Dominic Thurbon

Dom Thurbon is a partner at EY focusing on disruption, behaviour change and transformation. He has over 13 years’ experience in the design and implementation of large-scale change programs working globally with clients such as De Beers, Apple, Warner Bros., Commonwealth Bank and Microsoft. He has led research and authored best-sellers published in over 15 countries on areas as diverse as generational change, business strategy and the future of competition. His most recent book, Matter: How to rise above the competition and become the obvious choice examines the search for value in the context of rapidly shifting market and customer expectations.

Before joining EY, Dom built an international consulting business – Karrikins Group – growing it to over 100 staff delivering programs across Australia, New Zealand and North America.

Unleashing the power of innovation

In today’s market, companies that can’t innovate can’t survive. The market is changing so quickly that our ability to innovate now sits at the heart of remaining relevant and competitive in an ever-changing world. That’s probably why ‘innovation’ is one of the most discussed and debated topics at conferences, off-sites, workshops and strategy sessions around the country.

But most places can’t connect all the talk with real action, and in too many places innovation is simply as a buzzword. We need to develop a deeper and more practical understanding of what innovation is, in all its forms, and how we bring it to life. The truth is, innovation is a behaviour: you’re either doing it or you’re not. And learning the behaviours of innovation, and then finding ways to enable and promote them in your business, is the key to turning innovation from empty rhetoric to real-world change.

In this session we will:

• Unpack the forces of change that mean we need to challenge assumptions about how we make innovation a living thing in our business
• Examine the four types of innovation that can be used in your business to drive improved performance
• Look at the behaviours of innovation, and how we enable and promote them as leaders across the business

Matter: Rising above the competition and becoming the obvious choice

It has never been harder to stand out. In B2B, B2C, and even job markets, it’s getting harder and harder to differentiate, compete and win. There are many reasons for this: digitisation has flooded the market with content and competition; commoditisation is driving prices and margins down, making it harder to sustainably compete; rising complexity is making it harder for companies to articulate clear, relevant value propositions; and customer loyalty is “so 20th century”.

In this changing world, it’s no longer enough to be ‘good’ or ‘great’, we have to matter. This requires a deep connection to purpose, an ability to understand what our customers really buy, and insight into the true value that we can bring (and that no one else can).

In this session we will:

• Bring a fresh perspective to the major disruptive forces that are redefining the way business is being done, and value is being created
• Use inspiring, real-world case studies to show how a diverse array of companies are responding effectively
• Give you the formula for effectively dealing with and thriving in times of disruption and change

Changenomics: Making change happen

Companies don’t change, people do. We need to stop talking about ‘managing’ and ‘surviving’ change, and learn to talk about driving change. Take a look around your business and think about your greatest challenges. I’ll bet you they are behaviour change challenges. You might be trying to increase innovation, improve collaboration across teams or silos, sell to customers differently, drive better leadership or enhance your culture… these are all behaviour change challenges.

In a world where change is so constant and so profound, there are few skills more important to cultivate than learning to drive behaviour change in our teams. It’s the key to solving our greatest problems and boosting our performance.

In this presentation we will:

• Detail the five human responses to change that you will have seen in your business every day, but may never have had a label for
• Examine a model for change based in the neuroscience of human behaviour that can empower us to more effectively change the way staff and customers think, act and buy in positive and constructive ways)
• Look at management and leadership strategies to help ourselves and our teams more effectively navigate and promote change