CEW Sydney Annual Dinner 2026 | Chief Executive Women
Thursday, 21 May 2026
Grand Ballroom, ICC Sydney
Doors open 6:00pm

Event program

What to expect on the night.

6:00pm
Guest arrival and pre-function
6:45pm
Formal proceedings begin
9:45pm
Formal proceedings end
10:30pm
Event concludes

Get involved

Your support has the power to change lives. By getting involved, you're helping create opportunities through education, leadership, and possibility for Australian women.

Purchase a raffle ticket and bid on a prize in the silent auction!

Raffle

CEW's famous Annual Dinner Raffle can be bought here. You'll go in the draw to win one of 17 exceptional prizes, generously donated by CEW's supporters. Tickets start at $50, with value bundles available up to seven tickets for $350, making it a simple and impactful way to make a difference.

  • Prize one: $15,000 Qantas Gift Voucher
  • Prize two: $7,000 Qantas Gift Voucher
  • Prize three: MasterChef Dining Experience by Coles. Imagine surprising your friends by inviting them to a MasterChef dining experience in your own home.
  • More prizes available at the link below.
Purchase raffle tickets

CEW is not able to sell raffle tickets to TAS and ACT residents, as TAS and ACT gaming regulations require a redraw for unclaimed prizes which conflicts with other state regulations. Only available to those aged 18 and over.

Silent auction

Our Silent Auction is back! Bid on one or all the prizes and be sure to keep checking you don't get outbid. The auction will be announced at the end of the night. Register with Gala Bid and start bidding.

  • AICD Company Directors Course
  • Lunch for eight with AMP or NAB
  • Australian Fashion Week VIP experience
  • More prizes to be announced.
Bid on a prize

Speaker bios

Meet the inspiring leaders joining us in Sydney.

Helen Conway, CEW President
President

Helen Conway

CEW President

Helen Conway is an experienced leader, director, senior executive and lawyer who has worked in a range of organisations in the commercial, public and not-for-profit sectors. Helen spent 10 years in private legal practice, including 7 years as a partner in a major law firm in Sydney, and then moved into the corporate sector where she worked as a senior executive. She has extensive experience as a Board Chair and Director in various sectors including health, transport, energy, housing and homelessness, education and training, financial services and domestic and family violence. Helen is a champion of women's rights. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, diversity and inclusion and has undertaken a range of voluntary activities in the not-for-profit sector. She was previously the Judicial Head of the NSW Equal Opportunity Tribunal, set up the Australian Government's Workplace Gender Equality Agency, a statutory authority with regulatory and other responsibilities, and was until recently the President of YWCA Australia. Helen is currently the Chair of KU Children's Services, Australian Business Volunteers and Mary's House (a domestic violence service) and a Non-executive Director of the NSW Energy Security Corporation and Youth Off The Streets.

Lisa Annese, CEO of Chief Executive Women
CEO

Lisa Annese

CEO, Chief Executive Women

Lisa Annese commenced her role as the Chief Executive Officer of Chief Executive Women in January 2025 and is committed to the empowerment of women and girls across the economy. Prior to this, Lisa spent 10 years as the CEO of the Diversity Council Australia, where she led a broad array of groundbreaking, evidence-based research, including Australia's first national index on workplace diversity and inclusion, seminal research on the economics of the gender pay gap, and original work on Counting Culture and building Asian Leadership Capability, as well as research supporting individuals being 'Out at Work', mainstreaming flexible work, and myth-busting workplace responses to sexual harassment and domestic and family violence. In 2024, Lisa was appointed to the NSW Women's Advisory Council and reappointed to the Respect at Work Council by the Attorney-General, implementing the legislative reforms from the Respect@Work Act. In 2018, Lisa was named one of the AFR's 100 Women of Influence. In 2019 she was elected to the Board of Amnesty International Australia and, in 2021, to the Board of the non-partisan organisation Women for Election. As well as being their CEO, Lisa is also a member of Chief Executive Women. Lisa has had a long career progressing positive change across the corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors. Earlier in her career, at the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (formerly the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA)), she developed the first-ever census of Australian Women in Leadership, the first-ever Business Achievement Awards, the creation of the Employer of Choice for Women citation, and the development and implementation of the policy framework for the EOWA Act 1999 with Australian businesses. For her contribution at EOWA, she was awarded a Medal for Significant Contribution to the Australian Public Service.

Alexis George, Non-Executive Director and panel moderator
Panel moderator

Alexis George

Non-Executive Director

BCommerce (UNSW), FCA, GAICD, CEW Member Alexis George is an experienced senior executive with an extensive career in financial services and banking across Australia, Europe and Asia. She recently retired as the Chief Executive Officer of AMP Limited, leading the organisation through a period of significant transformation over four and a half years. Prior to this, Alexis spent seven years at ANZ, including five as Deputy CEO, where she worked closely with the CEO on group-wide strategy and held direct responsibility for the Wealth Businesses, offshore centres and the Payments Business. Prior to ANZ, Alexis spent ten years with the ING Group in various capacities including Chief Operating Officer for Asia, Chief Executive Officer for Czech Republic and Slovakia covering insurance, banking and funds management and various senior roles in Australia in wealth management. Alexis is currently a Non-Executive Director of Cancer Council NSW and Chair of the AMP Foundation. She is a member of Chief Executive Women and is a passionate advocate for inclusive leadership and the advancement of women in senior roles.

Liandra Gaykamangu, Founder and Creative Director of Liandra
Panel member

Liandra Gaykamangu

Founder and Creative Director, Liandra

Liandra Gaykamangu is an award winning fashion entrepreneur and cultural leader. She is the founder and Creative Director of LIANDRA, a nationally recognised eco-conscious lifestyle brand that fuses contemporary fashion with Indigenous art, culture and storytelling, with stockists carrying the brand nationally which includes David Jones. Alongside her fashion practice, Liandra holds senior leadership roles in philanthropy. As First Nations Practice Lead at Mannifera, she provides strategic guidance on Indigenous led philanthropy, culturally informed investment and partnership models, supporting First Nations organisations and communities to build long term, community driven impact.

Katrina Leslie, Founder and Chairman of Swipejobs
Panel member

Katrina Leslie

Founder and Chairman, Swipejobs

Katrina Leslie is Founder and Chairman of Swipejobs, an AI-native jobs platform operating in the United States and the UK. Swipejobs turned the job model upside down and solved the problems of the legacy job model by focusing on the best job matches for the consumer or job-seeker. The job-seeker has a personalised job agent where as they give feedback they are training the AI and the real-time job matches get better. The power and control of AI is with the consumer. Katrina has founded multiple technology jobs-focused companies, including a US job ranking and prediction company, and previously held senior HR leadership roles at Westpac and Microsoft across Australia and Asia Pacific. Katrina began her career on a Graduate Development Program at BHP working in all major steelworks in Australia. She holds qualifications in Applied Science, Organisational Psychology and Commerce.

Maud Page, Director of the Art Gallery of NSW
Panel member

Maud Page

Director, Art Gallery of NSW

Maud Page joined the institution in 2017 as deputy director and director of collections. She previously served as deputy director, collection and exhibitions at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane. During her tenure as senior curator of Pacific art at QAGOMA, she developed the most comprehensive collection of contemporary Pacific art in the region. Prior to her roles in art institutions, she was a lecturer in museum studies at the University of Sydney. As director, Ms Page leads the strategic vision of the Art Gallery, overseeing its artistic and operational direction. She is responsible for the development and care of the Art Gallery's collections, exhibitions, and programs, as well as audience engagement and institutional partnerships. She continues to champion the acquisition and display of art that reflects diverse perspectives, ensuring the Art Gallery remains a dynamic and inclusive cultural institution. Under her leadership, the Art Gallery has expanded its curatorial ambitions, including the successful delivery of the Sydney Modern Project, which transformed the institution's capacity for contemporary programming and public art commissions. Ms Page is a member of the Create NSW Visual Arts Artform Advisory Board.

Entertainment

Casey Donovan, performer at CEW Sydney Annual Dinner 2026

Performer

Casey Donovan

Casey Donovan is one of Australia's most powerful and beloved voices. Rising to fame at just 16 as the youngest winner of Australian Idol (2004), the proud Gumbaynggirr and Dunghutti woman has built a remarkable career across music, stage, screen, presenting and writing. A multi-award-winning artist, Casey's achievements include an ARIA No.1 single, triple-platinum success for Listen With Your Heart, and Deadly Awards.

Her music career has seen continued evolution, from the empowering Big, Beautiful and Sexy to her acclaimed EP Off the Grid and Somewhere In Between and her 2025 acoustic release 21 Years Retrospective in addition to the Eurovision entry song Proud. A fan favourite, she has performed at major festivals, toured nationally, and become a mainstay New Year's Eve powerhouse at the Sydney Opera House.

Casey has established herself as a leading musical theatre performer with standout roles in We Will Rock You, Chicago, 9 to 5, and Juliet, Sister Act, and Kimberly Akimbo, earning industry praise as one of the new leading ladies of musical theatre.

Her television work includes hosting SBS's What Does Australia Really Think?, starring in Streetsmart and How to Stay Married, co-hosting major ABC broadcasts, and winning the 2017 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! A dedicated advocate and ambassador for multiple charities, Casey continues to inspire audiences nationwide. In 2026, she embarks on her biggest tour yet, THIS IS ME, celebrating over two decades of extraordinary achievements.

CEW key partners and sponsors

CEW Sydney Annual Dinner 2026 key partners and sponsors

Join Australia's most influential network

Connect with 1,400+ senior women leaders who are shaping Australia's future.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. CEW celebrates the diversity of First Nations people and their continuing connection to land, water, and community, and acknowledges the strength of First Nations women leading their communities. We extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are part of the CEW community.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website contains images or names of people who have passed away.