speakers
Keynote Speaker
Dr Mariana Bargsted Aravena
Researcher, Faculty of Psychology, University Diego Portales
Mariana Bargsted is an organizational and work psychologist and holds a PhD in Social and Organizational Psychology from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. She is a researcher and lecturer at Universidad Diego Portales in Chile and Deputy Director of the Millennium Nucleus on the Evolution of Work (MNEW), where she leads research on new forms of work organization. Her research focuses on employability, career development, work design, and the transformations of work, with particular interest in how individuals navigate career transitions and changing labour markets. She has published research on employability, career success and adaptability, job insecurity, flexible and emerging forms of work, and the experiences of older workers. Alongside her academic work, she has extensive experience in organizational consulting and in the design and delivery of leadership and career development programmes for public and private organizations.
Mariana Bargsted is an organizational and work psychologist and holds a PhD in Social and Organizational Psychology from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. She is a researcher and lecturer at Universidad Diego Portales in Chile and Deputy Director of the Millennium Nucleus on the Evolution of Work (MNEW), where she leads research on new forms of work organization. Her research focuses on employability, career development, work design, and the transformations of work, with particular interest in how individuals navigate career transitions and changing labour markets. She has published research on employability, career success and adaptability, job insecurity, flexible and emerging forms of work, and the experiences of older workers. Alongside her academic work, she has extensive experience in organizational consulting and in the design and delivery of leadership and career development programmes for public and private organizations.
Catalyst Speaker
Hon Grant Robertson
Vice-Chancellor, University of Otago
Hon Grant Robertson became the Vice Chancellor on 1 July 2024. Grant comes to the University after fifteen years as a Member of Parliament. He was New Zealand's Minister of Finance from 2017 until 2023 and Deputy Prime Minister from 2020 to 2023. In addition, he has held Ministerial portfolios as Leader of the House, Infrastructure, Sport and Recreation, Racing, Earthquake Commission, Cyclone Recovery and an Associate Ministerial role in Arts, Culture and Heritage.
Catalyst Speaker
Christina Hong
CEO, MIT and Unitec
Professor Christina Hong, PhD, leads MIT and Unitec as the unified dual sector provider’s first Chief Executive and President.
Christina is a leader in applied education of international standing having forged a successful career in the Asia-Pacific region.
Most recently, Prof Hong served as Deputy Vice President of Education, Strategy & Quality at Central Queensland University.
Prior to that, she was President of the Technological and Higher Education Institute in Hong Kong, Chief Academic Officer at TAFE Queensland and CEO of the Southbank Institute of Technology in Brisbane.
On this side of the Tasman, Christina has also held roles with Ministry of Education and as Executive Head of School, Performing & Screen Arts at Unitec.
In 2022, Prof Hong’s work in the field of transnational education was recognised in the conferment of an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucestershire.
Professor Christina Hong, PhD, leads MIT and Unitec as the unified dual sector provider’s first Chief Executive and President.
Christina is a leader in applied education of international standing having forged a successful career in the Asia-Pacific region.
Most recently, Prof Hong served as Deputy Vice President of Education, Strategy & Quality at Central Queensland University.
Prior to that, she was President of the Technological and Higher Education Institute in Hong Kong, Chief Academic Officer at TAFE Queensland and CEO of the Southbank Institute of Technology in Brisbane.
On this side of the Tasman, Christina has also held roles with Ministry of Education and as Executive Head of School, Performing & Screen Arts at Unitec.
In 2022, Prof Hong’s work in the field of transnational education was recognised in the conferment of an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucestershire.
Catalyst Speaker
Professor Damon Salesa
Vice-Chancellor, Auckland University of Technology
Professor Damon Salesa is the Vice-Chancellor of Auckland University of Technology. A Rhodes Scholar and award-winning historian, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and Oriel College, Oxford University. His scholarship on New Zealand and the Pacific has received international recognition including the Ernest Scott Prize and an Ockham Book Award.
Damon leads AUT’s strategic work in artificial intelligence, education and innovation and is an active public commentator on issues of inequality, society and the Pacific. His career spans New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Symposium Facilitator
Karen Vaughan
Education Strategist, Facilitator & Mediator, Hummingbird Effect Ltd
Karen has always loved making things and asking questions. Curiosity about people’s lives, learning and the systems around them has been a constant throughout her career.
A former Chief Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, she built research programmes in work-based learning and career guidance practice and systems. Her research and advisory work has helped shape education initiatives across New Zealand, and she has advised international organisations on workforce and career development. She has published more than 60 national and international peer-reviewed articles, reports and book chapters. She has also held governance roles across education and health.
Through Hummingbird Effect, Karen brings together research, different perspectives and practical insight to help people and organisations make sound decisions and move forward.
Education Strategist, Facilitator & Mediator, Hummingbird Effect Ltd
Karen has always loved making things and asking questions. Curiosity about people’s lives, learning and the systems around them has been a constant throughout her career.
A former Chief Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, she built research programmes in work-based learning and career guidance practice and systems. Her research and advisory work has helped shape education initiatives across New Zealand, and she has advised international organisations on workforce and career development. She has published more than 60 national and international peer-reviewed articles, reports and book chapters. She has also held governance roles across education and health.
Through Hummingbird Effect, Karen brings together research, different perspectives and practical insight to help people and organisations make sound decisions and move forward.
Symposium Facilitator
Candy Ho
Chancellor's Chair, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Dr. Candy Ho is an internationally recognized career development scholar, keynote speaker, and author whose work advances career development as a critical lever for workforce development, education systems, and inclusive economic growth. She is the author of Discovering Careers, co-editor of An Organisational Guide to Skills for Green Workforce Transformation and is currently co-authoring a book on higher education leadership and career development.
As Chancellor’s Chair at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she works with K-12 educators to integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into meaningful learning experiences. She is also President of Career Connections Consulting, Researcher-in-Residence with Challenge Factory, and an Associate with the Canadian Career Development Foundation.
Her work informs national conversations and has been featured in The Globe and Mail, BNN Bloomberg, and CTV News. She serves on the boards of the Counselling Foundation of Canada, CERIC, The Education Promise (People for Education), and the BCIT Alumni Association, contributing to policy, research, and practice that advance career development as public infrastructure.
Synthesisers
Tristram Hooley (Communique Lead)
Head Of Icegs, University Of Derby
Tristram Hooley is a British writer and researcher specialising in career guidance and employment policy. He is Professor of Career Education and the Head of the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS) at the University of Derby. A social justice advocate, he studies how public policy and technology impact career development. His latest book is co-authored with Rie Thomsen and is entitled simply Careers. In it Tristram and Rie discuss the theories, research and concepts of career in an accessible way for a general audience. For further information about Tristram visit his blog at Adventures in Career Development.
Synthesisers
Dr. Tibor Bors Borbély-Pecze
ELTE PPK Associate Professor, University of Jyväskylä Visiting Fellow
Synthesisers
Natalia Orellana
Co-founder of Fundación, Career Development and Lifelong Guidance
Dr. Natalia Orellana Is a Chilean researcher and practitioner specialising in higher education development and career guidance. She is Executive Director and co-founder of Fundación OCIDES, from which she drives the establishment of a national public policy on career development in Chile, as well as closer articulation between policy-making, practitioners and research. She has also held leadership positions at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Chile's National Accreditation Commission (CNA-Chile). She founded and directs BIESTRA, a biennial gathering launched in 2011, and leads the Latin American Symposium on Career Education and Career Guidance in the framework of the Global Career Month.
Synthesisers
Jaana Kettunen
Professor, Finnish Institute For Educational Research, University Of Jyväskylä
Board Member
Sareena Hopkins
CEO, Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) and Chair, International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy.
Sareena bridges policy, research, and practice in order to strengthen the reach and impact of career development across Canada and internationally. Sareena currently chairs the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy (ICCDPP) and is an International NICEC Fellow. Sareena has deeply rooted frontline experience, a strong background in mental health, and over 30 years of leadership in the career development sector. Sareena was awarded the International Gold Medal for Leadership in Career Development in 2014 and the Etta St. John Wileman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Career Development in 2026.
Board Member
John McCarthy
Director, International Centre For Career Development And Public Policy
Our Supporters
