Answering the Call: Unlocking the Potential of Our Future

In a world that feels increasingly complex and uncertain, educators are being called to do more than deliver curriculum; they’re being asked to hold space for hope, possibility, and transformation. In this keynote, Taylor Dee Hawkins invites us to reflect on what it means to lead with care, conviction, and imagination in times of change.

Guided by the theme Amplifying every voice, shaping our story, empowering all learners, Taylor Dee Hawkins explores how educational leaders can respond to the challenges of today by embracing a future-driven approach to their leadership. Drawing on her personal experience as a young advocate and fusing this with insights from her work as a leadership specialist, Taylor will offer practical strategies to combat overwhelm, strengthen self-leadership and foster inclusive cultures of agency to unlock the potential of our future.

Taylor Dee Hawkins is a passionate entrepreneur focused on future-driven leadership, policy innovation, and social impact. A singular purpose drives Taylor’s work: to help leaders move beyond short-term gains and embrace their responsibility to the future.

Her work demonstrates that embedding sustainability and foresight into business practices is an ethical responsibility and essential for long-term competitive advantage and enduring success. She is the Managing Director of Foundations for Tomorrow, a non-profit dedicated to advancing the protection of future generations’ interests in Australia, which recently launched the Australian Parliamentary Group for Future Generations and the Intergenerational Fairness Coalition. Taylor was the only young person invited to speak at the Global Parliamentary Congress due to her significant work in this area. She has also served as an Advisor to the Our Future Agenda initiative of the United Nations Foundation.

An accomplished speaker, Taylor has spoken at international events such as the United Nations COP26 Climate Conference, Stockholm+50, and the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Additionally, she is the only young person on the World Economic Forum's Global Foresight Network Advisory Board and the Executive Leadership Team for the Global Network of Institutions for Future Generations.

Taylor's professional background is rooted in years of leadership development experience. She has designed and facilitated enterprise leadership programs to foster future-driven leadership for organisations like CSIRO, Google, Adidas, and Salesforce, for which her work has been nominated for several industry awards. This includes her ongoing collaboration with Leading Initiatives Worldwide and developing programs for the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, such as the Future Generations Leadership Accelerator and the Policy Leader Toolkit.

Taylor’s efforts have earned her recognition through various accolades, including Smart Company’s 30 Under 30, the NSW Young Achiever Awards (finalist), YAIIA’s Young Women to Watch in International Affairs, the MBAus Social Impact Awards, and the NSW Young Australian of the Year Award (finalist). In 2023, she was selected as one of the 12 Kofi Annan Changemakers.