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Melis’ talks are engaging, intimate, thought-provoking and perspective-shifting. This is due to her unique way of seeing how people live and work, and her innate ability to create a connection with her audience.
She talks about what it takes to be the person leading and designing in these times. Drawing from her knowledge and experience in leadership, neuroscience and design.
Every single one of her talks will reflect on what it means to show up as a human being in today’s world, no matter what the context. If you're looking to inspire thinking in your audience, Melis is the person to do it.
Also available for Online Conferences and Events.
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Past speaking events
LIDERA–Aruba, September 2022
Leading on Purpose
Run by Aruba Trade and Industry Associated (ATIA), Lidera is the premier leadership conference for the Caribbean. Showcasing international and local speakers on topics pertinent to business and trade in the region.
Design Thinking with Quitch —August 2021.
Quitch is an innovative gamified learning platform that is designed with student engagement in mind. This Q&A session with Pitcher Partners and Quitch meanders the fields of human centred design and leadership.
Design Thinking Ireland—June 2021.
Leaders of innovation, along with those from all functions involved in the design and delivery of products, processes and services should join this event. Whether you are interested in exploring how design thinking could help you, or a seasoned practitioner seeking to grow your experiences, it’s a chance to be educated, inspired and connected.
You, Inc Seminar, Aruba—30th May, 2020
Unlocking human potential.
Cancelled due to COVID
This seminar is sponsored and organised by Rotaract Club of Aruba. Last year's You, Inc seminar focused on the science of emotional intelligence, performing under pressure and all change is personal. Rotaract focuses on the development of young adults as leaders in their communities and workplaces. Clubs around the world also take part in international service projects, in a global effort to bring peace and international understanding to the world.
Chief Customer Officer Conference—April 2020
'Hidden Commitments of customer centricity'.
Cancelled due to COVID
2020 key themes are the challenge of 'how', demonstrating CX ROI, employee experience, achieving sustainable, long term results, data and insight and capturing customers emotionally in a digital world. Melis will be providing a neuroscience perspective into emotions and how we can meaningful (and ethically) design for them. She will also explore what it takes to be the people designing with other people.
Melbourne Design Week Symposium—March 2020.
Cancelled due to COVID
Service Design, User Experiences, Technology Design and Environmental Design can all dramatically improve the Human Experience in high-stress environments like hospitals, airports and law courts. The question is - from a design, technology and architectural perspective - how can we get them all to work together?
SDNOW4 Melbourne—November 2019
In this talk about how to apply the neuroscience of peak performance in design, Melis to the audience on an exploration into what it takes to be the individual who strives for mastery in human centred design. Her talk went beyond mastering tools and methods of design. With a touch of neuroscience along the way, it delved deep into the essential practices to foster intuition, flow states, and access to our greatest potential.
Chief Customer Officer Conference, Sydney—October 2019
The 2019 key themes were frictionless customer centricity, hyper-personalisation, digital CX, data and insights and employee experience. Melis presented her unique perspective on the hidden commitments made when an organisation chooses to become customer centric and what this means for the leaders, and in particular, the CCOs of that organisation.
Global Access Partners Summit—September 2019
Beyond Education: Lifelong learning for Australia's Future
The 2019 Summit will focus on ways to prepare new generations of Australians for a future characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. During her talk, Melis asked the audience to consider preparing Australians with capabilities beyond STEM to make the very human transition to new ways of work and life. In this talk Melis proposed the creation of the Australian Institute for Human Progress.
AGDA Design Shift—March 2019
Design means business
Under the influence of advancements in technology, heightened social and environmental turbulence, a revolution in media and a seismic recasting of business and commerce, design and the design industry is staring down the barrel of some monumental change. What threats and opportunities do these changes represent - today, tomorrow and over the next 20 years.
RMIT Executive MBA—Aug 2017 and Aug 2018
Guest Lectures
Melis lectured RMITs design-led Executive MBA students about human-centred design and the role of leadership to facilitate this work within organisations. She then facilitated a discussion with the graduate students to explore real life challenges they face in implementing new ways of thinking and working into their own organisations.
Creative State Summit—June 2018
This year’s summit theme will provoke delegates to think about the role creative practitioners, organisations and institutions can play in influencing, reflecting and interpreting our times. Speakers will examine bold new ideas and case studies, emerging trends and technology, and invite delegates to consider how they can build their skills, transform their practice, organisation or sector, and create new connections.
SXSW 2018 Conference, Austin TX—March 2018
Invited back to speak at SXSW, this year Melis will lead discussion around the repressed part of the design landscape. When it comes to talking about human-centred design, intentions are typically good. We seek positive results by designing meaningfully and deliberately, but sometimes even the most well-intentioned strategies darken, and take turns for the worse.
NewCo Melbourne—November 2017
Hidden Commitments
A platform to learn from founders and top executives who share their knowledge from the inside. Huddle are hosting the event in their new office space with Melis imparting What it takes to make impact: the hidden commitments.
Humanities 21 Empathy Debate—November 2017
Is empathy an impediment to success?
Presented in partnership with Humanities 21 and Disruptive Business Network. In this Oxford-style debate Melis will be joined by Dr Steven Curry, Founder and co-director of Capability Builder, in debating the notion Empathy is not an impediment to success. Challenging Belle Lane and Stephanie Woollard, who are taking up the other side to this debate.
SXSW 2017 Conference,Austin, TX—March 2017
This Human: The person designing for other people.
A human-centric approach to focussing on people who are determined to have impact with their work and what it means to be human in this time of rapid change and shift.
Service Design Days, Barcelona—October 2017
This year’s event showcases How to put design at the heart of your organisation and stay relevant and connected in a fierce business landscape.
Global Access Partners 7th Annual Economic Summit—Sydney, Sept. 2016
A Vision for Australia.
Head space for creativity and innovation.
Global Access Partners 7th Annual Economic Summit—Sydney, Sept. 2015
The future of jobs.
A series of Annual Economic Summits hosted by Global Access Partners to incite discussion and “foster outcome-based engagement on key issues of value to Australia.
DesigntoAlign: Intersection’15 Conference—2015
Transforming a product-centric firm into a customer and design-led services firm.
Transforming a product-centric firm into a customer and design-led services firm.
Australia Post PEAK 2015 Panel Discussion—Melbourne, May 2015.
Embracing digital and new ways of thinking.
Senior leadership and development program discussion around design thinking and digital disruption
HIC 2014: Digital Healthcare Design Conference—2014
Introducing the design mindset to the re-imagining and design of health care.
Introducing the design mindset to the re-imagining and design of health care.
Design As Strategy Forum—Sydney, May 2014.
Prosperity: An object of design.
Signature event of the Good Design Australia Festival.
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