Keynote Speakers

Distinguished Professor Dietmar W Hutmacher | Queensland University of Technology 

Over the last two decades, Dietmar has gained worldwide recognition in the field of biomedical engineering, biomaterials, tissue engineering & regenerative medicine. As a reflection of his pioneering ethos, Dietmar’s research efforts have resulted in traditional scientific/academic outputs as well as pivotal commercialization outcomes. This success has been achieved through a concerted and integrated leadership effort including contributions from colleagues in engineering (tissue engineering, biomaterials science, computational modelling, chemistry, nanotechnology), the life science disciplines (molecular cell and developmental biology, medicine, stem cell research, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics), and applied clinical research (orthopaedics, plastic surgery, dentistry, radiology).

In Dietmar’s role as a Research Capacity Building Professor, Director of the Centre in Regenerative Medicine at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Director of the ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Additive Biomanufacturing, he mentors junior (Assistant Professor) and mid-career (Associate Professor) faculty members. The quality of Dietmar’s team members is reflected in their level of support: 35% of his Postdoctoral Fellows and PhD students have been awarded prestigious fellowships (ARC, Marie Curie, DFG, Endeavour Awards, Whittaker Fellowship etc.) or scholarships (ARC, NHMRC, DAAD etc). Prior to his academic career, Dietmar had more than 10 years of experience in the medical device and biotechnology industry. He has served as a Scientific Advisor for several SME companies as well as global corporations and have undertaken numerous research projects with funding from industry. Currently Dietmar is the chair of a number of scientific advisory boards for both large academic research consortia and centres as well as for biotech and medical device companies. His outstanding research career, former industry experience and MBA has equipped Dietmar with the scientific expertise, leadership profile and management experience to undertake cutting edge basic and translational research which has lead to significant progress in fundamental understandings, yet very importantly from a far more wide reaching perspective to innovations that has improved the quality of life for many patients.

Ms Monica Bradley | Purposeful Capital

Monica has exceptional strategy, technology and innovation investment experience. She helps organisations identify future revenue streams by assessing the vulnerabilities of current revenues, capabilities, assets and customer markets and recommending business models adjustments, investment themes and internal innovation practices and engagement with the global innovation networks to find opportunities.

Monica returned to Australia in 2012 after impressive careers in USA and Middle East and has a genuine ambition to help grow globally significant ventures from Australia.   She has developed an impressive portfolio of non-executive directorships, advisory roles, venture capital investment and executive strategy advice.

Monica leads strategic discussions that help boards and executives better understand the risks and opportunities of the changing economy and exercise informed judgement in their strategy design, talent engagement and investments.

Monica helps decision makers in corporations, government and start-ups, deliver implementable innovation, investment and technology strategy.  Monica has impeccable relationships and draws on her global network to connect the capital, technology, talent and customers which enable sustainable growth of global ventures.

Mr Danny Deng | DADAWAN 

CEO and founder of a beautiful multicultural family business. Together with my brothers and sisters, I run nine restaurants with various formulas in the Netherlands. We are constantly looking for new food trends and technological developments to create the ultimate restaurant experience for our concept DADAWAN! For me, inspiration means travelling: I want to see, feel and taste everything this enchanting world has to offer and translate this into successful concepts that meet the wishes of tomorrow.

Prof Dr Gaby Odekerken-Schröder | Maastricht University – Keynote Session Facilitator 

Gaby Odekerken’s professional interest and expertise is heavily inspired by the current service economy. Fascinated by managerial questions of how to create a unique customer experience, in a complex value network or how to infuse new technology in retail or healthcare settings or how to move manufacturing firms towards services, she enjoys developing new courses or embarks on innovative research projects with PhD candidates, co-authors and industry stakeholders.

Her research has been published in leading international journals such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research, MISQ, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Relationship Marketing, Journal of Consumer Marketing etc. Gaby Odekerken is passionate about triple helix cooperations, involving government, industry and university. Her participation as a researcher and partner in large EU consortia as well as in regional subsidy initiatives, enable her to transfer and validate her scientific knowledge.

Dr Michael Brady | The Florida State University 

Michael (“Mike”) Brady is the Bob Sasser Professor and Chair, Department of Marketing, at Florida State University.  He is also an affiliated faculty member or honorary professor at The University of Maryland, Arizona State University, The University of Washington, the University of Queensland, Australia, Karlstad University, Sweden, and UIBE, China.  Mike’s primary research interest lies at the intersection of customers and employees in frontline service transactions.  He has published articles in many top scholarly journals, including Journal of Service Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Retailing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and many other outlets.  His research articles have been cited over 20,000 times to date, his 2000 article in the Journal of Retailing is one of the most downloaded articles of all time in Science Direct, and his 2001 article in the Journal of Marketing was ranked the fifth most influential article for future research in services marketing.  Mike’s work has also been covered in the popular press, such as MSNBC, U.S. News, the Chicago Tribune, and Tampa Bay Times.  He has won numerous awards, including the Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Service Discipline Award, the SERVSIG best article award, the M. Wayne Delozier, Robert Johnston, and Steven J. Shaw research awards, the Academy of Marketing Science and University outstanding teacher awards, the inaugural College of Business Distinguished Teacher award, outstanding reviewer awards, the University graduate student mentoring award, and the William R. Jones award for mentoring minority doctoral students.  Mike is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Marketing Association (AMA), past president of the AMA Academic Council, and an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.  He is the current Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Service Research.

Mr Marty Janssen | NSW Health

The vision of a society free from shame, stigma and embarrassment about sex, sexuality and sexual health has guided Marty throughout his 20 year career in public health. Commencing his career as a social worker and counsellor supporting people with HIV, STIs, issues with sex, sexuality and the intersection with religion, culture and identity led Marty to develop an acute understanding of the impact of shame and stigma on individuals, and the need for systemic and cultural change in relation to how we deal with sex in our societies.

This experience led Marty to diversify his focus into working with affected communities to enable them to use their strengths to create change. This has included working with a range of vulnerable yet strong communities including LGBTIQA+ people, culturally diverse groups, sex workers, Aboriginal communities, and young people.

Marty has long advocated the need for working with affected communities, taking a strength-based approach, and the use of effective engagement and communication to deliver population-based change. This journey has resulted in his current focus on social marketing principles and programs to enhance behaviour change – working to normalise and de-stigmatise STI prevention behaviours, and increase access to STI services, with a particular focus on young people in NSW. His role as Social Marketing and Health Promotion Program Manager at the NSW STI Programs Unit in NSW Health includes managing the award-winning Down To Test social marketing and Play Safe digital communication programs.

Ms Alison Oborn | Adelaide’s Haunted Horizons

“The spookiest, the scariest and the most ‘real’​experience you’re likely to have in South Australia!”​

This is the proud claim that Alison Oborn, South Australian author, radio personality, paranormal researcher and tour operator makes about her dream and her passion, Adelaide’s Haunted Horizons multi-award winning ghost & dark history tours, a tour business that takes you to some of the most unique heritage locations in S.A.”

Born into a haunted house, her life was full of questions and in 1989 decided to find answers to those questions by researching the paranormal. Setting up a team, Paranormal Field Investigators, she became the head researchers at the Adelaide Gaol which led to writing her book “Ghosts of the Past” showcasing 10 years of ghostly experiences there.

After years of researching and tour guiding experience, she combined her passion for history/heritage and her fascination for the paranormal and bravely set up her own business, Haunted Horizons. H.H. quickly became the largest provider of ghost tours and dark history/crime tours in South Australia, even achieving ‘Hall of Fame’ for winning ‘Best Tour & Transport Operator’ 3 years in a row in the State Tourism Awards. We also became Finalists in the Telstra Business Awards 2016 & 2017.

Since opening in 2010 her passion for our history, heritage and the paranormal is still the driving force behind H.H. The ‘ghosts’ and dark history are a great way to bring history/heritage to a younger generation in a more unique way.

It is also a great way to raise money for causes close to her heart and H.H. now support Beyondblue.

Prof Janet R. McColl-Kennedy | The University of Queensland – Keynote Session Facilitator 

Janet McColl-Kennedy is Professor of Marketing and Director of Research in the UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

She is a Visiting Professor and Fellow, Cambridge Service Alliance, Institute for Manufacturing, in the Department of Engineering, the University of Cambridge, UK.

Professor Janet McColl-Kennedy has made a significant research contribution to the discipline of Marketing, specifically in her research area of “Services”. With over 174 publications (74 being refereed international journal articles,19 book chapters/books, 67 refereed international conference proceedings).

Professor McColl-Kennedy is not only a leading senior marketing academic in Australia, she is internationally recognised as a leading researcher in Service Science. Her research interests focus on customer experience management and include service recovery, customer complaining behaviour, customer rage and customer value co-creation. She has particular expertise in health care and the professions.

Janet leads several international research teams, obtaining over $3 million in competitive research grants including eight prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) grants. She has a H index of 46 (Google scholar).

Professor McColl-Kennedy’s work consistently appears in prestigious journals in her field such as the Journal of Retailing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Service Research, California Management Review, Journal of Service Management, Journal of Business Research, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Marketing Management and Industrial Marketing Management.

She is Co-Lead of the Service Innovation Alliance at the Business School, the University of Queensland – a multidisciplinary research group.

Contact us: 

Professor Rebekah Russell-Bennett
P: +61 7 3138 2894
E: rebekah.bennett@qut.edu.au

  @SERVSIG2020

Conference Organisers