italy & Continental Europe at Lendlease)

Dr. Nadia Boschi

Head of Sustainability Italy & Continental Europe at Lendlease

Dr. Boschi is Lendlease’s Head of Sustainability Italy & Continental Europe. She is responsible for the development of all sustainability strategies implemented in the development, construction, and investment management business and manage key risks. Prior to joining Lendlease in 2005 she was Professor of Building Construction at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (US). She has contributed to the development of policies and of environmental relevance with the United States government and the European Union, and of public health governmental with the World Health Organization.



Nadia earned her Architecture graduate degree and a PhD in Architectural Technology and Environment from the Polytechnic of Milan and holds a professional degree from Harvard on Human Health and Global Environmental Change.

Werther Esposito (Country Manager at Enel Green Power)

Werther Esposito

Country Manager at Enel Green Power

Werther Esposito is an executive with +10yrs experience in the energy sector, with different roles within the Enel Group that allows him to have a deep cross-functional knowledge of the energy market: Merger & Acquisition, Head of Business Development for North Africa and Middle East, Country Manager for Morocco and currently Country Manager for Enel Green Power Australia. He began his career at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and in consulting, before joining the Enel Group in 2010. Mr Esposito holds a degree International Relations from the University of Trieste as well as an Executive Master from the Bocconi Business School of Management and Executive Education certificates from the Harvard University in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable development.

Senator the Hon Jane Hume (Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy, Minister for Women’s Economic Security)

Senator the Hon Jane Hume

Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy, Minister for Women’s Economic Security

Senator the Hon Jane Hume was first appointed to the Australian Federal Ministry in 2019, with responsibility for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology. Her responsibilities were expanded in 2020 to encompass the broader digital economy, and again in 2021 when she became the first Minister for Women’s Economic Security.

Minister Hume is passionate about her portfolios- from improving Australia’s superannuation system, ensuring it is transparent, efficient and fit-for-purpose; to facilitating Australia’s ambition to be a world leading digital economy and society by 2030; to ensuring the best possible economic outcomes for women, there is much work to do.
Upon being elected as a Liberal Senator for Victoria in 2016, Senator Hume was appointed Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Economics. She previously held various senior positions in the financial services industry, working for the National Australia Bank, Rothschild Australia, Deutsche Bank and, immediately prior to her election, as a Senior Policy Adviser at Australian Super.
A proud Melburnian and St Kilda supporter, Minister Hume enjoys swimming, reading, and most of all, spending time with her three children, Harry, Charlie, and Imogen.

Emma McDonald (Head of Investment - Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Austrade)

Emma McDonald

Head of Investment - Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Austrade

Emma leads Austrade’s onshore investment team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She is part of a global team dedicated to attracting productive foreign direct investment in resources and energy, defence, infrastructure, space, advanced technology and manufacturing, healthcare, fintech, agribusiness and food processing. Her team works closely with Austrade’s international posts, sector specialists and state and territory governments to generate market information and insights, promote Australian capability, and facilitate connections through our extensive international network.

Emma has ten years’ experience in foreign investment attraction and project facilitation, as well as an ongoing interest in working with investors, state and local governments, institutions and representatives to help bring projects to fruition. She brings a client-focused and commercial perspective to her work as well as a thorough working knowledge of the machinery of government.

In her previous role Emma was responsible for leading an international effort to attract investment into Australia’s tourism infrastructure, lifting the number and quality of hotels to support growing visitor numbers. Prior to joining Austrade she worked on energy projects in the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism; led the roll out of remote indigenous housing in the Department of Families and Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; managed public affairs in the Department of Finance; and undertook asset sales in the Australian and Victorian Governments.

Emma has formal qualifications in town planning from the University of Melbourne and is on the Advisory Board of the Griffith University Institute for Tourism.

Lisa McLean (Chief executive officer at NSW Circular)

Lisa McLean

Chief executive officer at NSW Circular

Lisa is a circular economy and zero-carbon business transformation leader. She has been successfully advising industry and governments in developing new policy frameworks and regulations that bring about market change to enable the circular zero-carbon economy over the past 20 years.

This work has covered the supply chains, infrastructure, energy, water, waste and mobility sectors in the UK and Australia.

Lisa is the CEO of NSW Circular, a government-funded circular economy innovation body leading the transition to a zero-carbon circular economy in NSW and Australia. Lisa has worked to catalyse new circular economy, zero carbon, sustainable markets includes initiating and setting up Open Cities Alliance, a peak association for next-gen infrastructure and the circular economy, the Australian Solar Thermal Association (AUSTELA), advising electric mobility providers, and working in the private sector driving circular economy outcomes in water and energy and advocating for policy snd regulatory change.Starting her career as a political journalist working in the national press gallery. She then moved to advising Ministers and Premiers, before heading to the UK to help establish the Clinton Climate Initiative.

Pino Migliorino (Managing Director of Cultural Perspectives Group)

Pino Migliorino

Managing Director of Cultural Perspectives Group

Pino is also the founder and Managing Director of the Cultural Perspectives Group: Cultural Perspectives, and CIRCA Research, sector leaders in consulting to, researching and communicating with culturally and linguistically diverse and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.

Pino is also distinguished in his pioneering work around multicultural and multilingual communications, applying communications theory and strategies to the fast growing and diversifying CALD segment in Australia. Over 25 years he has retained currency in the plethora of developments in the ethnic media space and the growing impact of digital media both locally and serving worldwide diasporas.

Pino is a leading commentator and expert around cultural diversity, multicultural marketing & engagement in Australia. He was most recently Honorary President of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia and Member of the Federal Governments Access & Equity Review Panel.

Pino sits on various including Migration Institute of Australia (MIA); information & Cultural Exchange (ICE); Italian Chamber of Commerce & Industry; the Expert Advisory Group on Suicide Prevention and has just concluded terms on the NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Interpreters and translators) Board and ANROWS (Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety) Board.

Pino is a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (FPRIA) and a Qualified Practicing Market Research (QPMR) and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAIDC).

Pino was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2017 and made a Commendatore (Knight Commander) all'Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta Italiana in 2009

Dr Val Natanelov (Director of Nexible Solutions Pty Ltd)

Dr Val Natanelov

Director of Nexible Solutions Pty Ltd

Dr Val Natanelov is the Director of Nexible Solutions Pty Ltd, with over a decade of experience working on the nexus of the agri-food industry, technology and economics Val is a holistic design thinking expert with extensive experience in strategy and concept development. A natural innovator experienced in digital transformation, blockchain technologies, agile frameworks, lean principles and business innovation strategy in complex settings and contexts.

His education includes a Bachelor in Biotechnology; a Master of Bioscience Engineering - Agricultural Economics; and a PhD in Commodity Markets. Dr Natanelov is the author of multiple publications in international peer-reviewed journals and is an associate editor with the International Economics and Finance Journal.

Kevin Salerno (General Manager at Intesa Sanpaolo SPA)

Kevin Salerno

General Manager at Intesa Sanpaolo SPA

Kevin has over 30 years’ experience in banking. Arranging and underwriting debt for corporate clients across Asia Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, India Taiwan and Singapore.
He has worked on transactions covering a wide spectrum of debt ranging from short term trade financing, acquisition bridges, leveraged financing, medium term working capital/ capex facilities and long term project and ECA financing through both bank and bond markets.

Kevin started his career with NAB where he trained in the dealing room later moving to Citibank Ltd, Sydney where he spent 10 years overseeing the Money Market desk and Syndicated Finance.
He then moved to Bank of America, Hong Kong where he spent a further 11 years as Regional Head of Syndicated Finance before returning to Australia.
On joining CBA as General Manager, Global Head Loan Markets and Syndication and then Managing Director Global Head of Corporate and Commercial Finance.

More recently Kevin has taken the role of Chief Representative Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Sydney and is overseeing the application with Australian Regulators of the its Sydney Branch Licence where he will be the Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Sydney Branch Manager.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney AND A Diploma in Real Estate from Technical and Further Education College, Sydney.

Dr. Kar Mei Tang (Chief Circular Economist at NSW Circular)

Dr. Kar Mei Tang

Chief Circular Economist at NSW Circular

Dr Kar Mei Tang was appointed Chief Circular Economist with NSW Circular in 2020, a body established by the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer to fast-track NSW’s transition to the circular economy.

Prior to this she was Executive Director, Circular Economy in the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and Environment Protection Authority, and was Director of Economic Policy in the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet. Prior to joining the NSW public sector, she was Head of Policy and Research with the Australian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (now Australian Investment Council).

Kar Mei has a PhD in Economics and is the current Chair of NSW Women in Economics Network, as well as a Council Member of the Economic Society of Australia (NSW).