Newday 2021 Summit Speakers, more will be announced soon
Taryn Brumfitt
Body Image Movement
Taryn Brumfitt is an internationally recognised keynote speaker and the fiercely passionate thought leader behind the Body Image Movement.
Best-selling author and director of the inspiring social-change documentary, Embrace, Taryn’s global crusade to end the body dissatisfaction epidemic has seen her recognised by the United Nations Women, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls and the Geena Davis Institute.
Taryn’s determination to shift the way the world thinks about themselves and their bodies has the support of many high profile personalities including Olivia Newton-John, Rosie O’Donnell, and Ashton Kutcher, who famously praised her activism as being "good for the world".
Whether it’s becoming General Electrics’ highest rated speaker, or having her talk at Google HQ in Silicon Valley live streamed to every Google office in the world, Taryn remains humble, proud, and eager to make the biggest impact the world has ever seen on body image and self-love.
Named alongside Beyoncé and Emma Watson in Germany’s Brigitte magazine’s ‘Woman of The Year’, Taryn’s positively infectious voice and powerful message has reached over 200 million people, via the likes of the L.A Times, Washington Post, The Doctors, Good Morning America, The Project, Australian Story, The Today Show and Sunrise.
Taryn lives in Adelaide but spends most of her time at 35,000 feet. She is a two-time marathon runner, lover of life and people, Mum to three children and proud Foundation board member for the Hutt Street Centre.
Best-selling author and director of the inspiring social-change documentary, Embrace, Taryn’s global crusade to end the body dissatisfaction epidemic has seen her recognised by the United Nations Women, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls and the Geena Davis Institute.
Taryn’s determination to shift the way the world thinks about themselves and their bodies has the support of many high profile personalities including Olivia Newton-John, Rosie O’Donnell, and Ashton Kutcher, who famously praised her activism as being "good for the world".
Whether it’s becoming General Electrics’ highest rated speaker, or having her talk at Google HQ in Silicon Valley live streamed to every Google office in the world, Taryn remains humble, proud, and eager to make the biggest impact the world has ever seen on body image and self-love.
Named alongside Beyoncé and Emma Watson in Germany’s Brigitte magazine’s ‘Woman of The Year’, Taryn’s positively infectious voice and powerful message has reached over 200 million people, via the likes of the L.A Times, Washington Post, The Doctors, Good Morning America, The Project, Australian Story, The Today Show and Sunrise.
Taryn lives in Adelaide but spends most of her time at 35,000 feet. She is a two-time marathon runner, lover of life and people, Mum to three children and proud Foundation board member for the Hutt Street Centre.
Peter Baines
Hands Across the Water
Peter Baines OAM, developed his unique leadership style by leading international identification teams into Indonesia and Thailand following acts of terrorism and the 2004 South East Asian Tsunami. He would go on to work in the counter terrorism area of Interpol, spent time with the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime and also worked in Saudi Arabia and Japan after natural disasters hit those countries. But it was his work in Thailand that brought the biggest change. After meeting the children left orphaned by the Tsunami, Peter felt compelled to act and founded an Australian charity called Hands Across the Water which has gone on to create opportunities for hundreds of children across Thailand.
Today, Peter has a successful consulting business building engagement through corporate social responsibility and presents across the globe to major corporations and governments on Leadership. He is the author of two books, Hands Across the Water, and Doing Good by Doing Good which provides a blueprint for building experience led engagement programs with a focus on shared value.
In January 2014, Peter Baines was recognised in the Australia Day honours with the awarding of the Order of Australia Medal for his International Humanitarian work. In 2016 he received the Most Admirable Order of Direkgunabhorn awarded by the King of Thailand for his devotional services to the Kingdom of Thailand.
Today, Peter has a successful consulting business building engagement through corporate social responsibility and presents across the globe to major corporations and governments on Leadership. He is the author of two books, Hands Across the Water, and Doing Good by Doing Good which provides a blueprint for building experience led engagement programs with a focus on shared value.
In January 2014, Peter Baines was recognised in the Australia Day honours with the awarding of the Order of Australia Medal for his International Humanitarian work. In 2016 he received the Most Admirable Order of Direkgunabhorn awarded by the King of Thailand for his devotional services to the Kingdom of Thailand.
Adirupa Sengupta
Common Purpose
Adirupa has been working in the leadership development space for over 20 years. She has a passion for developing talent and connecting people from different backgrounds. She has extensive knowledge and experience of working across different countries, cities and cultures to help leaders learn to cross boundaries in order to tackle complex problems.
As the Group Chief Executive of Common Purpose Charitable Trust, she works with major organizations and institutions around the world. Adirupa grew up in India and read for an MPhil in International Relations at St. John’s College, Cambridge. She is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School’s High Potential Leadership Programme.
As the Group Chief Executive of Common Purpose Charitable Trust, she works with major organizations and institutions around the world. Adirupa grew up in India and read for an MPhil in International Relations at St. John’s College, Cambridge. She is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School’s High Potential Leadership Programme.
Mickey Kumatpi O’Brien
Cultural educator
Mickey Kumatpi Marratyu O’Brien is an Aboriginal person and descendant of the Kaurna (Adelaide Plains) and Narrunga (Yorke Peninsula) peoples. He has been providing cultural advice for many years and is a proud ambassador for the Kaurna people.
Culture is an important part of Mickey's life and he honours the responsibility passed down to him by his father, well-known Kaurna elder, Uncle Lewis O’Brien, by incorporating culture into every Welcome to Country.
Mickey connects with audiences through his engaging storytelling ability where he delivers powerful lessons passed on to him through his people, culture, history and experiences. Reminding audiences that, "cultural knowledge and respect is part of every story and each human journey."
Culture is an important part of Mickey's life and he honours the responsibility passed down to him by his father, well-known Kaurna elder, Uncle Lewis O’Brien, by incorporating culture into every Welcome to Country.
Mickey connects with audiences through his engaging storytelling ability where he delivers powerful lessons passed on to him through his people, culture, history and experiences. Reminding audiences that, "cultural knowledge and respect is part of every story and each human journey."
Danling Xiao
Mundane Matters
Danling Xiao pursues her passion in creativity and entrepreneurship with a strong focus on human-centred design and sustainability. Danling has dedicated her work to her design practice Mundane Matters as well as various clients including SMEs, government organisations and tech startups.
Since her fruit and vegetable sculptures on Instagram became a global viral success in 2015, Danling has been voicing relentlessly for sustainable living. She collaborates with talents of diverse expertise, from tech experts to hands-on builders and makers, to achieve greater social good together. In 2018, with the support of City of Sydney Art & About, Danling launched Wasteland, a 24-metre tall installation made from marine debris to raise awareness for plastic waste and circular economy. Wasteland inspired her to launch Re/Co in 2020, an online delivery service for household cleaning products in reusable packaging, aiming to reduce plastic waste, household chemical pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Most importantly, Danling enjoys her morning yoga, meditation, books, food and late afternoon walk - self love and nourishment is her top priority.
Since her fruit and vegetable sculptures on Instagram became a global viral success in 2015, Danling has been voicing relentlessly for sustainable living. She collaborates with talents of diverse expertise, from tech experts to hands-on builders and makers, to achieve greater social good together. In 2018, with the support of City of Sydney Art & About, Danling launched Wasteland, a 24-metre tall installation made from marine debris to raise awareness for plastic waste and circular economy. Wasteland inspired her to launch Re/Co in 2020, an online delivery service for household cleaning products in reusable packaging, aiming to reduce plastic waste, household chemical pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Most importantly, Danling enjoys her morning yoga, meditation, books, food and late afternoon walk - self love and nourishment is her top priority.
Matthew Wright-Simon
Engagement specialist, event emcee
Matthew Wright-Simon is delighted to be working with Katrina and the Newday Leadership team on bringing this event together and hosting our inspiring leaders on stage as our Emcee. As he did in 2018 & 2019, Matthew will link the intimacy of what's shared with the big picture and the events that shape our lives as leaders.
Matthew engages changemakers to confront tough personal, social and economic challenges — while having as much fun as possible in the process. His diverse commercial work is informed his roles in thought leadership, philanthropy and conservation with TEDxAdelaide, the Awesome Foundation and Landscape Partnerships, an environmental NGO he co-founded several years ago.
Matthew engages changemakers to confront tough personal, social and economic challenges — while having as much fun as possible in the process. His diverse commercial work is informed his roles in thought leadership, philanthropy and conservation with TEDxAdelaide, the Awesome Foundation and Landscape Partnerships, an environmental NGO he co-founded several years ago.
