Founder, Doctor Cooper Studios

Dr Lisa Cooper is a florist, artist, author and doctor of philosophy.

She holds a doctorate of philosophy in fine art from the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, and is a permanent artist resident of the Mint in Sydney, Australia. Doctor Cooper Studio is her commercial flower business, spanning major installations to hand-delivered flower gestures.

Dr Cooper’s work has been featured in many Australian and international books, magazines, journals and television programs. Her distinctive flower work has been commissioned by some of the most celebrated organisations in the business and arts world, including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Hermès, Dries Van Noten, Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Lancôme, Prada, Mastercard, Omega, Aesop, The New York Times, Financial Times (London), Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, The Australian Ballet, Deutsche Bank, the Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Australia, Sydney Dance Company and Powerhouse Museum.

Design Director, Garigarra

A proud Wiradjuri man belonging to the Cudgeegong River, Matte McConnell is Design Director of garigarra and Lecturer in the School of Architecture at the University of Technology, Sydney. Through his practice, teaching and research, he is committed to meaningfully (re)embedding and (re)centring Country through architecture and design.

garigarra, a conduit for Country and the built environment, advocates for Country. Grounded in Wiradjuri philosophies, garigarra (truth) and yindyamarra (respect), he is dedicated to healing, unlearning and resurfacing knowledge and connections to Country through design. With both Aboriginal and western design expertise, Matte is uniquely positioned to imbue careful consideration and respect for Country across significant architectural works. He works with design teams to understand the projects accountability to the duty of care to place. Through the process of design, teams begin unlearning, shifting (design) methodologies to recognise the interconnectedness of Country and architectural practices, building on over 65,000 years of continuous living culture(s). 

His research and teaching focuses on Indigenous and decolonial design (and research) methodologies through storytelling and countering the architectural canon. His teaching challenges students to understand and acknowledge architecture’s responsibility to care for Country. Matte currently coordinates first-year design, embedding Country-centred methodologies at the foundation of architectural education. He contributes regularly to architecture studios across Sydney universities with guest lectures, design workshops and assessment reviews.

Design Director, Homes NSW

Olivia Hyde is Director of Design at Homes NSW where she leads the newly formed Design Office to drive design quality for social homes across the state. She is a registered architect and a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects. Prior to joining Homes in November 2025, Olivia was Director of Design Excellence at Government Architect NSW. Olivia has studied, worked, taught, and lectured in Australia, Asia, the USA and Europe.