Melbourne 2026 - Women in A/AA Summit

Join Women in Aviation/Aerospace Australia for a full-day Summit, Thursday, 22nd October at Lakeside Pavillion, Albert Park.

Women in A/AA has proudly delivered Summits across Australia for more than 10 years, bringing together leaders and change-makers across the aviation, aerospace, and space sectors to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the industry. We invite you to join us and bring your team to broaden your network, and take meaningful insights and key learnings back to your organisation.

Program

TBC

Program Speakers

Workshop

/ Christine Khor, CEO & Founder, Peeplcoach & Executive Coach, Board Director, The Hunger Project

Speaker Biographies

/ Kristen Raby, Chair, Aviation/Aerospace Australia

Kristen Raby is the Director Airbonne and Defence Business Development at Leidos Australia and serves as Chair of the Board of Aviation/Aerospace Australia (A/AA). With more than 30 years of experience across the aviation, aerospace, and defence sectors, she is a recognised leader in business development, engineering, program delivery, and industry collaboration.

Throughout her career, Kristen has held senior leadership roles supporting some of Australia’s most significant defence aviation capabilities. Prior to joining Leidos Australia, she was General Manager AIR and Major Service Provider Governance at Nova Systems, where she led the delivery of Integrated Work Partner Services to the Airborne Surveillance and Response Branch and the Defence Project Management Function. Her portfolio supported sustainment and acquisition activities for major programs including the E-7A Wedgetail, MQ-4C Triton, P-8A Poseidon, MC-55 Peregrine, and Defence Aircraft Life Support Equipment capabilities.

A Chartered Professional Engineer and Engineering Executive, Kristen has worked extensively across aviation and aerospace programs in both Australia and internationally. She has served as a Flight Test Engineer on the Australian Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Program and has contributed to a wide range of complex defence aviation initiatives throughout her career.

Before relocating to Australia, Kristen spent 13 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force as an Aerospace Engineering Officer and Flight Test Engineer. She made history as Canada’s first fixed-wing Flight Test Engineering Officer and attended the prestigious École du Personnel Navigant d’Essais et de Réception (EPNER) test pilot school in France. During her military career, she supported flight test campaigns across fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, fighter and trainer platforms, and the CF-18 Hornet upgrade program.

Kristen is a passionate advocate for the growth of Australia’s aerospace and defence industries and is actively involved in a range of professional and technical organisations. In addition to chairing Aviation/Aerospace Australia, she serves on the Industry Advisory Boards of the RMIT Sir Lawrence Wackett Defence and Aerospace Centre and Monash University’s Aerospace Engineering program. Her leadership and contribution to industry were recognised when she was named a finalist in the 2017 Telstra Women’s Business Awards.

/ Christine Khor, CEO & Founder, Peeplcoach & Executive Coach, Board Director, The Hunger Project

Christine Khor is a business leader, mentor, coach and speaker who builds, innovates and gets results. She has built businesses, raised capital, and coached leaders at every level, from first-time managers to seasoned executives. As CEO and Founder of Peeplcoach, Christine leads a leadership development company built on a simple premise: organisations grow when their leaders do. Peeplcoach builds the leaders who build the business, through structured, practical coaching programs that work across every level of leadership, not just the top.

With more than 25 years of experience across marketing, recruitment and executive coaching, and senior roles at Simplot Australia, Kraft Foods and Hallmark Cards, Christine knows what it takes to build thriving businesses and high-performing teams. A Board Director with The Hunger Project and an award-winning entrepreneur, she is a dynamic, direct speaker who challenges audiences to think and act differently, and to take charge of their own leadership.

/ Anntonette Dailey, Chief Executive, Aviation/Aerospace Australia

Anntonette Dailey is a fellow and chartered engineer and brings more than 20 years senior executive capability, working across multiple Government agencies, not for profit and consultancies. She is currently Chief Executive of Aviation/Aerospace Australia.

Anny has two ministerial board appointments with the Defence Council of Victoria and Australian Research Council Advisory. She is also a Board member for the Space Industry Association of Australia

She has a Masters of National Security Policy and currently completing a Master of Philosophy and ANU in political science and international relations.

Anny was previous the Executive Director at the Australian Space Agency, having commenced as part of the inaugural leadership team in 2018 with responsibilities similar to a chief operating officer. She was the lead for the creation and establishment of the Australian Space Discovery Centre.

/ Amanda Holt, Chief Executive Officer, SYPAQ Group

With a career spanning across the defence and technology sectors, Amanda brings a wealth of expertise and a deep understanding of innovation and enterprise-level solutions to address some of Defence’s toughest challenges, seeing Amanda inducted into the ADM Women in Defence Awards Hall of Fame in 2025, having led SYPAQ to be recognised as the Australian Financial Review’s Most Innovative Company in 2023.

As the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of SYPAQ, a leading engineering and systems integration company demonstrating the innovation potential of local defence industry, Amanda has consistently demonstrated her capability to lead and influence complex organisational improvements across technology, plans, and people. Her collaborative approach has consistently delivered effective results, from the boardroom to the battlespace.

Beyond her professional achievements, Amanda remains actively engaged in various professional organisations, and continues to be active in the engineering disciple, as a Fellow and Engineering Executive of Engineers Australia. She is also the Chair of the RMIT Aerospace Engineering Advisory Board, Board member of the Defence Council Victoria, and co-chair on the Army’s Land Environment Working Group (LEWG) and Navy’s Maritime Environmental Working Group (MEWG). 

Amanda has also been appointed as Non-Executive Director for PWR Group Holdings and CEA Technologies – two innovative Australian advanced technology businesses delivering globally.