18-19 March 2026 | Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia
Where Real Engagement Meets Real Opportunity
Customer Contact Week ANZ 2026 - Day Two
9:00 am - 9:10 am
Chair’s Opening Remarks |
9:10 am - 9:50 am
Keynote Panel | Leadership in the Age of Intelligent CX
Helen Crossan -
General Manager of Member Services,
Australian Retirement Trust
Vivienne Manapsal - Customer Experience Manager, Royal Canin
Mitchell Palmer - Chief Operating Officer, Aussie Industries
Agnes So - Chief Customer and Product Officer, HotDoc
How today’s CX, tech, and operations executives are evolving their leadership playbooks to keep pace with change, inspire teams, and deliver results.
Key Takeaway - Discover practical strategies for leading with agility, leveraging intelligent CX tools, and aligning operations to business goals.
9:50 am - 10:20 am
Partner Keynote | Reimagining Customer Trust: Branded Communications That Build Confidence and Connection
Unknown calls and generic messages often go unanswered - costing brands valuable moments to connect and customer loyalties. But what if every customer interaction began with trust?
Join the Vonage team as they explore how Branded Calling and Branded Messaging (RCS) are redefining customer engagement across industries. Discover how verified identity, call intent, and rich media messaging can help organisations boost answer rates, reduce fraud, and strengthen brand credibility.
Packed with real-world examples from banking, insurance, healthcare, and government sectors, this session will show how branded communications can transform every customer touchpoint into an opportunity for authentic, trusted, and memorable engagement.
When every call and message carries your brand “trust becomes your competitive edge.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn how Vonage branded communications can transform unknown interactions into trusted customer experiences, increasing engagement, reducing fraud, and strengthening brand reputation across key customer communication channels.
Sponsored by: Vonage
10:20 am - 11:00 am
Keynote Panel | Beyond Service: Redefining the Role of the Contact Centre in Business Success
Rachel Lane -
Head of Customer Support,
The Lottery Office
Hana Hellou - Customer Support Manager, Primo Foods
Roy Hazelwood - Customer Contact Centre Manager, Anglicare Sydney
Exploring how contact centres are shifting from transactional support to strategic drivers of loyalty, growth, and brand trust, while building value of the agents for the whole organisation.
Key Takeaway - Discover how empowering agents and building their strategic value can strengthen loyalty, growth, and brand trust.
Sponsored by: Vonage
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Morning Recharge in the Expo
Fuel up, connect, and explore — your chance to grab a coffee, meet solution partners, and spark new conversations across Australia’s customer contact leadership community.
Unlocking AI
11:30 am - 12:00 pm Uniting Case Study & Live Demo | Introducing Jeanie Craig Mendel - Senior Manager of Information Technology and Customer Experience, UnitingIn this session, Craig Mendel at Uniting will share insights from the launch of Jeanie, their AI-powered, customer-facing bot transforming operations. Discover the impact she has had on the customer experience and contact centre.
Key Takeaway - Discover practical insights from Uniting’s launch of Jeanie, including lessons learned and measurable impact on service delivery.
Unlocking AI
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm Case Study | From Ideation to Implementation: An AI Journey Abhi Gudidevuni - Head of Customer & Network Services, Megaport
Unlocking AI
12:30 pm - 1:10 pm Panel Discussion | Humanising AI: How to Keep the Customer Connection Alive Jay Norman - Automotive Operations Manager, Century Yuasa BatteriesMatt Murdoch - Chief Customer Officer, Passport Card
MD Kabir - Group Customer Experience Manager, Sutton Tools
Sian Howatson - Head of Customer Insights & Automation, Swyftx
Exploring where AI is helping the customer journey, where the human touch is still critical, and how to combine both effectively.
Key Takeaway - Learn how to strike the right balance between AI and human interaction to enhance customer experience without losing the personal touch.
Human-Centred Service
11:30 am - 12:00 pm Case Study | Serving with Care: Designing Customer Journeys for Vulnerable Customers Vanessa Lyngsted - Manager Customer Contact Services, Social FuturesHear how organisations are embedding empathy, accessibility, and flexibility into service design to better support vulnerable customers while still meeting compliance obligations. This session explores practical strategies that balance care, consistency, and accountability.
Key Takeaway - Discover practical strategies for embedding care and flexibility into service delivery while maintaining accountability and consistency.
Human-Centred Service
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm Case Study | Re-Thinking Employment Models: Supporting Staff Fleeing Domestic Violence Situations Toby Ellis - Head of Customer Success, AMP
Human-Centred Service
12:30 pm - 1:10 pm Panel Discussion | From Policy to Practice: Embedding DEI Into Everyday Culture Renee Moore - Head of Customer Service, Bega GroupThis discussion explores how to move beyond statements to concrete actions that shape hiring, training, and employee experience.
Key Takeaway - Learn how to translate DEI policies into actionable strategies that shape hiring, training, and everyday employee experience
1:10 pm - 2:10 pm
Networking Lunch & VIP Hosted Lunches
Join us in the expo hall for a relaxed networking lunch with the full Customer Contact community - connect with peers, explore the exhibition, and recharge for the afternoon ahead. For invited guests, exclusive VIP lunches will run concurrently - bringing senior contact centre and select partners together for high-impact conversations in a more intimate setting.
2:40 pm - 3:20 pm
Panel Discussion | The Future of Learning: Building Skills for the Evolving Contact Centre
Jacky Karam -
Contact Centre Manager,
P&N Bank
Sue Coe - Client Services Manager, Red Health
Damian Purvis - Engagement and Development Lead, Meridian Energy
Panel Discussion | The Future of Learning: Building Skills for the Evolving Contact Centre
How organisations are rethinking training and upskilling to prepare employees for new technologies, complex customer needs, and changing career expectations.
Key Takeaway - Understand how innovative learning approaches can drive engagement, performance, and long-term organisational success.
3:20 pm - 4:00 pm
Panel Discussion | Technology, Trust and Transformation: Getting CX Right in a Digital-First World
Kirsty Robinson -
Customer Experience Director,
TAFE Queensland
Kerry McCarty - Customer Service Manager / Lead, Z Energy NZ
Senior leaders unpack how to integrate emerging technologies without losing customer trust, and what balance of human and digital will define the next era.
Key Takeaway - Discover strategies for balancing human interaction and digital solutions to define the next era of customer experience.
