The second annual Multicultural Tasmania Employer Conference MTEC2023 will be held on Thursday 6th July at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hobart
MTEC2023 is a half day conference for Tasmanian employers at Crowne Plaza in Hobart on Thursday 6 July 2023 with a full program to discuss cultural diversity in the workplace, opportunities to address skill shortages, practical recruitment strategies and workforce retention tools.
The conference has been designed to help expand business leader’s perceptions of the challenges, barriers, benefits and potential value of looking for talent in the culturally and linguistically diverse community.
The conference will provide valuable information on how employers can address skills shortages by engaging CALD employees and practical tools to navigate language, visa and intercultural challenges.
Speakers will include Tasmanian businesses that successfully employ a diverse workforce, state and federal government officials advising on the processes of hiring temporary and permanent residents, State politicians, academics, and organisations providing individual services to culturally diverse job seekers.
Audience to the conference will be representatives of more than 100 Tasmanian employers as well as representatives from state government, academics and service organisations supporting diverse job seekers.
Tickets for the conference are available via Eventbrite:
MTEC2023 Multicultural Tasmania Employer Conference Tickets, Thu 06/07/2023 at 8:30 am | Eventbrite
Diversity is Good Business
Presenters and MCOT staff and board members at MTEC2022
Speaker List
Husna Pasha
The extraordinary MC, Host and Founder of the Happychondriac Society. With her vibrant personality and unique approach, she’s revolutionising mental health consulting. As a self-proclaimed “Happychondriac,” Husna believes everyone deserves happiness and support for their mental well-being. Her quirky, outspoken nature and hilarious charm make her a popular host, captivating audiences with her infectious energy.
Husna’s consulting business focuses on empowering individuals to prioritise their mental health and embrace happiness through positive psychology and self-care practices. She’s breaking down stigmas, one laughter-filled gathering at a time.
Husna swoops in as a superhero of joy, armed with creative strategies and life-altering advice. She champions self-reflection, gratitude, and mindfulness, encouraging clients to embark on a quest for happiness. Through her work, Husna aims to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health, bringing laughter, insights, and a dash of quirkiness to empower individuals to live happier, healthier lives.
Prof Rufus Black
Rufus Black is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Tasmania. Previously, he was Master of Melbourne University’s Ormond College and an Enterprise Professor in the Department of Management and Marketing and a Principal Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Melbourne.
Rufus’s private sector experience includes nine years at McKinsey and Company, where he was a partner, serving clients in Australia and Asia, and as a Director for national law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth. His educational and social sector experience includes being the President of Museums Victoria, the Deputy Chancellor of Victoria University, the founding Chair of the Board of the Teach for Australia Board, a Director of the New York based Teach for All and a Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. He has worked extensively for government at Federal and State levels and authored several major public reports for the Australian Government. He was a Board Member of Innovation Science Australia and the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia. Rufus holds degrees in law, politics, economics, ethics and theology from the University of Melbourne and Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.
See Hoon Chuah
Professor Swee-Hoon Chuah will be leading an interactive session applying behavioural insights to understand and address unconscious bias during MTEC2023.
Dr Swee-Hoon Chuah is the Director of the Tasmanian Behavioural Lab at the University of Tasmania. She is a behavioural economist whose expertise lies in the application of behavioural insights to public policy challenges. She has worked with organisations such as the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA), the Consumer Policy Research Centre Victoria, Brand Tasmania, Volunteering Tasmania and the Youth Network of Tasmania. She also conducts research in the area of cross-cultural experimental economics, in particular the impact of factors such as race and religion on socio-economic behaviour.
Kelvin Smith and Paw Nay
Kelvin Smith is the founder and Director of Integrate Workforce – a company specifically designed to eliminate the need for an English interview for people with a refugee background. Integrate Workforce operates as a Labour hire company for residential construction allowing employees to show their work ethic and abilities on the worksite in front of prospective employers. In their 28 Month history they have enabled 51 people with a refugee background to have 100,000 hours of worksite experience, 24 have found apprenticeships or full time work, and 45 have recently secured homeloans as a direct result of their initial employment with Integrate Workforce.
Paw Nay is a community leader from Burma who negotiated with the Thai government and assisted about 1500 people to safety through a treacherous 4 month forest ordeal hiding from the junta and into Thai refugee camps. He has lived in Hobart for about 15 years. 28 months ago he was casually employed by Integrate Workforce. 6 months ago he was given full time work with Kelly Civil. 5 months ago he bought his own block of land in Berriedale. 1 month ago Lyden builders started to build Paw Nay’s new house on his block of land.
Cecelia Catherine Loppy
Cecelia Catherine Loppy is a young passionate Tasmanian Author who loves writing about purpose and motivating people to discover their God-given talents and maximise their potential in every season of life.
Catherine, as many call her, is an authentic and inspiring speaker, writer, and blogger. She is the author of Beyond the Shadows a memoir about her life journey from Africa to Australia which has gone to win the ‘African-Australian Excellent Book Award’ in December 2022. Catherine regularly blogs using life analogies which aim to motivate and inspire her readers for purposeful living.
She was one of three women who won the ‘African-Australian Women in Community Leadership Award’, a national award organised by Africa Media Australia in November 2017. And in November 2019 she was awarded a ‘Role Model Award’ in the African community in Tasmania. Catherine was the only female student during her Diploma of building and construction course and later graduated with a BSc. Applied Science Built Environment, and a Post-graduate in Construction Project Management, and now works as a Project Manager with TasWater. In July 2022, Catherine published and released her second book Waiting in His Courts.
When not working, Catherine spends time writing, reading, singing, and networking with friends. Her philosophy is Life is a journey of steps. Don’t rush life! Live life!
Rachel Vasicek
Creative Director and Co-owner of much-loved Australian jewellery label Francesca. Francesca has a large online presence as well as two bricks and mortar stores in Hobart and Melbourne Central.
Beginning her journey in digital marketing and branding in 2013, Rachel’s skills are solely self taught through industry experience. Rachel also offers branding consultancy on a freelance bases.
Francesca, Winner of the 2015 Tasmanian Telstra Business and 2020 Telstra Business Emerging Leader Award, and most recently nominated as finalists at the 2023 Tasmanian Telstra Best of Business Awards – Building Communities and Accelerating Women Categories. Rachel, alongside her sister Hannah lead a team of 60 plus staff (based in Hobart, Melbourne, Brisbane, South Africa and Philippines) that have built a beautiful culture and vision for the business to be proud of, living by the moto – Success is nothing unless you’re giving back!
Bulk Nutrients
Bulk Nutrients manufactures nutritional supplements for the fitness / health industry. The company was established by Ben Crowley in 2008 and is based in Grove, Tasmania.
Bulk Nutrients currently employs over 90 staff, more than 20% are migrants from The Congo, Rwanda, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and India. Bulk Nutrients credit the work ethic, loyalty, and enthusiasm of migrant workers as a significant part of the company’s success. Bulk Nutrients has found their migrant staff lift productivity and create a more positive work environment.
Bulk Nutrients are very proud that several migrant staff who started in entry level roles have now moved into key positions in the company.