KEYNOTE SPEAKER


MICHAEL TRAILL AM

Chair GoodStart Early Learning - Executive Director For Purpose
Director Sunsuper – Winner Ashurst Business Literature Prize


@Michael_Traill

Michael Traill graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1982 with a BA (Hons) in Politics and Economics. After completing a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard he went on to a successful career that has spanned the corporate and social purpose worlds. His current board roles are as Chair of Goodstart Early Learning, Executive Director of For Purpose Investment Partners, a director and Chair of Sunsuper and a director of The Paul Ramsay Foundation, MH Carnegie & Co, Australian Philanthropic Services and the National Museum of Australia.

In 2002, after 15 years in merchant banking and as a co-founder and executive director of Macquarie Group’s private equity arm, Macquarie Direct Investment, Michael decided to ‘jump ship’ and joined Social Ventures Australia as founding CEO, reshaping the Australian philanthropy and not-for-profit landscape.

In partnership with other not-for-profit organisations, Michael was one of the architects behind the establishment of the Goodstart Childcare chain, created out of the ashes of ABC Learning, and now one of the largest social enterprise organisations in the world. His widely acclaimed book “Jumping Ship” won the 2017 Ashurst Business Literature Prize.

KEYNOTE TOPIC:
In Search of the Holy Grail: Early Learning quality & inclusion at scale

Goodstart Chair Michael Traill will share his insights on the journey of Australia’s largest provider of early learning. Michael will candidly reflect on the challenges and learnings as Goodstart has sought to connect research & evidence to inform the practice, and work in partnership to drive policy and funding reform.

Michael will cover the following key themes in his presentation:

  • Accessing & connecting leading research & ‘pracademics’ to implementable practice in the centres
  • Challenges in ensuring commitment and leadership, centre by centre, to drive change and improvement
  • The inclusion journey:
    • striving to improve access & opportunity for excluded families in centres (what’s worked, what’s been challenging)
    • the advocacy agenda & working in partnership to improve understanding of early learning (what’s worked, what’s been challenging)
  • where can the sector next go – taking advantage of the current policy focus & engagement in early learning… let’s not take it for granted!