Alison Creagh was born in 1962 and grew up in Canberra. After completing her secondary education at Canberra Church of England Girls Grammar School, she attended the Australian National University and joined the Army Reserve.
This service confirmed her career ambitions and she was commissioned into the Royal Australian Corps of Signals after graduating from the Officer Cadet School Portsea in 1985. As a junior officer, Brigadier Creagh managed telecommunication systems for strategic headquarters and field units.
Brigadier Creagh has significant operational experience, most
recently in Headquarters International Security Assistance Force (HQ ISAF) in Afghanistan for nine months over 2007/2008. She also deployed on operations to Iraq and Afghanistan in 2006; East Timor as operations officer in 1st Joint Support Unit in 1999 and Officer Commanding 145 Signal Squadron in 1999/2000; and Cambodia in 1993. She also provided support to the Sydney 2000 Olympics as part of Operation GOLD when she commanded 145 Signal Squadron.
Throughout her career, Brigadier Creagh has served in a wide range of appointments in various Army and joint Australian Defence Force units and headquarters. Her experiences include operations, planning, training, capability development, acquisition, public affairs and personnel management. She commanded the Defence Force School of Signals and the independent 145th Signal Squadron. She has also worked in the Defence Materiel Organisation as both a Project Manager and as a Project Director. Brigadier Creagh has worked in capability development and management related positions in the Chief Information Officer Group and Army Headquarters. In 2009, she held the appointment Director General Public Affairs.
Brigadier Creagh was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 1994 for her work as Quarter Master of the Force Communications Unit in Cambodia. She was awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal in 2009 for her work as the Chief CJ1, HQ ISAF.
Brigadier Creagh holds a Master in Management Studies (Project Management) and a Master in Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and a Graduate Diploma of Communications and Information Systems. She attended the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies in 2009 where she completed a Graduate Diploma of Strategic Studies.
Brigadier Creagh is single and enjoys sporting activities including rowing, Pilates, novice triathlons and tennis. She also enjoys reading, movies and travel and spending time with her god-daughters and her partner Michael.
Brigadier Creagh is currently posted as the Director General Strategic Communication.
Speaking On:
Keynote: Developing a strategic communications framework for Defence: Our journey so far
Carolyn MacDonald is the Head of Marketing for ABC Innovation. She is responsible for developing and delivering marketing and communications strategies for a range of ABC content including abc.net.au, ABC Mobile – both apps and m.sites – and content and projects on new and emerging platforms. She joined the ABC in 2001 and has worked on marketing many innovative projects including the launch of ABC2, the ABC’s first digital TV channel in 2005, the ABC’s early experiments in interactive television (Walking With Beasts iTV, Long way to the top iTV and Rollercoaster iTV), pioneering mobile applications and award winning interactive broadband sites including Gallipoli: The First Day, Black Saturday and many more.
Carolyn has also worked in book publishing and as a journalist. She has a BA in Journalism from RMIT.
Speaking On:
Responding to content trends by diversifying traditional media & adopting multi-channelling platforms
Lachlan Harris is the Co-Founder of One Big Switch, the people power movement that helps Australian families pay less for their household bills.
Lachlan is also the Director of LFH Media, a communications consultancy that advises some of Australia’s highest profile businesses and NGO’s.
Lachlan also writes a weekly column on politics and the media for the Sunday Telegraph, and is an expert commentator on Sydney’s Radio 2GB and Sky News.
Between 2006 and 2010 Lachlan was Senior Press Secretary to Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd MP.
In 2006 Lachlan was a foundation staff member of Getup, and between 2003 and 2004 was the senior media adviser to the current Treasurer Wayne Swan MP, and the current Attorney General Robert McClelland MP.
Speaking On:
Panel Discussion: Where do you draw the line between government communication & political advertising?
Oona Nielssen is responsible for strategy and performance of communication in CSIRO. She has over 20 years communication experience, from broadcasting to holding senior corporate communication roles, and has consulted to some of Australia’s largest companies,. She is passionate about working with organisations to create alignment between external messaging and internal culture, helping to create transparent effective relationships within and beyond organisations.
Speaking On:
Strategically re-positioning the CSIRO brand
Demonstrating cost-effectiveness & accountability
The way we consume and use media is changing.
With the advent of digital platforms and social networking, media consumption has become progressively fragmented and diverse. This makes it even more difficult for communicators to identity and improve their ability to reach and connect with an audience.
In addition, the public sector is grappling to engage with the community in an increasingly financially and politically constraint environment.
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