Ignite MNC 2019 – Featured Speaker – Zoe Eather
In our third interview of speakers and presenters that will be attending Ignite Mid North Coast Symposium 2019 we are featuring Zoe Eather.
On November 6, Zoe will be speaking at the Slim Dusty Centre, located in the beautiful Macleay Valley and location for this year’s event. Ignite MNC Symposium 2019 will bring together creative thinkers and inspired innovators from within the region and beyond to talk about “Your World 2030”.
If you live in the Mid North Coast or have ever considered relocating to the region be sure to come along, tickets are available HERE
Zoe is an engineer and a millennial with a passion for Smart Communities, Smart Cities and Smart Regions, so not just in the big cities, but using technology and Smart ways of thinking as enablers to make the places we live more accessible, liveable and sustainable for all.
Keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and sharing her learnings through hosting The Smart Community Podcast and recently returning from a Winston Churchill Fellowship where she researched Smart Mobility in 10 different countries.
Her background includes civil construction, project management, environmental engineering and advanced and emerging transport technologies. Through her boutique consultancy, she offers Smart Community advisory services with a focus on Smart Mobility, Smart project management, Smart technology in regional communities, dealing with disruption and facilitating genuine collaboration.
We caught up with Zoe for a quick Q&A Interview.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Roma in country Queensland.
Given the choice between living in the city or country which would you choose and why?
I have lived in both the city and the country and I love living somewhere in between which is why I live in Toowoomba. I like being able to access everything I need and have great food and coffee nearby, I also love travelling so having the airport at Wellcamp is great. Although I love to travel, I hate to commute so working flexibly is important to me wherever I am.
Describe your area of expertise?
I am a Smart Communities commentator and professional which means I have the conversations that others aren’t having as well as advise government and industry in Smart City projects. I am a specialist in Smart Mobility which includes connected and autonomous vehicles, integrating public transport and active transport into the conversation.
Your world 2030, what will it look like and what do you hope will have changed?
By 2030, a number of Smart Community projects and initiative that I have been involved in will be in the measuring and monitoring phase so will be able to see the real outcomes and impacts which is exciting. Also by then I will have been around the world more than a few times to close the conversational gaps we have when we talk about Smart Cities and Communities.
There is a lot of polarisation in the world at the moment but we are all suffering with a common thread of problems so by 2030 hopefully some of that would have shifted and we would be living, working and playing in our Smart Communities where we are informed, things are efficient and effective, places and technology is accessible and we are striving for equality.
What is the greatest hurdle you have had to overcome in your career and how did you do it?
Last year I had to make the choice to leave my secure job to start the podcast and my own consultancy, it wasn’t easy but I put a plan together, worked out my resources and took the leap as I knew it was my time to explore what I loved and add value to the world.
If you could solve one problem or issue what would it be?
Increasing data literacy so that we can really understand and can make informed decisions about what want we allow our data and information to be used for.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Your best asset is that fact that you are different, so amplify it.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?
This is tricky…probably J.K. Rowling because #hpislife
Best advice you have being given?
“You can’t shift the conversation until you understand the information” by my business coach Jacqueline Nagle. In other words, we need to be involved if we ever want to change the narrative, standing on the sidelines will not work because you’ll never fully understand the situation.
What are you looking forward to most about attending Ignite MNC 2019?
Getting back out into regional NSW and hearing the priorities and interests of this region
Thanks Zoe