DEPT® X SXSW Sydney 2024
We’re returning to SXSW Sydney for another year of thought-provoking discovery and innovation! Join us at the iconic DEPT® Garden House, made famous at last year’s festival and newly evolved to continue its role as everyone’s favorite oasis for meetings, work, and chill time amid the dynamic energy of SXSW Sydney.
As official SXSW Sydney partners, we’re right in the heart of the action, situated within the lush surroundings of The Chinese Garden of Friendship, next to the ICC and Tumbalong Boulevard.
DEPT® X SXSW Sydney 2024
What to expect
From October 15 to 17, you’re invited to be a part of the DEPT® Garden House experience:
– Hear from a group of influential digital experts and speakers every day.
– Enjoy a light lunch and refreshments
– Get on the list for the DEPT® Garden Party on October 17.
To access the DEPT® Garden House, simply sign up for your wristband
Event Week Details:
Dates: October 15, 2024 – October 17, 2024
Time: 12pm – 5pm daily
Location: DEPT® Garden House at The Chinese Gardens of Friendship
Come make the most of SXSW Sydney with us at the DEPT® Garden House! Find out more about SXSW Sydney here.
Please note: SXSW badges and registered guests only.
The Daily Program
The Blue Room at the Chinese Garden of Friendship
Join us for a light lunch in the Blue Room at 12:00pm before we start the daily roundtables at 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Tuesday 15th October 12:30pm: The Future of Health: using digital innovation to broaden science’s toolbox and boosting impact
Technology is unleashing the Future of Health. Join us at SXSW Sydney to explore how groundbreaking technologies are transforming healthcare and mental health. This panel will dive into the game-changing advancements that are revolutionising patient outcomes and enhancing well-being: from personalised medicine to AI-driven diagnostics and virtual care, digital innovation is making health more accessible and impactful than ever.
Joined by Men of Manners, AWS Mens Medicine and an expert Journalist.
Wednesday 16th October 12:30pm: DEPT® x Bloomberg Media. Speed, depth and breadth: with gre(AI)t power comes great responsibility
Discover how AI can propel brands to new heights and drive real results while understanding the ethical responsibilities that come with this powerful technology. In a panel moderated by Bloomberg, we’ll unpack essential strategies for harnessing AI’s full potential in digital marketing and unpack insights and lessons from some of the brands like Adobe and eBay that have been harnessing the power of AI to generate the true impact of AI on their brand!
Joined by Bloomberg Media, Ancestry, eBay, Adobe and more to be announced!
Thursday 17th October 12:30pm: Our future customer is a gamer – how brands are building immersive experiences to build fandom and connection.
As gaming becomes more integrated into everyday life, your future customers are likely to be gamers. Join experts to explore gaming trends, future mindsets, and consumer expectations. Learn how to adopt a gamer mindset for campaigns and adapt to changing media habits, including the potential rise of extended reality technology.
Joined by Totally Awesome, Fortress Games and Crunchyroll
DEPT® Garden Cocktail Party
Have canapés and cocktails with us at the Chinese Garden of Friendship! Join us at 6:30pm on Thursday 17th October for an evening of tasty bites and friendly banter, soundtracked by a live DJ!
Meet the speakers
Jessica White
VP Creative and Media Australia at DEPT®
Jess leads our creative and media team in Australia, with 18 years of experience and expertise across various industries, from FMCG, electronics, and gaming to retail and impact work starting in shopper marketing and now specialising in lifecycle and cultural marketing, leveraging data to connect with audiences on a deeper, more authentic level. She brings unparalleled strategic and creative excellence to every challenge she takes on.
Joey Egger
VP, Games & Emerging Tech @ DEPT®
Joey is an Emmy, Peabody, and Webby award-winning digital content specialist with over 20 years of experience working globally on digital games and emerging technologies, focusing on kids and family audiences.
Joey heads up Games and Emerging Technology for DEPT®, leading a team that works with clients in games, innovation, and R&D.
She is currently a Board Member of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) and an Advisory Board Member of the Australian Government DGTO.
Jason O’donnell
SVP Creative and Media APAC at DEPT®
Jason brings strategic and operational perspectives from his experience as a corporate executive working in investment banking, marketing, digital and the arts. Jason has managed marketing campaigns across print, digital and experiential, and provided business consulting services to government, industry, hospitals and universities.
He has managed business transformation projects for ASX200 companies and led teams involved in pandemic response efforts, coordinating with government, public health and industry. Jason has served the boards of universities and not for profits, and mentored emerging leaders in science and the arts.
Christine Cook
Global Chief Revenue Officer @ Bloomberg Media
Christine Cook is the Global Chief Revenue Officer at Bloomberg Media. Cook leads global advertising revenues across all media platforms including digital, digital video, linear TV, audio, events, custom content, print and programmatic revenues.
She was previously Senior Vice President, Head of Brand Partnerships at WarnerMedia and prior to that Chief Revenue Officer of CNN Digital where she oversaw sales strategy for CNN’s overall digital portfolio, which included premium verticals, mobile products, programmatic, emerging businesses and Great Big Story.
Prior to joining WarnerMedia, Cook served as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Advertising Partnerships at Flipboard. During her six years at the company, Cook oversaw the global sales force and mobile-led revenue strategy. As an advisor, and then founding member of the advertising business team, she built the advertising partnerships unit from the ground up, which was responsible for publisher partnerships, advertising sales, operations and creative brand marketing strategy. In addition to Flipboard, she has held global entrepreneurial and business growth roles at The New York Times and Financial Times.
Cook has been active in several major advertising trade associations including the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), Digital Content Next (DCN) Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), and Advertising Women of New York/She Runs It.
Beyond advertising trade associations, Christine is passionate about youth empowerment serving on the Board of Outward Bound USA and YEAH (Youth Empowerment and Healing) Yoga, a New Orleans based non-profit providing yoga and meditation services to youth impacted by the criminal justice system. A graduate from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. Cook currently lives in New York City.
Louise Edmonds
Founder and Director of Men and Manners
Louise Edmonds, granddaughter of Australian boxing legend Tommy Burns, is a survivor of child sex abuse, assault, workplace harassment, and domestic violence. She founded “Men of Manners,” an online youth academy helping young men navigate modern masculinity, emotional literacy, and relationships. Drawing on her experiences, Edmonds advocates for change and provides emotional intelligence to conversations about character, morals, and ethics.
Her career began with MenStylePower, which led to writing roles for brands like Nautica, Barneys New York, and CEO Magazine. She developed her academy to address issues such as gender equality, civility, and mental health for male teens, especially those facing social media pressures and confusion around consent.
A former producer of “Sex, Love and Relationships” for Foxtel, Edmonds has tackled topics like pornography and sexual misconduct. She co-founded MANifest, a men’s healing event, and is a member of Australian Women Against Violence Alliance, CAPS, and ICOS. Additionally, she partners with A21 and Project Futures to combat child sex trafficking and modern slavery.
Andrew Wiltshire
Head of Healthcare Public Policy (APAC) Amazon Web Services
Andrew’s Career in Healthcare spans 35 years. In his current role Andrew has responsibility for Healthcare Policy, supporting AWS public policy teams across the APAC region. Previously Andrew had a variety of roles within Healthcare organisations and more than 20 years in Medtech across business, functional and policy leadership.
In addition to his Medtech experience, Andrew started his career as a Registered Nurse and has worked in the Pharmaceutical Industry as well as a brief stint in the Hospitality Industry. He holds an MBA from the University of New England and a BA in Media from Griffith University.
He is an ARCS Australia Board Member and is Chair of the MTAA Digital Health Advisory Group and Vice chair of the APACMed Health Data ANZ COE.
Lino Hola
Head Coach & Founder of Mens Medicine
Lino Hola is Head Coach & Founder of community movement, Mens Medicine. As a proud father, loving husband, being 1 of 12 siblings, he is a big family man. Bringing family values to the community in his work with men, women, relationships, and families.
Nick Kwek
Renowned Technology Journalist and BBC Presenter
Renowned Technology Journalist and BBC Presenter Nick Kwek has reported from the forefront of innovation for well over a decade. As senior producer, director and presenter of the corporation’s flagship weekly global Tech TV show Click, he’s travelled the world telling stories through film about timely topics spanning Artificial Intelligence, AgTech, MedTech, Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, UAVs, Energy, Fintech, Fashion, IoT, AR, VR, XR, and many more acronyms!
Nick has collaborated with some of the brightest minds on earth – trying not to break anything along the way – interviewing prominent international figures like MIT’s Noam Chomsky, Meta’s Yann LeCun, and IBM’s Francesca Rossi, and hundreds more.
As a regular on-screen talent on BBC News, Nick has presented for several international series including Click, Tech Life, The Travel Show, Global, Impact, Our Planet Now, The Seven, Breakfast and most recently, Discovering The World’s Table.
He’s also served as a “Techspert” on ABC’s Download This Show, and The Global Tech Podcast, and has produced documentaries for SBS.
Nick is an expert communicator, masterfully breaking down complex evolving technologies into understandable, relatable and engaging content.
Over his career he’s participated in the Segway World Polo Championships, won a Guinness World Record, and remote controlled a moon rover at NASA, all in the name of journalism.
He is a Royal Television Society Judge and Chair, and is an official Ambassador of his hometown, the Kingdom of Fife, Scotland
Scott King
Principal Strategist, Industry for Adobe Asia Pacific
Scott has twenty-six years of commercial experience in delivering strategic customer experience services to leading businesses across Asia Pacific.
Leveraging a firm belief that the future of competitive advantage lies in the customer experience delivering a benefit that is two-fold: consumers enjoy beautiful, personalised, and engaging experiences, while businesses benefit from increased brand loyalty, enhanced performance, and bottom-line growth.
In 2014, Scott founded the customer experience consultancy Accordant, establishing it as Adobe’s premier independent services provider in the Asia-Pacific region and earning recognition as the most certified and specialised partner globally. By 2017, Accordant was fully acquired by the global advertising network Dentsu, where Scott became Vice President of Enterprise Solutions and led the integration of the Accordant business while aiding the APAC expansion of the global consultancy brand, Merkle.
Currently, Scott heads the Industry Strategy practice for Asia Pacific at Adobe, developing strategic thought leadership and driving digital innovation for key industry sectors such as Financial Services, Higher Education, Retail, Travel, Hospitality, while supporting Adobe’s partner ecosystem and top 50 customer accounts across the region.
James Walmsley
Country Manager @ Ancestry
With over 20 years of experience in the Tech and FMCG sectors, James Walmsley is the Country Manager of Ancestry. He has played a key role in driving growth for both local and global businesses, holding diverse marketing, sales, and leadership roles at companies like TripAdvisor and eBay.
James has a strong track record of delivering commercial success through innovative strategic plans across various brands and regions. He leverages data-driven insights to establish a solid foundation for achieving goals.
Passionate about making an impact, he focuses on enhancing customer acquisition, repositioning brands, and fostering innovation. His strategic vision and practical execution drive sustainable growth and long-term success for the organisations he serves.
Zannie Abbott
Head of Campaigns and Communications ANZ
Zannie Abbott is Head of Campaigns and Communications at eBay Australia. Her experience spans over two decades of marketing, driven by a passion for storytelling.
Previous to eBay she worked across brands such as Kellogg’s, Blackmores, and Sony, honing her expertise in digital marketing, sponsorship, events and communications. Zannie’s diverse experience in agencies, entrepreneurship, and client-side roles provides her with a comprehensive understanding of the marketing industry, enabling her to craft narratives that resonate with audiences and foster meaningful connections with communities.
Alice Almeida
Regional Head of Data, Research, & Insights at TotallyAwesome
Alice is an experienced media and insights specialist with over 20 years’ experience working for Australia’s largest media organisations. She has been instrumental in developing multiple market-first research projects; most recently the positive impact of gaming, and how Australian Youth are using AI and Chatgpt.
Alice is currently the Head of Research, Data, & Insights for TotallyAwesome, a Youth-first specialist marketing and media platform, as well as the Head of Insights at SQREEM, a global on-demand intelligence company, after the recent acquisition of TotallyAwesome.
She has presented at over 60 conferences locally and internationally and has built a very strong profile as the insights expert within the Australian media industry. When Alice is not launching new research, writing opinion pieces, speaking on panels or at conferences, or providing insights for senate inquiries, she’s running The Amber Network, a not-for-profit media and community group for those experiencing infertility.
Sam Han
Director of Brand & Strategy @ Fortress
Sam realised early he couldn’t cut it as a professional gamer, so he settled for being a professional that games. Sam built up his experience working with brands like Telstra, Pause Fest & Broadsheet, and now he leads Fortress’ agency team, creating opportunities for brands to reach games culture audiences.
Building bespoke campaigns for clients like Dell, Netflix, Telstra and McLaren Racing, Fortress leverages an innate understanding of games culture, alongside two physical venues to connect brands with young audiences.
Batoul Peters
Head of Partnerships ANZ for Vinyl Group’s @ The Brag Media
Batoul Peters is currently the Head of Partnerships ANZ for Vinyl Group’s, The Brag Media, currently the largest youth publisher in Australia, representing iconic and culturally relevant brands like Rolling Stone, Variety, Hypebeast and comprehensive gaming network Playwire.
Batoul is a seasoned media professional with a career spanning two decades across the media landscape including gaming, tech, digital, tv and audio. A strategist by trade, Batoul has a knack for identifying emerging trends that bring together successful commercial partnerships that are good for audiences and brands alike!
Prior to joining The Brag Media, Batoul was one of the original team members that launched Amazon’s first in-house sales team for Twitch in 2020 spearheading partnerships between brands and gaming audiences in Australia.
While Batoul is an OG gamer, having mastered her gaming skills with a Sega Master System 2 in the 90’s, she currently enjoys negotiating house chores with her son so he can earn himself more V-bucks to spend in Fortnite.
Raelene Knowles
Chief Operating Officer @ IGEA
Raelene is the COO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA), the peak industry body representing the voice of Australian and New Zealand companies in the computer and video games industry. As COO, Raelene directs IGEA’s many communications, events and research projects, plus all membership services.
Key to Raelene’s role is creating connections across industry and with external stakeholders, educating the broader community about the power of play and video games, providing resources and educational opportunities for members and industry to assist with their businesses and celebrating games and those people and teams who create games in the ANZ region.
