Dr. Sean Gallagher is the founder of Humanova and one of Australia’s leading experts on the future of work. He focuses on how technology transforms how work gets done, and how to accelerate human capability to drive value creation for organisations. He led the Centre for the New Workforce at Swinburne University for six years. 

• With a natural ability to guide leaders through uncertainty, he empowers them to recognise the solution starts with leadership. Through tailored, evidence-informed engagements with clients, he simplifies complexity and helps them determine their future direction and the first steps to take. 

• Sean has outstanding expertise on generative AI, leading the first research on the impact of GenAI on knowledge work in Australia with partners Deloitte. “GenAI & the Future of Human Work” will be published shortly. He developed the first short course on GenAI with a focus on business productivity and has worked with companies and government agencies on the integration of GenAI. 

• His research insights into hybrid work models - the need to structure and program work - have set a standard that aligns closely with the strategies later embraced independently by McKinsey and Microsoft.

• Across GenAI and hybrid work, Sean has supported thousands of leaders spanning both private and public sectors and has led engagements with dozens of organisations, including Westpac, Spirit Super, ANZ, Mirvac, the Victoria Department of Transport, Regional Development Australia, QBE and AMP. 

• His future of work research has been published by Mirvac and WORKTECH Academy, endorsed by APEC, Richard Branson, cited by the Fair Work Commission, and shaped federal legislation (Secure Jobs, Better Pay 2022) and Victorian government policy on the gig economy. He is a member of AHRI’s Future of Work Advisory Panel and the Australian Cobotics Centre in the human-robot workforce program.

• He has a PhD in chemistry and was awarded the RACI Cornforth Medal for the best chemistry or chemistry-related PhD in Australia. He has been a researcher at Stanford University and the University of Southern California.