Presentation: Keynote Presentation
Thursday, 09:15 – 10:30 | Keynote
The pest management industry is being asked to do more, faster, with less. Pest pressures are shifting with the climate. Regulations are tightening around the chemistries operators have relied on for decades. Customers expect the same on-demand experience they get from every other service, and the workforce question, who will do this work and how, is reshaping every business in the room.
Against this backdrop, "future-proofing" can feel like an impossible brief. Dr Michelle Dickinson argues that it is, and that the people who thrive in the next decade will stop trying to predict what is coming and start building the capability to adapt to whatever does.
Drawing on a career spent at the edge of change, from nanotechnology research to her current role as Chief Strategy Officer of a Silicon Valley robotics company, Michelle offers a practical framework for staying curious under pressure, separating real signals from noise, and making the small bets that compound into resilience. Attendees will leave understanding why the most adaptable operators are rarely the most certain, and how to build a business and a career that can meet whatever comes next with confidence.
Dr. Michelle Dickinson MNZM is a pioneering engineer and technology strategist whose career bridges science, engineering, and emerging technologies. Driven by a mission to make complex ideas accessible and engaging, she has become a global leader in translating cutting-edge innovation into concepts that inspire action.
Raised with a curiosity for how things work, Michelle went on to earn a PhD in Biomedical and Materials Engineering, specialising in advanced nanomechanical techniques. Her academic research spanned materials science and biomedical engineering, producing an extensive body of published work.
Michelle's career has seen her advising some of the world's largest technology companies on nanotechnology and guiding them through the rapidly evolving landscapes of AI, quantum computing, and sustainable technology. She has held influential roles across academia and industry, including her ongoing position as an honorary academic in engineering at the University of Auckland.
As co-founder of Nanogirl Labs, she built innovative STEM education programmes that reached global audiences, before founding Matter Workshop, where she continues to champion creative approaches to STEM learning and corporate technology training. She also serves as an Honorary Wing Commander in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Beyond her technical expertise, Michelle is an accomplished author of bestselling science books, a creator and host of award-winning television series, and the voice behind top-charting science podcasts. Her ability to connect science to everyday life has made her a familiar presence in media and a trusted voice in public science communication.
Michelle's contributions have been recognised with numerous awards, including the Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science communication, the Sir Peter Blake Leadership Award, the Prime Minister's Science Media Communication Prize, and the Women of Influence Award for Science & Innovation.