Speaker profiles.
Every confirmed speaker for the 2026 conference.
Rob Lowe is a specialised Marketer, CEO, founder, and entrepreneur with FMCG, pharmaceutical, and food sector experience in Australia, Europe and the USA. With lived experience of ADHD amongst family members and colleagues, Rob has experienced the advantages and challenges of ADHD both in Australia and overseas.
Melissa Webster is a proud neurodivergent leader and a nationally respected executive in the health and disability sector. With over 25 years of experience driving systemic change, Melissa is known for her unwavering commitment to human rights, social inclusion, and equity. As CEO of ADHD Australia, Melissa brings visionary leadership and a deep understanding of the lived experience of neurodivergence.…
Henry will be compèring the UK portion of the conference — including opening and closing the conference and providing an update on the charity's achievements in the last year and plans for the next year.
Edmund is a developmental psychologist who studies the causes, course and developmental consequences of mental health and neuro-developmental conditions. Motivated by his own childhood experience of learning and behavioural difficulties, he has devoted his research career to improving the life chances of young people, especially those with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as ADHD. To this end he has developed new ways…
Dr. Chris Abbott is Chief Medical Officer at Care ADHD. A Consultant Psychiatrist, Chris has spent 17 years working in the NHS, including almost a decade at South London and Maudsley, the UK's largest mental health trust, leading services for under-18s. As Care ADHD's Chief Medical Officer, he brings robust clinical expertise and deep governance insight, always keeping patients at…
Dr Michele Hill is a Consultant Psychiatrist with expertise in Adult ADHD, Youth Mental Health and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. She has held senior clinical and leadership roles, including at Massachusetts General Hospital, University College Cork and the HSE. She established the Adult ADHD Service in Cork and is the Clinical Lead for ADHD Ireland on the Integrated Care Pathway with the…
Juané du Randt is a Registered Counsellor and the Operations Manager at the Goldilocks and the Bear Foundation, where she is dedicated to holistic well-being and transformative growth. She holds a BA in Psychology, a BPsych degree, and is a Level 1 DBT practitioner. With a passion for integrating lifestyle coaching, she emphasises the power of movement, nutrition, and mindset…
Chris Benson was the first serving headteacher in the UK to publicly disclose living with ADHD on a national level. With 15 years' experience leading schools in the UK and internationally, he has lived neurodivergence from every seat at the table — as a pupil, a teacher, a headteacher, and as the parent of an autistic son and a daughter…
Clare Deakin heads up Marketing & Business Development at Galliford Try Building Southern, is a Non-Executive Director of SECBE and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. With more than 25 years' experience spanning marketing, business development and the built environment, Clare is passionate about using the construction industry's influence to create better outcomes for people and communities. She…
Seonaid is a Research Fellow in the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory at the University of Glasgow. Her research uses the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) Model as a theoretical framework to explore risk and protective factors associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviours, and to better understand how these experiences differ across individuals.
Leaders of ADHD charities from seven countries on the state of ADHD recognition, diagnosis and support where they are, what each organisation is doing to change it, and what they can learn from one another.
Simon Blair is an entrepreneur, business leader, endurance athlete and ADHD advocate. Diagnosed with ADHD later in life, he has spoken openly about how the diagnosis helped him make sense of his experiences in business, relationships, failure and his own identity. Outside business, Simon has completed endurance challenges across some of the world’s toughest environments, including the Sahara, the Arctic…
Joining the board in 2020, Matthew Tice is an experienced CEO and Non-Executive Director and a father of two boys with ADHD, aged 22 and 18. His lived experience with helping his sons navigate ADHD is the source of his passion for supporting individuals with ADHD, their families, and carers.
Monique Mitchelson is an AuDHD and Dyscalculic Clinical Psychologist in Brisbane Australia. She is co-host of the popular Neurodivergent Woman Podcast, Co-Director of Divergent Futures training, and has co-authored The Neurodivergence Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD by New Harbinger
Dr Erica McIntyre is a public health and psychology researcher, educator and coach. She supervises PhD researchers at the University of Technology Sydney and honours students in the School of Psychology at Charles Sturt University, has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers and now researches the lived experience of ADHD and neurodivergence in adults. Erica is a late-diagnosed ADHDer and an…
Dr Rebekah Hoffman is a Specialist General Practitioner, practice owner, researcher and medical educator with a particular interest in ADHD and neurodiversity.Rebekah is Chair of the RACGP NSW & ACT Faculty and Deputy Chair of the RACGP Board. She has been closely involved in advocacy and implementation surrounding the expansion of GP-led ADHD care in NSW, including the introduction of…
Dr Nancy Sadka is a Research Fellow at La Trobe University's Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC), focusing on early identification of ADHD and Autism. She is passionate about translating research into meaningful impact across communities through research-to-practice pathways.
Claire Thomas is the CEO and Founder of Empact Group, overall AFR Best Place to Work 2025. Guided by Empact's purpose to Empower to Act, Claire leads a team working across government, corporate and community sectors on complex transformation, workforce uplift and human-centred change. A former public servant with more than a decade across central agencies and national policy roles, Claire brings a…
Amy Cheung is the Co-Founder of ADHD Lifespan Clinic & Training Academy https://adhdlifespan.com.au/, delivering collaborative ADHD care and cross-sector training in Health, Education and Justice. She is also the CEO of Con Moto, supporting innovation and capability development across health and technology sectors. Amy holds a Bachelor of Medical Science (University of Sydney) and an MBA (AGSM, UNSW), with expertise in…
Dr Nicole Grant is the Editor-in-Chief at ADHD Australia, an occupational therapist with more than 20 years' experience, and a mum of two neurodivergent young people. J en Killian is the founder of TrueCalibre.co and as a Board Advisor to ADHD Australia, has led the launch of ADHD Assist.
Jemimah and Melindie are 2 neurodivergent Pre-School Field Officers with neurodivergent families. Their experiences as neurodivergent teachers, parents and children fuel their passion for advocacy—championing inclusive, strength-based approaches that empower neurodivergent children, teachers, and educators to thrive. They are committed to shaping environments where all learners feel understood, supported, and valued, and where educators are equipped with the confidence and knowledge…
Josh is the Federal Member for Macnamara, the Special Envoy for Social Housing and Homelessness and the Chair of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit. He was elected to the Federal Parliament in 2019, having previously worked as a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Victoria. Josh believes in the power of Government to change people’s lives for…
Dr Alice Morgan is a Clinical Psychologist and Director of Starling Health Collective - a private practice and training collective in trauma and clinician resilience. She has extensive experience working with trauma - spanning refugee work and paediatric medical trauma at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne and Great Ormond Street Hospital London, alongside humanitarian roles with MSF, global health fellowships…
Laura Frampton is co-founder of NeuroKind and a UK-qualified primary teacher with over 10 years of frontline experience in mainstream education. She leads the educational and practice content behind NeuroKind and Liora, drawing on her experience supporting children with additional needs and their families. William Frampton is co-founder of NeuroKind, where he leads product, technology and partnerships. He built the…
Paula became the Public Service Ombudsman for England in August 2025. She is a graduate of the London Business School and a trained barrister. She joined the Public Service Ombudsman from the financial technology firm OneID where she has been CEO since 2023. Previously, she was CEO at the Student Loans Company from 2018 to 2022, and the Charity Commission,…
Anita is a clinical academic child and adolescent psychiatrist whose research focuses on ADHD and mental health in young people, and she is lead editor of the authoritative international textbook Rutter's Textbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She was awarded a CBE for services to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in 2017, alongside honours including the Royal College of Psychiatrists' President's…
Dr Eccles is an award-winning researcher and a neurodevelopmental psychiatrist specialising in the links between brain and body, especially as they relate to flexible joints (hypermobility). She trained in medicine at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. As well as her University position at Brighton and Sussex Medical School as Associate Professor (Reader) in Brain-Body Medicine in the Department of…
Dr Manan Thakrar (Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director), Maram Al-Fozan (Lead Pharmacist), Dr. Holly Hart (Lead Psychologist), and Natalie Jones (Lead Nurse). Manan is a Consultant Psychiatrist and the Medical Director for Medinet Minds. Medinet Minds is a HSJ award for the best outpatient service provider of the country winning service which is one of the largest Neurodiversity assessment providers…
Dr Tom Nicholson is a prominent neurodiversity expert who has spoken live to over 100,000 people on understanding neurodivergence. He delivers bespoke talks, ongoing consultancy, and training for organisations across education, health and social care, and corporate sectors. Tom holds a position as Assistant professor of Mental Health Nursing at Northumbria University where his research explores the lived experience of…
Mark Phillips was a professional footballer for 25 years, enjoying a career that included winning leagues, playing in cup and playoff finals, and travelling the world doing what he loved. At the age of 43, he was diagnosed with ADHD following his own son's diagnosis, which prompted him to look back on his life. As he learned more about neurodiversity,…
Marisa Poster is the co-founder of PerfectTed, the UK’s largest matcha brand, which has grown from a kitchen table in 2020 to 35,000+ locations across 50+ countries and is on track to reach a $100 million ARR in 2026. After securing offers from all five Dragons on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, Marisa went on to be named to Forbes 30 Under…
Ash Ruddy is Chief Growth Officer at Neuly, an AI-powered parenting support platform built for parents of children with neurodevelopmental differences. Ash leads go-to-market strategy, institutional and consumer partnerships, and the ambassador network that connects Neuly with the families it serves. Neuly is grounded in clinical research and is built to feel like a trusted confidante rather than a clinical…
Jess is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (RMN) and non-medical prescriber. She worked for 18 years in NHS services and has spent 13 years working in ADHD clinics. Prior to joining Qbtech she had clinical leadership roles within CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health) and Paediatric ADHD teams. Jess has been at Qbtech since 2023 and within this role provides clinician…
Akiko Hashiguchi began her work to raise awareness and understanding of developmental disorders 25 years ago, following her son’s diagnosis with ADHD. She left Canon Inc. to devote herself fully to this work. She is currently the Representative Director of Bridges to Inclusion Co., Ltd. and works as a universal design consultant specialising in developmental disorders. Her work centres on…
Dr Helen Lawal is a GP and nutritionist. She specialises in women’s health, nutrition, weight management and neurodiversity and is passionate about helping people with ADHD develop practical, sustainable approaches to their health. Helen was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and brings both clinical expertise and lived experience of ADHD and autism to her work. She is an ambassador…