Australian Women in New York is thrilled to be hosting our first New York Tech Week event, which has been designed as a morning dedicated to spotlighting some of the incredible Australian women helping to shape the future of technology in the United States.
Join us on June 5, from 9am to 12 noon for three dynamic sessions focused on innovation, leadership, resilience, and growth that brings together founders, operators, investors, and industry leaders . Whether you’re a founder, executive, investor, or simply curious about the future of technology, this is an opportunity to learn from some of the most accomplished women in the Australian community, while building meaningful new connections.
Session One: Health Tech & Movement Opener
We’ll kick off the morning with a unique movement and wellness experience led by Sanctum Founder, Luuk Melisse, offering attendees a first hand look at the intersection of health, technology, and human performance.
Following the Sanctum experience there will be a short Q&A about the opportunities and challenges of building and investing in digital health-tech companies.
Alexia Crawford | Founder & CEO, 8Westervelt
Alexia Crawford is a retail and AI strategist with more than 30 years of experience building brands, scaling businesses, and helping companies adopt emerging technologies. As Founder & CEO of 8Westervelt, she advises organizations on leveraging AI to improve operations, customer experience, and growth while championing innovation across fashion, retail, and technology.
Nikki Parker | EVP Marketing, Insight Partners
Nikki Parker is a senior marketing executive at Insight Partners, one of the world’s leading software and technology investors. She specializes in helping high-growth companies scale their brands, accelerate go-to-market strategies, and drive sustainable growth across global markets.
Luuk Melisse | Founder, Sanctum
Luuk Melisse is the founder of Sanctum, an immersive wellness platform that combines movement, mindfulness, music, and performance. Through innovative health-tech experiences, Sanctum helps individuals build resilience, strengthen mental wellbeing, and foster deeper human connection.
Panel: Launching Aussie Tech in the U.S.
Building a company in a new market requires more than a great idea. It requires resilience, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate cultural differences while building credibility and relationships. This panel brings together leaders who have successfully done exactly that.
Anne Louise Higgins | Global Head, Cyber GRC, BNY Mellon
Anne Louise Higgins is a cybersecurity and governance leader with extensive experience overseeing risk, compliance, and operational resilience within global financial institutions. At BNY Mellon, she helps navigate complex regulatory environments while supporting innovation and digital transformation initiatives.
Michele Anderson | Founder, Thirsty Logic
Michele Anderson is the founder of Thirsty Logic, a technology company focused on transforming beverage and hospitality operations through data-driven solutions. As a founder and operator, she brings firsthand experience scaling businesses, entering new markets, and building customer-focused innovation strategies.
Françoise Gelbard | Co-Founder, Humanable
Françoise Gelbard is a customer experience strategist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Humanable. Her work focuses on creating meaningful human-centered experiences that strengthen engagement, loyalty, and business growth through thoughtful innovation and leadership.
Sandra Suen | Chief of Staff, North America Revenue, Checkout.com
Sandra Suen is a strategic business leader at Checkout.com, where she partners closely with revenue leadership to drive growth, operational excellence, and organizational effectiveness across North America. Her experience spans fintech, scaling teams, and leading business transformation initiatives.
Holly Fowler | CEO & Founder, Wable
Holly Fowler is the founder and CEO of Wable, a platform helping organizations transform information intelligence and knowledge management. She is recognized for helping businesses make smarter, data-informed decisions through improved access to critical insights and research.
Panel: Aussie Women in Tech — The Long Game
Success rarely follows a straight line. This conversation will explore the realities of leadership, reinvention, resilience, and navigating bias while building long-term careers in technology.
Tania Yuki | Founder, Shareablee
Tania Yuki is a pioneering entrepreneur and founder of Shareablee, a leading social media analytics platform. She has helped some of the world’s largest brands and media companies better understand audience engagement, digital performance, and data-driven decision-making.
Maggie Zhou | Managing Director, Alpha Square Group
Maggie Zhou is Managing Director at Alpha Square Group, where she focuses on investment strategy, venture growth, and identifying emerging opportunities across technology and innovation sectors. She brings a global perspective to investing and supporting founders scaling internationally.
Liz Walsh | CMO, Neta
Liz Walsh is a seasoned marketing executive with deep expertise in brand building, customer growth, and strategic communications. As CMO of Neta, she leads marketing initiatives that strengthen customer engagement and drive long-term business performance.
Lyndal Davis | Director of Engineering, IBM
Lyndal Davis is an engineering leader at IBM with extensive experience in technology innovation, product development, and team leadership. She is passionate about building high-performing engineering organizations and leveraging emerging technologies to solve complex business challenges.
Marianna Lopez-Schab | Global Head, Digital Partnerships, BNY Mellon
Marianna Lopez-Schab leads digital partnerships at BNY Mellon, helping drive innovation through strategic collaborations across the financial services and technology ecosystem. Her expertise spans partnerships, digital transformation, and creating growth opportunities at scale.
As Australian women continue to make their mark across every corner of the technology ecosystem, from venture capital and fintech to AI, engineering, cybersecurity, wellness, and entrepreneurship; there has never been a more relevant time to come together, share experiences, and support the next generation of leaders.
We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be an inspiring morning of conversation, learning, and connection during New York Tech Week.
