SSOW ANZ 2026: The Next Frontier for Shared Services
SSOW 2026 Day 1: Tuesday, 12 May 2026
9:00 am - 9:10 am
Chair’s Opening Remarks | The Big Picture: What’s Ahead for Australia’s SSOW Community
Melissa Guy -
Finance Strategy & Improvement Lead - Group Finance,
Woolworths Group
9:10 am - 9:40 am
Leadership Panel | Leading AI-Driven Transformation in Shared Services Operations
Tim Johnson -
Head of Intelligent Solutions Delivery,
Suncorp Group Limited
Mark Downie - General Manager, NOHC Finance, Resolution Life
Daniel Kloza - General Manager - People Shared Services,, Bank of Queensland
Transactional work is being rapidly automated but most shared services leaders struggle to redeploy talent and capture strategic value. This panel explores how to break free from low-value processes, upskill teams for AI-augmented roles, and position shared services as genuine business partners driving innovation and insight.
Key Takeaways:
• Strategies to identify and eliminate transactional bottlenecks through agentic AI and intelligent automation
• Proven frameworks for reskilling displaced transactional workers into analytical, strategic roles
• Leadership approaches to shift organizational perception from cost center to value creator
9:40 am - 10:10 am
From Automation to Autonomy: How Shared Services Leaders Can Scale AI Into Measurable Enterprise Value
Noel David -
Chief Operating Officer,
True Alliance
Brad Tuckerman - Sales Manager, Esker
Shared Services has evolved from a focus on efficiency to becoming a key driver of enterprise value. As AI adoption accelerates, leaders are under pressure to move beyond isolated automation initiatives and scale impact across the organisation. This session explores how leaders can move from task-based automation to more agentic, autonomous operations, improving visibility, enabling better decision-making and delivering measurable outcomes at scale.
Key Takeaways
Understand the shift from automation to agentic, more autonomous operations
Learn how to scale AI initiatives across Shared Services
Gain insights into driving measurable business outcomes
Sponsored by: Esker
10:10 am - 10:30 am
Speed Networking
Fast, focused, and energising — speed networking is your chance to meet fellow attendees, exchange ideas, and spark new collaborations with your shared services peers
10:30 am - 11:00 am
The Silo Tax: Why Fragmented Operations Are Killing Your Shared Services ROI
Fran Olidar -
Head of Shared Services,,
Virtus health
Siloed systems and fragmented data are crippling shared services efficiency, creating duplicate processes and preventing real-time visibility. This session tackles the hard reality of breaking down organizational and technical barriers to build a truly unified, agile enterprise backbone that enables seamless collaboration and faster decision-making.
Key Takeaways:
• Root causes of persistent silos and why traditional integration attempts fail in shared services environments
• Proven governance models and change management tactics to overcome organizational resistance and turf wars
• Technology strategies for creating a connected data architecture without expensive rip-and-replace projects
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Morning Break
Fuel up, connect, and explore - your chance to grab a coffee, meet solution partners, and spark new conversations across
Interactive Discussion Groups: Unscripted. Unfiltered. Unmissable
IDG A
11:40 am - 1:10 pm Scaling AI Fast: Turning Shared Services Into an Automation EngineIDG B
11:40 am - 1:10 pm Less Effort, More Impact: Designing the Next Shared Services WorkforceIDG C
11:40 am - 1:10 pm Value That Shows Up on the Balance Sheet: Shared Services as a Growth LeverIDG D
11:40 am - 1:10 pm Innovation That Sticks: Designing Processes That Don’t Break Under PressureIDG E
11:40 am - 1:10 pm AI-Powered Finance Control Tower: Real-Time Visibility, Zero SurprisesIDG F
11:40 am - 1:10 pm NextGen FP&A Reloaded: Predictive, Auto-Generated and Always Connected
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Networking Lunch & VIP Hosted Lunches
Join us in the expo hall for a relaxed networking lunch with the full Shared Service community - connect with peers, explore the exhibition, and recharge for the afternoon ahead. For invited guests, exclusive VIP lunches will run concurrently bringing senior leaders and select partners together for high-impact conversations in a more intimate setting.
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
EXPERT TALK | Digital Transformation for Customer-Centric Shared Services
Priya Venkitachalam -
Senior Manager - Shared Services Operations,
Transport for NSW
Hendrik Lianto - Financial Improvement Manager, Transport for NSW
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
People-led AI Adoption and Change
Nina Muhleisen -
Founder, Principal Consultant,
Three6
This session focuses on the human side of AI transformation, specifically how leaders can guide teams through AI adoption when confidence, capability and appetite vary widely.
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm
LEADERSHIP PANEL | From Transactional to Digital: Solving the Capability Crisis in Shared Services Talent
Jo Duncan -
Senior ( Executive Head of Shared Services & General Manager,
Airservices Australia
Lisianne Hall - Head of People Services, Anglicare
Kane Paekau - General Manager Shared Services, Fulton Hogan
Jo Duncan
Senior ( Executive Head of Shared Services & General ManagerAirservices Australia
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm
HR in the Age of AI: Redesigning Work and Workforce
Vern Griffith -
General Manager, Shared Services and Employee Experience,
Anglicare
This session showcases how innovative organisations are achieving breakthrough optimisation that delivers measurable value across multiple dimensions—proving AI can elevate both operational excellence and human impact.
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Afternoon Break
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm
The Human Side of AI: Transforming Mindset, Skills, and Execution in Shared Services
Tim Johnson -
Head of Intelligent Solutions Delivery,
Suncorp Group Limited
Most shared services AI initiatives fail not because of technology, but because organisations underestimate the cultural resistance, skills deficits, and execution gaps that sabotage adoption. This session cuts through the hype to reveal practical strategies for fundamentally resetting workforce mindset, building AI-ready capabilities, and redesigning processes to harness AI effectively—turning potential into measurable performance gains.
Key Takeaways:
• Why AI projects stall: the culture and change management failures that kill transformation before technology does
• Reskilling roadmaps that prepare shared services teams to work alongside AI, not fear replacement by it
• Process redesign principles: re-engineering workflows to maximise AI impact rather than automating broken processes
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION: Elevating the Role of Shared Services, Becoming a Trusted Advisor to the Business
Frank Cselko -
Shared Services Transformation Director,
NSW Department of Communities and Justice
Shakira Snowdon - Country Head of Philippines, Pepper Money
Pablo Nico - Finance Shared Services Director - ANZ, Live Nation APAC
I-anne Alvarez - Director and Head of Steadfast Shared Services, Steadfast
Frank Cselko
Shared Services Transformation DirectorNSW Department of Communities and Justice
5:45 pm - 6:45 pm
SSOW Impact Awards & Drinks Reception
Celebrate excellence, innovation, and impact at the SSOW Impact Awards. Join us as we recognise the leaders, teams, and initiatives redefining service delivery, enterprise value, and transformation across ANZ. From breakthrough automation projects to bold operating model reinventions, these awards spotlight the work that is truly moving the industry forward
