Few people get to observe change from quite so many vantage points as Chelsey Drake, Chair of Allens. From the deal room to the boardroom, from graduate lawyer to Chair, Chelsey has spent three decades watching organisations respond to the forces reshaping Australian business.

When Chelsey joined Allens in Brisbane in 1996, she joined Australia’s oldest law firm. Founded in 1822, before Queensland even existed, Allens had already weathered generations of economic, technological and social change. The decades that followed would transform the Australian business landscape once again. Through her work at Allens and as a member of the Australian Government’s Takeovers Panel since 2016, Chelsey has had a front-row seat to organisations navigating growth, consolidation, globalisation and technological disruption. Today, she is helping shape what comes next and is focused on a challenge confronting organisations everywhere: how to keep adapting while creating environments where talented people can build careers that last.

Drawing on lessons from one of Australia’s oldest continuing businesses, Chelsey will reflect on what changes, what endures, and why some organisations continue to earn trust and relevance through generations of disruption while others struggle to keep pace.

Event Details

Date: Thursday 29 October 2026
Time: 6.45am for 7.00am - 8.45am
Location: Arts Centre Foyer, St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School, 11 Petrie Street, Ascot
Format: Sit down breakfast  
Tickets: $90 Adult, $55 Student (Years 10-12/Tertiary).  
Corporate tables: $850 (10 seats), includes company logo displayed on table and acknowledgement during event.

For enquiries please contact the Development and Community Office on (07) 3862 0768 or email developmentandcommunity@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.