Regional Leaders Luncheon

Alternate Drop Meals Served to your Table

Roasted chicken breast, Confit potatoes, roasted asparagus, pan juices

Crisp lamb shoulder, braised white beans, roast capsicum, basil curd

Ricotta gnocchi, heirloom tomatoes, goat’s cheese, pesto (vegetarian)

Dessert

Chocolate Mousse Cake, local creme fraiche, raspberry compote

Blueberry and lemon cheesecake, blueberry compote, almond crumble

A huge thank you to Chef Michael Desmond, Kara Llambias and the team for the delicous food and hospitality today.

Sonia Friedrich is a  “Growth Hacker” and “Revenue Rockstar.”  She leads in applied behavioural science and is a trusted keynote speaker. Her aim is to empower you, your team, your business and your life by making the unconscious conscious.  “Let’s prove it” and “Bother” are her mantras. Sonia captivates clients and audiences alike. She will make your unconscious conscious and show how and why you make decisions, take risks and spend money. Sonia bridges thought leadership and Nobel Prize winning insights and how to apply them in business. She will share her real-life examples of applied behavioural science with measured impact of success. Her aim is that you begin to implement ideas within 24-48 hours and start to measure the direct impact on the bottom line or life. Her proven results are truly game changing. People want Sonia's brain, coupled with her ability to connect and communicate, her open presence, honesty, and trust. Clients love her because she is real. She will hold you and your team.

Sonia has saved clients millions of dollars and made others millions of dollars. She has worked with billion-dollar companies and brands including hundreds of millions. Sonia has repositioned small companies; restructured businesses and helped some small businesses from closing their doors. She worked to help one Top 200 clients start solving a $99M challenge using Behavioural Science. CEO’s and GM’s hire Sonia to mentor them in BeSci. and change their business model and corporate culture. Ask her for her suit of client successes with bottom line impact.

From Fortune 500 companies, to Start-Ups and Scale-Ups, Innovators and Businesses in Crisis, Sonia will apply BeSci to your business, in any industry. Sonia is renowned for her clarity and has created models that apply Nobel Prize winning knowledge + experimental research in behavioural economics and behavioural science, to shatter entrenched paradigms and transform industry. She takes complex problems and effortlessly makes them simple. She will work with anyone who wants the edge for themselves, their brand, their business, or their industry. Her clients span Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, U.K. and the USA. 

She is a Global Strategic Partner for behamics – leaders in Causal AI + Behavioural Science for eCommerce. Clients include Volvo, Nespresso, Douglas among others. She collaborates with diversifiglobal.com on global brands, clients include The Dow Jones Group. 

Today, Sonia employs a team of globally renowned Consulting Statisticians, Data Analysts and Applied Behavioural Scientists to prove measured outcomes of BeSci. 
 

Chris Simon

Darren leads Polaris Marine Dockyards at Harwood Slipway, one of the Clarence Valley's largest employers and a full-service commercial shipyard building, maintaining and recycling vessels for clients across Australia and the Pacific. He started on the tools as a mechanical fitter and has spent more than 20 years running marine, port and logistics operations. His past roles include CEO of Darwin Port, COO of Sea Swift, and GM of Southern Ports Authority and of the Sino Iron port in the Pilbara. At Harwood, his focus is building local trade capability, apprenticeships and a strong safety culture so skilled jobs stay in the region.

Emily Fairweather is the co-owner and Operations Director of Spectrum Signs Yamba, a signage business she and her husband Brendon took over in 2022 with no industry experience and a clear vision for what they wanted to build in the town they call home.

Four years on, Spectrum Signs has served over 650 local businesses, runs an average of 70 jobs a month, and maintains a 70% repeat client rate. In 2026 Emily was named Clarence Valley Young Business Leader of the Year and Spectrum Signs won Excellence in Micro Business at the local awards, progressing to the Northern Rivers Regional Business Awards.

Emily is passionate about building businesses that genuinely contribute to the communities they operate in, keeping spend, skills and opportunity in the Clarence Valley.

Haley Hodgson is a proud Bundjalung woman, Registered Nurse, local business owner and mum of two who is passionate about improving healthcare in the Clarence Valley.

Driven by the challenges she witnessed working in rural healthcare, Haley has grown her vision into four locally owned businesses: Maclean Medical, AveNüPlus, Halind Health and Maclean Radiology.

With no traditional business background, her journey has been shaped by challenging conventional thinking, backing her ideas and believing that regional communities deserve better access to services.

Following a year of significant growth and local, regional and national business recognition, Haley remains passionate about creating opportunities, supporting local people and proving that big ideas can succeed in small communities.

Scott Jacques is an accomplished corrections and custodial services executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience across Australia and the United Kingdom. Recognised for his integrity, strategic thinking, and operational excellence, he has built a distinguished career leading complex custodial, detention, and government service environments through periods of growth, reform, and operational challenge.

Currently serving as General Manager of Clarence Correctional Centre for Serco, Scott has also held senior executive positions with Corrections Victoria, including Assistant Commissioner, Custodial Operations, and Acting Deputy Commissioner, Custodial Operations. Throughout these roles, he has been responsible for leading large-scale operations, managing diverse workforces, driving organisational performance, and delivering outcomes across safety, security, rehabilitation, and stakeholder engagement.

Prior to his executive appointments, Scott held General Manager positions at Hopkins Correctional Centre and HM Prison Langi Kal Kal, as well as leadership roles within Serco Immigration Services, including Centre Manager of the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre and Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation. Earlier in his career, he served as a Prison Governor and Head of Function within the UK Prison Service, where he led security, interventions, and resettlement services.

Scott has also undertaken several high-profile executive secondments, including Regional Director for the Grampians Region, General Manager of Community Corrections, Head of Operations for the Grevillea Unit at HM Prison Barwon, and operational lead for the Public Prison Budget Sustainability Project. These assignments further strengthened his reputation for successfully managing complex transitions, organisational change, and strategic reform initiatives.

A passionate people leader, Scott is committed to building high-performing cultures that balance operational excellence with staff engagement and development. His leadership approach focuses on accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and fostering environments where teams can succeed while delivering safe and effective outcomes for the communities they serve.

With extensive experience across public and private sector corrections, detention services, and executive government operations, Scott brings a unique blend of operational expertise, commercial acumen, and strategic leadership to the correctional services sector.

Steve Pickering is a Clarence Valley businessperson and community leader with a background in corporate IT, business analysis and small business. Co-owner of Coldstream Gallery in Ulmarra, he combines a commitment to regional arts and business with experience in IT and asset management.

Steve is President of Ulmarra Village Inc, Chair of South Grafton Bendigo Bank, volunteer Commander at Ulmarra SES and an RFS volunteer. He is also a casual breakfast announcer at 103.1 Loving Life.

His experience across business, local government, emergency services and community radio brings a practical perspective on building stronger, connected regional communities.