2025 FinPro Conference

Simon Kuestenmacher provides specialist advice on demographic, consumer and social trends for business. Simon is a columnist at The New Daily newspaper and a regular contributor to The Australian newspaper; and he is also a media commentator on demographic and data matters. Simon has amassed 600,000 global followers on social media, reaches over 35 million people every month and ranks as one of the world’s Top 10 influencers in data visualisation. Simon holds degrees in geography from leading universities in Berlin and Melbourne and worked
for several years as a business consultant with KPMG Australia.

Dave O’Neil has been in the business of comedy for over 20 years and is one of Australia’s most recognisable stand-up comics, having performed at 16 Melbourne International Comedy Festivals and at dozens of comedy clubs nationally.

On screen you will have seen Dave as Team Captain in the ABC TV comedy quiz show Tractor Monkeys, as well as dishing out life advice in The Agony of the Mind, The Agony of Life, The Agony of Modern Manners, Can of Worms, plus messing about on Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight and Good News Week. He is probably most well-known for the honour of being the guest with the most appearances (over 50) on ABC TV’s ever popular Spicks & Specks.

Kylie Maher is an accomplished governance, risk, and compliance leader with deep experience across local government, education and not-for-profit sectors. She brings extensive expertise in governance driving effective oversight and assurance at both strategic and operational levels. Kylie’s board and committee experience is extensive. She currently holds six governance roles, including as Chair across local government (Yarra, Stonnington, Port Phillip, Wyndham, Cardinia, Moonee Valley), and additional member roles at the Federal Accounting and Auditing Standards Board (AASB/AAUSB), and Education Services Australia. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Finance, Risk and Audit Committees for the RMIT University, IPC Health and BioGrid Australia.
A Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), Kylie has held senior leadership roles as Partner/Director at Moore and KPMG, where she led internal audit, risk, and assurance services for a diverse client base. She is a sought-after speaker, most recently presenting internationally on governance and child safeguarding at a global forum in Rome.

• Local government finance specialist with more than 30 years’ experience mainly as the chief financial officer.
• Qualifications include an MBA plus degrees in Commerce and Science.
• Chair of the DCP Finance Support Group.
• Lead the development of the DCP Accounting Treatment Guideline.
• Lead the development of the mandatory Local Government Financial Plan.

Ashay is passionate about capacity building in governments and is an International
Advisor to GFOA (Government Finance Officers Association of the USA) and CoFounder of Modelve – a strategic asset modeling platform.

He is passionate about the art of storytelling in long term asset plans – so finance,
engineering and climate scientists collaborate to bring their combined stories to life.
Stories that articulate how the community may choose to live in future by
simulating multiple scenarios based on their choices – for costs, climate, liveability,
comfort, risk and well-being.

It’s their infrastructure after all…

Ashay spends a vast majority of his time globally delivering masterclasses and
workshops on Strategic Asset Management – including the use of strategic asset
modelling and budget games to help mitigate bias in Long Term Financial Plans. He
continues to serve as a GFOA International Advisor, helping bridge global insights in
fiscal and asset strategy.

In the hope that younger practitioners embrace this art of SAM storytelling, so
future dots can join for our communities

Karen is local to the region, having grown up in and around the Mildura area. She is a CPA and has been with Mildura Rural City Council for almost 18 years, across two tenures. She spent just over 2 years, from 2020 to 2022, working at the local water authority, Lower Murray Water to diversify her experience into project management. Her career journey has taken her from asset accounting to project management, and now into strategic asset management, where she has really found her passion. What’s next in her career? She is focused on improving the asset management practices and making asset management a key part of delivering sustainable services for her community.

Vikrant Paul is a cybersecurity professional with over nine years of experience in IT, including five years in cybersecurity focused on strategy, risk, and compliance.

Holding CISSP and CRISC certifications, he supports enterprise security programs aligned with Essential Eight, VPDSS, and ISO 27001.

Vikrant has contributed to cyber uplift initiatives, policy development, and the implementation of layered security controls across varied environments, working closely with business leaders to ensure alignment with organisational goals.

Wei is an experienced management consultant with over a decade of expertise in technology risk and cybersecurity. As the internal audit partner for the City of Melbourne, Wei leads risk mitigation and resilience projects that help councils and local government organisations strengthen their defences in an evolving threat landscape.
With a strong advisory and assurance background, Wei Keen is passionate about helping clients rethink their approach to cybersecurity, compliance, and enterprise risk management—always with a focus on driving value and growth. He has supported clients across government, financial services, education, health, mining, and retail, guiding them through risk assessments, control design, strategy, governance, and implementation.
In this session, Wei will co-present with Vikrant (Cyber Security Manager, City of Melbourne) to explore why cybersecurity in finance is a shared responsibility, drawing on both their experiences with local government and the City of Melbourne. They will cover practical insights into the current cyber risk landscape for finance professionals, highlight emerging threats such as email scams and AI deepfakes, and discuss key standards like PCI-DSS and VPDSS. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to help their councils build stronger cyber capability and resilience.

Phin Ziebell is TCV’s Head of Research, providing TCV clients with the latest financial market data, interest rate forecasts and economic analysis. Phin has been with TCV for a year – prior to joining, he spent 9 years in the economics team at NAB, analysing trends the macroeconomy, consumer spending, infrastructure, energy and agriculture, as well as client, investor and media presentations. He was also previously an economist at Victorian DTF and DPI.

Bradley has had a long and distinguished career in both the public and private sectors, spanning two decades across multiple states.

He started his career at KPMG in 2003, in Sydney’s West. As a Graduate Accountant, Bradley worked on financial reviews and audits for a number of high-profile clients.

After completing his CA requirements, he made the move South, starting at the City of Greater Bendigo in 2008. After six years in various financial roles, Bradley made the move to Mount Alexander Shire Council where he held a number of senior level roles, including Acting Director Corporate Services and Executive Manager Business Performance.

Bradley became CEO of Hepburn Shire Council in May 2022. He first joined the Council in January 2019 as Director Corporate Services.

Bradley holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from La Trobe University and has a Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting. He also completed an MBA in 2018, and undertook the LGPro Emerging Leaders Program in 2017.

John Brockway is the CFO at City of Yarra and also an Executive member of FinPro. Previously, John was Manager Financial Services at Warrnambool City Council, he has 30 years’ experience in senior accounting roles in the Commercial, State Government, and Local Government sectors, specialising in the transport, health, and waste industries.

Having worked in fast-paced industries, John is proficient with budgeting and management reporting, and is passionate about mentoring, coaching, and advocating for the Local Government sector. John led the FinPro team that implemented the first rating and revenue plan in conjunction with LGV.

Robyn is a people-centred leader who combines a passion for community with a strong strategic focus. Robyn was drawn to local government because of the direct connection with communities. Since joining Surf Coast Shire Council in July 2021, Robyn has developed strong networks within the shire and raised the profile of Surf Coast Shire amongst local strategic alliances. She has also placed a priority on effective service delivery.

Robyn was previously Deputy Secretary, Network Planning, head of Road Safety Victoria with Victoria’s Department of Transport and Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive of VicRoads. Robyn started her career as a counsellor, working for eight years with individuals and families impacted by road trauma.

Glenn has more than 30 years’ senior leadership experience and has been the CEO of Victoria’s largest Council, the City of Casey, since September 2018.

He has previously been CEO of Yarra Ranges Council for 10 years as well as CEO of both Baw Baw and Colac Otway Councils.

Glenn has a Bachelor of Business (RMIT), Master of Business (RMIT), is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course and is an Institute of Executive Coaching Leadership Level 2 accredited organisation coach.

In addition, Glenn has been CEO of a Melbourne-based property development group and owned and operated his own property-related business on the Mornington Peninsula.

Glenn is a long-term Board Member of Procurement Australia and recently joined the board of CT Management Services.

With a career spanning diverse sectors over three decades, Lucy Bloom is a business, leadership, and philanthropy powerhouse whose extraordinary accomplishments have had a tangible global impact.

Lucy’s professional journey is a testament to her exceptional leadership, entrepreneurial acumen, and strategic expertise. Over two decades, she steered a boutique advertising agency to prominence, gaining a reputation for innovative thinking and a fearless approach to complex challenges.

Then, as the inaugural CEO and director of a groundbreaking women’s health charity, Lucy
orchestrated a remarkable fundraising campaign raising $7 million in under three years for a
network of hospitals and a midwifery school in Ethiopia. Her hands-on leadership and appetite for innovation were instrumental in advancing healthcare in Ethiopia for generations.

Lucy later took the helm of a Cambodian children’s charity, transforming it into a fundraising powerhouse within a year and transitioning from a traditional orphanage to a community development model.

She’s the founder of a successful world-first education start-up, the author of three books, the host of her podcast show and a contributor to CEO Magazine.

Lucy’s impact extends beyond her professional achievements. She is the first and only Australian to be recognised among the world’s top 30 #socialceos, and she has been honoured with a Kindness Award from the Wake-Up Project. Moreover, Lucy’s outstanding contributions have earned her both speaking and leadership awards, including being a two-time finalist in the Telstra Business Woman of the Year Awards.
Lucy’s exceptional leadership, entrepreneurial acumen, and strategic expertise have been hardwon over three decades of innovation, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to kindness.