Mary has enjoyed over 25 years of experience as a safety professional. Mary brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her role having worked in senior roles with the South Australian and Federal WHS Regulators, where she was involved in implementing change in their regulatory operations and the harmonisation of the WHS legislation. She has engaged with a diverse range of industries and worked closely with numerous industry associations, building strong relationships.  Mary is the Chair of the AIHS SA Branch Committee and represents AIHS on the SafeWork SA Advisory Committee.

Julia brings over 25 year's knowledge and experience from membership-based organisations, primarily in the not-for-profit sector. She previously held the position of Chief Operating Officer at the Australian HR Institute (AHRI). Julia has demonstrated significant achievements in member experience and loyalty, commercial growth, and customer and stakeholder relationships.

She has built and executed business strategy and provides the leadership and vision necessary to effectively grow organisations to ensure their financial strength. Julia holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business.

Chanel is a Registered Psychologist with a Master’s in Organisational Psychology and Human Factors, with close to 15 years’ experience across workplace mental health, safety, wellbeing, and injury management. She is currently the General Manager of Wellbeing and Safety at Bupa.
Chanel is focused on building safe, supportive work environments—particularly in the health and care sector, where the demands on workers are high and constantly shifting. She is especially interested in how organisations can strengthen their systems and leadership capability to better respond to the realities of modern work.
Chanel values the connection between HR, Safety, and Wellbeing, and sees their alignment as key to supporting both people and performance in times of change.

Mason Gismondi is a Registered Psychologist and Head of Psychosocial Safety for Bupa Asia Pacific. He has over 10 years of experience supporting organisations to strengthen mental health, culture, and psychosocial safety in complex and evolving environments.
At Bupa, Mason leads psychosocial risk initiatives across health services, aged care, insurance, and corporate functions—reaching more than 20,000 employees. He oversees Bupa’s Psychosocial Health Check program and works closely with senior leaders to identify risks and improve how the organisation supports its people.
Mason is focused on practical, system-level improvements that help organisations adapt well to change—ensuring safety, wellbeing, and performance are not treated in isolation.

Mardi commenced her career in the hospital sector as a nurse and midwife. From the clinical perspective of health care, she pursued her interest in the prevention of injury and disease and has worked in the work health safety and injury management field for the last 30 years.   Completing a Master of Psychology (Organisational and Human Factors), Mardi is a Registered Psychologist where her passion is in the area of workplace mental health.   Her current role is Mentally Healthy Workplaces Consultant at ReturnToWorkSA, where Mardi is committed to supporting organisations and industries to create healthy, safe and thriving workplaces.   

Sam is a Registered Psychologist who has been with SafeWork SA for 1 year.  She has 28 years of experience relevant to workplace psychosocial health and safety, mostly in the Australian Defence Organisation. Her experience includes enterprise level workplace culture, climate and behaviour research, occupational analysis, military human factors, pre-employment psychological screening and psychosocial risk management.  She was also a policy advisor in relation to aged care workforce issues with the Aged Care Royal Commission.

Martyn was formerly the Chief Executive of SafeWork SA and WHS Regulator in South Australia and has held senior leadership roles in Australian and offshore mining companies.
During his tenure as WHS Regulator, he was the South Australian Board Member for Safe Work Australia, Core Council Member for the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner’s Respect@Work Council, Deputy Chair of the University of South Australia’s Centre for Workplace Excellence and Chair of the Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (the collective group of WHS Regulators for Australian and New Zealand).

Internationally, he was the Secretary-General of the International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI), the global professional body for WHS and IR Regulators and remains one of three global Technical Advisors to IALI.

He is currently an independent Board Member to the Educational Standards Board of South Australia (the Regulator for early childhood education in SA) and the inaugural Chair of the Australian National Psychosocial Safety Network, championing workplace psychosocial safety for all workers and workplaces and is an Independent Board Member for SA Power Networks Board, WHS Sub-Committee.

A regular safety conference speaker, including the G20 OSH Network in Bali, the 2023 23rd World Congress on Safety & Health at Work in Sydney and 2025 Taiwan OSH, Medicine and Occupational Hygiene Conference. 

Kristen Raison - Co-Founder and CEO, Humn
Kristen Raison is a Co-Founder and CEO of Humn, a global movement advancing psychologically safe workplaces by addressing psychosocial hazards and equipping leaders, boards and regulators with tools to drive measurable cultural change. In her role as CEO she leads Humn’s advisory programs, education offerings, and investigations, supporting organisations across Australia and globally to comply with evolving WHS legislative duties and build safer, more resilient teams.

Kristen brings over 18 years of board experience and currently serves as Board Member and Treasurer for Asthma Australia, Balco Australia, and the St Andrews Hospital Foundation. Her previous board roles include the State Theatre Company South Australia and Catherine House. She is known for her strong contribution to strategy, risk oversight, finance and governance effectiveness.

As Managing Director of Symmetri, a consulting firm she founded in 2016, Kristen advises organisations across government, business and the not-for-profit sector. Her expertise includes strategic planning, organisational redesign, people and capability development, and executive coaching. She has delivered workforce transformation programs for clients including the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service, SA Government departments, and regional councils.

Samantha Young - Chief Health Officer | Co-founder, Humn

Samantha Young is a senior executive and Non-Executive Director with over 20 years' experience spanning allied health, human services, consulting and leadership. A commercially astute leader, Samantha brings deep expertise in wellbeing, human behaviour, psychosocial safety, organisational psychology, leadership and culture change.  
Samantha currently serves as Chief Health Officer and Co-founder of Humn, a national consultancy and certification organisation where she partners with Boards and leadership teams to improve organisational culture, compliance, workforce wellbeing and governance.

Previously, Samantha founded and led Human Psychology, building it into one of South Australia's largest psychology and training firms before its acquisition by APM Group in 2023. There, she continued as CEO, overseeing service delivery across major government contracts.

Samantha’s broader commercial experience includes roles with Boston Consulting Group, The Body Shop, Mattel and Myer GraceBros, where she developed strong capabilities in marketing, strategy and stakeholder communication. Her governance perspective is strengthened by the GAICD qualification and committee appointments in education, early childhood and women’s emergency services. She holds a Master of Clinical Psychology and an MBA from Melbourne Business School completed on scholarship at Darden, University of Virginia.

Ben Brazier - Managing Principal, Pitcher Partners Adelaide 

Ben is a highly dedicated professional at Pitcher Partners Adelaide, where he plays a pivotal role in driving the success of clients, staff, and the firm as a whole. With a strong focus on small and medium-sized enterprises, Ben provides expert guidance across a broad spectrum of services, including management consulting, cash flow analysis, tax planning, and strategic business advice. His deep understanding of business operations allows him to deliver tailored solutions that help clients achieve sustainable growth.
As the Managing Principal, Ben is responsible for overseeing the firm’s overall performance and strategic direction. He also leads the Superannuation division, offering comprehensive compliance and audit services for self-managed superannuation funds. His leadership ensures that clients receive accurate, timely, and practical support in navigating complex regulatory environments.
What truly sets Ben apart is his “people first” approach. He actively listens to clients’ concerns, builds strong relationships, and delivers solutions that go beyond technical advice—focusing on real-world outcomes. In addition, Ben has extensive experience in corporate transactions, where his meticulous attention to detail and thorough due diligence processes ensures smooth transitions and successful outcomes. His commitment to excellence and genuine care for people make him a trusted advisor and leader within the firm.

Lorene Carter - Health, Safety, Susutainability & Environment Director,  Torrens to Darlington Alliance 

Over my 25 years of working in the major infrastructure industry, in both Australia and the UK, I have been lucky enough to gain an immense amount of experience and growth. My career has spanned various high-risk and high-value sectors which have included tunnelling, rail, and construction, where I have led strategic safety, health, environment, sustainability and quality (SHEQ) initiatives for both client and contractor organisations. I’ve undertaken this work at large infrastructure companies on significant projects, such as HS2, South Sydney Freight Line, Sydney Rail Network, Crossrail and Major Tunnelling Projects. Currently, I’m HSES Director for the $15.4Bn Torrens to Darlington Alliance - Australia’s largest infrastructure project - providing strategic leadership to embed best practice systems, drive cultural consistency, and deliver key result area (KRA) outcomes. I try to be collaborative and adaptive in my leadership, while focusing on building strong teams, fostering innovation, and delivering sustainable performance improvements. I take this approach because I believe it generates innovative and creating thinking which often results in new or improved methods to deliver work, ultimately leading to successful outcomes, and at the same time developing individuals along the way.

Nat Lewis - Project General Superintendent

My 35-year career, which has led me to currently holding a crucial position within the Torrens to Darlington Alliance, began right after graduating high school at the age of 18. That’s when I joined my grandfather at a gold mine in Queensland - which he was managing director of - working as an air legger, penetrating rock with a handheld drill. I did that for five years, before moving into the road infrastructure industry, which was the perfect transition as it used a similar method of drilling and blasting to the mines. I worked my way up through that industry, in which I mainly worked on tunnelling jobs, such as the Burnley Tunell in Melbourne, as well as the Heyson Tunnels in Adelaide. Soon enough I was able to oversee entire sections of tunnelling works before becoming General Superintendent for a string of major projects kicking off right across Australia. Those included Melbourne’s Northern Sewerage and West Gate Tunnel projects, Airport Link in Brisbane, North West Rail and North Connex in Sydney, and Perth’s City Link. What has always driven me more than anything else is the people I work with, especially putting some time and effort into them and seeing their careers blossom.

Tom Dawson - Director of Regional Operations, Comcare

Tom Dawson is the Director of Regional Operations (SA/NT) at Comcare, overseeing a team of WHS Inspectors who respond to workplace incidents, concerns, and complaints across South Australia and the Northern Territory. He has held this role since 2017, following his initial appointment as Team Leader in 2012.
Tom is responsible for daily operations, stakeholder engagement, and contributes to strategy as part of Comcare’s national Regulatory Operations Group. He values the diversity of his work, supporting organisations ranging from Defence operations to Indigenous Ranger programs in remote environments.
Prior to joining Comcare, Tom held various roles including farm labourer, steel fixer, concreter, and police officer—serving for 14 years in both the UK and Australia, including a secondment to the Australian Crime Commission. 

Brett Pfeffer, Director Compliance and Enforcement, SafeWork SA

Brett Pfeffer is the current Director of Compliance and Enforcement for SafeWork SA and has over 20 years of industry experience and 10 years of regulatory experience.
Brett is passionate and committed to reducing injuries in South Australia and influencing positive change across the country. He has been instrumental in the development of proactive campaigns, safety alerts, information sheets, and media campaigns. 
Brett is also South Australia’s representative on Safe Work Australia’s Strategic Issues Group on Workplace Health and Safety and is the Chair of the South Australia Asbestos and Silica Action Plan Working Group.

Julia Collins - Director, Policy and Coordination, Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency  

Julia Collins is a Director at the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency. She has around 25 years of experience in work health and safety policy and regulation, and previously worked in executive leadership roles at Safe Work Australia developing the model WHS laws and codes of practice.Julia also worked as a consultant where she developed Australia’s first National Asbestos Profile, conducted various reviews and provided advice to industry on safety issues. Julia’s current role includes coordinating the implementation of the Asbestos and Silica National Strategic Plans and supporting international work to progress worldwide asbestos bans. Her qualifications include a Master of Public Administration and a Graduate Diploma in Safety Science.

Lex Hanegraaf  - General Manager – Health, Safety, Environment & Quality, Built Environs and Chairperson – South Australian Construction Safety Alliance

Lex Hanegraaf is the General Manager of Health, Safety and Environment at Built Environs, part of the McConnell Dowell Group. With over 18 years of experience in the construction industry, he has progressed from a trade background into senior leadership, specialising in health, safety, environment, and quality management across large, complex building and infrastructure projects in Australia and New Zealand.
Lex leads HSE strategy and performance at a business unit level, driving initiatives that focus on risk management, critical controls, assurance, and continuous improvement. He is passionate about building strong safety cultures that go beyond compliance; creating environments where people feel engaged, empowered, and supported to work safely.
His involvement in the South Australian construction industry is broad. He currently serves as Chairperson of the South Australian Construction Safety Alliance, with engagement that extends to other state alliances. In addition, he is a member of the Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee and a Deputy Member of the SafeWork SA Advisory Committee. Outside of work, Lex enjoys recreational aviation, where his passion for health and safety extends into the cockpit, applying the same focus on risk management, and continuous learning.

Professor Carolyn Semmler - Professor of Psychology, University of Adelaide 

Professor Semmler is a national and international leading scholar in cognitive science, a field that draws together linguistics, philosophy, mathematics, computer science and psychology.  She is a member of the Australian Institute for Machine Learning and the School of Psychology at Adelaide University. Her research and teaching sits at the nexus between human behaviour and technology. Her research is translational and she teaches the principles of ethical and safe development of technical innovation to bring new ways of living and working with technology. Through teaching and collaborative interdisciplinary research, she discovers, designs and creates novel theory and methods to help solve societal challenges. She collaborates with the end users of the research first – gaining perspective and context so that the solutions are rapidly and effectively translated.

Alexandra Thompson - Senior Associate, MinterEllison

Alexandra is an experienced Senior Associate with over ten years practising employment law. She advises clients on the full spectrum of matters employment-related as well as providing advice and conducting litigation in all workplace issues. She has particular expertise assisting clients to create respectful workplaces and on how to respond and prevent sexual harassment (and other harmful behaviours) in the workplace. She also has significant investigation experience having conducted a number of investigations in respect of a wide range of matters (including relating to sexual misconduct and conduct reportable under legislative instruments).  Alexandra recently completed postgraduate studies majoring in employment law at the University of Melbourne (Master of Laws).