Speakers
Anna-Maria Arabia OAM
Prof Patrick McGorry AO
Session
Speakers:
Anna-Maria is Chief Executive at the Australian Academy of Science, an independent organisation of distinguished Australian scientists, championing science for the benefit of all. Starting her career as a neuroscientist, Anna-Maria has worked nationally and globally in scientific research, policy development, politics and advocacy.
Her leadership and policy advice at the highest levels of government in Australia and contributions to global policy fora have led to significant reform at the science–policy interface. In 2025, Anna-Maria was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to science. Anna-Maria is routinely called upon to serve as an agent of change.
Professor Patrick McGorry AO is one of the world’s most influential leaders in youth mental health, internationally recognised for reshaping how mental illness is understood and treated in young people. He is Executive Director of Orygen, Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, and a Founding Director of headspace, which has transformed access to care across Australia and beyond. McGorry’s pioneering work in early intervention has informed clinical practice and policy worldwide. In 2024, he led a global consortium of world-leading experts to deliver a definitive analysis of youth mental health, published in The Lancet Psychiatry. He was named Australian of the Year in 2010. ssets, but how they nurture the mental health and resilience that make flourishing possible.
Nim de Swardt is a Narrative Practitioner, Non-Executive Director, and Adviser. She chairs the PWN Family Wealth Peer Group (QLD) and created RE-AUTHOR, a narrative-first positioning method for leading advisers. Formerly the world’s first Chief Next Generation Officer at a US$16B, seventh-generation family enterprise and Guest Faculty at the Modern Elder Academy, teaching ‘Intergenerational Wisdom Sharing’. Nim draws on two decades in communications, narrative psychology, narrative therapy, storytelling science, and human-centred design. She is currently completing her Master’s research on how narrative practices can build legacy capital in significant families.