UNICON 2027 Directors Conference | Leading Through Transformational Times
Leadership, collaboration and Indigenous connection Hosted by: Hosted by AGSM, UNSW Business School and Melbourne Business School Date: 4–7 May 2027 Cost: $2,850
Two Cities | Four Days
One Seamless Australian Experience | Sydney–Melbourne Travel Included
A four-day experience across Sydney and Melbourne, bringing UNICON Directors together to explore the future of executive education, leadership and collaboration.
Leading Through Transformational Times
Join UNICON colleagues for a first-of-its-kind Directors Conference across two of Australia’s most dynamic leadership hubs.
Beginning in Sydney and continuing in Melbourne, this four-day experience brings together leadership thinking, place-based learning, peer exchange and a distinctly Australian perspective on leading through transformation.
AGSM and Melbourne Business School will deliver one connected journey across both cities-immersive, high-quality, culturally grounded and designed around the challenges participants bring with them.
Why This Conversation Matters Now
Executive education is operating through a period of profound change.
Economic and organisational pressures are colliding with rapid advances in AI, shifting expectations of leadership and the need to build capability for an uncertain future.
UNICON Directors Conference 2027 creates space to step back from the day-to-day, learn from Australia’s context and from one another, and explore how leaders and institutions can honour enduring principles while adapting for what comes next.
The Four-day Journey
| Day 1 – Tuesday Sydney: Executive education, collaboration and connection | |
|---|---|
| Time | Program |
| 12:30–1:30 pm | Welcome and introductions. |
| 1:30–3:00 pm | Executive education in Australia: Exploring the Australian executive education landscape, different business-school approaches, collaboration and partnership development. Small-group discussion will focus on connection, problem solving, innovation and new ways of working. |
| 3:00–3:30 pm | Afternoon tea |
| 3:30–5:00 pm | Indigenous-led cultural journey: A small-group walking experience connected to Country and Indigenous knowledge systems, what we can learn from the oldest living continuous culture, followed by a cultural welcome and smoking ceremony. |
| 5:00–6:00 pm | Indigenous Sydney Harbour cruise |
| From 6:00 pm | Dinner and drinks at The Rocks |
| Day 2 – Wednesday Sydney: Leading through complexity and change | |
| Time | Program |
| 8:45–9:00 am | Tea and coffee |
| 9:00–9:45 am | Strategic alignment and societal impact: Use the “Progress for All” work as a case study. Explore how a university-wide strategic priority can create opportunities for executive education and demonstrate alignment with institutional priorities. “Lead to Lead” takeaway. |
| 9:45–10:30 am | The geopolitical landscape and the Asian and Asia Pacific economy: Examine the implications of geopolitical change and economic shifts for universities, business schools, executive education and international partnerships and how this understanding informs our adaptive challenge. |
| 10:30–11:00 am | Morning tea |
| 11:00–11:45 am | Leadership capability for a changing environment: Explore the enduring human skills leaders and organisations need to navigate change, uncertainty and disruption. |
| 11:45 am–12:30 pm | Systems thinking challenge: Participants work in geographical regional groups to map the implications of the geopolitical landscape. They identify pain points, opportunities, connections and a strategic challenge to take forward. |
| 12:30–1:30 pm | Lunch: Regional group outputs are consolidated into a small number of clear adaptive challenges. |
| 1:30–3:00 pm | Adaptive leadership masterclass: Use the challenges identified during the systems-thinking activity. Introduce adaptive leadership concepts and practical tools, then participants apply them to their own strategic challenge. |
| 3:00–3:30 pm | Afternoon tea |
| 3:30–5:00 pm | Presentations: Teams create a simple model, prototype or visual representation of their response to the adaptive challenge and present it back to the group. |
| From 6:00 pm | Dinner and drinks: Proposed revolving restaurant at Australia Square. Included structured networking, place cards, table hosts and a table challenge. Arriving early for participants to enjoy the Sydney views before dark. |
| Day 3 – Thursday Melbourne: Leadership, transformation and high-performing teams | |
| Time | Program |
| 7:30 am | Check-out and transfer to the airport |
| 9:00 am | Flight to Melbourne |
| 11:30 am | Arrival at Melbourne Business School and morning tea |
| 12:00–1:30 pm | Welcome to Melbourne Business School: Introduction to the Melbourne program and themes of leadership, transformation and collaboration. |
| 1:30–2:30 pm | Lunch |
| 2:30–3:30 pm | Leadership and transformation: Exploring how leaders and organisations respond to disruption, build capability and create the conditions for transformation. |
| 3:30–3:45 pm | Afternoon tea |
| 3:45–4:30 pm | Transfer to the Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| 4:30–6:00 pm | Leadership in action: The MCG experience; exploring leadership, culture, teamwork and performance in an iconic Australian sporting context. |
| From 6:00 pm | Dinner |
| Day 4 – Friday Melbourne: Transformation, AI and trust | |
| Time | Program |
| 8:00 am | Check-out |
| 8:45–9:00 am | Tea and coffee |
| 9:00–10:30 am | Transformation and leading in an age of disruption: A case-based session on navigating transformation and leading through significant change. |
| 10:30–11:00 am | Morning tea |
| 11:00 am–12:30 pm | AI and leadership: Examining the implications of artificial intelligence for leaders, organisations, capability development and executive education. |
| 12:30–1:30 pm | Lunch |
| 1:30–3:00 pm | Trust, technology and AI: Exploring responsible technology adoption and leadership in an AI-enabled world. |
| 3:00–3:30 pm | Afternoon tea |
| 3:30–4:30 pm | UNICON closing session and action planning: Consolidating insights, identifying practical commitments and finalisation of an action plan. |
| 4:30 pm | Guest departures |
Programme is indicative and subject to change.
Detailed session timings and confirmed contributors will be added as the programme is finalised.
Every session will include:
- Building or strengthening participants’ networks
- Working on a real business or strategic problem
- Exposure to innovation and best practice
- One practical new way of working that participants can take back to their university.
The intention is that the conference feels practical and useful, rather than simply a series of expert presentations.
Your Personalised UNICON Concierge
Throughout the conference, a personalised AI concierge will help participants connect the agenda to their own institutional context and priorities.
Before the event, it will guide preparation, recommend relevant resources and help identify the adaptive challenge each participant wants to explore.
During the conference, it will support reflection, capture insights, connect participants with relevant peers and help apply each session to their own work.
By the end of the conference, participants will have developed a clearer understanding of their challenge, possible responses and the first steps required to take action.
Following the event, the concierge will continue to support implementation through prompts, reflection and coaching - helping participants turn new ideas and connections into practical change within their organisation.
Themes The Conference Will Explore
Through Transformational Times
How do we honour the past while building the adaptive leadership needed for complex and uncertain environments?
Enterprise Leadership and High-performing Teams
How can leaders empower people, strengthen collaboration and connect transformation to organisational priorities?
First Nations Leadership
What can the world’s oldest culture teach us about resilience, sustainability, community and leadership connected to country?
AI and Emerging Technologies
How can new technologies enable leadership and organisational change while keeping practical application at the centre?
A distinctly Australian experience
At the heart of the conference is Australia’s First Nations heritage.
Participants will engage with the world’s oldest continuing culture and explore leadership principles grounded in resilience, sustainability, community and connection to Country.
In Sydney, this will include an Indigenous-led walking cultural journey and a Tribal Warrior boat cruise and networking experience at The Rocks bringing place, story and relationship into the learning experience.
Who Should Attend UNICON 2027 Directors Conference?
UNICON Directors Conference participants and senior leaders in executive education
- UNICON Directors Conference participants and senior leaders in executive education looking to step away from operational demands, compare challenges with peers and explore how leadership development must evolve through a period of transformation.
Conference Outcomes
Participants Will Leave With
- new perspectives on the Australian and international executive education landscape;
- meaningful relationships with peers from different regions and institutions;
- Indigenous perspectives through a place-based cultural experience;
- an adaptive challenge relevant to their organisation and a developed response;
- a practical response, first experiment and action plan to take back to work.
Leading Through Transformational Times Speakers
The working programme includes contributions from academic leaders, faculty, Indigenous knowledge holders and experience partners across Sydney and Melbourne. Use a responsive contributor/speaker module only once names, roles, biographies and headshots are approved. Refer to the ‘Contributors’ sheet for current working names and production notes.
Professor Nick Wailes
Dean of Lifelong Learning UNSW and Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM)
Nick is the inaugural Dean, Lifelong Learning at UNSW and Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM). Prior to taking on this role he was AGSM Director and Senior Deputy Dean (External Engagement) at the UNSW Business School. He has previously held positions at the University of Sydney and the University of Auckland as well as visiting positions at a number of leading international business schools. He teaches and consults in the areas of leadership, strategy, disruption and change.
Dean of Melbourne Business School and Co-Dean of the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Business and Economics.
Jenny is Dean of Melbourne Business School and Co-Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne. She has held senior leadership roles across both industry and academia, with a particular focus on strategy, digital transformation, organisational change, data, analytics and AI. Prior to her current role, Jenny was CEO of Converge International for more than seven years, where she led significant business growth and digital transformation. Earlier, at Melbourne Business School, she was the inaugural Director of the Master of Business Analytics and played a key role in establishing the program.
Professor Richard Holden
Vice-Chancellors Professor and Chief Societal Economist, UNSW
Richard Holden is Vice-Chancellor’s Professor and Chief Societal Economist at UNSW and Director of the Manos Institute for Cognitive Economics. A Harvard PhD and former faculty member at the University of Chicago and MIT, his research spans organisational economics, political economy, law and economics, and incentives in organisations.
Professor Stephen Doherty
Deputy Dean (Education), Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture, UNSW; Professor of Psychology and Linguistics
Stephen Doherty is Deputy Dean (Education) in UNSW’s Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture, where he leads education across six schools and more than 18,000 students. A psychologist and linguist, his work spans technology-enhanced education, language processing and the application of data and AI, with research encompassing misinformation, cybersecurity and human behaviour.
Professor Catherine Althaus
Professor, UNSW Canberra School of Business; Founding Director, Academy of Adaptive Leadership
Catherine Althaus is Professor at UNSW Canberra’s School of Business and Founding Director of the Academy of Adaptive Leadership. A former senior public servant, she works at the intersection of leadership, policymaking and public administration, with a particular focus on adaptive leadership and Indigenous and non-Indigenous approaches to governance.
Dr. Shanie Atkinson
Adjunct Faculty, AGSM at UNSW; Strategy and Innovation Consultant
Dr Shanie Atkinson is an experienced strategy consultant and educator specialising in business growth, value creation and innovation. An adjunct faculty member at AGSM, she brings three decades of consulting and education experience, combining strategy, human-centred design and systems thinking to help leaders navigate complexity and create sustainable value.
Professor Will Harvey
Professor of Leadership, Melbourne Business School; Director, Sustainable Value Creation Institute
Will Harvey is Professor of Leadership at Melbourne Business School and Director of the Sustainable Value Creation Institute. He advises senior leaders and boards on leadership, reputation and purpose, and is an International Research Fellow at the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation. His work focuses on leadership, talent, reputation and sustainable value creation.
Professor Jon Whittle
Professorial Fellow, Institute for Digital Innovation & AI, Melbourne Business School
Jon Whittle is a Professorial Fellow at Melbourne Business School’s Institute for Digital Innovation & AI. A former technical lead at NASA, director of CSIRO’s AI capability and founder of Australia’s National AI Centre, he helps organisations translate AI into responsible, human-centred business impact.
Dr Sanjeev Khagram
Distinguished Research Fellow, Hoover Institution; Foundation Professor, Thunderbird School of Global Management
Sanjeev Khagram is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he leads the Global Resilience, Intelligence Platform and Partnership. He is also Foundation Professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management and previously served as its Chief Executive Officer, Director-General and Dean.
Professor Nicole Gillespie
Chair of Trust and Professor of Management, Melbourne Business School
Nicole Gillespie is Chair of Trust and Professor of Management at Melbourne Business School and the University of Melbourne. An internationally recognised expert on trust in organisations and technology, she examines how leaders can build trustworthy institutions and adopt artificial intelligence responsibly.
Hosted in Partnership
Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM)
AGSM will host the opening Sydney leg, establishing the conference theme through leadership, Indigenous and place-based experiences and connecting the programme to the challenges participants bring.
Melbourne Business School
Melbourne Business School brings deep expertise in leadership, strategy and organisational transformation, together with a long history of developing leaders for Australia and the region.
UNICON
UNICON is a global consortium of business‐school‐based executive education organizations with over 120 members worldwide. Our members are the faces of UNICON who make up our organization and help us fulfill our mission
Together, AGSM and MBS will curate one unified experience across both cities, bringing UNICON’s collaborative spirit to life through Australian leadership thinking, culture, connection and applied learning.
UNICON 2027 Directors Conference | Leading Through Transformational Times FAQs
Planning Your Journey to Australia
Australia is well connected from major global regions.
European travellers typically reach Sydney with one stop, with efficient options through Asian hubs as well as the Middle East.
North America has extensive nonstop services from the West Coast, while major Asian hubs have frequent direct connections.
Delegates will make their own way to Sydney for the start of the conference; travel from Sydney to Melbourne during the programme will be fully arranged by the hosts and included in the participant fee.
Indicative flying times
- Europe: approximately 22–27 hours, generally one stop
- North America: approximately 14–17 hours nonstop from key West Coast/US hubs
- Asia: approximately 8–10 hours direct from major hubs.
Other regions
- Middle East: approximately 13–14 hours direct from Dubai/Doha
- Africa: approximately 20–25 hours via Asia or the Middle East
- Latin America: approximately 20–26 hours via North America; limited direct services from Santiago ment activities.
Accommodation - Sydney and Melbourne Hotels
Preferred hotels for Sydney
A by Adina Sydney - 2 Hunter Street, Sydney, 2000
Rydges Australia Square - 97-99 Pitt Street, Sydney, 2000
Amora Hotel Jamison - 11 Jamison Street, Sydney, 2000
Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel - Circular Quay, 30 Pitt Street, Sydney, 2000
Preferred hotels for Melbourne
Crowne Plaza, Carlton by IHG - 701 Swanston St, Carlton, 3053
- Use Corporate ID: 787237137 when bookng online or quote when booking direct with our Reservations Team by quoting Melbourne Business School | email: [email protected] | Phone: +61 3 9126 060
Zagames House - 66 Lygon St, Carlton, 3053
- 15% off the Best Available Online Rate at the time of booking. Use Promo Code: MBS15 for online bookings or when quoted over the phone.
Veriu - 91 Therry Street, Melbourne, 3000
- To receive a discounted rate email: [email protected]
Mariott Hotel - Corner Exhibition &, Lonsdale St, Melbourne, 3000
- Please use the code: RALT to secure 10% off our best available rates at the time of booking.
What is the Format?
A four-day, dual-city conference beginning in Sydney and continuing in Melbourne.
The experience combines leadership sessions, facilitated peer discussion, place-based learning, cultural experiences and networking.
What Does the $2,850 Participant fee Include?
The fee includes the conference programme and host-arranged travel between Sydney and Melbourne.
How will Travel Between Sydney and Melbourne Work?
All in-country travel between the two host cities will be arranged by AGSM and Melbourne Business School and included in the participant fee.
Detailed arrangements will be shared with registered participants.
Where Does the Conference Start and Finish?
The conference begins in Sydney on Tuesday 4 May 2027 and concludes in Melbourne on Friday 7 May 2027.
Detailed arrival and departure guidance will be provided to registered participants.
How do I Register?
Select ‘Register Now’ and complete the registration process.
