Tuesday, August 11, 2026
8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Registration and networking
9:30 AM-9:35 AM
Welcome address
Joyce Ng
Senior Reporter, WTR
9:35 AM-10:05 AM
Keynote interview: Priorities and the path ahead for IP in Australia
Kelly Sims
Acting Deputy Director General, IP Australia
Catherine Winbanks
Principal, Chemical and Life Sciences Practice Group, Spruson & Ferguson Australia
10:05 AM-10:55 AM
Panel: Cutting through the noise around AI
- What new tools are driving real value in day-to-day IP management?
- Success stories: inspiring business-wide confidence in AI
- How to embed safe, robust AI workflows
Lauren John
Partner, Allens
Nimish Gupta
Legal Director, Aurecon
Nicholas Mason
Regional Commercial Strategy ANZSEA, Clarivate
James Richardson-Bullock
Senior Patent Attorney, Xero
10:55 AM-11:25 AM
Networking break
11:25 AM-12:15 PM
IAM
Panel: Work smarter, not harder: strategic patent portfolio management
- Cutting cost and complexity: smart pruning strategies
- Modern approaches to credible and defensible patent valuation
- Maximising the value of underleveraged patents
Rachelle Downie
Partner, K&L Gates
Belinda Hartmann
Director, IP Management, UniQuest
Amy Hope
Global IP Counsel, BlueScope
Julian Magarey
Patent Counsel, Saluda Medical
Thor North
Director, IP, Blackmagic Design
WTR
Panel: Plugging the gaps in your trademark filing strategy
- Practical ways to detect and defeat bad faith filings
- Global brand, local rules: keeping strategy aligned despite regional differences
- Beyond words: protecting shapes and styles where they really matter
Maria Fe Lazarte
Senior Trademark and Technology Counsel, The Weir Group
Grace Ng
Senior Legal Counsel, VGW
Ben Pitt
Head of Legal, IP, b.box for kids
Madeleine Chan
Principal, Trade Mark Attorney, Davies Collison Cave
12:15 PM-1:05 PM
WTR
Lightning talks: The international TM bulletin: key cases, trends and tactics
Talk 1: Effective enforcement: what’s really working against infringers in Asia
Talk 2: AI meets copyright: the unresolved questions around the world
Talk 3: The ripple effect: how US trademark disputes are influencing global enforcement strategy
Joanna Lawrence
Partner, Mills Oakley
Timothy Webb
Partner, Head of IP and Co-Head of Digital, Clayton Utz
Dave Stewart
Partner, Jackson McDonald
IAM
Lightning talks: Staying ahead in a shifting global patent landscape
Talk 1: Aristocrat Technologies Australia v Commissioner of Patents: under the microscope
Talk 2: Five global patent trends every Australian IP leader should be planning for
Talk 3: What recent US policy shifts mean for global patent management
Connie Merlino
Partner, FB Rice
Akanksha Dahiya
Principal, FPA Patent Attorneys
Tony Gutowski
Partner, Finnegan
1:05 PM-2:20 PM
Lunch and networking
2:20 PM-3:10 PM
WTR
Panel: Knock it off: outsmarting infringers in a world of dupes, tariffs and platform overload
- How geopolitical shifts are reshaping enforcement strategies
- Now trending: dupes, social media and copycat culture
- The platform playbook: enforcing rights across online marketplaces and social channels
Lauren Eade
Principal, Trade Mark Attorney, Davies Collison Cave
Jessica Fernandez
Brand Protection Manager, Toyota Motor Corporation Australia
Charles Hoskin
Global Director of Brand Protection, Beiersdorf
Anthony White
Manager, Oceania Fraud and Counterfeit, Canon Australia
IAM
Masterclass: Collaborate, protect, profit: securing mutual wins in IP partnerships
- Turning academic research into commercial opportunity
- Collaborating for long-term success - the strategic essentials
- The need-to-know basis: safeguarding trade secrets in IP partnerships
Elisabeth Opie
Founder, Opie IP
Brendan Cheong
Head of IP, Nutromics
Weifeng Cheng
IP Manager, CSIRO
Maria Harrison-Smith
Head of IP, Monash University
Dean Moss
Chief Executive Officer, UniQuest
Stuart Bradshaw
Ex-Nufarm
3:10 PM-4:00 PM
IAM
Scenarios: Managing trade secret risk across the employee lifecycle
- First-day best practices: embedding awareness from the moment talent joins
- Managing the insider threat: governing AI use and protecting secrets throughout employment
- The clean break: containing risk when talent moves on
Kate Cassidy
Partner, Wiggin and Dana
Adrian Huber
Legal Manager, Fortescue
Amanda Lee
Head of IP, Global Research, CSL
Jason Lui
IP Strategy and Protection Specialist, Boeing
Alice L Wong
Senior Legal Counsel, IP Portfolio Manager, Iota Water Services, South East Water
WTR
Masterclass: The modern brand adviser
- Breaking down silos: managing brand risk at the intersection of trademark, marketing, advertising and consumer law
- Stress-testing ESG and sustainability claims before they spark regulatory action or reputational damage
- Trusted, not tactical: positioning yourself as a business partner, not a legal obstacle
Vineetha Veerakumar
Principal, Head of Trade Marks, Wrays
Craig Chester
Head of Commercial Development, Emerging Markets, Apple and Pear Australia, Twenty Degrees
Amelia Lightowlers
Senior Legal Counsel, Country Road Group
Ben Sullivan
Legal Counsel, IP and Anti-Piracy Lead, LES MILLS
4:00 PM-4:30 PM
Networking break
4:30 PM-5:20 PM
Panel: Putting the IP in leadershIP
- From practitioner to strategist - redefining what great IP leadership looks like
- Building your global counsel network: identifying and partnering with trusted advisers
- Leading through uncertainty while fostering innovation
Caroline Ryan
Partner, Allens
Katherine Evans
General Counsel, Zespri
Rebecca McCrackan
Chief Counsel, Innovation and Technology, Rio Tinto
Maiko Sentina
Managing Counsel, Trademarks, Domains and Brand Protection, Canva
Jarred Twigg
GM Partnerships, Global Product, Breville|Sage
5:20 PM-5:25 PM
Closing remarks
Joyce Ng
Senior Reporter, WTR
5:25 PM-6:25 PM
Networking drinks reception
