Canberra Manager’s Forum celebrating International Women’s Day 2026

Welcoming our guests to a luncheon celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026.

Balance the Scales the official theme for 2026, highlights the urgent need to ensure fair, inclusive, and accessible justice for every woman and girl. Balance the Scales is a promise for every woman and girl to be safe, heard, and free to shape her own future. Together, we have the power to dismantle discriminatory systems, unlock transformation, and deliver justice, safety, and dignity for all women and girls.

Join us for this luncheon with Gladys Berejikilan, Managing Director, Enterprise and Business, Optus Enterprise who will share her leadership journey from a women’s perspective.

Our panellists exploring this year’s theme are Genevieve Jacobs AM, CEO Hands Across Canberra who will be joined by former police officer Rose MacDonald and her business partner Andrew Collins a former defence intelligence operative, who have created a data protection platform for those experiencing family violence, to be launched globally in New York in March 2026.

Fireside chat

Gladys Berejiklian

Managing Director, Enterprise and Business

Optus Enterprise

Gladys joined Optus as Managing Director, Enterprise, and Business in February 2022. She has a proven record in organisational transformation, delivering major projects, and building trusted relationships with business.

In 2003, Gladys was elected to the New South Wales Parliament. From March 2011 - October 2020, she served in senior roles including Minister for Transport, Treasurer and as the 45th Premier of New South Wales. From 1998 – 2003, Gladys was an executive at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

She has a Bachelor of Arts and Graduate Diploma in International Studies (University of Sydney) and a Master of Commerce (University of NSW).

Panellist 1

Rose MacDonald

CEO

Nansen Digital Forensic Services

Rose is a former detective and digital forensic analyst with 20 years law enforcement experience. After leaving the police, Rose led teams of criminal fraud investigators and established digital forensic capabilities for federal government departments before founding Nansen. Rose is an experienced court witness and holds a Master of Digital Forensics.

Chain-FS is the foundational technology for Nansen’s new digital safety platform, ACORN, which brings together immutable storage, secure communications, and guided safety tools to help prevent and detect technology-facilitated abuse. ACORN, powered by Chain-FS, will be formally launched in New York in March 2026 in partnership with UN Women, marking a significant step in establishing an internationally scalable approach to digital safety. Chain-FS is currently being piloted by four domestic violence support agencies in NSW and Victoria."

Panellist 2

Andrew Collins

CEO

Nansen Digital Forensic Services

Andrew is a former CIO/CTO in the healthcare, commercial and federal government sectors with extensive experience leading digital forensics and malware analysis teams and managing enterprise transformation programs. Andrew is in the 2025 Snow Foundation Entrepreneurs program.

Panellist 3

Genevieve Jacobs AM

CEO

Hands Across Canberra

Genevieve Jacobs AM is the CEO of Hands Across Canberra, the ACT’s community foundation. She was a longtime ABC Canberra presenter and more recently the Group Editor for Region Media. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Genevieve is a director of Regional Development Australia’s Southern NSW board and the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture and has chaired several ACT Government and not for profit boards.

She has an enduring interest in building and strengthening community engagement and in 2021, was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of her services to broadcasting and the community.

Thank you to our Sponsors

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