LEARN.
REALtalk Speakers Sharlene Lee
Richard Kavanagh
Tom Donato
Renya Xydis
Three-time Salon Business of the Year winner and arguably hairdressing’s most energetic entrepreneur, Sharlene Lee has successfully expanded her Circles for Hair brand into two of Perth’s top salons.
Xiang Hair first opened its doors in 1989 in a small suburban salon in Melbourne’s west. Founder Tom Donato set about building a strong creative force in Australian hairdressing and now has over 35 staff members and many industry accolades.
Chris Hunter
Richard Kavanagh is a five-time Australian Session Stylist of the Year and has worked with many international fashion powerhouses, including Prada, Calvin Klein, Jean Paul Gaultier and Saint Laurent.
Renya Xydis is a Sydneybased hairstylist and salon owner. She’s also a hairdresser to the stars, having styled the likes of Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Naomi Watts — to name a few.
James Shale
Chris Hunter has worked across countless editorial shoots and fashion weeks both in Australia and abroad. His career highlight has been the launch of his own salon WILLOMINA in Woollahra, Sydney.
James joined Dyson in 2015 and is now involved with monitoring Environmental Care and Airblade products in-market to ensure that globally, the products meet Dyson’s rigorous quality and reliability standards.
Simone Abaron
Kristy Hines
Simone Abaron, Founder of Apotecari Bioactive Hair Care, is a master formulation naturopath and trichologist who takes the complexities out of nutrition and inner health to deliver high quality, potent, sustainable, and ethical health and wellness products to market.
Paul Frasca
As Managing Director of Sustainable Salons, Paul travels Australia and New Zealand to speak about waste management in hair, beauty, fashion, hospitality, medical and education industries, and how to adopt a more sustainable approach in their everyday lives and businesses.
Lance Kalish
Lance Kalish, co-founder and executive director of Salon Lane, is a serial entrepreneur and recognised among Australia’s most accomplished international consumer product builders and social entrepreneurs.
Kristy Hines, beauty industry guru, hairdresser, public speaker and coowner at Element – Haus of Aveda, will join the Technology Panel to share her knowledge.
Brooke Jones
Founder and director of BeauTex Designs, Brooke Jones is the supply chain solutionist and workwear designer, providing a new way of manufacturing that improves on current practices socially, ethically and environmentally.
Eoin Mccarthy
Six years into his career Eoin is now running one of Australia’s leading upskilling facilities, he is an International Educator and Brand Ambassador for Andis as well as being an Osaka Scissors Ambassador for Australia, and the first barber ambassador for Dyson. He is also an educator for the worldwide movement of Hair Slayerz, set up and founded by his original mentor Paul Mac. Hair Festival 2022 - 19