DRIVING
CHANGE

Keely Cat-Wells

Founder & CEO Making Space (USA)

Keely founded her first company in hospital, which later became C Talent, a talent agency that represents Disabled artists, reshaping perceptions of disability. C Talent was acquired in 2022, marking a significant milestone for disability within the creative industries. Keely is now the founder & CEO of Making Space, a talent acquisition and learning platform that develops accessible pathways to employment and career advancement through employer-backed courses for Disabled people, notably securing partnerships with NBC, Netflix and Amazon. Under the Making Space umbrella is Making Space Media, a division that creates film and TV content amplifying disabled narratives, Making Space Media securing a first-look deal with Reese Witherspoons, Hello Sunshine. Keely is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree, Presidential Leadership Scholar ’24, AdWeek Young Influential and Diana Award Winner.

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Nas Campanella

ABC National Disability Affairs Reporter

Nas Campanella is the ABC’s National Disability Affairs Reporter. Nas is totally blind and has a neurological condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) which means she can’t read Braille. After completing a Communications degree at the University of Technology Sydney, majoring in journalism she started with the ABC as a cadet. Nas has worked as a regional reporter in south eastern New South Wales and then as a triple j newsreader for seven years. In taking on this role, Nas became the first blind newsreader in the world to read and operate the studio for herself live to air. In 2020 she was appointed to the senior national Disability Affairs role.

Nas travels the world to speak at events, helping to motivate people on issues ranging from inclusive education, adaptive technology, accessible travel and the importance of empowerment and leadership for women. Now also a proud mum to her son, Nas also shares her experiences navigating motherhood as a parent with disability. As well as working in the area of policy development in Australia and across the Pacific, Nas has volunteered abroad creating disability awareness training programs for the United Nations and has held several board positions in the disability sector.

Nas is a freelance writer, MC and mentor and is an ambassador for three organisations; The Centre of Perinatal Excellence, , Motivation Australia and the Royal Institute For Deaf and Blind Children.

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Lisa Cox

Advertising Consultant and Disability Advocate

Lisa Cox is a TEDx speaker, author, globally published writer, internationally awarded thought leader and inclusive communications consultant. Combining her professional background in advertising and media, with a lived experience of disability, Lisa is committed to improving employment outcomes for people with a disability by empowering professionals in some of the world’s most influential industries, like film and advertising. Her solutions-focused approach is helping professionals better navigate the nuances of disability inclusion through their content and workplace practices. Lisa is the inaugural Disability Affairs Officer at Media Diversity Australia, has worked with Advertising Council Australia’s Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce and currently sits on Griffith University Inclusive Futures Engagement Council. Read more at www.lisacox.co

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Leigh Sales AM

Anchor of ABC-TV’s Australian Story

Leigh Sales AM, the anchor of ABC-TV’s Australian Story, is one of the country’s most recognised and respected journalists. From 2011 to 2022, she presented the ABC’s flagship evening current affairs program, 7.30, as well as being the face of major news coverage for the network, including federal elections and budget nights. She has been a foreign correspondent based in Washington DC, covered various rounds including national security and politics, and worked for TV, radio, print and digital.

She is the author of five books: Detainee 002: The Case of David Hicks (2007), On Doubt (2009), Well Hello (2021), the national bestseller Any Ordinary Day (2018) and her latest work Storytellers: Questions, Answers & the Craft of Journalism (2023).

Leigh co-hosts a wildly popular podcast called Chat 10, Looks 3 with her friend Annabel Crabb. It attracts hundreds of thousands of downloads each month, performs sell-out live shows around Australia and covers subjects ranging from arts and culture to friendship and grief.

Leigh has been decorated with many honours, including three Walkley awards for journalism and an Order of Australia for her public service. She has also been awarded two honorary doctorates - from the Queensland University of Technology and Edith Cowan University - in recognition of her achievements in journalism.

She is the mother of two sons.

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