Join us at our July 2025 Western Australian Seminar
Decades of expertise
to support your independent audiology business
8 - 9 am Registration
9 - 9.15 am
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Unlocking Knowledge: Opening Address and Seminar Overview
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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
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NAL-NL3: The Next Generation Hearing Aid Fitting System
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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
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HBA Key Activities, Strategic Insights and Small Business Update
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​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 Victoria 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 the current 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
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Pushing the Edge of Possibility
- Major Sponsor Starkey
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​Steven Le, Consumer Support Specialist and Trainer, Starkey
Steven - biography pending
11.45 - 12.30 am
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Introducing AudZone: The first Australian AI Platform for Audiology Clinics
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Christo Fourie & Daniel Fechner, AudZone
Christo - biography pending
Lunch 12.30 - 1.30 pm
1.30 - 2.15 pm
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Hearing Services Program Update
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Chris Carlile, Assistant Secretary, Hearing Services Branch, Department of Health and Aged Care
Since joining the Commonwealth Department of Health in 2012, Chris has led several portfolio responsibilities including Primary Healthcare Policy, Medicare Benefits and Portfolio Strategy. He is currently responsible for the Hearing Services Program and managing funded measures under the Roadmap for Hearing Health. Chris previously served as a Senior Advisor in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and also led several programs of work in what is now the Department of Social Services. Before joining the public service, Chris was Director of a torture and trauma rehabilitation service for humanitarian entrants. His long-term interest in overseas aid and development saw him working in Philippines and Bougainville for four years. His voluntary work includes over ten years’ service on the National Council for Caritas Australia and then on the National Advisory Council for Australian Catholic Earthcare. He is currently a voluntary State and Territory Coordinator for ANCOP Australia, a small non-profit overseas aid and development organisation working in the Philippines and Oceania. Formal studies include Bachelor of Theology, Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Master of Science in Guidance and Counselling, Master of Arts in Human Service Management and a Master of Arts in Social Policy and Social Planning.
2.15 - 3 pm
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Navigating Employment Laws: Key Australian Legislation (Fair Work Act, NES, WHS) Compliance Essentials, and Avoiding Legal Pitfalls
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Belinda McLean, General Manager,
HR Focus
Before establishing HR FOCUS, Belinda worked as a human rsources professional in small and large businesses in Sydney, and was employed as a HR manager and consultant in a wide variety of industries including health, retail, aged/community care and manufacturing. With over twenty-five years experience in people management, emotional intelligence, industrial relations and human resource management, she is considered an expert in the field of people management. Belinda has a Master of Commerce ‘Workplace Relations’, University of Sydney, and Bachelor of Arts ‘Politics’, Univeristy of Wollongong, and was an Emotional Intelligence Trainer & Course Implementor at Genos International.
Afternoon Tea 3 - 3.30 pm
3.30 - 5 pm
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The Value of Data Modern CRM Systems for Business Management
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Daniel Fechner, Director & Audiometrist, Ear Studio, AudZone
Daniel is an audiometrist, and the founder and Director of his independent practice, Ear Studio. 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