Brisbane hosts the 2019 Network Dialogue on Pacific Women in Business and Digital Delivery
Over 30 accomplished and enthusiastic delegates will meet in Brisbane, Australia next week for Pacific Connect’s next Network Dialogue, which focuses on ‘Pacific Women in Business and Digital Delivery’.
The Digital Delivery Dialogue will be held from Sunday 17 to Wednesday 20 February at venues including the Premiers’ Hall of the Parliament House of Queensland, and the Qld Government Innovation Hub – The Precinct, and culminating with a guided tour of the Asia-Pacific 9th Triennial Art Exhibition at the Qld Art Gallery. The events will bring together current and emerging women leaders from the Pacific and Australia to build a network and identify opportunities for collaboration under the theme of ‘Australia-Pacific Connections for a Digital Future.’ The Dialogue will consider the role of ICT as a development tool in the context of growing connectivity and capacity in Pacific Island countries and explore opportunities for new types of partnerships between Australia and the Pacific, beyond traditional ‘aid and trade’ approaches. It will be facilitated by Catherine Fritz-Kalish, Director of ICDP and Global Access Partners, Brenda Heather-Latu, Special Advisor of ICDP and Consultant of the Strategic Development Group, Samoa, and Dr Melis Senova, Founder of Huddle.
Previous Pacific Connect Network Dialogues have seen the creation of Digital Pacific projects such as ‘Every Building is A Classroom’, which will improve Solomon Islands education through an integrated digital mapping and data platform. The Pacific Women in Business Dialogue has the potential to launch digital-focussed projects including partnership program opportunities between Australian and Pacific islander leaders, professional development opportunities for emerging women leaders and an annual Australia-Pacific forum which promotes Pacific women in business and digital initiatives.
The four-day program involves an exciting series of networking, professional development and project development sessions for all involved, beginning with an informal networking session on Sunday 17 February. The Dialogue on Monday will begin with presentations from outstanding Australian female entrepreneurs supported by our partner, BlueChilli, including Dr Annie McAuley, Trish Mackie-Smith, Anna Wright and Sarah Mak. After the keynote addresses, a brainstorming session will challenge the floor to overcome barriers to digital innovation and the delivery of business services in the Pacific. In addition, representatives from the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will stimulate delegates as to how they can interconnect with Australian government aid, development and business engagement programs throughout the region. The Dialogue will conclude with a networking dinner, during which Dr Melis Senova, Founder of Huddle, will present the keynote address.
For those Pacific Connect Community members unable to attend, fear not! Delegates and ICDP will be live-tweeting at the event from ICDP’s twitter account. Anyone wishing to join in the discussions can tweet using the hashtags: #PacificConnect #DigitalPacific #Womeninbusiness. Photos and ICDP publications from the weekend will be published on our website.
We look forward to seeing you all in Brisbane!
