2026 BCCM Leaders' Summit and Taste of Australia Dinner
2026 BCCM Leaders' Summit and Taste of Australia Dinner
Trust is our currency
Join more than 300 leaders and international and national speakers at the 2026 BCCM Leaders’ Summit, taking place at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth on 20–21 October 2026.
With a landmark ALP commitment to support the doubling of Australia’s co-operative and mutual sector, coupled with our members’ record-breaking trust scores and brand engagement, the opportunity to leverage our embedded purpose and ethics to grow our reach and scale has never been more tangible.
Across two packed days, the program will explore how trust can support business growth, strengthen member value and position co-operatives and mutuals as key drivers of economic prosperity and social impact.
Program highlights
We have curated an unsurpassed guest speaker line-up and program, including:
- The Hon Dr Daniel Mulino MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services
- Guy Cormier (Quebec), former President and CEO of Desjardins Group, North America’s largest mutual bank
- Dr Victoria Hurth (France), award-winning author and Project Leader for the international standard on Purpose-Driven Organizations (ISO 37011)
- Tarun Bhargava (India), Senior General Manager, IFFCO, the world’s largest fertiliser co-operative
- The Hon Verity Firth AM, Vice-President Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement at the UNSW and Deputy Chair of Teachers Mutual Bank Limited
- Amit Singh, Managing Partner, Mandala Partners, one of Australia’s leading economics, strategy and public policy advisory firms
Taste of Australia Dinner and BCCM Honour Roll – presented by NRMA
Tuesday, 20 October 2026, 6:00 pm–10:30 pm AEDT
Wentworth Ballroom, Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Dress code: Business suit or cocktail dress
Our renowned annual industry dinner celebrates the very best of Australia’s co-operative producers, with a bespoke menu designed by Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Executive Chef Chris Eckelmann.
From Western Australian rock lobster to Australian lamb and locally produced dairy, guests will enjoy a showcase of co-operative produce. The evening will also recognise retiring and outgoing leaders for their contribution to the sector, with new inductees welcomed to the 2026 BCCM Honour Roll.
- MC: Leigh Sales AM, award-winning journalist and author
- Political address: The Hon Courtney Houssos MLC, Minister for Finance, Minister for Domestic Manufacturing and Government Procurement and Minister for Natural Resources
- After-dinner keynote: George Megalogenis, award-winning author, journalist and political commentator
Find out more about the dinner
BCCM Breakfast on the Hill – presented by HCF
Wednesday, 21 October 2026, 7:30 am–8:45 am AEDT
Strangers’ Dining Room, NSW Parliament House
Dress code: Business attire
Breakfast on the Hill brings together parliamentary colleagues and business leaders from the mutual, community and charity sectors to officially open the BCCM Leaders’ Summit.
Hosted by BCCM and HCF, Australia’s largest non-profit health fund, the parliamentary breakfast will welcome 120 guests.
- Opening remarks: The Hon Janelle Saffin MP, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Recovery, Minister for the North Coast
- Platinum Partner Address: Lorraine Thomas, Managing Director and CEO, HCF
- Guest speaker: Doug Taylor, CEO, The Smith Family
Find out more about the breakfast
BCCM Leaders’ Summit – Trust is our currency
Wednesday, 21 October 2026, 9:00 am–5:00 pm AEDT (Networking drinks until 5:45 pm)
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
Dress code: Business attire
- NGM Group – Opening Keynote Platinum Partner
- Great Southern Bank – Business Leaders in Conversation Platinum Partner
- Teachers Mutual Bank – Closing Keynote Platinum Partner
The Leaders’ Summit is Australia’s cross-sector co-operative and mutual leadership event, bringing together chairs, directors, CEOs and executives from across finance, agriculture, motoring, insurance, retail, health and community services.
The program includes keynote conversations, plenary discussions, Business Leaders in Conversation and five interactive Leader Dialogues examining how trust can create long-term competitive advantage for member-owned businesses.
The theme, Trust is our currency, will explore the role of trusted institutions in supporting inclusive growth, essential services and national resilience, while building the case for co-operatives and mutuals with policymakers, media, communities and capital markets.
Featuring:
- Dr Julia Baird, journalist, broadcaster and author
- David Speers, journalist, broadcaster and host of ABC TV’s Insiders
- And, Bell Shakespeare Company - what can ‘the Bard’ teach us about Trust!
The Summit will also host the release of ground-breaking new research by NRMA and Monash University on the social value of Australian co-operatives and mutuals.
The Leader Dialogues
Choose from five deep-dive roundtable discussions. Places are strictly limited and allocated during online booking and registration.
Dialogue 1: Purposeful growth – Capital use cases for fulfilling purpose and growing sustainably
How co‑operatives and mutuals are deploying capital to balance purpose, performance and growth. Around the world mutual banks and other member-owned businesses have grown their businesses and their bond with members through capital issuance, tactical acquisitions and investments.
Innovation is never about growth for growth’s sake. This roundtable explores pathways to grow and challenges the fundamental question about why growth matters. Guest speaker, Guy Cormier, Former President and CEO, Desjardins Group, and North America’s largest co-operative financial institution, discusses why Desjardin’s members want to invest in the bank.
Guy is joined by session moderator Terry Agnew, Chair Insurance, MDA National and mutual capital experts Jo Dodd, Partner, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Damian Pretty, Group Investment Lead, Capital M&A, Australian Unity, Nicholas Chaplin, Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, Seed Funds Management and Rolf Stromsoe, Chief Customer Officer, Great Southern Bank.
Dialogue 2: National Agricultural Co‑operatives Roundtable
Farmer-owned businesses must evolve to remain competitive for their current members and generations to come.
To remain relevant and competitive, agricultural co-operatives must engage members in the business value proposition of the co-op. This roundtable will explore the strategies that strengthen a co-operative’s ability to invest for the future while maintaining member support.
In conversation with leaders from some of the world’s largest and most successful agricultural co-operatives, this roundtable will examine how co‑operatives can lead in a changing, even volatile marketplace to benefit their owners.
Guest speakers include Tarun Bhargava, Senior General Manager, IFFCO, the world’s largest fertiliser.
Moderated by Rade Musulin, Principal, Finity Consulting.
Dialogue 3: Governing AI adoption to achieve ROI and member trust
How boards and executives are governing AI adoption to deliver value while maintaining member trust.
This roundtable explores the current and emerging risks associated with AI adoption, alongside practical insights on how co‑operatives and mutuals are responding. Drawing on real case studies, the discussion examines the key risks at different stages of the AI journey and the governance approaches being taken to deliver value while maintaining member trust.
Co‑operatives and mutuals are increasingly adopting AI to drive efficiency, enhance member services and remain competitive. However, the pace of change, investment required, evolving regulation and challenges around data quality and model integrity are making it harder to realise ROI while protecting long‑held member trust—both critical priorities for Boards and executive teams.
Moderated by Claire Scott, Partner, Audit and Assurance and National Head of Financial Services, Grant Thornton.
Guest speakers include Daniel Farthing, Partner, Technology Risk and Cyber Resilience, Jemma Hirst, Head of Digital Capability & Enablement and Kate Monckton, Partner and National Head of Cyber Resilience, Grant Thornton.
Presented by Grant Thornton
Dialogue 4: Impact reporting masterclass
A practical discussion on measuring, reporting and communicating the value of co‑operatives and mutuals.
This roundtable is a deep dive into new research supported by the NRMA and undertaken by Monash Business School on the Social Value of Co-operatives and Mutuals. Discussion will examine what the new report reveals about the social and economic impact of co-operatives and mutuals and challenge notions about how to tell a compelling story about the value of member-owned businesses.
Moderator Michael Pilbrow, Director and Chairman, Strategic Development Group will invite insights from guest speakers including Associate Professor Paul Thambar, Founding Director, Mutual Value Impact Lab, Monash Business School, Professor Matthew Hall, Associate Dean, Graduate Research, Monash Business School, Julian Szafraniec, CEO, Principal and Partner, SGS Economics and Planning, and Tim Jetis, Founder and Creative Director, Cabinet of Wonder.
Presented by NRMA
Dialogue 5: Member engagement masterclass – what drives the world's best member engagement strategies?
This roundtable will examine the secrets to growing sustainably and maintaining membership loyalty in a challenging and competitive market.
This workshop is a deep dive into one of the world's most successful member engagement strategies. Balancing the 'head and heart' is key to driving enduring member loyalty at Capricorn Society. Founded in 1974 by a small group of Western Australian service station operators, Capricorn Society has grown to a $AUD4 billion turnover automotive co-operative buying group with more than 30,000 members across Australia and in New Zealand. Group CEO Brad Gannon will share key lessons of Capricorn's member engagement success.
Moderated by Mark Love, Legal Director, BAL Lawyers.
Hosted by the National Retail and Buying Groups Roundtable
The Leaders’ Summit at a glance
- More than 300 leaders and speakers
- 90 per cent of delegates are CEOs or C-suite leaders
- 99 per cent of attendees rate the conference as meeting or exceeding expectations
- Three flagship events across two days
Discounted delegate accommodation
Discounted delegate accommodation is available at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, located in the heart of Sydney close to Circular Quay, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the CBD.
A room-only delegate rate is available for stays from 19–21 October 2026, subject to availability.
Bookings must be made by 5 September 2026 using the official accommodation booking link.
For further information, please visit the 2026 BCCM Leaders’ Summit website or contact Andrea Young, Events Manager, BCCM at summit@bccm.coop.
2026 Leaders’ Summit partners
Meet the 2026 Leaders' Summit partners
Location
Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 2000