Managers & Executives

IPAA Queensland offers professional development and networking opportunities for managers and executives involved or engaged in public purpose work across Queensland. Through our strong relationships with local, state and federal government, academics and leaders from industry and community organisations, IPAA is uniquely positioned to provide you with professional development, resources and networking opportunities to support you on your leadership journey.

What membership type is best for me?

We recommend Full Membership for Managers and Executives. Being a full member offers a range of benefits. You will receive discounted tickets to events and access to the latest thought leadership on public purpose topics. Find out more here.

EVEnts and resources

For ease, we have sourced and compiled a range of events and resources most relevant to you. Please take your time to browse our recent blog and thought leadership pieces and register for any upcoming events that spark your interest. If there’s anything you’d like to see here, please get in touch with us as we are regularly creating new content and evolving our events program.

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June 3, 2026

Leading from the Middle: A Leadership Forum with Margaret Allison AM

Level 41, 1 William Street Brisbane Q 4000

How middle managers create public value, empower teams, and connect purpose with action across Queensland About this Event Middle managers carry the system: translating strategy into action, brokering partnerships, and protecting standards under pressure. Examples include regional directors negotiating the politics of corporate strategy and the expressed needs of local stakeholders; the policy and strategy

May 27, 2026

The Mandarin Live: Future Ready Public Service Queensland

Brisbane, Meanjin & Online Livestream

About this Event IPAA Queensland is pleased to support The Mandarin and The Hatchery for this critical strategic forum. Building a future-ready public service demands more than policy ambition; it requires resilient systems, trusted institutions, and leaders who can deliver under sustained pressure. This Summit brings together Queensland’s senior public sector leaders to examine how

November 17, 2026

2026 Irene Longman Oration

1 William Street Brisbane Q 4000

17th November 2026, 1 William Street IPAA Queensland’s Irene Longman Oration will return in November 2026. The Oration brings together leaders from across Queensland’s public purpose community for a timely, ideas-driven address from a distinguished speaker, followed by conversation and connection. About this Event The IPAA Queensland oration is named in honour of Irene Longman,

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Thursday 14 May

Influencing without Authority: Insights from the room

What the Influence Index revealed about leadership and influence On 30 April 2026, more than 480 leaders from across the Queensland public service and public purpose community gathered to explore one of the most practical challenges in modern leadership: how to influence without formal authority. The Influence Index, a live in-room pulse survey, gave us

Tuesday 24 March

What public administrators can learn from philanthropists

The public and philanthropy sectors can be powerful collaborators in delivering community-focused strategy, IPAA Queensland’s president Samay Zhouand has found. The origin of the saying ‘to go fast, go alone, to go far, go together’ is disputed, but few would argue against leveraging the strengths of trusted collaborators to achieve the most impactful outcome.

Thursday 19 March

Growing awareness of the cost of regulation

At our recent Challenger Seminar Series event, Adopting a Growth Mindset – The Role of the Public Sector in Lifting Productivity, Danielle Wood, Chair of the Australian Productivity Commission, led a thought-provoking discussion on the public sector’s role in driving productivity and tackling complex policy challenges. The event also sparked broader reflections on what a

Thursday 19 March

Insights on stewardship with Kat Stapleton

On Monday 16 February 2026, IPAA Queensland kicked off the 2026 program with our Stewards on the Couch series, welcoming Kat Stapleton, CEO of Queensland Rail, to the IPAA couch. Kat offered insight into the realities of leading a large, high-accountability organisation, where safety, reliability and customer experience are non-negotiable. Across the conversation, Kat shared

What are members saying?

A lot of people join Government because they want to make a difference to the community and IPAA can help in improving that difference we make.

Heidi Bushnell, Professional

Queensland Government

The experiences are amazing, and the relationships and the people you meet are incredible.

Dave Stewart, Executive

Queensland Government

IPAA provides a fantastic meeting place. There aren’t many forums where you can bring together a really diverse group of stakeholders and talk about really topical issues. IPAA does this really well.

Michael Hiller, Queensland Chairman

KPMG

It is great to see IPAA thriving, bringing in so many people, the calibre of the people you meet is priceless. I recommend everyone get involved and join in.

Fahim Khondaker, Professional

BDO

The forums, exceptional presentations – it is learning in a relaxed way that you don’t see in other institutions. I am very glad that IPAA is back in Queensland.

Katarina Carroll, Commissioner

QFES