Brand Strategy Sydney
Connect with Sydney's Brand Strategy Experts
From EVP & CPO of Walmart US to Advisor for MrBeast: A Chat with Jon Alferness
Tue, Aug 25, 7:30 AMSome careers shape products. Others shape industries. Join Leading the Product for an exclusive evening with [Jon Alferness](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-alferness-b193a3/) — one of Silicon Valley's most accomplished product leaders, advisor and investor. Jon is a highly experienced technology and product leader with more than 20 years' experience in Silicon Valley and the global retail sector, including recent focus on the food and grocery sector. Across more than two decades, his career has been defined by senior executive roles delivering digital transformation and innovation at some of the world's most influential technology companies, including Google, Pinterest, Lyft and, most recently, as Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Walmart US whilst a Strategic Advisor to MrBeast — a role encompassing eCommerce, Financial Services, Health & Wellness, Merchant Tools, and Last Mile Delivery. Prior to Walmart, Jon spent 13 years at Google, where as Vice President of Product Management, he played a pivotal role in developing Google Ads across Search, Mobile, Shopping, and Travel, driving innovations that shaped the digital advertising landscape. Now, Jon's roles consist of Non Executive Director for Woolworths Group and Advisor/Investor to many companies. Hosted as an intimate Fireside Chat, with Brainmates CEO [Adrienne Tan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriennetan/) driving the fireside chat, this is a rare opportunity for the Australian product community to hear directly from someone who has operated at the highest levels of global product leadership. This will be an open, candid conversation exploring what it really takes to build enduring product organisations, lead through constant technological change, make high-stakes decisions, and develop the next generation of product leaders. We'll dive into topics including: * How product leadership has evolved across the world's biggest technology companies. * What separates exceptional product organisations from merely good ones. * Leading through AI, disruption and constant change. * Building products, teams and cultures that scale. * The lessons, mistakes and experiences that only come from operating at the very highest level. Following the fireside conversation, we'll open the floor for an audience Q&A, giving attendees the chance to ask their own questions and engage directly with one of the industry's most experienced product executives. We'll then continue the conversation over drinks and networking with Sydney's product community. **Evening timeline** 5.30 – 6.15pm: Arrive, grab a drink, and connect 6.15 – 7.15pm: Fireside conversation with Jon Alferness and audience Q&A 7.15 – 8.00pm: Networking, conversation, and connection Whether you're an experienced product leader, an aspiring executive, or simply curious about how the world's best product organisations think and operate, this promises to be an evening of practical insights, honest stories, and unforgettable access. A huge shoutout to Dovetail for their gracious hosting at their Surry Hills office. We'll have light food and drinks covered—all we ask is that you bring your curiosity, your questions, and your perspective. RSVP your spot today.
You Are Not Alone: Estrangement Support Group
Sat, Aug 1, 12:00 AMOur first event will be a relaxed and informal catch-up over coffee. It is simply an opportunity to meet others who understand how complicated and isolating family estrangement can be. There will be no pressure to tell your story or share anything you would prefer to keep private. You are welcome to talk, listen, enjoy a coffee and get to know the group at your own pace. This is a social peer-support gathering, not a therapy or counselling session. We ask everyone to respect each other’s privacy, boundaries and individual decisions. There is no expectation that members should reconcile with family or follow any particular path. Come as you are. The most important thing is knowing that you do not have to navigate this experience alone. There is a $10 deposit required this is just to gurantee attendance it will be refunded upon attendance or if you cancel by 5pm Thursday 30 July 2026. If I need to cancel due to low numbers or change this event it will be done on this platform. If you have any questions please text me on: 0435 002 698. As soon as a venue is sorted I will post it on this site if on the day you cannot find us or have any concerns once again please text me on: 0435 002 698
SydDT #129: Community Social
Thu, Aug 13, 8:00 AMSydDT is a diverse community of 10,000+ members started in 2015. Our monthly meetup is one of the top design thinking meetups globally. The SydDT community is known for being **fun, welcoming, and inclusive**. Come join us for some fun conversations with interesting people in and around the design community. More details closer to the date... **EVENT SPONSORS** This event is brought to you by... contact us if you're keen to support the SydDT community. We take photos and record our events for documentation and promo purposes. Just let us know if you prefer not to be featured.
Stranger Soccer's 6-a-side match @ Fairfield!
Tue, Aug 4, 8:00 AMHey mates! If you're looking for a 6-a-side kickoff, we have it happening at **Fairfield every Tuesday from 6-7 pm**! Joining us is easy! Just download the Stranger Soccer app and register for free. Use the code **WELCOME** to book your first game for free if you're playing with us for the first time. We hope to see you on the pitch!
Earning Influence: Why Strong Design work doesn't move the room
Tue, Aug 18, 8:00 AMWelcome Back CCX Sydney to our events for 2026 from myself, Lydia, Sylvia and James and we are planning a bumper selection of speakers for this year. Our next event on August 18th will feature two unique presentations from Designers Dan Whelan and Ariel Blackman both from Commonwealth Bank. We will be hosting by the Team at Hipages special thanks to Carlos Guedes and Natalia Furtado. Our first Talk from CBA Product Design leader, Dan Whelan: **Earning Influence: Why Strong Design Work Doesn't Move the Room** **About Dan's Talk** You're doing great work. Decisions move on without you anyway. Here's why — and what has to be true before that changes. It's easy to assume that if the work is good enough, it earns its own influence. It doesn't. Design gets described, by default, in process terms — what was explored, tested, shipped — while the room is listening for risk, revenue and consequence, meaning how we describe the work to each other isn't the value our stakeholders want to see. Good work can fail to move a decision, because how it's described isn't connected to the decision's value. This talk covers the two things that usually get in the way of making your work land. First, the translation problem: why the same piece of work, described two different ways, gets two completely different receptions from your non-designer stakeholders. Second, the gap underneath: work that fails to land because it was never linked to key behaviour to start with, it was built around untraceable best practice. This talk covers both, so the next time you do good work, it doesn't get ignored. **About Dan** Dan Whelan is a design leader with 20 years across companies including Intuit and CommBank, and some of Australia's most complex financial products. She writes and speaks on decision quality and behavioural design, helping designers close the gap between doing strong work and having it influence the room. Our second speaker also from CBA will Ariel Blackman, User Experience Designer on Neurodivergent Strategies **About Ariel:** Agile design specialist with a talent for Graphic and UX/UI Design. Masterfully shape the brand identities of organisations through telling diverse stories that breed connection. An experienced resource that can instantly oversee existing projects in from initial creation and execution of design, to follow through with production to the finished product. Dedicated to changing the digital landscape through creating designs that evoke the satisfaction of users whilst providing a lasting sense of wonder. Please note that we will be back at Hipages for our August Event so please familiarise yourself with The location and Start Time. We hope to See you in August and are really looking forward to Hearing from both Dan and Ariel.
Women Leading AI, Scaling Community (PAID)
Thu, Aug 13, 7:30 AM**IMPORTANT:** Tickets are REQUIRED for entry to this event and MUST be purchased through Eventbrite. Tickets will be checked at the door and only those with purchased tickets will be admitted. **Get your tickets via Eventbrite!** https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/women-leading-ai-scaling-community-tickets-1986509165389? **About** **A high-impact evening exploring the Parallel Tracks of success: Mastering the shift to AI-driven discovery while scaling a defensible human community.** Building on the incredible energy of our previous Women in AI sell-out and our recent Breaking Barriers IWD Flagship, **Women in SEO & Digital Marketing (WiSDM)** is back to tackle the most significant shift in our industry. Join us at the **Expedia Group** office at **1 Martin Place** for an evening designed for leaders who refuse to choose between innovation and intuition. In an era where AI is rapidly commoditising content, your ability to integrate emerging tech while building a defensible human moat is what will make you irreplaceable. **Parallel Tracks for Mastering the Shift** Modern digital leadership requires a sync between two powerful forces. This evening is built around two distinct paths: * **Session 1 \| The Future of Discovery: AI Agents\, LLMs\, and the New Search Landscape\.** Beyond keywords and rankings. We explore the technical logic required to navigate the move from traditional search engines to AI-driven discovery engines. * **Session 2 \| The Human Moat: Why Community & Human Authority are the New Competitive Advantage\.** In an automated world, trust is the only asset that doesn’t scale. We dive into the strategy and heart required to build communities that serve as a brand’s ultimate defensible moat. **✨ Early Bird Tickets are Now Live! ✨** To reward our early movers, we are opening a **strictly limited release of 30 Early Bird tickets** starting today. Just like our IWD celebration, we expect these spots to go fast. **Secure your place at the best possible price before the general release.** **💌 Keeping the door open for the next generation.** At WiSDM, we believe our industry is at its best when the rooms are filled with a mix of established wisdom and fresh perspectives. This year, we’ve introduced new ways to ensure our high-level events remain accessible: * **Limited Emerging Talent Tier:** A specially priced ticket for students and recent graduates (with <2 years experience). Verification will be required and should you be deemed ineligible, you will be required to pay the full price. * **Gift a Ticket (Scholarship):** For professionals who want to pay it forward. Your purchase covers a scholarship seat. You can name a specific recipient in the order comments, or let WiSDM award the seat to a student or career-starter from our scholarship pool. *If you are genuinely experiencing financial hardship and these tiers are still out of reach, please reach out to us regarding our limited scholarship spots.* **Event Details** * **What:** Women Leading AI, Scaling Community * **When:** Thursday, August 13th, 2026 (5:30 PM - 9:00 PM) * **Where:** Expedia Group, 1 Martin Place, Sydney CBD * **Produced & Powered by:** Switch Key Digital * **Headline Partner:** WithFrontier * **Venue Sponsor:** Expedia Group **Meet Your Host & Our Inspiring Panellists** Your host and moderator for the evening will be **Georgia Tan,** Founder of WiSDM and Co-founder at Switch Key Digital. **Our inspiring panellists include:** * **Angela Shi** – Founder & CEO, Empathetic AI * **Despina Gavoyannis** – Senior SEO Specialist, Ahrefs * **Angela Kim** \- Head of Insights\, Reporting and Data Analytics & AI\, AIA * **Yana Belova** – Community Vertical Lead at Canva, TEDx speaker and author * **Nina Juhl** – Senior Manager (Curiosity), UNSW Founders * **Delia Deng** – Founding Head of Growth at Atrium, Forbes 30 under 30 and ex-TikTok, YouTube * **Georgia Marshall** \- Founder\, Humans For Good & Flock and Senior Community Lead\, HCF Australia *More high-impact speakers and industry leaders to be revealed shortly! Stay tuned for our first announcement.* **Who Should Attend** This event is designed for everyone who supports the WiSDM mission: * **Marketing Leaders** looking to integrate LLMs and AI into their strategic workflows. * **Community Builders** focused on scaling high-touch, high-value human networks. * **Innovators** eager to explore how these parallel tracks intersect to drive sustainable growth. * **Allies and supporters** passionate about connecting with and learning from a vibrant community dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment in the digital space. **Important Information** *Photography & Video: By attending this event, you consent to being photographed or video-recorded, as we'll be capturing the evening's highlights for our community and promotional purposes. If you would prefer not to be in our photos or videos, let a member of our team know and we'll be happy to accommodate your request.* *1\. Any changes to the core program will be communicated on the event page and via email\.* *2\. While the date and location are confirmed\, The Organiser reserves the right to change the date\, time\, or venue due to unforeseen circumstances or reasons beyond our reasonable control\. In the event of a change\, all ticket purchasers will be notified immediately via email and offered a full refund if the new details are unsuitable\.* **We can’t wait to see you at Martin Place for a night of innovation, connection and growth!** 💜🧡💚
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