April Palmerlee
Pronoun
Chief Executive Officer
AmCham Australia
April Palmerlee has been CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia since 2017. In 2024, she was elected Chairman of AmChams of the Asia Pacific. American-born, she has lived in Sydney for over 20 years and is a dual citizen. She is a member of Chief Executive Women and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She received a BS from Georgetown and a Master’s from Columbia.
In Australia, she has worked for the US Studies Centre at USyd, the Lowy Institute, the Centre for Independent Studies, and Potomac Partners. In the United States, she held the rank of Assistant Secretary of State. Before that, she was a senior executive at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. She has also worked for couturier Oscar de la Renta, financial publisher The Bank Credit Analyst, and not-for-profit The Spanish Institute.
She sits on the boards of CIS, The United Way Australia and Georgetown University Australian and New Zealand Studies Center. April also teaches MBA students at the University of Sydney Business School.
SESSIONS
Day 1
9:30
CEO Panel: The Leadership Balancing Act
How are CEOs adapting their leadership to meet the moment? This panel brings together senior executives to discuss the top trends keeping them up at night – from AI integration and workforce transformation to global instability and cost constraints.
What trends are keeping leaders up at night, and where are they placing their boldest bets?
How AI is reshaping productivity expectations and leadership priorities – and how to turn AI anxiety into advantage
Strategies for managing fatigue, maintaining trust, and building resilience in high-pressure environments to ensure long-term business performance and adaptability
April Palmerlee, Chief Executive Officer, AmCham Australia; AFR Women in Leadership 2025 Finalist
Nadia Stone, Vice President and Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, Kenvue
Helena Turpin, Chief Executive Officer, Go Figur
Suzana Ristevski, Chief Marketing Officer, Australia and New Zealand, Google, Non Executive Director, Australian Association of National Advertisers
Haidee Kozman, Chief Operating Officer, ANZ, Salesforce