Speakers are listed in order of presentation time. More speakers will be announced over the coming weeks.
David Knoff
Antarctic Expedition Leader
Monday 17 August 2026
David Knoff
David Knoff is an Antarctic Expedition Leader, Author, and leadership expert who specialises in remote leadership, hostile environment diplomacy, and resilience.
David's international career has taken him across the globe with experiences as an officer in the Australian Army, diplomatic postings in Pakistan and Iraq, and most recently with the Australian Antarctic Program. In 2019, David was given a leadership challenge unlike no other in modern history, as the Station Leader at Davis Station, Antarctica, he was leading a team of just 24 through the isolation of an Antarctic winter when the COVID-19 Pandemic broke out. The impact of the pandemic on Antarctic operations saw David's team without a ride home as planned and facing one of the longest periods of isolation in modern Antarctic History.
David's book, '537 Days of Winter: Resilience, Endurance and Humanity while stranded in Antarctica during the Pandemic' tells the story of what it was like to lead a team through unprecedented uncertainty and how to find resilience in the most extreme environments.
Combining his experiences from warzones and his six different Antarctic expeditions, David now works as a professional speaker to help others learn from his experiences in order to further their own knowledge of leadership in extreme situations. David's unique story also helps organisations and individuals understand the importance of environmental awareness and works with schools and corporations to better understand humanity's impact on climate and the planets most remote wilderness in Antarctica.
Yamini Naidu is a global thought leader in storytelling and leadership whose passion is helping business people reach their full potential through mastering the art of storytelling, presenting, personal branding and thought leadership.
Through storytelling, Yamini helps clients to engage, excite and inspire their own people to act and change.
Previously a Director at One Thousand & One, a company she co-founded in 2005 and Australia's first storytelling company.
Yamini Naidu is a seasoned speaker and a much sought-after presenter, combining authenticity and humour with rich insights. Her presentations are both practical and inspiring.
Melbourne born and educated Richard de Crespigny got his first taste of a future flying career as a 14-year-old when his father organised a tour of the RAAF Academy at Point Cook in Victoria. He had never seen such extraordinary facilities before. He knew, then, that he needed to get a university degree and become an RAAF Officer and Pilot. The rest is history.
In 1975, aged 17, he joined the RAAF. One year later, he started flying. During his 11 years with the RAAF, he was seconded as Aide-de-Camp to two Australian Governors General – Sir Zelman Cowan and Sir Ninian Stephen. Richard remained with the RAAF until 1986 when he joined Qantas, converting to Boeing 747s. He converted to A380 command in 2008 as one of Qantas’ most senior captains.
It was at the control of the world’s largest and most advanced commercial jetliner when he and his fellow officers were faced with their greatest challenge. The date was November 4 2010. Early into the Singapore/Sydney leg of flight QF32, one of four engines exploded. The damage to the aircraft was extensive. On top of ensuring that 440 passengers remained calm during the ordeal, Richard had a mammoth task on the flight deck to keep the aircraft in the air and then get it back on the ground. For two hours he and his fellow crew (technical and cabin) remained calm as they planned to stabilise the damage, configure the overweight aircraft, then manoeuvre it towards Changi Airport in Singapore. Once on the ground, a recalcitrant engine refused to shut down, fuel was leaking near white hot brakes and a new environment was set for potential disaster. Passengers remained on board for two nervous hours before they safely disembarked.
The incident brought into play Richard de Crespigny’s considerable skills involving teamwork, problem solving, judgement, knowledge, and experience and putting years of highly-skilled training into practice. This pivotal event has changed his life forever.
His autobiography QF32, which tells the story of the incident in gripping detail, is a best-seller. QF32 also won the Best Non Fiction award in the 2013 Australian Book Industry Awards and the Australian Independent Booksellers Best Non Fiction award for books released in Australia in 2012. In the 2016 Australia Day Honours, Richard de Crespigny was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to the aviation industry, both nationally and internationally, particularly to flight safety and to the community.
Richard de Crespigny has developed into one of Australia’s most sought-after corporate speakers, his presentations focusing on crisis management, leadership, problem solving and teamwork. He has presented to Fortune 500 companies, the Federal Government and its agencies, including defence, safety and investigation.
Dedication, determination, decisiveness, diligence and duty – all fundamental elements of emergency service; and all elements Paul Featherston consistently applied throughout his 41 year career with NSW Ambulance, plus 12 years of voluntary Service however, Paul is adamant there is another very important ingredient to service, “comprehensive care” - “When one life is in danger, many lives are changed – the victim, their loved ones and the ones who step in”.
Joining the NSW Ambulance Service in 1972, Paul has perfected his skills in rescue and recovery and emerged very early in his career as an outstanding trainer and leader. Paul pioneered the Ambulance Service’s acclaimed paramedic system, drove advanced medical care training and logistics; and conceived and developed the Service’s Special Casualty Access Team (expert response capability in hostile environments, where access presents further danger to victims and rescuers); and went on to deliver specialist training in water, cave, cliff, air/helicopter and entrapment rescue underpinned by technical excellence, teamwork, self-motivation and compassion.
Paul has had the privilege of working on joint operations and exercises with an array of our dedicated emergency services personnel, including NSW Police, NSW Fire and Rescue, the State Emergency Service, the Rural Fire Service (of which he is also a volunteer member); and numerous interstate and international rescue and government bodies. Paul has also developed and delivered training for professional volunteer and community groups.
Through it all, whether doing the rescuing or training front-line responders and leaders, Paul has lived by the creed that “everyone matters”, “you are faced with trauma, fear and isolation; you are the hope the victim and the family cling to and you are the support the rescue crew so much deserves”.
Paul has had a decorated service, he amassed ten awards and commendations for bravery and distinguished service, including the Australian Bravery Medal, the Humane Society’s Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals, Prince Phillip Helicopter Rescue Award and the Ambulance Service Medal as part of the 2007 Queen’s Birthday Honour List. Paul has also been honoured as 2007 Sutherland Shire Citizen of the Year and has been an Australia Day Ambassador since 2007.
Since retiring from the NSW Ambulance Service, Paul has continued to dedicate himself to the lives of others including the training and care of rescuers.
Milo Wilkinson is an international award winning Behavioural Scientist who specialises in analysing human behaviour in order to predict likely outcomes.
As a Behavioural Scientist, criminal profiler, high-performance sporting, and corporate coach and mindfulness advocate, Milo has studied CEOs, top athletes, psychopaths, criminals, sales agents, change managers and everyone in between. She has seven degrees in the areas of cognitive and clinical neurosciences, criminal sciences, psychology and psychotherapy.
Milo has also completed a world first co-design project with Harvard University Neuroscience Department secretly discovering the functions of the unconscious brain and has been the Peak Performance Behavioural Scientist for some top Sporting Teams across the globe including the Sydney Swans, European Rugby and the NBA.
Her ability to dissect behaviour to actionable chunks for change makes her keynotes a very unique experience as they are highly interactive and incredibly unique in their content and delivery.
