Melbourne - Beyond the Prompt: AI Upskilling & Career Resilience_Other_MEL

#Career #General #AI

Note: this is an offline event, please register only if you are able to attend in person.

As AI shifts from conversational tools to autonomous workflows, staying ahead requires more than technical know-how. It demands high-leverage skills, adaptability, and a strong professional network. This event is designed for data professionals, tech leaders, and career changers eager to build future-ready skills, step into strategic roles, and connect with Australia's leading women and allies in AI.

The era of conversational AI is rapidly evolving into the age of autonomous AI agents, shifting how we interact with data, make strategic decisions, and build modern careers. As automated workflows handle more operational execution, how do we adapt, build high-leverage skills, and thrive in this changing landscape?

Join She Loves Data in collaboration with Canva, Fabric, Mantel Group and Snowflake for an evening of actionable insights, real-world strategies, and high-energy networking.

Whether you’re looking to pivot into an AI-adjacent role, level up your technical stack, or step into strategic leadership, this event is designed to give you the competence, confidence, and connections to stay ahead of the curve.

What to expect

• Navigating the Agentic Shift: How autonomous AI workflow tools are redefining tech roles and human oversight.
• High-Leverage Upskilling: The exact skills- both technical and strategic - you need to build for long-term career resilience.
• Strategic Networking & Connection: Connect with peers, industry leaders, and community allies during guided table discussions and open networking.
• The Modern Data & AI Stack: Live partner tech spotlights and presence highlighting data transformation, governance, and cloud architecture and all things Data and AI

We look forward to welcoming you!

By registering you understand that the details you provide during the registration process will be collected and used by She Loves Data. Photographs and/or videos may be taken at the event. By taking part in this event you grant the event organizers full rights to use the images resulting from the photography/video filming, and any reproductions or adaptations of the images for publicity and/or marketing purposes. This might include (but is not limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity materials, social media, and press releases.

Kathryn Collier
Data and AI Partner, Mantel Group

Bio:
Kathryn (Kat) Collier is a Partner in the Data & AI practice at Mantel, Australia’s technology and AI consultancy. She began her career as a statistician in the UK and has worked in AI for over 20 years.

Since joining Mantel, Kathryn has grown its core AI and ML engineering team from about a dozen people to around 65. She spends her time advising leaders across the ASX 50 on how to deliver AI at scale and hire well. She works with some of Australia’s most complex organisations to design and deliver AI solutions that maintain their competitive edge.

Kathryn is passionate about AI for good, developing diverse AI teams, and building high-functioning teams. She is a host of the AI Australia Podcast and a regular speaker at industry conferences and panels across APAC and Europe.

Jessica Finn

ANZ Health Lead
Bio:

Jessica Finn leads ANZ Health and Life Sciences at a leading technology services firm, driven by a passion for improving the quality and accessibility of care through technology. With a background in digital transformation, she focuses on the intersection of healthcare innovation and business outcomes, helping organizations use technology to transform care delivery safely while achieving real, measurable impact. Jess was recently appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders class of 2026, recognising her leadership and for purpose work in the sector.

Helen Crossley

Global head of Data, Canva

Bio:

Helen Crossley is a globally recognized data science and marketing science leader with a track record of building and scaling high-impact insights organizations at some of the world’s most influential technology companies.

Currently Global Head of Data Science at Canva , Helen leads the teams driving data-informed decision-making across the business. Prior to Canva, she spent over five years at Meta as Senior Director and Global Head of Marketing Science for Small & Medium Business, leading the organization responsible for helping millions of businesses succeed through innovative marketing science, AI, and advanced measurement .

She previously led Facebook’s Global Consumer Research and Insights function, building international teams across the US, Europe, APAC, and Latin America and shaping the company’s industry-leading insights practice .

Helen began her career at Procter & Gamble in consumer and market knowledge and marketing optimization roles , grounding her leadership in rigorous commercial and consumer insight. Her work has contributed to applied machine learning and neuroscience patents , and she has been recognized as a B&T 30 Under 30 honoree.

A frequent international keynote speaker, Helen is known for translating deeply technical concepts into clear, actionable strategy with a relentless focus on customer impact. She is also an active advisor, mentor, and advocate for developing the next generation of data leaders.

Sripurna Das

Head of Data, Vic Roads

Bio:

Sripurna Das is a senior Data and AI leader with 20+ years of experience driving enterprise data transformation, governance and innovation. Currently Head of Data at VicRoads Registration and Licensing, she works extensively on data strategy, responsible AI and modern data platforms.

Sharon Daly (Shaz)

Founder, TechtoExec | Career & Leadership Strategist | Technology Talent & Leadership Advisor

Bio:

Shaz is the Founder of TechtoExec, a Career & Leadership Strategist and Technology Talent & Leadership Advisor with 20+ years’ experience across the technology industry. She coaches women in tech from emerging leaders through to senior executives and advises technology organisations on leadership pathways, talent strategy and team dynamics. Shaz also hosts the podcast On the Mic WIT Shaz, sharing real conversations about careers, leadership and the future of technology.

Event venue & nearby stays

Canva, 30 Rupert Street, Collingwood, Australia

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