Speakers at out July 2025 Seminar in Western Australia
Decades of expertise to support your independent audiology business
9 - 9.15 am
Unlocking Knowledge: Opening Address and Seminar Overview
Stephen Logan, Business Manager, Hearing Business Alliance
Stephen is a founding member of HBA, and an experienced sales and business management professional, with experience in both Australian and UK markets. He has a diverse academic background in both business and nursing and has had successful sales and management careers in various hearing/medical/surgical and healthcare sales positions. He holds a Certificate in General Nursing, a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) Accounting and Business/Management from the University of Queensland and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), MBA Executive Distinction from RMIT. Following twelve years as the Sales and Business Unit Manager for Sivantos within the Australian independent hearing market, Stephen established SJL Business Consultancy to offer specialised business consultancy services to the hearing industry.
9.15 - 10 am
NAL-NL3: The Next Generation Hearing Aid Fitting System
Pádraig Kitterick, Head of Audiological Science, National Acoustics Laboratory
Pádraig joined NAL in 2021 as Head of Audiological Science. Prior to that, he was Head of Hearing Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, UK where he also led the hearing theme of the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre. Pádraig’s research expertise is in evaluating hearing devices and technologies, both in the context of clinical trials and longitudinal studies. His work includes developing and validating measures that are sensitive to detecting changes in outcomes that are important to patients and to the clinicians who manage their hearing health. He has a particular interest in how quality of life should be measured in people with hearing loss. His work also seeks to understand how hearing loss that differs between the ears can affect how we hear the world, and how hearing devices and technology should be best used to address these forms of hearing loss. Pádraig achieved his PhD from the University of York, UK by studying the difficulties experienced by older adults in complex listening environments. He has also been awarded an MSc in Music Technology by the University of York, UK. His undergraduate studies were at the Conversatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, Ireland where he was awarded a BMusPerf in Piano performance. Pádraig has also been awarded a Fellowship in piano performance by Trinity College, London.
10 - 10.45 am
HBA Key Activities, Strategic Insights and Small Business Update
Jane MacDonald, Chief Executive Officer, Hearing Business Alliance
Jane is an Audiologist and independent hearing care business co-owner. With over 35 years' experience, and now employing a team of Audiologists and Audiometrists across sixteen Victorian and NSW rural practices, she knows the challenges of rural clinic service delivery. She is a passionate advocate in pursuit of ethics in the hearing care industry, and for equitable opportunity and support for small businesses. Jane understands the legislative processes, has worked with HBA since its inception, is a full member of Audiology Australia and the Australian College of Audiology inc. HAASA, and was re-elected for a second year as Chair of the Hearing Health Sector Alliance. She has worked in diagnostic audiology in Australian and UK public hospitals, and in neonatal diagnostic audiology and adult rehabilitation in rural Australia. She also mentors many graduate intern Audiologists, and supports them with clinic placements. In April 2025, Jane was honored by Audiology Australia with their Outstanding Award for Community Services to the Audiology Profession.
Morning Tea 10.45 - 11.15 am
11.15 - 11.45 am
Pushing the Edge of Possibility
- Major Sponsor Starkey
Steven Le, Consumer Support Specialist and Trainer, Starkey
Steven joined the Starkey team in 2022. Before joining the team, he worked as a clinician across Victoria and NSW. Besides working in a clinical setting, Steven has also assisted the La Trobe University Audiology faculty in delivering education through workshops and lecturing in 2020. Steven holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Audiological Sciences and a Master of Clinical Audiology degree, La Trobe University.
11.45 am - 12.30 pm
Introducing AudZone: The first Australian AI Platform for Audiology Clinics
Christo Fourie, Software Developer, and Daniel Fechner, Director, AudZone
Christo’s journey into audiology began with a passion for people, but it was his love for technology that truly shaped his approach to care. In 1984, he started coding his own games in BASIC - long before he could afford to buy them. This early drive to build and automate set the stage for his unique career. After founding Value Hearing, Christo used technology to streamline every part of the clinic, freeing his team to spend more time with clients and less on admin. When COVID struck, he dove deeper into software development, learning to create the tools his business needed from the ground up. Now, after Value Hearing, Christo has teamed up with Daniel Fechner to build AudZone - a platform that simplifies technology for audiologists, making advanced tools accessible without the 'overwhelm'. His mission is to empower fellow hearing care professionals to do what they do best: deliver great outcomes for their clients. By making daily tasks easier, Christo hopes to help hundreds of clinics spend less time on paperwork, and more time changing lives.
Lunch 12.30 - 1.30 pm
1.30 - 2.15 pm
Hearing Services Program Update
Gabriela Luksza, Acting Assistant Secretary, Hearing Services and Chronic Conditions Branch, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Gabriela (Gabby) commenced work at the Department of Health and Aged Care in 2011 and worked at the Department of Veterans' Affairs in 2019 and 2020, before returning to Health. She has a broad range of experience in health policy and program roles including management of a telehealth pilot program, Indigenous health funding model policy, GP training program, the Veterans' home care program, Dust disease (silicosis), anti-microbial resistance policy, and the vaccine role-out in the COVID-19 taskforce. Prior to joining the public service Gabby was a private practice Podiatrist, specialising in sport medicine and paediatric care. Her work included multiple voluntary aid trips to Vietnam with a surgical team diagnosing, treating and educating on paediatric lower leg conditions. Currently Gabby leads the Hearing Services and Chronic Conditions branch with responsibility for a range of government programs and policies which include - Supporting eligible Australians with hearing loss to remain independent and participate in their communities, through the administration of the Hearing Services Program, and policy advice on hearing health in general, and - Policy development and project management for chronic conditions, oversight of the National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions, and multiple National Strategic Action Plans and Strategies for specific chronic conditions.
2.15 - 3 pm
Navigating Employment Laws: Key Australian Legislation (Fair Work Act, NES, WHS) Compliance Essentials, and Avoiding Legal Pitfalls
Belinda McLean, General Manager, HR Focus
Belinda has been managing people since childhood. She discovered at a very young age that people who spend a lot of time together, whether it be family, friends or colleagues, are eventually going to disagree, have differing opinions, or need help coming to a decision. Always ready to step in when she was needed, Belinda was the peacekeeper, the mediator, a champion of ideas, and pragmatic at telling it like it is. Now, as the Founder and Director of HR Focus, she provides clients with assistance in all HR matters. Capable of delivering in both operational and strategic HR environments, she is a subject matter expert in industrial relations, emotional intelligence, training and development, culture programs, and in the implementation of compliance systems and procedures. Belinda is a true HR generalist, with experience delivering and sustaining results across multiple industries, including professional services, building and construction, retail, hospitality, health care and NDIS, as well as community sectors. Belinda holds a Master of Commerce “Workplace Relations”, University of Western Sydney, and a Bachelor of Arts “Politics”, University of Wollongong.
Afternoon Tea 3 - 3.30 pm
3.30 - 5 pm
The Value of Data: Modern CRM Systems for Business Management
Daniel Fechner, Director & Audiometrist, Ear Studio, and Director, AudZone
Daniel is an audiometrist, the founder and Director of his independent practice, Ear Studio, and Director of AudZone, an AI-powered platform for hearing care professionals and clinics. He is a dedicated hearing care professional with over twenty-two years’ experience spanning independent and vertically integrated clinics, as well as hearing aid and implant manufacturers. He trained in Germany, and after years in the corporate hearing industry, joined a social project for hearing impaired children in Peru. Since 2015, he is now based in Australia. Daniel combines his technical expertise with a deep commitment to improving clinical outcomes for individuals with hearing impairment. As a business owner of six years, he is passionate about helping other clinics enhance their operational efficiency, financial sustainability, and client care standards. While running his own hearing care clinic in Castle Hill in Sydney, he also offers consulting services to hearing care clinics nationwide and helps them with the implementation of technical solutions to their challenges.
Drinks & Canapés 5 - 6 pm