Women in Leadership Dinner 2026

Katrina Leslie is the Founder & Chair of Swipejobs, an Australian AI native company for jobs in the United States & UK.

Swipejobs turns the job model upside down by taking all jobs and matching them to the jobseeker who can see their matches 24x7. It’s the jobseeker or consumer who has complete control over AI because they train their personalised job agent who refines the job matches for them. AI is never used to screen people out. For employers as they enter their job they can see all matched talent. Everything is real time on both sides.

Prior to Swipejobs, Katrina was the Founder of 3 other job related companies in the U.S & Australia focused on technology & data. Before becoming an entrepreneur Katrina held Head of HR roles with Westpac for Financial Services & Retail Banking NSW, & worked at Microsoft where she was HR Manager Australia & managed Recruitment for APAC. She started her career with BHP on a Graduate Development Program with the Steel Division, and worked in the steelworks in Whyalla, Wollongong & Newcastle. Her qualifications are Bachelor of Applied Science; Post Grad Org Psych; Masters of Commerce.

Dr. Kate Cornick is an accomplished technology and innovation leader serving as the CEO of the Tech Council of Australia.

Her extensive executive background includes a successful tenure as CEO of LaunchVic, where she drove ecosystem growth and championed diversity by founding the women-focused Alice Anderson Fund, as well as leading an HR tech startup through an ASX listing. Dr. Cornick possesses deeply integrated experience across the public and private sectors, having previously served as Senior Telecommunications Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Federal Communications Minister, a General Manager at NBN Co, and a panel member for the federal Strategic Examination of R&D.

Additionally, she holds a PhD in optical telecommunications from the University of Melbourne, where she now chairs the Genesis Pre-Seed Fund Investment Committee alongside her role as Deputy Chancellor of Charles Sturt University.

Carol Schwartz AO is one of Australia’s most influential business and community leaders, and a passionate advocate for women’s leadership in politics, media, policymaking and capital.

Carol is an Officer of the Order of Australia (2019), has Honorary Doctorates from Monash University and Queensland University of Technology, inducted into the Australian Property Hall of Fame, and received Philanthropy Australia’s Leading Philanthropist Award (2020). Current board roles include Reserve Bank of Australia Governance Board, EQT Holdings Limited, Climate Council, Trawalla Group and Grattan Institute. Via the Trawalla Foundation, Women’s Leadership Institute Australia and Female-Led Ventures, Carol has championed transformative gender equality initiatives such as Pathways to Politics for Women, WLIA Fellows, Women for Media research series, and the Female-Led Venture portfolio.

Alison Hardacre is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Halaxy, a global health software platform that is at the forefront of AI, and is making healthcare efficient, effective and accessible for all. In 10 years, Alison has built Halaxy into a global business, used by clinicians and patients in over 100 countries, with teams in Australia, Europe and North America.

Before founding Halaxy, Alison held executive roles in banking and health insurance. She has also served as a director of large charities in health, welfare, disability and the arts.

Alison speaks five Asian languages, and holds a Master of Business Administration from Melbourne Business School, as well as Arts and Law degrees from Monash University.

Dr Andrea North-Samardzic is Associate Dean of Executive Degree Programs and Associate Professor at Melbourne Business School, and an Honorary Associate Professor at the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership. With more than two decades of experience spanning academia, executive education, and organisational leadership, she is recognised for her ability to identify strategic opportunities and lead transformation across education, research, and international markets.

Andrea holds a PhD in Organisation and Management from the University of New South Wales. She has received funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Indian Ministry of Education to develop women entrepreneurs across Australia, India, Vietnam, and Latin America. She co-authored Entrepreneurship in India and edited Women's Entrepreneurship in the Asian Region: Building Sustainable and Responsible Businesses.

Andrea co-designed and delivers the Aspiring CEO Program with Deloitte, serves as a judge for Deloitte's Best Managed Companies Awards, and has worked with organisations including Coles, the ASX, NutrienAg, Acciona, Nissan, and the Tata Group.