Learning, Education & Professional Development Summit 2025
Education and professional development are key offerings that associations provide to support the growth and success of their members, while advancing the industries or professions they represent.
This summit brings together association leaders, decision-makers, and practitioners to explore strategies, share best practices, and address issues related to education, training, and professional development within their organisations. Topics include:
- Supervision in formal education and workforce entry
- Mentoring and knowledge sharing
- Career advancement, micro-credentialing, and certifications
- The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) cycle
- Journey of Lifelong Professional Learning
Through expert-led presentations, case studies, panel discussions, product showcases, and networking, attendees will gain insights, practical tools, and actionable takeaways to enhance the impact of their learning initiatives.
Thank you to our sponsors
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8:30am |
Registration Opens |
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9:00am |
Welcome to the Learning, Education & Professional Development Summit |
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9:05am |
Welcome from Venue Partner |
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9:10am |
Associations Forum Overview Tony Gleeson, Associations Advisor, Associations Forum |
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9:20am |
Showcase Sponsor Address: Reimagining Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Associations and Members At CPDValet, we view CPD as a powerful lever for engagement, compliance, and revenue generation. Rather than treating it as a mere regulatory obligation, we empower associations to turn CPD into a strategic advantage. Our platform streamlines compliance through automated tracking and audit-ready reporting, reducing risk and ensuring members meet their professional obligations. Simultaneously, it opens new pathways for monetizing educational content and premium services, driving sustainable revenue. This presentation explores how reimagining CPD through digital transformation can unlock value for associations while supporting members in achieving meaningful, compliant, and continuous professional growth. Anusha Param, Chief Product Officer and co-founder, CPDValet |
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Curriculum Development and Education Programs |
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9:50am |
Leading a Profession: How an Association can Elevate Education and Training to Meet Emerging and Future Workforce Needs Steve Morris, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia |
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10:20am |
Showcase Sponsor Address: Using our experience of delivering over 1 million CPD Courses and activities across the last 15 years, I want to share with you my thoughts & observations on: -What has worked Michael Tomlinson, Founder and Managing Director, Pointsbuild Pty Ltd |
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10:50am |
Morning Tea |
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11:20am |
Showcase Sponsor Address |
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Mentoring, Networking and Knowledge Sharing |
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11:50am |
Innovative Mentoring Program Across the Professional Career Span With a strong commitment to professional development and a passion for empowering others, Jenny brings her advocacy for mentoring especially towards women - alongside the UAC’s focus on education and training to offer practical and innovative insights into building capability and confidence at every career stage. Tracey, who oversees an association celebrating 50 years of excellence with over 1,000 business management professionals across Victoria, shares lessons from experience of what worked and what didn’t on delivering meaningful professional learning, networking, and mentoring opportunities. Together, they will engage in an insightful conversation on: -Effective coaching and mentoring strategies Panellists: |
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12:20pm |
Showcase Sponsor Address |
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12:50pm |
Lunch |
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1:40pm |
Showcase Sponsor Address: Copyright Essentials for Education, Training & Professional Learning From CPD programs to onboarding resources, educators and training providers rely on third-party content every day — often without full clarity on what’s allowed. This session offers a practical overview of copyright basics and how the Statutory Education Licence supports legal, confident content use across education and training. We’ll also touch on the Corporate Licence for association-led learning, with real-world insights from organisations already using these tools. -Copyright 101: what it covers, common misconceptions Liesl Fitzpatrick, Senior Manager, Education Licensing, Copyright Agency |
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Career Advancement, Certification and Credentialing |
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2:10pm |
Credentialing Case Studies Professionals Australia supports over 20,000 professionals with career development, advocacy, and credentialing programs, offering affordable accreditation, professional recognition, and continuing education across various industries. In this session, Aleksandra will share insights into Professionals Australia’s credentialing programs, including initiatives like FemTech—a professional development and mentoring initiative supporting women in tech and RPEng which stands for Registered Professional Engineer of Professionals Australia. Helen will share ACM Leadership Series - a virtual workshop program set over six months which builds leaders within the midwifery profession in all settings. The program format enables practical application, real-time exchange and real career growth. Leaders and emerging leaders really value this program which has become a competitive entry due to its popularity with members. Chair: Claire Hewat, Associations Advisor, Associations Forum Aleksandra Subotic, Director Learning & Career Excellence, Professionals Australia Helen White, Chief Executive Officer, Australian College of Midwives |
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3:00pm |
Afternoon Tea |
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Continuous Cycle of Learning and Development |
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3:30pm |
From compliance to capability: the evolution of CPD to workplace learning Michelle Ryan, General Manager, Education Content and Strategy, Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand |
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Journey of Lifelong Professional Learning |
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4:10pm |
Closing Q&A Panel Discussion Panellists: |
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5:00pm |
Business Card Draw & Closing Comments |
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Member Registrations: $550
Non-Member Registrations: $770 (NFP only)
Associations Forum will send a tax invoice upon registration for this event.
Registrations are only open to not-for-profit organisations. For corporate enquiries, please contact partnerships@associations.net.au.
Accomodation - Get 10% off at Mercure Sydney. Simply email h2073@accor.com or call 02 9217 6797, quoting the discount code "2506ASSOCI". A cut-off date of 14 days prior to the summit applies.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Tracey Smith, President, Business Managers Victoria
Tracey Smith has had more than 38 years’ experience as a Business Manager in Victorian government schools prior to accepting the nomination for the role of full time President of Business Managers Victoria (BMV). She has been a member of BMV since 1988, Vice President for 16 years, and understood the needs of the members and what her focus and priorities would need to be. Part of the expectation of being on secondment for the Department of Education, is that she is a member of 31 committees. Tracey has been a member of the international group of business leaders for 10 years. In this role she shares professional learning suggestions, strategies and networking ideas. Tracey has a Diploma of Business Management, and a Post Graduate Certificate of Education Business Leadership from Deakin University. Tracey’s longtime personal motto of “Aspire to Inspire before I Expire” (Author Unknown) drives her passion to provide lifetime learning opportunities for her members.
Steven Faux, President, Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand
Professor Steven Faux was the establishing Director of the St Vincent’s Hospital’s Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in 2000 and is the current director of Pain Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. He is a Conjoint Professor of Medicine at the University of NSW and the University of Notre Dame. Professor Faux has led NSW Health’s rehabilitation Community of Practice in COVID19. He is on the management committee of the Australian Stroke Registry, the Clinical Council of the National Stroke Foundation and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has served on the board of the RMSANZ for over 4 years, being the President of the Society since November 2023.
Jenny Bax, Chief Executive Officer, Underwriting Agencies Council
A trailblazing leader with 30 years in insurance, Jenny Bax is the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Underwriting Agencies Council and passionate about shaping the future of UAC and delivering its members a road map for success. Jenny is a founding member and current past Chair of ANZIIF’s General Insurance Faculty Board. She has worked for several leading insurers in a variety of operational & management roles both in Australia & overseas. Jenny has a Graduate Diploma in Insurance and a Master of Business Administration from Deakin University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Steve Morris, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
Steve Morris is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. Previous roles include those of CEO Arthritis South Australia and CEO NPS Medicinewise. Prior to that he was Executive Director at SA Pharmacy and Chief Pharmacist, SA Health, having responsibility for the delivery of statewide pharmacy services to the public sector within South Australia. He has worked in numerous clinical and managerial roles within health spanning pharmacy practice, including community, hospital, primary care, industry and NGO sectors. Prior to moving to Australia, he was the Deputy Chief Executive of the National Prescribing Centre in the UK, an organisation which supported pharmacists working within General Practice. He has a keen interest in medicines safety, health literacy and workforce strategies which enhance the impact of pharmacists on patient outcomes.
Mick Crouch, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Meat Industry Training & Advisory Council
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For 25 years, Mick Crouch has held senior appointments as Managing Director, Non-Executive Director, and Chief Executive Officer with world leading orgasantions including American Express, Vodafone, Ernst & Young, Infosys, Ausgrid, and Electrolux. Mick is currently the Chief Executive Officer at MINTRAC (Australian Meat Industry Training & Advisory Council) and has held this position for the last 5 years. MINTRAC is the Australian meat industries peak body for training, qualifications, and standards development. Mick currently serves on the South Australian Skills Commissions Industry Skills Council, the Northern Australia & QLD Dept of Agriculture Emergency Animal Disease Preparedness Task Force, the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Secretariat – Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, the Agriculture, Food and Animal Management (AFAM) NSW Industry Training & Advisory Board, and several industry advisory groups. Mick has revolutionised MINTRACs operating and funding model, converting it into an agile and industry leading not for profit.
Helen White, Chief Executive Officer, Australian College of Midwives
Helen White is the Chief Executive Officer for the Australian College of Midwives, the national peak body representing midwives in Australia. Helen has 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, specialising in leadership roles within health and sport organisations. Helen is a passionate advocate for women’s health equity and is a member of the National Women’s Health Advisory Council, the Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership Council and Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Committee. Helen was previously CEO of Girl Guides NSW, ACT and NT and Australian Podiatry Association. Helen believes that the success and long-term growth of member organisations, as well as through good governance, advocacy and leadership, lies in elevating the member experience through enabling member engagement. Helen is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ruth Ferraro, GAICD, FGIA, Non-Executive Director for multiple Private Higher Education Providers
Dr Ferraro (Ruth) has more than 25 years in executive roles in education across multiple disciplines within membership bodies. The sectors she has worked in include education, medical specialisations, accounting, law and financial planning. Ruth has been responsible for the design, development and delivery of formal accredited programs using work-integrated models as well as for programming continuous and lifelong learning including credit recognition through micro-credentials. Since 2018 Ruth has pursued a portfolio career of consulting to education providers on governance and holds several non-executive director roles for private higher education providers. Her research interest is the professionalisation undertaken by membership bodies of emergent and niche/sub-specialisations.
Michelle Ryan, General Manager, Education Content & Strategy, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)
As General Manager Education Content and Strategy, Michelle leads the development of education programs and products at Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand. Designing programs for both fully qualified and aspiring CAs, her work focuses on helping finance professionals to future proof their careers, and develop the skills and capabilities needed for the changing future of work. Since joining in 2018, she has led transformational projects at CA ANZ - from the redesign the flagship CA Program, the design of the new pathways to the profession, to the development of a suite of future focused CPD products. Michelle's innovative approach to education is transforming CPD from a compliance obligation into a strategic enabler of career growth. She is a strong advocate for the role of professional associations in shaping the future of learning.
Anusha Param, Chief Product Officer and co-founder, CPDValet
Anusha Param is the Chief Product Officer and co-founder of CPDValet, a SaaS platform that revolutionizes Continuing Professional Development (CPD) management for professional associations. With a strong background in product development, software engineering, and customer engagement, Anusha has been instrumental in designing and implementing CPDValet's innovative solutions.
At CPDValet, Anusha leads the product roadmap, collaborating closely with customers and engineering teams to ensure the platform remains at the forefront of CPD compliance and member engagement. Her expertise has been pivotal in transforming CPD from a routine compliance task into a strategic proposition that adds significant value to both organizations and their members.
Anusha's contributions extend beyond product development; she actively participates in industry events, sharing insights on leveraging technology to enhance professional development. Her leadership continues to drive CPDValet's mission of simplifying CPD management and fostering continuous learning across various professions.
Michael Tomlinson, Founder and Managing Director, Pointsbuild
Michael brings over 20 years’ experience in Australia and abroad in the Information Technology, Education and Public Sectors. Michael is the founder and Managing Director of Pointsbuild Pty Ltd. He co-founded the company with the support by the NSW Office of Fair Trading to award Continuing Professional Development (CPD)points to builders and pool builders for license renewal. Launched in 2007, the Pointsbuild original learning management system (LMS) became Australia’s first approved private continuing professional development (CPD) training provider for the Built Environment. We have since expanded our offering into the Public Sector, Association and Membership Bodies, Allied Health, and Social Services sectors, with a current library of nearly 200 courses, selling and delivering in excess of 30,000 courses each month.
Liesl Fitzpatrick, Senior Manager, Education Licensing at Copyright Agency
Liesl Fitzpatrick has a passion for education and intellectual property rights, Liesl has made significant contributions to the industry through her expertise and leadership. In her current role at Copyright Agency Liesl promotes awareness of copyright across the broader education sector, and works closely with over 1,000 private education providers including higher education providers, RTOs and professional associations. Prior to her time at Copyright Agency, Liesl worked in creative licensing for nearly 13 years with various rights holders and broadcasters including senior roles at Sony Music Entertainment and British Sky Broadcasting.
Tony Gleeson, Associations Advisor, Associations Forum
Tony Gleeson MBA GAICD is Associations Advisor at Associations Forum. He has over 30 years of experience in the fields of association management and governance, leadership, project and change management, organisational integration and talent development. Tony has been Chief Executive of Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air-conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) and the Australian Institute of Management (AIM), and was an Executive General Manager with CPA Australia. Prior to his roles with membership associations, he held senior consulting roles in strategy, process re-engineering and change management with PwC, Deloitte and Terra Firma Consulting.Tony is an innovative and energetic leader, skilled communicator / team builder, and adept negotiator. He has significant experience in providing support and guidance to CEOs and boards in areas of governance, strategic planning, change management and more.
Claire Hewat, Associations Advisor, Associations Forum
Claire has over 20 years’ experience in senior executive positions including two successful roles as a CEO at Dietitians Australia and Allied Health Professions Australia. Claire has also had substantial non-executive governance experience on five national and one international board. She has extensive experience in professional self-regulation and is currently chair of the Conduct and Complaints Board for an Australian allied health profession. Claire has used her experience to provide support and mentoring to other NFP CEOs and boards in areas of governance, strategic planning, advocacy, complaints and disciplinary processes, change management and more.
MAJOR SPONSOR
Mercure Sydney
Mercure Sydney is a premier destination for meetings and events in the heart of the city. Located moments from Sydney’s Central Station, the hotel offers easy access for both local and international attendees. With versatile function spaces, state-of-the-art technology, and tailored catering options, it’s perfect for conferences, seminars, and celebrations. Each event is supported by a dedicated planning team, ensuring seamless execution. Guests enjoy comfortable, modern accommodations, a rooftop pool, and stunning city views. Proximity to key attractions like Darling Harbour and the ICC Sydney makes it an ideal venue for blending business with leisure.
SHOWCASE SPONSORS
CPDValet
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Bayshann delivers a range of advisory services and software solutions to the higher education sector and professional associations. Bayshann has recently released its digital solution for the management of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) schemes. Our world first CPD platform is a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, capable of supporting the CPD needs in any profession, such as accounting, health, law, plumbing, electrical and much more. Bayshann provides software development and systems implementation services for major platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365. We work closely with our customers to deliver transformative outcomes through innovation and industry insight.
Pointsbuild 
Launched in 2007, Pointsbuild was NSW’s Australia’s first approved continuing professional development (CPD) training provider for the Built Environment. We have since expanded our offering into Association and Membership Bodies, Allied Health, Social Services, and the Public Sectors. Our Learning Management System (LMS) functionality, corporate engine, innovative course development methodology as well as the capacity to draw on our education team’s extensive experience in crafting powerful educational outcomes means you can produce great courses quickly – that can be accessed anytime, anywhere from any device. For more information, please visit Pointsbuild.com.au or contact Michael Tomlinson on Michael.tomlinson@pointsbuild.com.au
D2L
D2L is a global learning innovation company. Our powerful Learning Management System (LMS) is simple to use and is highly intuitive in its design. We work with leading associations to transform how their members learn. If you are interested in discovering more please contact Lorena Berrocal at 0450 335 430 (Business Development Representative, ANZ) or Jason Staples (Strategic Account Executive, ANZ) at 0400 291 576.
Copyright Agency 
The Copyright Agency is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that represents over 40,000 members across the publishing, media, visual arts, education and surveying sectors. We have been appointed by the Australian Government to administer the Statutory Education Licence, so that educational institutions can legally reuse content created by others, and be confident that creators are being compensated fairly for their work. Licensing revenue is distributed to our members, ensuring the Australian creative economy remains strong.
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