Community Elder, academic, lecturer and teacher, Ted Williams has dedicated much of his life to the education sector and combining his experiential skills, knowledge of Indigenous issues and his Yugambeh culture and heritage to advance our nation’s Reconciliation journey.

A proud Mununjali man, in his capacity as a member of the GC2018 Yugambeh Elders Advisory Group, Ted provided the Welcome to Country at the GC2018 Opening Ceremony alongside Elder Patricia O’Connor his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and GC2018 officials.

Possessing tertiary qualifications in Arts, Teaching and Educational studies, Ted regularly speaks at educational campuses and businesses across the public and private sector on Indigenous issues.

In March 2017, for the first time in history for First Nation Elders, Ted took part in the Queen’s Baton Relay commencement ceremony at Buckingham Palace alongside Her Majesty, The Queen delivering an invitation to all First Nations People of the Commonwealth to join in the celebrations of GC2018 on Yugambeh land.

In his spare time, you’ll find Ted spending time with his family, bushwalking, playing golf, travelling and reading. He has a passion for Cricket and Rugby League and is Vice President of the Queensland Cricket Scorers’ Association and a life-long supporter of Eastern Suburbs in Brisbane and St George in the NRL.

Ed Ayres is a writer, music teacher and broadcaster. He was born on the White Cliffs of Dover and began playing music when he was six years old. He studied music in Manchester, Berlin and London, played professionally in the UK and Hong Kong and moved to Australia in 2003. Ed is the presenter of ABC Classic’s Weekend Breakfast.

Ed has written four books - Cadence, about his journey by bicycle from England to Hong Kong with only a violin for company, Danger Music, describing his year teaching music in Afghanistan, Sonam and the Silence, a children’s book about the importance of music, and his most recent, Whole Notes - Life Lessons in Music. Ed’s books have been shortlisted for several prestigious awards, including the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.

Wayne Middleton, founder and Managing Director of Reliance Risk, is a recognised industry expert in risk management and safety across the sport, entertainment, venues and events industries. Wayne brings over 30 years experience as a manager of public venues and major events, also working as a risk management specialist for government, transport, construction, venues, sporting facilities and events.

Wayne holds a Masters in Risk Management, a Bachelor of Administration and a Diploma in Security Risk Management. Wayne is also a Certified Venue Executive (CVE), a designation awarded by the International Association of Venue Managers, a highly regarded level of achievement in the venues industry.

Wayne is an internationally recognised speaker, instructor and thought leader in risk management for events, sports and venues, and has been an instructor in risk management at the Venue Management School (VMS) in APAC for over a decade. He was also Chairman of the VMS Committee from 2018 - 2021 and is a regular contributor to industry publications.

Helen D’Silva is the founder and director of HDPPG.

With more than 12 years’ experience working in the human resources and performance psychology domain in corporate and sport arenas, she can empathise with the challenges, stress and obstacles that business owners, directors and senior managers can experience on a regular basis.

Having worked with individuals and businesses in corporate settings Helen has acquired more than 10 years experience in sales (retail and professional consultation), and can therefore empathise with those experiencing stress that comes with needing to consistently perform at high levels, lead a successful team and be able to manage what feels like a ‘balanced’ and healthy lifestyle.

Exercising a warm, empathetic approach (with at least a little bit of humour), Helen will support, guide and empower you to develop strategies that suit and work for you.

Because Helen takes an educational approach, you will benefit in learning how to become the master of firstly understanding your obstacles to then be able to apply the strategies and technique for overcoming them.

Matthew started working in lighting and event management for Lighting Dimensions and JLX Productions, working on a variety of corporate, arts and tradeshows. He then moved to the Judith Wright Centre, gaining skills in venue and facilities management in the full time Duty Supervisor position enjoying a mix of show delivery, venue operations and facility upgrade projects. Matthew left the Judith Wright to join Queensland Music Festival as the Finance Manager for the 2013 festival.

Since joining Great Big Events in late 2014, he has been at the centre of planning and delivering some of the world's largest sporting events including; 2018 Commonwealth Games, FINA Aquatics World Championships (2017 Budapest, 2019 Gwangju) and Short Course World Championships (2014 Doha, 2016 Windsor Ontario, 2021 Abu Dhabi), 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, 2019 Rugby World Cup (Japan), Men's and Women's Cricket World Cups, as well as the regular Australian sporting season for the Sydney Kings, NSW Waratahs, Wallabies and Australian Swimming Championships.

As the Head of Technology, Matthew has directed the strategic growth of the company's technical department from purely technical management to now encompassing four work streams, adding Software/Product Development, Implementation and Programming of PV4 and in-house IT management. Great Big Events now offers three digital products: Anywhere Live, Ultimate Fan App and ProVision (now in its fourth iteration PV4). Drawing on his operations and finance experience, Matthew also leads the evolution of company policies and processes across the global business.

Jason has worked in the arts and events industries for last 20+ years. After working in the corporate events market where he managed the production of some of Queensland’s largest conferences and special events, Jason returned to venue operations when he moved to London to work for Kings Place Music Foundation at Kings Place in London’s Kings Cross. There he managed events for clients such as Apple, Google and Sony until returning to Australia and taking up the role of Technical and Events Manager at Arts Queensland. There he managed the event operations and delivery at The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Art and assisted in the development and delivery of the Arts Ignite JWOCA fund. Jason left JWCOCA to establish a freelance career, going on to work on some of the world’s largest sporting events including the Rugby World Cup Japan, Special Olympics Abu Dhabi and the World Aquatics Championship in Gwangju until the COVID19 pandemic closed international borders. In 2020, Jason joined The Events Centre, Caloundra, as operational support to the management team, focusing on the development new policies and procedures including WH&S. During his time at Queensland venues, Jason was an active contributor to Stage Queensland's Technical Committee including contributing to Stage Queensland's Industry Plan for Live Performance Venues/Theatres during the COVID19 pandemic. In 2022, Jason joined Great Big Events as Technical Director.