Zoe Eather

A Civil Engineer by profession, Zoe Eather lives in a complex world which she is determined to simplify and strip back to practical, insightful adaptations of emerging smart technology to make a real difference in how we move and work in the world.

Zoe is an untraditional engineer, a millennial and a Winston Churchill Fellow with a passion for Smart Cities, Smart Communities and Smart Regions. This is 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.

Zoe is determined to not do things the way we’ve always done them. Her engineering mind and unique background allow her to critically analyse her experiences and draw practical conclusions for the future with wit, humour and grace.

She keeps up-to-date with the latest trends and shares her learnings through hosting The Smart Community Podcast, as well as managing her own boutique consultancy.

Zoe’s ability to engage and educate in an accessible, friendly and informative way is unparalleled. Her keynote speeches and presentations will not only educate you about what is possible, but also empower and inspire you to design your own future.

“As the lead HR representative for TMR’s ‘Women in Engineering’ gender equity program, I worked with Zoe on a number of occasions over the past three years. My engagement with Zoe included facilitating her work as a keynote speaker and engineering representative for TMR at a large number of internal and community events. Zoe was one of our favourite ‘go to’ people for our program due to her broad range of domestic and international engineering experiences, her 100% reliability, [the fact that she is] fast and easy to communicate with, and the passion, knowledge and humour she brings to her work. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Zoe to any company who’d like a quality voice on Smart Communities at the table/lectern/booth/work-site!”

Gemma Smith – Senior HR Advisor (Corporate Human Resources), TMR

“Zoe is an enthusiastic engineer and a very passionate advocate for everything that is Smart Community, and its interactions with technology and place. She often brings a different perspective, and is a welcomed disruptor to existing processes, programs and projects to ensure the outcomes are the best they can be for people and community. She is an amazing collaborator/colleague to work alongside!!”

Russell Whale – Intelligent Mobility and Connected Infrastructure, Arup

“Zoe shares concise, simple and realistic ideas about SMART regions, via her podcast and speaking engagements. She recently spoke at our conference Ignite MNC. She was a delight to work with and I believe will be someone to watch in this space, particularly for regional communities.”

Kerry Grace – Director of Regional Development Australia, Mid North Coast New South Wales

Smart and the Data Gap
Curiosity is the basis of all creation and innovation, and in this insightful, conversationally based keynote Zoe will throw a spotlight on the ludicrous amounts of data available globally as we continue to fall into big data worlds across every industry and country. Fresh from going deep into what is happening in smart transport solutions on a global basis through the Churchill Fellowship, Zoe has unique insight and perspective into what she has phrased the Data Gap…that it is not about making data driven decisions. It is about understanding data driven decisions will always be wrong when we don’t examine the data we are using to make those decisions; that within the deep data lies the most dangerous space in our future – the Data Gap. Her questions will challenge your automatic acceptance of data driven benchmarks, and invite you to explore just how we can make sure we mitigate the impacts of the Data Gap.

Smart and the WTF Life
Cutting through the increasingly noisy chatter which focus on large scale change in Smart Cities, Smart Technology and Smart Communities, Zoe goes straight to the heart of the confusion around just Where The Future will take us, and strips back the confusion of those of us thinking WTF is going on, to unpack what is really going on. How simple shifts which embrace readily available technology – and NOT large-scale change – will make the greatest difference in our everyday lives, and explain just how we can start moving towards greater mobility, connection, and true inclusion within any community.

Smart and Why Women Can’t
An experienced traveller with a career in civil construction working on remote and regional projects, Zoe has never questioned her right to move freely in any environment – even though, like any woman, she has found it necessary to navigate unexpected challenges in male-dominated arenas. Comfortable in those spaces, Zoe’s recent travels to 9 countries in 9 weeks to deliberately examine smart transport and mobility around the world delivered an unexpected insight…that women cannot move freely, even in our ‘leading’ western countries. Sharing the simplest yet shocking incidents in her own travel, together with what she was witness to her in studies, observations and conversations, this keynote unpacks Zoe’s own moments of truth that we all need to be aware of; that in reality all of the diversity, inclusion and equality drivers in the world will not work when women are still unable to move safely and freely within their communities.

Virtual Presentations:

– I have designed a series of workshops specifically for regional communities to build their digital profile to reach a digital audience
– As a podcaster, I am set up to deliver online content with ease (as I’m already doing it :))
– I have designed and delivered numerous webinars to international audiences on topic such as Open Data, Smart Regions and Digital Skills
– I have extensive experience facilitating webinars and interactive workshops
– As a digital native and Smart Communities specialist, I use online collaboration tools to run my business, record podcasts and engage with my audience
– I believe online events break down barriers for accessibility
– I am developing online interactive conferences for a number of clients