IHAC Evolution Summit 2025 reveals full speaker line-up

Cat van der Werff of Canva and Tim Hernadi of Sportsbet have been announced among the latest additions to the speaker line-up for the In-House Agency Council (IHAC) Evolution Summit 2025, taking place Tuesday 16 September at The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney.

Now in its third year, the one-day summit brings together in-house and hybrid agency leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region to share case studies, operational insights and practical tools. The 2025 program will cover creative excellence, AI in marketing, global in-housing trends and brand transformation.

Van der Werff, executive creative director at Canva, will offer a global perspective on building in-house creative capability. Hernadi, general manager marketing at Sportsbet, will appear alongside Tim O’Neill of Time Under Tension to unpack the real-world adoption of AI within marketing teams.

They join an already announced line-up including Angela Greenwood (Youi), Anna Jackson (Telstra), and Adam Ledbury (Uber), alongside a panel focused on operational transformation featuring Gemma Poesaste (Telstra), Sarah Hetherington (CBAGENCY, CommBank), and Georgie Bugelly (Asahi Beverages’ 1House).

Mike Worden, partner and chief media officer at -lution, will present new research into in-house media trends. Brand showcases will be led by Storyteq and Ideally, and peer-led roundtables will facilitate knowledge-sharing among attendees.

Chris Maxwell, executive chairman of IHAC and CEO of -lution, said the summit was designed to offer actionable strategies: “What makes it special is that these are leaders inside some of the world’s biggest and fastest-moving brands. Delegates won’t just hear big ideas, they’ll walk away with strategies that can be applied to their own teams immediately."

Abby Blackmore, head of IHAC, added: “Whether you are scaling a new team, refining your model or exploring new capabilities, you will leave with ideas and connections to take the next step.”

Event details – IHAC Evolution Summit 2025

• Date: Tuesday 16 September 2025
• Time: Summit: 8:30 am–5:00 pm | Networking drinks: 5:00 pm–7:00 pm
• Location: The Grounds of Alexandria, Sydney
• Cost: Free for IHAC members; invitation-only for non-members

More information and registration: ihac.com.au/ihac-connect-summit

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