Facilitator
Marion Short, Chief Executive Officer, Engagement Institute
A transformational leader with almost 20 years’ experience as a CEO in the not-for-profit sector, coupled with extensive senior management experience in the private sector and over 20 years’ experience working within collaborative models.
Marion joined the Engagement Institute (then IAP2 Australasia) in August 2017. Under her leadership, the organisation focused on delivering a suite of valued initiatives to members which has resulted in tremendous growth, membership has more than tripled to almost 16,000 and revenues have likewise increased.
Marion has an MBA from Henley Management College, UK. She has been married to Kevin for over 30 years and is enormously proud of her two adult sons.
A resourceful optimist, she grew up in the Northern Territory, and much of her life has been shaped by her dad’s words “well it can’t be that hard”.
Meet our Panel
Amy Hubbard, Co-Founder / Director / Practice Lead, Capire
Amy Hubbard is one of Australia’s most recognised and creative stakeholder and community engagement specialists. Amy delivers community engagement training, undertakes formal evaluations, and is a highly regarded and skilled facilitator.
She has worked extensively with state and local governments on significant infrastructure, urban renewal, and public policy projects in Australia and overseas.
Amy developed the renowned Capire Engagement Triangle which has been used by thousands around the world. She runs regular webinars and Learning Labs and authored many of Capire’s popular publications including tool kits and guidelines.
Billy Kwan, Co-Founder and Principal, Rhindon
Billy Kwan is a strategic designer and engagement specialist who works at the intersection of public participation, systems thinking, and placemaking.
He helps governments, organisations, and communities tackle complex challenges by designing engagement processes that not only gather input, but also create alignment, build trust, and inform decision-making. Drawing on experience across Hong Kong and Singapore, his work combines human-centred design, systems thinking, and stakeholder engagement to support more inclusive and sustainable outcomes.
As Co-Founder and Principal of Rhindon, Billy has led public engagement, visioning, and co-design initiatives across urban renewal, heritage, public policy, and community development projects. He is particularly interested in how engagement can move beyond consultation to become a catalyst for collective ownership, innovation, and long-term change.
Billy is a certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator, Prosci Change Management Practitioner, and Associate Faculty member at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Kirsty Jones, Fellow at The Australian National University, Senior Advisor Next Generation Engagement
Dr Jones’ work is at the forefront of research integration and implementation. Her leadership and capacity to deploy a variety of novel methods, including co- design, to improve research use, speak to her creativity and ability to adapt research to meet the needs of various audiences. Her work in this area demonstrates the strong interconnection between the research innovations she advances and their capacity to inform major public policy.
Dr Jones currently serves as the Next Generation Engagement Research Integration Lead, supporting industry and government to apply the ANU’s Institute for Infrastructure in Society’s research, to optimize the benefits for projects and communities.
Oliver Deed, Co-Founder and Managing Director, ECF