Brisbane 2032 & Beyond: Visionaries Shaping the Future

Benjamin Millepied is a French dancer, choreographer, and director. Raised partly in Senegal, he began dancing with guidance from his mother and trained at the Conservatoire in Lyon before joining the School of American Ballet in New York.

In 1994, Millepied won the Prix de Lausanne and was cast by Jerome Robbins in 2 & 3 Part Inventions. He joined New York City Ballet in 1995, became a principal dancer in 2002, and performed leading roles in works by Balanchine, Robbins, Martins, and others.

He began choreographing in 2001, creating works for major companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Paris Opera Ballet, where he premiered Amoveo, Triade, and Daphnis et Chloé. His work spans stage and film, notably as choreographer for Black Swan (2010).

In 2012, he founded L.A. Dance Project, a multidisciplinary company based in Los Angeles. Millepied has also served as artistic director at the Morris Center Dance Institute and was choreographer-in-residence at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. He is a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and a recipient of the United States Artists Wynn Fellowship.

After Co-Founding Australia’s Epic Pharmacy and Icon Group, Australia’s largest dedicated cancer care provider, Cathie’s attentions are now focused on the Arc31 family office and the portfolio of businesses and funds it invests in, and SpArc Foundation which oversees the family’s philanthropic activities.

Cathie is a director of the Brisbane Lions Australian Rules Football Club and served as Chair of AUCyber, provider of digital infrastructure and cybersecurity solutions for sovereign data assets until the company was taken over in February 2025.

As tech geek at heart, Cathie has always believed in the role digital solutions have to play in the delivery of exceptional healthcare, and this focus has driven not only her activity at Icon and Epic but sits behind many of the Arc31 investments.

She has been the recipient of many industry awards and honours including: induction into the Australian Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame in 2015, named one of the Top 100 Women of Influence by the Australian Financial Review in 2013, winner of the National Telstra Business Women’s Award in 2011, and recognised by Monash University with a Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement in 2012. In June 2019, Cathie was honoured with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to healthcare delivery and philanthropy.

Cathie’s fascination in breaking new ground saw her invited to be part of the original Google Glass Explorer program and she is one of Virgin Galactic’s future astronauts. She eagerly awaits the opportunity to travel into space and see the world from a very different perspective.

Cathie regularly speaks on a broad range of topics, including digital healthcare, wearable technology, entrepreneurial lessons from the Epic business story and the role of women in leadership.

Louise Bezzina is one of Australia’s most visionary arts leaders, with 25 years of experience delivering transformative cultural programs. As Artistic Director of Brisbane Festival since 2019, she has redefined the role of contemporary arts festivals—making them more ambitious, accessible, and community-focused. Under her leadership, the Festival became Australia’s largest-attended international arts event, attracting 1.8 million attendees in 2024, doubling box office revenue, and increasing philanthropic support fivefold.

In October 2025, Louise will step into a dual role as CEO and Artistic Director of Brisbane Powerhouse, continuing her legacy at one of Queensland’s premier cultural institutions. Her tenure has been marked by bold programming, including the acclaimed Salamander by Maxine Doyle and Es Devlin, and a major partnership with Sony Entertainment for Lightscape.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she delivered one of the few live arts festivals globally, showcasing 28 new commissions across all 190 Brisbane suburbs. Louise also founded Bleach* Festival, transforming it into Australia’s largest regional arts event, and led the 2018 Commonwealth Games Cultural Festival.

In 2024, she received an Honorary Doctorate from Griffith University. As she enters her final Brisbane Festival, Louise continues to champion a bold, playful, and deeply local artistic vision.

Rachel Healy is the Chief Executive of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane, Queensland.

Rachel has worked in senior roles in the cultural sector for more than twenty years including as Joint Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival (2015-2022), Director of Performing Arts for Sydney Opera House, General Manager of Belvoir St Theatre and Executive Manager Culture for the City of Sydney. Before commencing in the role as QPAC Chief Executive she worked as a cultural industries contractor and consultant including as Curator of Ideas and Special Events for the 2024 Vivid Sydney Festival.

She has served on more than 30 arts boards and government/industry advisory boards including the Sydney Opera House Trust, Live Performance Australia, the Major Performing Arts Board of the Australia Council (now Creative Australia), and the Australian Government’s Creative Economy Taskforce. In 2019, Rachel was awarded an honorary doctorate by University of Adelaide for her ‘exceptional dedication and service to the arts in Australia’, and in 2020 she was the recipient of the Arts Leadership Award from Creative Partnerships Australia.

Chris Jones is the editor of The Courier-Mail, and News Corp's Queensland editorial lead. His passion is using the influence that newspapers still very much have to drive better outcomes for the community they serve, and in which his team of journalists live.