Humanitech Perspective

Today we have Julian Thomas and Bridgette Engeler. We ask Julian to paint us a picture of the state of play here in Australia and the oceanic region when it comes to digital equity. Julians work revolves around closing the digital divide and in the conversation provides valuable insights into where there is opportunity for social entrepreneurship and points to where systemic changes need to be made in the Australian digital culture. We then put the question to Bridgete Engeler on, how do we create  equitable futures for all?  Which dives us headlong into future strategy and the importance of dreaming up futures we want to live and future opportunities we want to enable for ‘voices of futures yet to be heard’. About our guests: Julian Thomas is Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, and a Distinguished Professor in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University. Thomas was elected to the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 2017. Bridgette Engeler. Bridgette is a pracademic working across design, strategic foresight and culture. With 20 years' experience in brand, design and innovation strategy, Bridgette's work focuses on the potential of design and futures to tackle challenges intersecting people, community and systems.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we get to hear the story of a true doer. Someone who has taken a problem experienced at a personal level, tried to fix it, then seen an opportunity to help others experiencing a similar problem. Usman created a global first business model, an incubator to support Migrants, Catalysr. A pre-accelerator, a world first that is playing a big role in creating a global movement to change the way we view migrant communities right across the globe. Usman Iftikar is a systems entrepreneur who is on a mission to solve two major wicked problems - global warming, and the global refugee crisis through out-of-the-sphere solutions. In 2018 Usman was named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year amongst 1.4 billion young people living in 53 Commonwealth Nations by HRH Prince Harry at Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018. Usman is the acting CEO of is Catalysr, an award-winning pre-accelerator for early stage startups. They run intensive entrepreneurship programs for high-performing migrant and refugee entrepreneurs (Migrapreneurs) who want to find success in Australia by building their own tech startup. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today we have our very own Amanda Robinson, Head of Social Innovation and Humanitech at the Australian Red Cross. We wanted to share this with you to give you insight into where this all began and where its all heading. Amanda was instrumental in initiating the vision for humanitech and to propelling it forward. Amanda Robinson is a strategic social innovation specialist with a focus on emerging technologies including blockchain, digital identity and AI, to help solve complex social problems and drive humanitarian outcomes at scale. A versatile and entrepreneurial digital product and marketing professional with extensive experience in developing and managing online products and services, in particular online marketplaces, across a number of sectors. A strategic and creative thinker who has been responsible for the development of strategic roadmaps and identifying new business opportunities, through to successful market launch. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A podcast that explores the ideas, opportunities, and challenges at the intersection of frontier technologies and humanity.   Join us as we bring together the best minds looking to solve the world's wicked problems with the help of technology (and sometimes caused by technology!). The podcast features people from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and sectors, ranging from lived experience and community perspectives to industry experts and start-up ventures. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.