Michael is the cofounder of PitchUp, a sports-tech platform inspired by his years coaching Elite Indigenous Athletes and seeing firsthand the barriers young players face in accessing safe, reliable training spaces. He previously scaled an Indigenous Soccer Program nationally, led an Elite Pathways initiative co-delivered with Football Australia. Born in Johannesburg and raised in Scotland, Michael brings a resilient, people-first leadership style shaped by influences such as Nelson Mandela and Bill Campbell, and is passionate about using sport and technology to drive opportunity and impact.

Kym Rizzo Liu is a Project Manager with the Prevention Education and Research Unit (PERU), Research and Education Network, WSLHD, with extensive experience in adolescent health promotion. She works across both health and education, believing this integrated approach has the greatest impact on young people and the broader community. Kym leads the implementation of prevention-focused initiatives in school settings and values working collaboratively to amplify youth voice. She is deeply committed to prevention and equity, ensuring all young people have access to supportive environments that promote wellbeing. Kym also has a strong love of community sport and volunteers her time to support local programs, championing physical activity as a foundation for lifelong health.

Laura Thompson is the founder of āhei, an inclusive planning, assessment, and delivery platform used by over 1000 schools and sporting organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand. A Paralympian and Mother, Laura brings lived high-performance sport experience alongside a background in psychology, High performance and community level coaching, and systems design. Her work sits at the intersection of sport, physical education, disability, wellbeing, and culturally responsive practice. Laura is driven by a belief that movement should be valued in many forms—and that assessment, planning, and delivery must reflect this. She works closely with teachers, coaches, national sporting bodies, and disability communities to build practical, scalable tools that reduce workload while increasing equity delivery quality. Laura is passionate about reimagining what quality Sport and PE can look like.