How do organisations identify and enact purpose?

How can we drive connection between personal and organisational purpose, meaning and values?

And how important are these issues in navigating an increasingly complex world?

Dr Suzy Green and Dr Rosemary Sainty pose these questions and more to Professor Emeritus Robert E. Quinn, Professor Carl Rhodes and Corene Strauss in a conversation about purpose, meaning and values to inspire positive change.

Credits

Robert E. Quinn is Co-Founder and Faculty Advisory Board, Center for Positive Organizations and Margaret Elliot Tracy Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business is in the top 1% of professors cited in organizational behavior textbooks. He is the author of 18 books including Deep Change, a long-term best seller. Bob has one of the highest rates of repeat invitations in the speaking industry and his recent talk on purpose has been viewed by over 15 million people.

Professor Carl Rhodes is Dean of UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney. In this role, Carl is responsible for the academic and strategic leadership of the School, in pursuit of its vision to be a socially-committed business school. Prior to his academic career, Carl worked in professional and senior management positions in change management and organisational development. As a scholar, Carl researches the relationship between business and society in the nexus between liberal democracy and contemporary capitalism.

Corene Strauss is a cause related CEO, leading the Australian Disability Network since July 2021. Passionate about improving the lives of others and building communities for good, Corene has led the transformation of multiple organisations including CEO of Special Olympics Australia, part of the world’s largest disability sports organisation and prior to that the first female CEO appointed to the NRL’s Men of League Foundation responsible for the welfare of the rugby league community. Corene was appointed to the Board of Directors of Invictus Australia in June 2024.

Dr Suzy Green is a Clinical and Coaching Psychologist (MAPS) and Founder & CEO of The Positivity Institute, a positively deviant business, dedicated to the promotion of wellbeing in workplaces and schools. Suzy is a leader in the complementary fields of Coaching Psychology and Positive Psychology. and currently holds Honorary Academic positions in the UTS Business School, the Centre for Wellbeing Science, University of Melbourne, the School of Psychology, University of East London.

Dr Rosemary Sainty is a thought leader bridging organisational psychology, corporate responsibility, sustainability, and governance. Rosemary is the founding Australian representative to the UN Global Compact having headed up the federally funded National Responsible Business Practice Project. She currently coordinates the positive psychology / positive organisational scholarship teaching programs at UTS Business School, with a research interest in responsible, sustainable and flourishing organisations.

Sound engineering by Alison Zhuang.

Impact Talks at UTS is produced by Impact Studios.

This year, Australia is set to establish the role of a Poet Laureate, as part of the federal government’s Revive national cultural policy.

What is the relationship between poetry and the public realm—from bards to court poets to laureates?

How will a poet laureateship help shape the reception of Australian poetry at home and abroad?

Professor Holland-Batt talks to these questions, followed by a Q&A session led by Dr Delia Falconer.

Credits

Professor Sarah Holland-Batt is an award-winning poet, editor and critic. Her books have received a number of Australia’s leading literary awards, including the Stella Prize for her most recent book, The Jaguar, and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry for her second volume, The Hazards. She is also the author of a book of essays on contemporary Australian poetry, Fishing for Lightning, collecting her poetry columns written for The Australian. She is currently a cohost of Julia Gillard’s Book Club on A Podcast of One’s Own, and Professor of Creative Writing at QUT.

Dr Delia Falconer is the author of two novels (The Service of Clouds and The Lost Thoughts of Soldiers) and two works of nonfiction (Sydney and Signs and Wonders: Dispatches from a time of beauty and loss), which have been shortlisted for national and international awards across the categories of fiction, nonfiction, innovation, biography, history and research. She is the Head of Discipline in Creative Writing at UTS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Sound engineering by Alison Zhuang.

Impact Talks at UTS is produced by Impact Studios.

What does it mean to belong in the water?

How can we get more women surfing? How can we create more inclusive line-ups?

What challenges do Australian women surfers still face?

Hear how surfing is changing in Australia - from the rise of women’s participation to equal pay, and find out why barriers like intimidation, unequal access, and outdated norms persist.

How has media representation shaped these changes? What role does sponsorship play in supporting or sidelining women surfers? How can women's surfing competitions grow in Australia?

Hosts

Dr Ece Kaya: is the Associate Head of Engagement of the Management Department and Senior Lecturer in Management at the UTS Business School.

Dr Leila Khanjaninejad: Lecturer in Creative Intelligence and Innovation in Transdisciplinary (TD) School, UTS.

Panelists

Tyler Wright: Australian Surfing Royalty, two times World Champion and Paris 2024 Australian Olympian.

Rebecca Olive: Vice Chancellor's Senior Research Fellow in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University.

Ashika Kanhai: Senior lawyer who leads the Climate Justice Legal Project and Chair of the Surf Coast Women's Boardriders Club.

Impact Talks at UTS is produced by UTS Impact Studios, a podcast studio that unlocks academic research through engaging and accessible podcasts.

Sound engineering is by Alison Zhuang. Episode image photo of surfer Tyler Wright from her Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tylerwright/

With the advent of generative AI, manipulation of information and data is taking a new turn. Deepfakes and AI generated and propagated misinformation and disinformation are proliferating online.

These trends are already undermining the reliability of news, disrupting elections, challenging democratic processes, and infringing rights globally. As automation rapidly expands the reach and scale of this phenomenon, policy and regulation are often held back by a lack of agreed principles and priorities.

Host

Hamish Macdonald: Australian broadcaster and journalist. He is co-host of Global Roaming on ABC Radio National and ‘The Project’ on Channel Ten.

Panelists

Monica Attard: Australian journalist and Director of the UTS Centre for Media Transition, best known for hosting ABC’s PM, The World Today, and Media Watch.

Creina Chapman: Former Deputy Chair and CEO of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) charged with powers to combat online misinformation and disinformation. Creina has held senior executive and strategic adviser roles at Southern Cross Austereo, News Corp, Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, and the Nine Network.

Michael Davis: UTS research expert on information integrity, generative AI, and the news based in the UTS Centre for Media Transition.

Cullen Jennings: Chief Technology Officer of American multinational digital communications giant, Cisco Systems

 Sophie Farthing: Head of Policy Lab at the Human Technology Institute, UTS.

About Global Gamechangers

Global Gamechangers is presented by the UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, as a series of public conversations about the issues that matter. Find out more at uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/events/global-game-changers

Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube.

Impact Talks at UTS is produced by UTS Impact Studios, a podcast studio that unlocks academic research through engaging and accessible podcasts.

Sound engineering is by Alison Zhuang.

How can carbon be remade into stuff that we want and use every day?

Imagine a world where all the products we want and interact with become 'carbon sinks' and reduce atmospheric carbon emissions.

in this world, when you buy a product, you'd decarbonise the atmosphere, make sure that the carbon stays out of the atmosphere and is repurposed in innovative ways.

Production and consumption would be sustainable and have a positive impact.

How can carbon help us fight climate change?

Host

Craig Reucassel: Australian writer, comedian, and TV presenter, best known for his work on the Australian TV programs, The Chaser and The War on Waste, televised on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (the ABC). (Australia)

Introduction: How can we rethink carbon?

Alex Thomson: Marine ecologist, Science and Technology Australia ‘Superstar of STEM’, leading science communicator and industry engagement manager in the UTS Faculty of Science, and a big fan of algae and how it can change our planet! (Australia)

Panelists

Gunter Beitinger: Industrial engineering and project leader at multinational technology company Siemens – striving towards net zero with SVP Manufacturing, Factory Digitisation, and Decarbonisation Platform SiGREEN. (Germany)

Julia Reisser: co-founder of innovative climate-positive Australian company Uluu, leading production of a natural material derived from oceans able to replace plastics at scale. (Australia)

Peter Ralph: Leading international researcher in the fields of algae bio-systems and biotechnology, seagrasses, and the adaption of aquatic plants to warming and acidifying oceans; and Executive Director of the UTS Climate Change Cluster in the Faculty of Science. (Australia)

Amy Low: Director of brand and marketing for iconic Australian surf-wear company, Piping Hot, delivering sustainable and affordable material and product production for clothing, swimwear, footwear, and accessories. (Australia)

About Global Gamechangers

Global Gamechangers is presented by the UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, as a series of public conversations about the issues that matter. Find out more at uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/events/global-game-changers

Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube.

Impact Talks at UTS is produced by UTS Impact Studios, a podcast studio that unlocks academic research through engaging and accessible podcasts.

Sound engineering is by Alison Zhuang.

World cities are home to the vast bulk of humanity.

Urban environments are also responsible for 75% of global emissions. 

In this international discussion, experts explore the transformative power of Green Infrastructure (GI) in urban landscapes and examine innovative ways to make cities smarter, greener, and more communal - places where people can live for generations to come.   

• The transformation of 'concrete jungles' into liveable green hubs does not happen overnight nor by accident.  It needs tremendous imagination, willpower, and collective effort. How can we do this?
• How can we deeply rethink resources, their value, and the concepts of ‘scarcity’ and ‘abundance’ to make a sustainable, habitable world?
• How can we integrate nature, infrastructure, and technology?  
• What are some of the most innovative green tech solutions leading to change for the better? 

Host

Anthony Bourke: Professor of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney and TV Presenter; Australian host of the popular TV series Grand Designs Transformations, Restoration Australia, and Grand Designs Australia (all on ABC TV)

Panellists

Remy Sietchiping: Internationally recognised expert and UN strategist on Urban Planning and Geographic Information Systems; Chief of Policy at UN-HABITAT, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.

Germain Briand: Owner and director of the internationally acclaimed company, The Urban Canopee, on a bold mission to accelerate our cities’ greening through innovation to fight climate change and re-connect people with nature.

Jua Cilliers: Recognised global leader in urban planning and green infrastructure solutions, 'A Defender of the Future', Head of the School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney.

Rob Stokes: Leading Australian spokesperson on city planning and the importance of Net Zero Cities; former New South Wales Minister for Planning and Public Spaces.

About Global Gamechangers

Global Gamechangers is presented by the UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, as a series of public conversations about the issues that matter. Find out more at uts.edu.au/partners-and-community/events/global-game-changers

Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube.

Impact Talks at UTS is produced by UTS Impact Studios, a podcast studio that unlocks academic research through engaging and accessible podcasts.

Sound engineering is by Alison Zhuang.

Six problems. Six solutions.

• Natural disasters and local communities.
• Sustainable building on a large scale.
• A carbon tax and climate economics.
• Engaging the public on climate change.
• The potential of algae to replace common materials.
• Recycling glass in new ways.

Hear three minute presentations from leading UTS experts and industry practitioners on solutions related to rethinking disaster recovery, new materials to drive a circular economy, climate-adapted businesses, and ways our cultural institutions are addressing the climate crisis.

Speakers

Professor Elizabeth Mossop, Creative Industries Strategic Lead and Academic Director, Northern Rivers Living Lab, UTS

Associate Professor Stefan Lie, Co-Director, Material Ecologies Design Lab, UTS

Dr Mona Mashhadi Rajabi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Centre for Climate Risk and Resilience, UTS Business School

Dr Unnikrishnan Kuzhiumparambil, Senior Research Fellow, Climate Change Cluster (C3), UTS

Dr Jenny Newell, Curator for Climate Change, Climate Solutions Centre, Australian Museum

Carmel Reyes, Climate Action and Sustainability Manager, Powerhouse

Sam Kernaghan, Director of Resilience at the Committee for Sydney offers a response to the climate solutions discussed.

This event was part of Climate Action Week Sydney, supported by City of Sydney.

Impact Talks at UTS is produced by UTS Impact Studios, with sound engineering by Alison Zhuang.