Dr Fay Amaral is a seasoned leader in education, has over two decades of executive leadership experience, including a notable tenure as CEO in various sectors spanning education, film, retail, and media. She is also a lifelong learner, and a researcher passionate about career development, mental health and transitions from school. She is currently Chief Executive Officer of Whitecliffe Education, a leading private provider of design, fine arts, clinical creative arts therapy, leadership, technology in the tertiary sector, established in 1984. She previously led Youthtown (est. 1932) for 5 years, the national non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting young people in Aotearoa. Prior to this, worked in early childhood leading a national organisation across New Zealand. Fay is also a Certified CEO in ANZ, by the CEO Institute ANZ. She holds a PhD in Psychology from AUT, with her research focused on understanding how career decision‑making processes interact with cognitive vulnerability, perceived agency, and mental health among young people transitioning from secondary school. Fay is the lead author of recent peer‑reviewed publications in the Australian Journal of Career Development and Discover Psychology, both with multiple citations already, including a structural equation modelling study examining the relationships between career indecision, self‑efficacy, sense of control, rumination, and depressive symptoms in senior secondary school students. Her work employs rigorous quantitative methodology, including the use of multiple globally validated psychometric instruments, and contributes to international calls for more integrated, wellbeing‑oriented approaches to career guidance. With extensive experience across education, transitions, mental health, leadership, and psychology, Fay brings a holistic and practice‑informed perspective to research, policy, and professional development. She is particularly interested in positioning career guidance as a preventative mental health intervention during high‑risk transitions and in advancing models that bridge vocational psychology and wellbeing. At IAEVG, Fay hopes to present findings from her published research that advance understanding of the career-mental health nexus, with implications for career practitioners, educators, and policymakers committed to supporting sustainable and psychologically healthy pathways for young people. Fay’s deep interest in education extends beyond her professional career and her PhD research. She has trained and practiced as a volunteer counsellor for Lifeline, Play Therapy, and Sandtray Therapy in South Africa.

Tristram Hooley is Professor of Career Education and the Head of the International Centre for Guidance Studies. His work focused on the intersection between education, work, technology and politics and he is particularly interested in the possibility that career guidance offers to support social justice. He has published extensively including authoring or editing 15 books. He is the Chief editor of the NICEC journal and the series editor of Trotman Studies in Careers and Employability.

Hsiu-Lan Shelley Tien, PhD, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at National Taiwan Normal University, earned her doctorate from the University of Iowa and was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Maryland. She has served as Dean of the College of Education, Department Chair, Director of the Counseling Center, and Vice Director of Student Personnel Services at NTNU. She has also served as President of the Taiwan Career Development and Consultation Association, the Taipei Counseling Psychologist Association, and the Asia Pacific Career Development Association. She received the NCDA International Career Practitioner Award (2016), Fellow Award (2020), and Eminent Career Award (2025). Her research areas include career counseling, counselor training and supervision, dream work, and qualitative research. Pei-Chen (Andy) Lin is a Ph.D. Candidate at NTNU and a licensed Counseling Psychologist. He serves as President of the Taiwan Association of Sex Counseling and an Adjunct Lecturer at Shih Hsin University. His research focuses on addiction recovery and career reconstruction for marginalized youth. Tsu Shin (Sophia) Peng is a research assistant in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at National Taiwan Normal University. She holds an M.S. in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture from National Taiwan University. Her research interests include career counseling, mindfulness, and rehabilitation counseling.

Kirra Greaves (she/her) is the Education Sector Lead at Orygen, Australia’s National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health. Kirra is a career practitioner and teacher with a decade of experience in the education sector, mostly working in flexible and inclusive education settings. James Whiting plays an active role in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of innovative employment and career projects to support young people experiencing mental ill-health. With 10 years experience across employment services, mental health and career development, James ensures new projects are informed by the latest theory, practice and policy. James has a particular interest in social justice, ensuring all young people experience a fair and equitable career trajectory.