People

Stela Solar is the CEO at Stone & Chalk, Australia’s largest innovation community. Stela also serves on the Data & AI Advisory Council at Beyond Blue.

A recognised technology leader, she was previously Managing Director for Data&AI at Accenture ANZ, served as the Inaugural Director of Australia's National AI Centre and Co-chair of the Commonwealth AI Consortium, after holding several leadership positions at Microsoft, including Global Director of AI Solution Sales and Global Partner Co-sell Leader.

Callum has 25+ years leading insurance, insurtech and financial services businesses across Australia and the US. A hands-on general manager, he has built products from scratch, led major strategic pivots and transformations, and has a passion for building profitable businesses.

His expertise spans business strategy, product design, P&L management, and scaling teams across start-up and growth-stage environments. He brings multinational perspective and a track record of turning complex ideas into commercial results.

Danielle Hirst is a seasoned senior finance professional with expertise in business partnering, commercial management, operations, investment analysis, and governance. Her experience spans a diverse range of industry sectors, where she has successfully led complex initiatives and driven process improvements. She is a skilled communicator, known for building strong relationships at all levels of an organisation.

Olivia is a curious and strategic leader and communication specialist. Her experience spans across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors; and she is passionate about capturing audiences through impactful storytelling, developing high-performing teams and delivering business results.

Paulette Parker is a seasoned B2B marketing, communications, and campaign specialist. Her 15+ years of experience span the technology (SaaS), professional services, and media sectors. She excels at crafting compelling campaigns that drive business impact.

I’m passionate about building relationships within the startup and scaleup ecosystem to support the growth of our residents. My goal is to help startups to scale, advocate for technology solutions and disruptors that are built to make things easier. Come to me if you want to give feedback/suggestions on programs or events or have an opportunity for the wider community.

Ben Colley is an Australian technologist with deep experience in innovation, product management, teams and startup to scaleup companies.

Interested in technology as a fundamental driver to human progress, Ben is based in Adelaide but has worked across teams in Australia, United Kingdom and the United States.

Kylie Anne Neal is a HR specialist of more than 10 years, boasting multiple degrees in Psychology, Coaching Psychology and more.

Kylie takes a hands-on approach to help discover ideal company culture and HR solutions.

Chair of Stone & Chalk Group, Chair of AustCyber and a Non-Executive Director of Daisee, an AI software company he founded in 2017, Richard is the former CEO of ASX Listed OFX Group, CEO of FirstDirect Bank plc and was the first Regional Managing Director of Google in South East Asia, which included Australia and NZ. Richard has over 30 years of international experience having worked in HK, USA and the UK.

A non-executive Director at Stone & Chalk, James is also a partner at KPMG where he is the partner in charge for KPMG Futures.

James has over 25 years of experience in business growth, innovation and emerging technology across all industries.

He is also an advisory board member to the ARC funded Centre for Information Resilience at UQ and the Human Technology Institute at UTS.

He started his career at Telstra before joining KPMG in 2005.

A Non-Executive Director at Stone & Chalk, Kate Pollard has over 25 years of experience across professional services, banking, and real estate, bringing deep expertise in product strategy, customer experience, multi-channel marketing and digital transformation.

She most recently co-founded and scaled Circle In, a global HR tech platform, through to a successful exit and now leads FORK Collective, advising scale-ups on growth strategy and market positioning.

A non-executive Director at Stone & Chalk, Gillian has over 20 years of experience as an auditor, gained while working at EY and KPMG. She has experience working with listed and non-listed clients across a wide range of industries, including media, technology, telecommunications, FMCG, health and aged care, not-for-profit organisations, professional services, and the government sectors.