Shaping tomorrow’s civic leaders and future-ready graduates: ICMS Symposium 2025

Register for the ICMS Symposium on 29 August 2025 to discover how higher education can shape tomorrow’s civic leaders and future-ready graduates.

Whether you’re an educator, industry partner, alumni, policy-maker or student driven by civic purpose, sustainability, entrepreneurship or community-building, this event is for you.

Keynote speaker Kirryn Zerna: The power of connection in the age of AI

Kirryn Zerna is an award-winning keynote speaker, LinkedIn Top Voice in Communications, and author of The Stand Out Effect. With more than 20 years of experience in corporate communication and brand strategy, she helps leaders and educators master the art of human connection in a fast-moving, digital-first world. She will be presenting on The Connect Effect: Mastering Human Connection in the Age of AI. 

In her session, you’ll:

• explore how to build trust and engagement across students, colleagues, and the wider community – even as technology accelerates
• discover practical tools to foster belonging and culture in learning environments through rhythms, rituals, and intentional communication
• learn how to thrive through change by leading with empathy, adaptability, and connection at the core of your work.

Full line-up of speakers

At the ICMS Symposium 2025, you can expect to hear from a variety of leaders in their fields.

Bridging Fashion Education with Industry Realities

With Allison Ford, ICMS Lecturer

This session with critically challenge the information provided by AI concerning fashion subjects, provide connections to relevant industry parties (like Business of Fashion and Australian Fashion Council), and encourage personal curiosity around the industry-changing trends.

Sport, Gender and Human Rights in Focus: Preparing Future Leaders in Sports Management

With Kristen Beck, ICMS Lecturer, and Dr Jae Won Kang, ICMS Program Manager (Sports and Property)

Currently only 15% of elite coaching roles and 22% of sports management Chief Executive Officer (CEO) positions are held by women. This session will talk about using real-world cases, industry collaboration and student-led initiatives to foster ethical, inclusive leadership and promote gender equality.

Mental Health and Wellbeing in Elite Athletes: Evidence-Driven Pathways for Sustainable and Transformative Innovation in High-Performance Sport

With Corey Bate, ICMS Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) student

Mental Health issues are becoming more widely known, accepted, and discussed. How does mental health and wellbeing affect elite athletes? By using a comprehensive literature review, multiple data analyses and comparing with prior studies, the presentation will challenge traditional assumptions of “elite athletes” and “mental fortitude” by diving into a variety of factors associated with mental health issues, such as social media, body image gender, and unique stressors in the athletic sphere. Corey will then provide a call for systemic change by identifying gaps in the research and noting future improvements than can be made to address these.

Curriculum as Strategy: Designing Subjects that Reflect Who We Are (and Who We’re Becoming)

With Nicole Hay, ICMS Associate Dean (Tourism, Hospitality and Events)

Nicole will share practical insights from postgraduate subject redevelopment in Tourism, Hospitality and Events, focusing on how curriculum decisions can shape graduate capabilities and future readiness. She will introduce a simple, practice-informed framework to support intentional subject design, aligned with ICMS’s vision to be Australia’s leading industry-focused University College. Lastly, Nicole will Explores how curriculum can operate as a strategic tool for educational leadership and values-driven institutional development.

Enhancing Career Readiness Through Assessment Innovation

With Rowena Ditzell, UTS Business School Lecturer

This session showcases the iterative design process behind the development of a new Interactive Oral Assessment for postgraduate students. Rowena will highlight the power of collaboration between Teaching and Learning and Academic teams to integrate industry best practice and research. She will also share practical strategies for student preparation and engagement that drive strong learning and employability outcomes.

Pathways to Employment: Overcoming Challenges for International Student Graduates in Australia

With Virginia De Luca, ICMS Professional Placement Consultant

Uncover the barriers within education and employment systems that limit international graduates’ access to meaningful work. In this session, you’ll explore the role of policy, employer perceptions, and visa regulations in shaping employment outcomes, plus be provided with practical strategies to strengthen university–industry partnerships and improve graduate employability.

Bridging Theory and Practice: An Innovative Industry-Education Partnership for Future-Ready Graduates

With Ece Kaya UTS Business School Senior Lecturer

Ece will present a case study that showcases a collaboration between UTS Business School and an industry partner where students worked on authentic business challenges.  Students presented solutions directly to the industry partner, with four winning teams selected for recognition, bridging theoretical learning with practical industry experience. The partnership developed students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills while providing career pathways through professional networking opportunities.

AI-Driven Decision Systems for Student Success: Enhancing Governance Through Early Intervention

With S Janifer Jui, Australian International Institute of Higher Education Subject Coordinator and Lecturer

This session will showcase an AI model that is designed to identify students at academic risk of failure or underperformance. It acts as an automated early warning system to support early intervention strategies in teaching and learning,  contributing to improved institutional outcomes, such as higher retention, greater equity, and enhanced overall performance.

Leading with Purpose: Embedding Civic Values in Institutional Strategy

With Natalie Watt, ICMS Executive Officer (President’s Office)

This session focuses on embedding civic values into institutional governance, curriculum, and leadership using ICMS’s Civic Leadership Strategic Framework, with practical examples such as community-connected learning and student leadership programs. It examines how civic engagement aligns with broader and complies with the Higher Education Standards Framework, particularly regarding student outcomes and curriculum design. It also addresses challenges in implementing civic values, explores innovative opportunities like interdisciplinary collaboration and Community-Embedded Learning, and offers practical strategies to produce socially responsible, career-ready graduates.