From Adaptation to Opportunity:
Entrepreneurial Thinking for a Changing World
Change is inevitable. Opportunity is not.
Join QUT’s Professor Rowena Barrett as she explores how entrepreneurial thinking can help regional businesses identify opportunities, experiment with new ideas and thrive in uncertain times. Featuring QUT’s Alpha Mini robot and a hands-on innovation activity, this engaging session will leave participants with practical tools for turning change into opportunity.

Professor Rowena Barrett is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Entrepreneurship and Regional Innovation) at QUT and a recognised leader in entrepreneurship, innovation and regional economic development. She works with industry, government and communities to help translate ideas into action and build thriving regional economies.

Dr Oliver Knox leads the Bundaberg based Horticulture group at CQU. Oliver has developed and delivered sustainable soils management frameworks, world firsts in compostable textile standards, but is probably best known for asking Australians to do one thing, to soil their undies! This accessible activity, which makes the microscopic life in the soil visible by making a pair of pants invisible, saw Oliver awarded the 2022 General Jeffery Soil Health Award and serves as a reminder that sometimes the best tech is not necessarily high-tech.

Dr Simon Tannock is co-founder and Director of Bundaberg-based AlgaEnviro, an environmental technology company developing biological approaches to water-quality management and aquatic ecosystem restoration.

With more than 20 years’ experience working with microalgae, Simon led the development of Diatomix and SiLution, technologies designed to support beneficial biological processes and improve the ecological functioning of degraded waterbodies. AlgaEnviro’s work now spans projects across Australia and internationally, with Simon’s current focus extending beyond harmful algal bloom management to understanding how biological nutrient pathways can be restored to create healthier and more resilient aquatic ecosystems.

Josh Rimmington is the Founder and Managing Director of JR Marketing Group, a multi-disciplinary marketing agency based in Hervey Bay, regional Queensland.

Josh has completed Digital Transformation studies through Stanford Graduate School of Business, with a particular interest in how AI and emerging technology can help regional businesses improve productivity, innovate and compete beyond their postcode.

He is a two-time Amazon #1 bestselling business author, host of the 2 Minute Marketing Podcast and Parenting + Business Podcast, and an experienced conference and business speaker.

Josh’s presentations combine real-world business experience, practical examples and a no-jargon approach to technology, marketing and business growth.

Rubyberry from Childers produces Miracle Fruit Cubes, which have a unique ability to temporarily change how we perceive taste. While they are a fun culinary experience for some by making sour food sweet, they can be a game-changer for people such as those undergoing chemotherapy who struggle with a persistent metallic taste (dysgeusia), a side effect that often leads to a loss of appetite.

Chris along with his partner, Karen, have a fascinating story about how they discovered the incredible qualities of Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum), through to establishing their farm and commercial operation in Childers. They have been featured on Landline, SBS and 7 News to name a few.

Daniel Kimberley brings more than 25 years of experience across coral aquaculture, fisheries and maritime operations, with a career spanning public aquariums, aquaculture training, commercial fisheries and complex marine operations throughout Queensland and Northern Australia.
As the founding director of Monsoon Aquatics, Daniel has played a key role in developing the business from an ornamental marine livestock collection operation into an integrated enterprise combining responsible wild collection, commercial coral aquaculture, research and reef restoration.

Daniel is passionate about bringing industry, science, and regulators together to develop practical solutions for the future of coral aquaculture and marine conservation.

Sasha Job is a lecturer in neurological physiotherapy at CQUniversity, PhD candidate, and founder of the Universal Beach Accessibility Hub (U-BEACH). Through research, community partnerships and innovative service models, she works to improve access to physical activity, recreation and wellbeing opportunities for people with disability.

Her work focuses on translating evidence into practical solutions that create more inclusive communities. U-BEACH has received national recognition for its impact on accessibility, participation and community engagement.

This presentation will discuss the development of an intelligent UAV-based system for precision weed management in agriculture. It will include the entire process; beginning with aerial imaging & surveying, AI-based weed detection and mapping, and subsequent mission planning and targeted spraying using an autonomous UAV. The presentation will also look at the practical development and field testing of the system, some of the challenges encountered when integrating these different technologies, and how they can be addressed. In a broader sense, it will explore how intelligent farming with the aid of UAVs can be used to make weed management more precise and efficient, while reducing unnecessary chemical application; in addition to looking at some of our future ideas for this pipeline.

Dr Zhenglin Wang is a Lecturer at CQUniversity, Australia. He received his PhD from the University of South Australia in 2016 and has research and industry experience in computer vision, machine learning, autonomous robotics, and precision agriculture. He has contributed to several research projects, including the development of the world’s first autonomous mango harvesting robot, agricultural decision support systems, autonomous mining technologies, and sports analytics. He has secured AUD $3.08 million in external research funding and published 35 peer-reviewed papers, with a Scopus h-index of 12. In 2019, he was awarded an Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship.

Associate Professor Benjamin Taylor is a Chartered Professional Engineer with more than 20 years of experience spanning industry and higher education. As Head of College for Engineering and Aviation at CQUniversity, he leads multidisciplinary teams delivering engineering and aviation programs across Australia and internationally. His work focuses on strengthening regional communities through innovative education pathways, workforce development, and industry engagement.

Associate Professor Shameen Jinadasa is an academic in civil and humanitarian engineering at CQUniversity Australia, based at the Bundaberg campus. He leads the university’s Humanitarian Engineering discipline and coordinates engineering student mobility. His teaching and research span humanitarian engineering, water and wastewater management, environmental sustainability and disaster resilience. He has experience with nature-based systems, including constructed wetlands and phytocapping, supporting clean technology approaches to treatment and pollution management.

Dr Nadeesha Chandrasena is an urban planner, industry researcher, inventor and founder with 15 years of experience in urban planning, water management, sustainability and climate resilience.

She is the Founder and CEO of Urban Inventors and the inventor of Smart Drain Technology. Smart Drain won the WIPO Global Award 2025 and the Australian Good Design Award 2024 – Best in Class for Engineering Design. In 2026, Urban Inventors won the ClimateLaunchpad Australia National Final.

The technology has also progressed through UQ Ventures ilab and EnergyLab’s Investment Ready Program, supporting its commercialisation and market development.

EJ Garrett is a Darumbal man from the coastal lands of Central Queensland, with family connections to the Wulli Wulli people of the Burnett region. Through his work, EJ is focused on creating pathways for Traditional Owners and First Nations organisations to participate in economic development while protecting and respecting cultural heritage.

In this session, EJ will share the strategies his organisation uses to work collaboratively with landowners, investors, Native Title groups and government agencies. He will discuss how these partnerships create opportunities to access culturally significant locations, support sustainable development, and enable meaningful participation in regional economic activities. EJ will also outline the key pillars that form the framework for their operations and provide practical insights into balancing cultural, community and commercial outcomes.

What if some of the greatest barriers experienced by neurodivergent people are not found within the individual, but within the environments, relationships and systems designed to support them? Drawing on lived experience, relational neuroscience and clinical practice, this presentation challenges conventional approaches to neurodivergence and explores what innovation in health and community care can look like when we shift our focus beyond the individual.

Kara-Lee James is the Founder and Director of Neuroinclusive Co., a Bundaberg-based practice working to advance neuro-affirming approaches across health, education, and community services. With a professional background spanning education, child and youth counselling, play therapy and family-focused therapeutic practice, Kara-Lee brings together relational neuroscience, clinical experience and her own lived experience as an Autistic, ADHD, and multiply neurodivergent professional.

Hear from our Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Award winners who have been busy since August continuing to develop their winning idea.