Speaker Biographies


Councillor Krista Adams, Deputy Mayor, Brisbane City Council

Krista Adams was elected as Councillor for the ward of Wishart in 2008. Since 2010, Krista has been appointed to a variety of senior management roles. Initially taking on the role of Chair of Council, she has been a Civic Cabinet Chair for Lifestyle, Finance and Economic Development then Public and Active Transport Economic and Tourism Development.

Electoral boundary changes in 2016 mean Krista now represents the Holland Park Ward and following the 2020 Council election, Krista was reappointed as Deputy Mayor and given the Chair of City Planning and Economic Development Committee.

With recent portfolio changes, Krista was appointed the Civic Cabinet Chair for Economic Development and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Committee. 


Louise Bezzina, Artistic Director, Brisbane Festival

Louise Bezzina is the Artistic Director of Brisbane Festival, Brisbane’s international arts festival and Queensland’s largest annual arts and cultural event. An innovative and visionary arts leader, Louise is renowned for her significant contribution to the Queensland arts industry over the past 20 years. 

In 2020, Louise defied all the odds and delivered one of the only live performing arts events to take place globally in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 Brisbane Festival program was curated under the banner of Boldly Brisbane and saw the commissioning of 28 new works, a record number of local artists employed and a Festival that reached all 190 suburbs of Brisbane. Across her tenure as Artistic Director, Louise has commissioned 66 new works for the Brisbane Festival, including the acclaimed Boy Swallows Universe, as well as the creation of Brisbane’s Art Boat. 

Prior to Brisbane Festival, Louise founded Bleach* Festival on the Gold Coast in 2011 which she Directed until 2019. Under her strategic and artistic vision, Bleach* became a maker of contemporary Australian art and a major annual event.
In her role as Artistic Director for Bleach*, Louise was also part of the creative lead team for Festival 2018. This work saw her named as one of 11 inspiring women of the Commonwealth Games.


Kevin Elliot, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Airshow

Born and raised in Huntington Beach, California, Kevin Elliott is a Southern California Native whose diversity of experience is matched only by his willingness to innovate.
The technical skills Kevin Elliott gained early in his career have become the foundation for a forward-thinking vertically integrated agency that combines design, event production, printing, marketing, manufacturing and even fighter jets.

Kevin started his career without even knowing it. In high school, Kevin was a member of ASB and oversaw media, which essentially covered planning pep rallies and setting up sound systems for school events. Little did Kevin know that later in life, this experience would come full circle and he’d find himself planning even larger events.


Jacqui Feeney, Chief Executive Officer, Screen Queensland

Jacqui Feeney joined Screen Queensland as CEO in July 2023. Previously she held senior management roles at leading national and global media and entertainment companies including Fox Networks Group, National Geographic, Foxtel, SBS World Movies and ABC where she led major commissions and growth initiatives.  

Jacqui has specialist skills in strategic innovation while balancing commercial and creative imperatives for large enterprises.  She has also acted as an advisor, executive coach and consultant to business founders across start-ups and the independent production sector.  

Jacqui has held a range of board responsibilities – including AusFilm (current) and most recently start-up incubator Fishburners.  Past boards include Foxtel joint-ventures Nickelodeon and XYZ, the ASTRA industry association plus NFPs Documentary Australia and the Sydney Film Festival (that she also chaired).

She believes storytelling is a powerful force in society.


Harvey Lister, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, ASM Global (APAC)

During the past 50 years, Harvey Lister and his business partners have been involved in the presentation and management of events spanning sport, the arts, conventions and exhibitions, concerts and general entertainment. He has a wealth of knowledge and practical experience in the design and operation of major public assembly facilities, the events they host, and of the tourism and leisure industries.

Following the 2019 merger of AEG Facilities and SMG, two of the world’s leading venue management and services companies, creating the world’s largest venue management company, ASM Global with 350+ venues, Mr Lister continued his role as Chairman and CEO of ASM Global (Asia Pacific), in a vast territory spanning Japan to the Gulf Region and everywhere south.

Kathy McLeish, Senior Journalist & Producer, ABC

Kathy McLeish is a senior journalist and producer with the ABC. Currently the Supervising Producer of the ABC top-rating TV program ‘Back Roads’, as the former ABC senior current affairs journalist for Queensland, she reported and produced across programs including 7.30 Qld, Australian Story, 7.30, Landline, TV and radio News and current affairs and has covered assignments ranging from the Nauru detention centre riots, the last Mentoring Taskforce handover in Afghanistan to many of Queensland’s major natural disasters.

She’s won a range of significant awards for her work including Best Investigative Reporter and Queensland Journalist of the Year.