2023 WiBF National Industry Awards Keynote Speaker

Introducing our 2023 WiBF National Industry Award Keynote Speaker, Allegra Spender MP.

We are delighted to reveal the keynote speaker for this year’s prestigious 2023 WiBF National Industry Awards. Allegra Spender is the Independent Member for Wentworth. She was elected in May 2022 on a platform climate action, political integrity, future-focused economic reform, gender equity and decency.

Allegra went to Ascham School in Edgecliff, has an Economics degree from Cambridge University, an MSc from the University of London, and has completed business courses at Harvard and Dartmouth College. Before parliament, Allegra worked as a business analyst at McKinsey, a policy analyst with UK Treasury and was later the Managing Director at Carla Zampatti Pty Ltd. Allegra was also the chair of the Sydney Renewable Power Company and CEO of the Australian Business and Community Network, which addresses educational disadvantage by partnering low socio-economic schools with leading Australian businesses.

As an MP, Allegra has taken a leading role within the crossbench on climate action. This has included through the legislation of targets for reducing Australia’s CO2 emissions, strengthened reforms to the safeguard mechanism, and investment in electrifying and decarbonizing households. Allegra has also been driving future-focused economic reform, by initiating her own tax review process and putting forward a citizens’ assembly to break the political impasse on housing policy. Allegra has also successfully advocated for the establishment of a National Anti-Corruption Commission, greater investment in women’s economic empowerment, and a more humane approach to the treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum.

Allegra is a member of the House Standing Committee on Economics and the Joint Standing Committee on Migration. She is also co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Uluru Statement from the Heart, the Parliamentary Friends of Entrepreneurs, Small and Medium Business, and the Parliamentary Friends of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Allegra is married with three children and in her spare time is a keen runner.