NEWCASTLE FORWARD 13 August 2026
What a great Forward Newcastle event last night — fantastic gathering, great conversations and some really thought-provoking content.
A huge thank you to all our speakers and panellists – Andrew Rodger Lesley Horsburgh Monica Walmsley James MacDonald Raj Sesha and David Franze` Mandar Erande for sharing their insights, and to everyone who came along and made the evening a success.
Thanks to the Newcastle recruitment community for your support. We are already looking forward to the next one!
Comment below if you want to see the talk recordings.
SDP at APSCO Emerge July 2026
What an incredible day at the APSCO Emerge event yesterday.
There was an incredible amount of honest conversation about the challenges, failures, lessons, and opportunities shaping the recruitment industry today.
If you wanted a bird’s-eye view of where the industry is and where it’s heading—you got it.
If you wanted a hands-on Claude AI hacking session—you got it.
If you wanted a real-world case study of an agency embracing AI—you got it.
If you wanted candid panel discussions that didn’t shy away from the tough questions—you got it.
If you wanted a fun recruitment quiz—you got it.
And if you wanted great food in a fantastic venue—you definitely got it.
Emerge offered something for everyone.
A huge thank you to all the speakers for generously sharing their knowledge, experiences, and insights.
Thank you as well to our fellow exhibitors for your contribution to an industry we’re all passionate about.
Congratulations to Lesley Horsburgh & Carly Fordred and the entire APSCO team for delivering such a well-run event. Bringing together so many leaders from across the recruitment industry and creating an environment for meaningful conversations is no small achievement.
The SDP team of Raj Sesha Elaine McKelvey Deepika Kumsy and Mandar Erande had a fantastic time connecting with the community, and we’re already looking forward to being back next year.
UTS Women in Business Forward Career May 2026
Last night, SDP hosted the second UTS Women in Business Forward Career event. It was an enjoyable evening filled with sharing, discussions, advice, networking, and delicious food and drinks.
Cal C.‘s vulnerable and insightful keynote talk challenges students to discover their unique USP, take on any task, explore different fields, and believe in themselves.
The panel, which includes Rekha A. Michael Jackson Cal C. & Nikitha Sesha, encourages students to rethink job searches beyond traditional linear career paths and to reimagine opportunities with the help of AI. They emphasise the importance of gaining any experience and being open to trying new things. Additionally, they highlight the significance of networking, harnessing connections, and supporting one another.
The event concluded with Raj Sesha encouraging everyone to dream big and pursue their aspirations without fear.
Kudos to the UTS student team of Lucinda Y. Naveera Khan Leila Cornish Alaiya Milera and Heidi Street for their enthusiasm, ideas and organisation. It’s encouraging to see young talent not taking things for granted and believing in themselves. See you at the next Forward event.
Brisbane Recruitment & Talent Meetup 2026
Last Thursday, Luke Carolan and Raj Sesha from Team SDP had an excellent time connecting with the QLD talent community at the Brisbane Recruitment & Talent Meet Up.
The evening was filled with engaging discussions, sharing of insights, and learning about the growing importance of the contingent workforce and the emerging trends shaping its growth in QLD.
It was a fun night of networking and learning. Special thanks to the panellists Sam Gibbons-Smith and Ben Hughes. And kudos to the organising team of Katie Le Page, Dave Johnson and Tracy Quinn for putting up a great event.
Look forward to the next meetup.
FORWARD SDP Sydney 2026
Another fantastic FORWARD event took place today at the SDP Sydney office.
The day began with an insightful keynote from Ross Clennett, FRCSA, followed by an analysis of the top five financial threats facing agencies by SDP founder Raj Sesha.
The event concluded with Hassanah Rudd Cal C. AND Mark Smith having robust discussions about the role of AI and the future of recruitment in Australia.
It was a wonderful day of networking, discussions, and insights. We look FORWARD to the next event!
FORWARD Adelaide 2026
What a fantastic evening at FORWARD ADELAIDE yesterday! There was a strong turnout, engaging presentations, meaningful conversations, and wonderful company.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the recruitment leaders from South Australia who attended and supported the event.
A special thank you goes to our speakers – Ross Clennett, FRCSA Dani Cuff , Joanne Blackman, Nicole Underwood and Raj Sesha for their invaluable contributions and for sharing their time and expertise with us.
SDP Year-end Party 2025
We had a lovely end-of-year party at SDP last week, where we reflected on 2025 with gratitude, and thanked everyone who collabrated with us in person.
We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners, clients, and contractors who joined us in celebration. We extend a special thank you to those who could not attend in person. We truly appreciate your trust, collaboration and loyalty in SDP. We look forward to strengthening our relationships further in 2026. See you next year!
FORWARD Brisbane November 2025
What a great event! Good turnout, Good conversation and Good company.
Our heartfelt thanks go out to all the recruitment leaders who attended and supported our event. We appreciate you all.
Special thanks to all our speakers for their invaluable contribution, sharing their time and expertise with us.
Marrin-Boyd Andrews (MBA) AI Enablement Consultant
Nehal Shah
Ben Walsh
Tracy Q.
Juanita Montford
Raj Sesha
Mandar Erande
We are already gearing up for 2026. We look FORWARD to seeing you next year. Be the first to know about our plans by registering your interest here. https://lnkd.in/g7-WmmhS
iamwithsdp goforward
UTS Women in Business October 2025
What a great night of laughter, networking and learning!
On Wednesday, SDP hosted members of UTS Women in Business for a career night themed “Work Wise: Career Insights.” We are thrilled that so many students were able to attend.
The evening featured numerous insightful talks, starting with a keynote address by the amazing Natalia Tapia on the topic of employability in a changing world. Mandar Erande shared numerous nuggets on networking and how to find jobs in unconventional places.
Richard Telleria‘s take on taking risks and trying new things as a way of standing out stood out. Raj Sesha emphasised the vast opportunities and the importance of adopting a freelancing and contracting mindset to thrive in today’s evolving work landscape.
It was an eye-opening experience listening to the students’ perspectives. We are impressed with the curiosity and calibre of the UTS students’ community.
Many thanks to the WiB leadership team, cc @vanessa Lee Lauren Walford , Anika Deshpande Sasha Kayastha Leila Cornish
SDP is committed to investing in young talent and looks forward to hosting more career events in the future. As our MD Raj Sesha puts it, ‘students are the future of Australia’.
iamwithsdp
FORWARD Canberra September 2025
Thank you to everyone who joined us last night at FORWARD Canberra! It was a brilliant evening of insight and connection for the ACT recruitment community.
Sophie Robertson and Raj Sesha delivered powerful and practical talks on how recruitment leaders can adapt and thrive in a fast-changing world.
From the energy in the room to the generosity of ideas shared, we couldn’t have asked for a better crowd. A special thank you to everyone who made the evening possible, shared their ideas, and kept the conversation going.
We look forward to the next event!
FORWARD Adelaide June 2025
What an incredible time in Adelaide last week!
Thank you to everyone who attended our FORWARD event and brought their energy, insights and engagement to our discussions.
Thank you again to Sophie Robertson for delivering an amazing talk on building and growing a contractor base in turbulent times. Thank you also to our panellists – Megan Nicholson, Andrew Sullivan and Joanne Blackman – for sharing their thoughts on Adelaide’s recruitment landscape.
We had a fantastic time, and we cannot wait for the next one.
