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Disruption Through Connections

16 - 17 June 2026

Hosted at The University of Technology Sydney

We’re excited to announce the first HEDx conference for 2026 – Disruption Through Connections, hosted by University of Technology Sydney. Higher education stands at a crossroads. In 2026, the pace of change is accelerating and the sector faces a defining question: how do we create University 2.0 and learning that is truly fit for the future?

Join national and global leaders as we rethink, redesign and renew the promise we make to every future learner. This conference is a call to courage, collaboration and reinvention — and it starts with you. To remain globally relevant and socially responsible, universities must move beyond incremental change and embrace bold transformation. HEDx exists to help catalyse that change and support the evolution of higher education for good.

Disruption Through Connections brings together visionary leaders, educators, employers, innovators and—critically—students to co-design the future of learning. Student voices will shape every conversation, ensuring the solutions we create are not only for learners, but with them.

PROGRAM INFO + DATES

Mon 15 June 2026 (2-7pm) – Sydney Tech Central Tour

Join a curated walking tour through Sydney’s Tech Central precinct, from UTS to the University of Sydney, concluding with a reception. Discover a global innovation hub connecting industry with 160,000 students and 150+ research institutes, including CSIRO’s Data61, Techstars and the Australian Centre for Robotics.

Free Registration / Limited to 100 places

Tue 16 June (10am-6pm) + Wed 17 June 2026 (9am-6pm)

Our two day conference program featuring keynote talks, panel discussions, intimate conversations and interactive workshops hosted at UTS.Earlybird Tickets (25% discounted) available until 21 April 2026

Why attend?

Hear from national and international thought leaders
Participate in collaborative discussions and workshops
Explore new models of learning, leadership and partnership
Contribute to student-centred solutions for the future of higher education
Co-design individual and collective, accountable actions to take away and work on

TICKET PRICES (Earlybird 25% discount available until 21 April 2026)
Non-Members/Corporate – $1500 (both days) / $787.50 (single day)
Universities** / Not-For-Profit – $1200 (both days) / $630 (single day)

Students – $400 (both days) / $250 (single day)
**If your university/institution is a 2026 HEDx Member or Partner you may be eligible for a complimentary ticket. Please contact info@hedx.com.au to confirm.

Buy Tickets Register for tech tour View Program

Accommodation

HEDx is delighted to partner with The Old Clare Hotel, one of Sydney’s most distinctive boutique hotels and a short walk from the University of Technology Sydney conference venue.

Set across two beautifully restored heritage-listed buildings in the heart of Chippendale, The Old Clare blends contemporary design with rich history, creating a unique stay for conference delegates. The hotel is renowned for its warm hospitality, vibrant atmosphere and connection to the local community.

Located in one of Sydney’s most creative and culturally diverse precincts, guests are surrounded by galleries, design studios, cafés, restaurants and public spaces that make Chippendale a destination in its own right. Whether you are extending your stay to explore Sydney or simply looking for a comfortable base during the conference, The Old Clare Hotel offers an experience that reflects the creativity, curiosity and connection that underpin the HEDx community.

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Conference themes

Connecting people and systems

Tackling student poverty, well-being, and staff mental health demands a fundamental redesign of the academic experience — one that embeds genuine flexibility and puts learners at its centre. It also requires institutions to critically review their operating models, embracing emerging technologies and shared or merged back-office functions to redirect resources toward learning.

Connecting pathways to learning

To rebuild public trust, institutions must actively demonstrate their social value by co-designing regional economic futures, expanding lifelong learning pathways, and fostering cross-sector collaboration — including stronger alignment between VET, TAFE, and higher education. This means championing tertiary harmonisation, promoting shared data standards and capability records, and measuring worth through service to society rather than rankings.

Connecting with students and employers

In the AI age, top-down curriculum design must give way to a partnership model where educators act as mentors, co-creating relevant, practical learning experiences alongside students and industry. This means embedding work-integrated learning across all degrees and treating students as active partners in shaping their own education — “nothing about us, without us.”

Connecting with AI and technology

Online education leadership has evolved beyond the on-campus versus online debate, with the focus now on designing seamless, high-quality experiences across all modalities and dismantling the stigma around online learning. As AI disruption accelerates and omni-channel experiences become the norm, institutions must draw on global best practice from the US, UK, Italy and Singapore to innovate and keep pace with emerging disruptors.

Connecting with global partners

Navigating growth and change demands adopting urgency as a core operating principle — creating protected spaces for innovation, raising institutional risk tolerance, and dismantling legacy systems that no longer serve modern learners. Through global collaboration with HEDx’s partner’s AI-powered innovation sandboxes, leaders can share experiences, drive meaningful disruption, and secure the ambitious growth that lies ahead.

Conference Speakers

Prof Helen Bartlett

Vice-Chancellor | President

University of the Sunshine Coast

Professor KC Chua

President

Singapore Institute of Technology

Aaron Driver

Chief AI Officer

University of New England

A/Prof Tim Fawns

Education Academy

Monash

Keith Hawkes

VP, Asia Pacific

Ellucian

Jasmine Johnston

Student

Deakin University

Siyan Li

Executive Director

CinLearn Education

Professor Danny Liu

Educational Technologies

University of Sydney

Jennifer Lowe

Student

University of Newcastle

Heather Margrison

Student

Adelaide University

Professor Chris Moran

Vice-Chancellor

University of New England

Helen Partridge

DVC Education

University of Woolongong

Dr Alana Piper

Deputy Vice Chancellor, External Engagement & Partnerships

UTS

Prof Pascale Quester

Vice-Chancellor

Swinburne University of Technology

Grant Robertson

Vice-Chancellor

University of Otago

Professor Aleks Subic

VC and CEO

Torrens University Australia

Nils de Vries

Principal Solutions Architect

Amazon Web Services

Martin Betts

CEO

HEDx

Lou Conway

CEO

Country Universities Centre

Gazzal Duggal

Student Co-Convenor, Student Voice Australasia Steering Committee | International Bachelor of Nursing Student

University of Southern Queensland

Katie Ford

Industry Executive - HE

Microsoft

Prof Michael Henderson

Digital Futures and Higher Ed

Monash

Phil Laufenberg

Pro VC | Chief AI Officer

La Trobe University

Weihong Liang

Student and President ISRC

University of Sydney

Prof Pierpaolo Limone

Rector

University of Pegaso

Professor Rose Luckin

AI Thought Leader

EDUCATE Ventures Research

Professor Lucy Marshall

DVC (Community and Leadership)

University of Sydney

Lea Patterson

President

Pilbara

Charlsey Pearce

CEO

MortarCAPS Data Standard

Madison Piper

Student

The University of Queensland

Prof Robynne Quiggin AO

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership And Engagement)

UTS

Ben Roden-Cohen

Student

The University of Queensland

Professor Bill Shorten

Vice-Chancellor | President

University of Canberra

Professor Shân Wareing

Vice-Chancellor and CEO

Middlesex University

Dr Kirsten Brown

Design Innovation Manager

CSR

Nicola Cresp

Chief Global Growth Officer

OES

Jami Emerson

AI Specialist

UTS

Kayla Gates

Nurse | Researcher

UTS

Dr Maria Ishkova

Lecturer | Students as partners advisory board member

University of Sydney

Prof Suzanne Le Mire

PVC (Student Experience)

Professor Michelle Lincoln

DVC

University of Canberra

Prof Guy Littlefair

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

The University of Western Australia

Professor Kelly Matthews

Professor of Higher Education

A/Prof Jan McLean

Director, Teaching Learning and Curriculum Unit

UTS

Prof Dominique Parrish

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Torrens University Australia

Michael Perry

Regional Vice President

Salesforce

Alphia Possamai-Inesedy

Professor and PVC

Western Sydney University

Tim Rayner

Founder

Superesque

Prof Edward Santow

Director, Policy & Governance, Human Tech Institute

UTS

Gemma Smart

Student

University of Sydney

Prof Rorden Wilkinson

DVC Academic and Registrar

Macquarie University

Prof Simon Buckingham Shum

Connected Intelligence Centre

UTS

Jon Davey

CEO

Online Education Services

Prof Theo Farrell

Vice-Chancellor | President

La Trobe University

Dan Greenstein

Chief of Industry Transformation

Ellucian Technologies

Sam Jacob

CEO

Collarts

Roger Lee

GM Global Higher Education Marketing

Adobe

Bruce Lines

VP of University Integration

Adelaide University

Professor Max Lu

President and VC

University of Wollongong Australia

Professor Paul Mazzerole

Vice-Chancellor and President

University of Southern Queensland

Margot McNeill

CEO

Canberra Institue of Technology

Professor Andrew Parfitt

Vice-Chancellor

University of Technology Sydney

Noah Pickus

Head of Global Strategy and Partnerships

Duke University

Scott Pulsipher

President

Western Governors University

Prof Kylie Readman

DVC Education

UTS

Kerstin Schofer, Director

Global and Digital Education Innovation

University of Technology Sydney

Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich

Founder and President

Newstate University

Prof George Williams

Vice-Chancellor | President

Western Sydney University

”“The event is really amazing. The energy in the room is really strong, the presentations have been fantastic, I've met wonderful people and I've come away with ten new ideas and new ways of looking at the issues in higher education."
Professor Ann KirshnerAdvisor at ASU and UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

”It's great to be a part of HEDx. It's a massive community of practice where we can share our ideas, share our thinking, we can be inspired by the thinking and ideas of others and hopefully some of our ideas can inspire our colleagues to think differently about how they are working and they are thinking"
Professor Simon BiggsVC, James Cook University

”Our economy needs a deeply skilled workforce that can only be delivered with strong pathways from TAFE to Universities and Universities to TAFE. AI and green technologies are shifting the economic foundations and consequently the challenges for all educational institutions. "
Sharan burrowChair, Bendigo Kangan Institute