Agenda
Pipeline is a dynamic three-day event filled with insightful sessions, exciting activities, and valuable networking opportunities.
David Beal, Senior Advisor at Australian ICT and digital advisory IBRS, will speak about the shift he’s seeing in what clients want from ICT partners - in ways that go far beyond the technology. He sees organisations questioning the value they receive from ICT partnerships after a long list of high profile outages and breaches.
Over the past 30 years, David has led organisations and teams through digital transformation in the financial, not-for-profit, government, academic and commercial sectors. This includes transformation work for industry super fund Energy Super, transformation of Queensland Government digital service delivery, and delivering communication and digital projects for local and state government and not-for-profit agencies.
MSP software including RMM and PSA tools has long been the bread and butter of managed services. But MSPs’ needs are evolving.
As MSPs automate their operations, and monitoring and management technology evolves, and as a new generation of savvier end-users arrives, and as partners question the financial return from “keeping the lights on”, a question emerges: If the economics of managed services are changing, what does that mean for the future of MSP software?
In this session, Brad Howarth will use MSP Index data, interviews with MSP leaders and independent analysts to explore that question.
Partners are being encouraged to take advantage of growing cloud spending on third party solutions and services through increasingly channel-friendly marketplaces.
Jennifer O'Brien has been interviewing the channel about the realities, including what's working and what's not.
At Pipeline she'll present her findings, including how the marketplace partner opportunity is evolving, and what partners and analysts said about the value of marketplaces and distributors' role in helping partners benefit from them, and what's next.
This session will be relevant whether marketplaces are critical to your business or not, or if you are simply curious about the state of play.
While the Brisbane 2032 Olympics is years away, issuing of tenders is already underway. One person with a view of the challenges and opportunities for Australian technology SMEs and innovators is Mark Lloyd – former CIO to Premiers of Queensland (1997-2009), former VP of the Australian Computer Society, and investor and COO, Gillard Group.
Mark's view of this is informed by his experience over the years on both sides of the procurement desk. He has also invested in and gathered partners to understand and influence outcomes here.
The tech opportunity is significant, but it will be a “conga line of ever-diminishing opportunities”, he predicts.
Mark will take to the stage at Pipeline to share his view. His concerns will be relevant to those with a stake in the future of Queensland’s ICT industry, and the Brisbane 2032 digital opportunity.
Rugby league great Brad “Freddy” Fittler will bring a candid look at leadership, culture and how to keep performing when the rules of the game keep changing – a perfect fit for this year’s Pipeline theme, Game Changers.
Across his 16-season career, Fittler played through some of the big shifts rugby league has seen: rule changes that influenced how teams played, jumps in athleticism and professionalism, the evolution of coaching methods, and a culture that transformed from old-school toughness into a more strategic, analytical era. Yet he not only adapted – he dominated.
Over a 16-season career, Fittler played 336 first-grade games, representing the Penrith Panthers and Sydney Roosters, captaining NSW in State of Origin, and leading Australia in 20 Tests and 5 World Cup victories. In 2000, he received the Golden Boot as the world’s best player.
As a captain and coach, Brad guided the Roosters to the 2002 Premiership and led NSW to State of Origin wins in 2018 and 2019. He remains the youngest player to represent NSW in State of Origin and played 409 combined club and representative games. Since retiring, Brad co-hosts The Sunday Footy Show and provides NRL commentary for the Nine Network.
His perspective on how the game changed around him, and how he changed with it, speaks to an ICT channel constantly dealing with its own moving goalposts.
At Pipeline, Fittler will take part in a Q&A about these topics, take audience questions and will also spend time with guests during the evening.
For business owners and leaders navigating pressure, change and competition, this session will offer leadership insight grounded that cuts through corporate clichés.
Mark Iles has been analysing deals and valuations in the local ICT industry for many years. His Australian IT Channel M&A Report, launched with techpartner.news in 2025, mapped out where the money was flowing and why.
His keynote at Pipeline will build on that research with fresh independent analysis of game-changing M&A trends for leaders making M&A decisions in the next two to three years.
Mark will provide clarity for partners actively pursuing M&A, fielding approaches, or just curious about their options.
His keynote will also provide valuable context for those planning to stay independent, and how consolidation around them will change competitive dynamics.
Australia's National AI plan and changes to the Privacy Act are among the forces that will shape the cybersecurity landscape in the year ahead.
In this session, Brad Howarth will provide a snapshot of the cyber landscape and what that means for cybersecurity partners.
This includes how emerging policy, regulation and AI adoption are shaping security demand in the channel; how partners can help customers respond to changing expectations around data, risk and accountability; and a pulse check of current conditions for selling security products and services.
What do CIOs really want from their technology partners now, and what actually delivers value?
Hear directly from John Khoury, Group CTO at Strandbags and Jennifer Kazangi, A/Chief Information Officer at Police Bank, about what works, what doesn’t, and what they are truly looking for in partnerships today.
Expect honest insights, real examples, and practical takeaways on how partners can build stronger, more valuable relationships with customers.
People working in lower level roles in the ICT channel are getting nervous about AI. Work from home remains a flashpoint. Younger staff and employers have different expectations. Small channel firms are competing for staff with bigger players.
Some employers are winning without beating rivals’ pay offers. Others are failing to grasp what a retention strategy means in 2026.
Sitting in the middle of these conversations is Dean Ellis, founder and director of Queensland-based technology recruitment firm Rec4Tech.
Dean will lay out how the employment market has changed, what he sees tech employees wanting in 2026, why some are quietly looking to move - and a practical playbook of steps you can take to attract employees and keep them.
