Speakers





Lee Odden is founder and CEO of TopRank Online Marketing, a US-based digital marketing agency that works with companies to create better connections with customers and improve sales through search, content marketing and social media.

Having assembled a team of internet and content marketing specialists, Lee and his team have helped both medium and Fortune 500 clients improve online brand visibility, which has led to increased sales and customer engagement. Regularly sharing his insights on digital and social media at his internationally renowned TopRank Online Marketing Blog, Lee is a true thought leader in the industry. His blog is ranked 8th in the Ad Age ‘Power 150′ rankings and is in the top 100 sites on Technorati, the world’s leading blog search engine.

Regularly quoted in mainstream media on the way the internet is changing marketing, Lee is an expert in how to gain influence and generate ROI online.
Lee also serves on the board of advisors for the Search Engine Strategies and Marketing Professionals Forum.








Simon Wakeman is one of the UK’s leading public sector social media authorities. He has provided strategic counsel and training to a wide range of central and local government agencies including councils, police forces, healthcare and housing providers.

Simon has been at the forefront of leading the UK’s public sector into the digital era and has led and observed great changes in the way government agencies communicate with communities.

Responsible for the first UK council launch of a podcast back in 2006, Simon has since pioneered the use of social media tools including blogs, online video, Twitter and Facebook in public sector communications. He has also undertaken groundbreaking research into the use of social media within the UK public sector.

Simon’s private sector experience includes marketing online financial products and services, digital and interactive TV Services, as well as consulting at a senior level to global brands such as Vodafone and BP.

A well-known and popular conference speaker on communications and social media in the UK, he is also the writer of a leading public sector communications blog http://www.simonwakeman.com/ .

Currently he works with greater London’s Medway Council, a large local government body in greater London that is home to over a quarter of a million people.
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Michael is the founder of award winning Australian online retailer Shoes of Prey. Always having had an interest in starting a business Michael dabbled in various startups while working full time jobs, including the travel guide website Swift City and the joke online dating site Darwin Dating.

His dual passions for retail and online marketing came together and in August 2009 Michael left Google to co-found Shoes of Prey, a website where women can design their own fashionable shoes which are then hand made and shipped to them. Michael manages buying, business operations and marketing for Shoes of Prey.

Michael studied Commerce and Law at the University of Queensland before trying his hand in the legal professional. Law wasn’t for him and he went on to spend several years in business management roles at Australian retailer Supercheap Auto Group, finally settling into their marketing team as a business analyst. He developed a passion for retail at Supercheap Auto Group, and then discovered online marketing so he moved on to work in an advertising sales role at Google, managing their Online Sales and Operations Agency team for Australia and New Zealand.

Michael can be found on Twitter and he blogs about the process of starting and running Shoes of Prey on the business blog 22michaels.








Cliff Rosenberg is the Managing Director for LinkedIn in Australia and New Zealand. In this role, Cliff’s long term focus is to grow LinkedIn’s diverse business model comprised of user subscriptions, advertising sales and enterprise software licensing for the Australia and New Zealand market.  Near-term this will include a focus on user engagement, strategic partnerships, marketing and general operations.

Rosenberg has a distinguished 20-year career in the digital space, both as an entrepreneur and executive.  He was formerly the managing director of Yahoo! Australia and New Zealand where he was responsible for all aspects of the local operation for more than three years.  Most recently, he has taken on a number of directorships including chairman of Sound Alliance, one of Australia’s largest independent online publishers.

Prior to joining Yahoo!, Rosenberg was the founder and managing director of iTouch Australia and New Zealand, a leading wireless application service provider. He grew the Australian office to one of the largest mobile content and application providers in Australia with key partnerships with companies such as Ninemsn, Yahoo!, Telstra and Vodafone. Previously, Rosenberg was head of corporate strategy for Vodafone Australasia and also served as an international management consultant with Gemini Consulting and Bain Consulting.  He earned a master of science degree in management as well as bachelor’s degree of business science in economics and marketing.   His LinkedIn profile can be viewed at http://au.linkedin.com/in/cliffrosenberg.








Darren Whitelaw is the General Manager of Corporate Communication for the Victorian Department of Justice. He has spent one and a half decades working in both the public and private sectors, and has been a driving force behind many online innovations in the Victorian public sector.

Darren has worked in roles providing high-level strategic issues management, traditional media advice, as well as new media, across a range of portfolios, including police, emergency services and corrections. He has studied at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, holds a Bachelors Degree in Public Relations, and an Executive Masters in Public Administration from the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.

Darren has led a number of high-profile social media campaigns for the Department of Justice, developed the government’s first iPhone app, and led the online response following the Black Saturday bushfires. He advises RMIT University on their media and communication program, and sits on the Victorian Government’s innovation advisory council.

Most recently, Darren has been working with the Country Fire Authority and others to look at harnessing the power of social media to raise awareness of bushfire preparation and help Victorians be FireReady. Follow him on Twitter @DarrenWhitelaw








As Director of Media and Communications at Deloitte, Louise Denver has overseen the rollout of internal social media innovations. Deloitte is recognised as one of the global leaders in selling social media within the organisation and using the tools available to help collaboration. To give just one example, Deloitte has over 50% of its staff on internal social media platform, Yammer and regularly uses Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to hire new recruits.

Deloitte has also been very adept at jumping on the back of issues and events using social media. For example, Deloitte secured the Twitter handle ‘twitter.com/federalbudget’ when it saw lots of online conversations around the topic. As a result, Deloitte was able to be the hub of online conversation for Australian financial debate, with even the Prime Minister following for updates.

Louise Denver has been at the helm of Deloitte’s communications strategy for 8 years and has been a central factor in the decision to have global social media strategy led out of the Australian office.