Perth 2025 SEVENTEENx

SEVENTEENx returns in 2025 to unite changemakers, corporates, universities, government leaders, and purpose-driven brands — all under one roof, all aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SEVENTEENx is designed to build a global ecosystem of brands to work together, learn from each other, collaborate and connect; to create meaningful impact to the future of our planet and society through business. Join us to hear from 6 incredible speakers, who will each deliver a 17-minute keynote, short, sharp, and packed with impact – sharing how they’re using their platform to drive real change in the world.

Speakers

Event Details

Date: Wednesday 15 October 2025
Time: 5:00pm for a 5.45pm start – 9:00pm
Location: WA State Library Theatre

What to expect

• Inspiring stories from leaders of impact
• Delicious food + drinks
• Networking before, during, and after keynote
• A room full of people who care about the future
• A shared mission to build a better world

About the Speakers:

In 17 minutes, each keynote, all WA heroes, will share how they make an impact in the world in alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Come hear and be inspired about how positive change is happening around us in the Perth business ecosystem.

For over 25 years, Daniel Smith has been a trusted advisor to people at the highest levels of industry and government.

Daniel was a senior advisor in the Gallop Government and a deputy chief policy advisor in the Carpenter Government, where he specialised in economic policy and resources development. Now as Chief of Staff to the Premier of Western Australia, Daniel helps lead a whole-of-government effort, focused on maintaining Western Australia as the fastest growing economy in the nation.

Daniel started his career in social and marketing research. In-between his stints in government, Daniel founded, developed and sold his own strategic communications and sustainability consultancy, working with public, private and community sector clients across almost every sector. Daniel has a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Economics. He is married with two young daughters, a self-confessed cricket tragic and a recently-suffering West Coast Eagles supporter.

Jane Hammond is a life-long environmental activist, an independent documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist. She specialises in stories of environmental justice, action on climate change and social affairs.

Jane has made five long form documentary films including Black Cockatoo Crisis, released in 2022. The film was recognised as a change maker during its production with the 2021 Brian Beaton Awad for Social Impact. Black Cockatoo Crisis went on to win the Change Award for Social Impact at the 2023 Adelaide Film Festival and is currently streaming on SBS On Demand. Jane’s documentary Cry of the Forests – A Western Australian Story, released in November 2020, was instrumental is raising awareness and changing public opinion on logging in WA. After a strong social impact campaign around the film the WA Government announced in 2021 that all native forest logging in the state would end by 2024.

Jane’s most recent film, released in March 2025,  is Corals’ Last Stand, which tells the story of the fight to save Scott Reef, Australia’s biggest coral atoll, from fossil fuel development.

Jane’s other documentary films include A Crude Injustice (2017), which describes the 2009 Australian Montara oil disaster and its impact on the people of West Timor, and A Fractured State (2016), which outlines the community battle to stop fracking in WA. Jane has also written, shot, edited and produced more than 100 short form videos on environmental issues, the climate crisis and social justice.

Jane is the mother of three adult children and lives in a carbon neutral eco-village, near Margaret River in Western Australia’s south-west, with her husband Shane.

Professor Sharath Sriram is a science and research leader creating and delivering breakthrough technologies in nanoelectronics, sensors, and medical technologies. He jointly leads the Functional Materials and Microsystems Research Group at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. The team are focussed on translating technology for healthcare, to bring science fiction to reality. Sharath led and coordinated a $60 million multi-user, inter-disciplinary research facility for micro- and nano-fabrication. He recently established a leading medical device prototyping and scale-up manufacturing initiatives, as Director of the $15 million Discovery to Device Facility.
He is the Chief Scientist of Western Australia and President of Science & Technology Australia. He is an active contributor to science policy with a focus on innovation and long-term strategy, research translation and commercialisation, and support for early- and mid-career researchers.

Olivia Chapman is the CEO of the WA Social Enterprise Council (WASEC), leading initiatives that empower social enterprises across Western Australia. With a strong background in innovation, social impact, and policy, Olivia has extensive experience designing programs that tackle inequality, support workforce development, and foster inclusive economic growth. Passionate about leveraging entrepreneurship to create positive change, she has worked across government, philanthropic, and community sectors to drive systemic impact.

James Baird is an ethical investment specialist and Director at JustInvest Financial Planning, with 25 years experience in the industry. James helps clients align their investments with their values, while achieving financial goals. In this presentation, he will share specific insights on how investing ethically can create positive impact, with real world measurement mapped to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Attendees will also learn practical ways to apply ethical investment criteria to their own superannuation and investment portfolios.