outlook // design leadership 2026 23.04.2026 — ritz-carlton melbourne
~/ session 00 — open █_
> boot sequence initialised
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                           │
│   O U T L O O K                                           │
│   ─────────────                                           │
│   DESIGN   LEADERSHIP   2026                              │
│                                                           │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
One room, one hundred designers, nine presenters, three themes,
and a great deal to talk about.
outlook // design leadership 2026 acknowledgement of country
~/ session 00 / open / welcome 01 / 25 
╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴╴
acknowledgement of country

We meet on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation.

First Nations people were the first designers on this continent — reading land, designing for water, shelter, knowledge, and continuity. Sovereignty was never ceded.
> paying respects to Elders and indigenous communities whose country we meet on today.
outlook // design leadership 2026 session 00 / welcome
~/ hello 02 / 25 
> hello.

Welcome to
Design Leadership 2026.

Milly Schmidt · Design Manager, Atlassian · your MC for the day
outlook // design leadership 2026 session 00 / housekeeping
~/ venue & logistics 03 / 25
/etc/housekeeping.conf

A few things before we start.

[ wifi ]
On the cards
at your table.
[ bathrooms ]
Out the door,
turn right.
[ roundtables ]
Your table
number is set.
[ mics ]
Wireless & live.
Be kind to them.
[ slipping out ]
Fine. Do it
quietly.
[ breaks ]
Three of them.
Use them well.
[ photos ]
Yes. Tag
@weare.outlook.
[ wrap ]
17:00 sharp.
Social after.
outlook // design leadership 2026 session 00 / logistics
~/ about your lanyard 04b / 26
check your lanyard

Three tables. One lanyard.

     │  │
   ┌─┴──┴─┐
   │      │
   │ ▓▓▓▓ │
   │      │
   │  YOU │
   │      │
   ├──────┤
   │ T1:05│   ← roundtable 1
   │ T2:12│   ← roundtable 2
   │ T3:03│   ← roundtable 3
   └──────┘
Every lanyard has three table numbers. One for each roundtable.
We rotate you between rounds — different seat, different brains, different conversation.
> check your lanyard before each round.
> we'll call it from up here; your table number changes each time.
outlook // design leadership 2026 session 00 / the day
~/ run sheet 04 / 25
run & rhythm

How the day runs.

09:00   welcome · two opening presentations · roundtable
10:40   morning tea
11:10   three presentations · roundtable
13:00   lunch
14:00   two presentations
15:10   afternoon break
15:40   two presentations · closing roundtable
17:00   social wrap-up · you're free at six
> presentations are the prompt. roundtables are the work.
outlook // design leadership 2026 session 00 / themes
~/ threads for the day 05 / 25
three threads

Why we're here today.

─── 01 ───────────────
The Craft
Dividend.
The return on investing in rigour — when everyone can design.
─── 02 ───────────────
Pathways &
progression.
Growing the next wave of leaders, instead of leaving it to luck.
─── 03 ───────────────
Design's
bright future.
Rediscovering our identity as the tools shift under us.
outlook // design leadership 2026 session 01 / opening remarks · milly schmidt
~/ before we start 06 / 25
a short thing, before anyone else speaks

Leadership in smooth waters is easy.
Most of us haven't been in smooth waters
for six years.

Lockdowns. Wars. Shifts in tooling. Three different definitions of designer.
Today, we sit with the next one — AI — together.
outlook // design leadership 2026 session 01 / opening remarks · milly schmidt
~/ the question in the room 06b / 25
the pressing question

AI, and the disruption we're sitting with.

─── 01 ─── output ───────
Tools that compress idea → artefact from weeks to minutes. The floor rises. The ceiling moves.
─── 02 ─── craft ────────
When everyone can "design", expertise matters more than ever.
─── 03 ─── role ─────────
The shape of the job is changing again. Not the first time. Won't be the last.
─── 04 ─── teams ────────
Leaders are being asked to reassure, retool, and recalibrate — often all at once.
outlook // design leadership 2026 session 01 / opening remarks · milly schmidt
~/ the shape of the day 06c / 25 
> design_leaders.position() = {
    taste,
    systems_thinking,
    attention_to_detail,
    strategic_prowess
 }

The craft boundaries are blurring.
The opportunity space is widening.

Design leaders are uniquely positioned to shape what comes next — principles, process, practice. Today is a day to figure out what we do with that.
outlook // design leadership 2026 09:10 — 09:30 · 20 min
~/ presenter 01 07 / 25
/presenters/01
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

Andrew
Hogan.

Head of Insights · Figma
> "There's never been a better time to design." 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 09:30 — 09:50 · 20 min
~/ presenter 02 08 / 25
/presenters/02
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

James
Ratsasane.

Head of Digital Product Design · MECCA
> "Scaling better decisions." 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 09:50 — 10:40 · 50 min
~/ the work happens here 09 / 25
roundtable one

40 min discussion.
10 min playback.

Your table hosts will prompt you. Be generous, disagree well. 
┌───────┐   ┌───────┐   ┌───────┐   ┌───────┐
│  ○ ○  │   │  ○ ○  │   │  ○ ○  │   │  ○ ○  │
│ ○   ○ │   │ ○   ○ │   │ ○   ○ │   │ ○   ○ │
│  ○ ○  │   │  ○ ○  │   │  ○ ○  │   │  ○ ○  │
└───────┘   └───────┘   └───────┘   └───────┘
  table 1     table 2     table 3     table 4
outlook // design leadership 2026 10:40 — 11:10 · 30 min
~/ break 10 / 25 
> pause 30m

Morning tea.

Coffee is outside. Pastries are outside.
Your future best friend is in the queue next to you.
outlook // design leadership 2026 11:10 — 11:30 · 20 min
~/ presenter 03 11 / 25
/presenters/03
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

Jing
Shen.

Assistant Director, Service Design · IP Australia
> "Quiet, consistent design progress." 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 11:30 — 11:50 · 20 min
~/ presenter 04 12 / 25
/presenters/04
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

Chris
Newski.

Product Design Manager · Stake (Easygo)
> "Fearless design at scale." 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 11:50 — 12:10 · 20 min
~/ presenter 05 13 / 25
/presenters/05
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

Rosie
Mills.

Head of Experience Design & Product · Origin Energy
> "A brave new world?" 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 12:10 — 13:00 · 50 min
~/ back to your tables 14 / 25
roundtable two

40 min discussion.
10 min playback.

You know the drill now.
outlook // design leadership 2026 13:00 — 14:00 · 60 min
~/ break 15 / 25 
> pause 60m

Lunch.

Eat well. Hydrate. Maybe touch grass.
Back at 14:00.
outlook // design leadership 2026 14:00 — 14:45 · 45 min
~/ presenters 06 16 / 25
/presenters/06
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

Amir Ansari
& David Bacon.

SRO Victoria · CBUS Super
> "Who wants to be a design leader?" 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 14:45 — 15:10 · 25 min
~/ presenter 07 17 / 25
/presenters/07
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

Sadia
Mir.

Head of Design · Data61, CSIRO
> "The three pivots — what AI demands of design leaders." 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 15:10 — 15:40 · 30 min
~/ break 18 / 25 
> pause 30m

Afternoon tea.

Last break of the day. Make it count.
outlook // design leadership 2026 15:40 — 16:05 · 25 min
~/ presenter 08 19 / 25
/presenters/08
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

Amanda
Morkos.

Director of Design · TAFE NSW
> "Steering an institution." 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 16:05 — 16:15 · 10 min
~/ presenter 09 — closing remarks 20 / 25
/presenters/09 — closing
┌─ now presenting ─────────────────────────────────────────┐

Milly
Schmidt.

Design Manager · Atlassian
> "Design's bright future." 
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
outlook // design leadership 2026 closing remarks · milly schmidt
~/ what we heard 20b / 25
three threads, one cloth

What we heard today.

── craft dividend ──
James on decisions. Chris on outcomes. Jing on quiet progress. The rigour compounds.
── pathways ────────
Amir & David on the climb. Amanda on steering. Rosie on the mindsets we grow into.
── bright future ───
Andrew on the moment. Sadia on the pivots. Each presenter, pointed forward.
outlook // design leadership 2026 closing remarks · milly schmidt
~/ the shift underneath 20c / 25 
idea ──▶ artefact ──▶ impact
  (then)   weeks         months
  ( now)   minutes       days

AI can bring every one of us closer
to the customer.

We've always been deeply connected to the technology we design for.
Now we can shape it directly — principles, process, practice.
outlook // design leadership 2026 closing remarks · milly schmidt
~/ land it 20d / 25 
┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  the future of design is being written.  │
│  the people writing it are in this room. │
└──────────────────────────────────────────┘

Design's bright future.

Not a promise. A choice we make, together.
outlook // design leadership 2026 16:15 — 17:00 · 45 min
~/ last one — make it good 21 / 25
roundtable three

40 min discussion.
10 min playback.

This is the one where the good stuff comes out.
outlook // design leadership 2026 17:00 — 18:00 · social wrap-up
~/ stay, chat, unwind 22 / 25 
> event.status = "wrapping"

Social wrap-up.

Stay. Chat. Eat the last of the pastries.
See you at the bar.
outlook // design leadership 2026 thank you
~/ credits 23 / 25
thank you

Without these people, a room with chairs.

/presenters
Andrew Hogan · James Ratsasane · Jing Shen
Chris Newski · Rosie Mills · Amir Ansari
David Bacon · Sadia Mir · Amanda Morkos
/crew
Mickey Rummery · Trudi Boatwright
Leeling Bristow · Gazelle Eghbali
Justine Belda
outlook // design leadership 2026 end of session
~/ safe travels █_ 
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│   S E E    Y O U                                          │
│   ─────────────                                           │
│   N E X T   Y E A R .                                     │
│                                                           │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The people who'll shape what's next are in this room.
> process exited with code 0.

Tweaks