Consulting Groups Sydney

BizApps Connect Aug 2026 Meetup

Join us for another #BizAppsConnect Sydney meetup as we explore the latest innovations in AI and Power Platform development with two speakers on Power Automate and Power Apps. **Using an MCP for AI Agents to Create Power Automate Flows** **John Liu (ex-MVP #FlowNinja, Consultant at Rapid Circle)** AI agents are rapidly becoming a new way to build software, but they need a secure and reliable way to interact with enterprise systems. Model Context Protocol (MCP) provides a standard interface that enables agents such as ChatGPT, Claude, and GitHub Copilot to discover, create, and manage Power Automate flows. In this session, you'll learn how to use an MCP from an AI agent and the core patterns for building your own. We'll also cover tool design decisions and improvements that make the experience seamless. **Power Apps Reimagined with Code Apps** **Zeeshan Saeed \(Microsoft MVP\, BizApps \| Architect at XSLOGIC\)** Discover how Code Apps are reshaping the way we think about Power Apps development. Zeeshan will explore this emerging approach, share practical insights, and discuss how developers and makers can take advantage of new capabilities to build modern business applications more effectively.

Earning Influence: Why Strong Design work doesn't move the room

Welcome Back CCX Sydney to our events for 2026 from myself, Lydia, Sylvia and James and we are planning a bumper selection of speakers for this year. Our next event on August 18th will feature two unique presentations from Designers Dan Whelan and Ariel Blackman both from Commonwealth Bank. We will be hosting by the Team at Hipages special thanks to Carlos Guedes and Natalia Furtado. Our first Talk from CBA Product Design leader, Dan Whelan: **Earning Influence: Why Strong Design Work Doesn't Move the Room** **About Dan's Talk** You're doing great work. Decisions move on without you anyway. Here's why — and what has to be true before that changes. It's easy to assume that if the work is good enough, it earns its own influence. It doesn't. Design gets described, by default, in process terms — what was explored, tested, shipped — while the room is listening for risk, revenue and consequence, meaning how we describe the work to each other isn't the value our stakeholders want to see. Good work can fail to move a decision, because how it's described isn't connected to the decision's value. This talk covers the two things that usually get in the way of making your work land. First, the translation problem: why the same piece of work, described two different ways, gets two completely different receptions from your non-designer stakeholders. Second, the gap underneath: work that fails to land because it was never linked to key behaviour to start with, it was built around untraceable best practice. This talk covers both, so the next time you do good work, it doesn't get ignored. **About Dan** Dan Whelan is a design leader with 20 years across companies including Intuit and CommBank, and some of Australia's most complex financial products. She writes and speaks on decision quality and behavioural design, helping designers close the gap between doing strong work and having it influence the room. Our second speaker also from CBA will Ariel Blackman, User Experience Designer on Neurodivergent Strategies **About Ariel:** Agile design specialist with a talent for Graphic and UX/UI Design. Masterfully shape the brand identities of organisations through telling diverse stories that breed connection. An experienced resource that can instantly oversee existing projects in from initial creation and execution of design, to follow through with production to the finished product. Dedicated to changing the digital landscape through creating designs that evoke the satisfaction of users whilst providing a lasting sense of wonder. Please note that we will be back at Hipages for our August Event so please familiarise yourself with The location and Start Time. We hope to See you in August and are really looking forward to Hearing from both Dan and Ariel.

Claude Certified Consultants: Coffee Catch Up

Thursdays hit different with coffee and good company. Whether you're Claude Certified or still working towards it, pull up a chair, bring your questions or your latest build, and let's talk shop over a brew. You can learn more about us by visiting [https://code.sydney/](https://code.sydney/) and [https://vibecamp.au/](https://vibecamp.au/)

Sydney Singles Relational Lab — Facilitated Connection Experience

# Tired of dating apps culture and surface-level? This is different. And people often leave surprised by how quickly strangers can feel human, warm, honest, and real again. Free to RSVP, 👉 $59 to confirm your spot [https://consciousconnectionsclub.com/stayconnected](https://consciousconnectionsclub.com/join) Relational Labs is a guided connection experience for singles who want more honest, playful, emotionally intelligent interaction — without performance, pressure, or endless small talk. This is not speed dating. Not networking. Not “pitch yourself to strangers.” It’s a facilitated relational container rooted in psychology, emotional intelligence, attachment work, social dynamics, nervous system awareness, and real-world human connection — made practical enough that you can actually live it instead of reading another 50 books about it. ## What happens • A 2-hour guided online relational experience • Real-time connection exercises designed to create authentic interaction • A format that adapts in real time to whoever is present • Optional participant-led in-person continuation afterward • WhatsApp connection thread after the session ## This may be for you if: • You’re tired of shallow or repetitive social spaces • You want deeper connection without forced intimacy • You enjoy personal growth, psychology, communication, or relational work • You’re open to meeting people in a more intentional way ## Important This experience runs with whoever is present and takes its own shape each time. Sometimes expansive. Sometimes intimate. Both are the real thing.

IN PERSON | FMI Australia Chapter Modellers' Winter Meetup

Cult Movie Club

August's movie cannot be named due to copyright however here is a description to give you a hint After a comet disrupts the rain cycle of Earth, the planet has become a desolate, barren desert by the year 2033. With resources scarce, Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell) -- head of the powerful and evil Water & Power Corporation, the de facto government -- has taken control of the water supply. Unwilling to cower under Kesslee's tyrannical rule, a pair of outlaws known as Tank Girl (Lori Petty) and Jet Girl (Naomi Watts) rise up, joining the mysterious rebel Rippers to destroy the corrupt system. Director: Rachel Talalay M 1995 CC Runtime: 1h 44m

Raise Your Rate as a Coach: How to Mediate Your Premium Fee with Yourself

🔥Your Coaching Rate Isn’t Just a Number. It’s a Position You May Have Never Renegotiated. What if the biggest pricing negotiation isn’t with your client—but with yourself? 💡YRaise Your Rate as a Coach explores one of the most uncomfortable conflicts many coaches face: helping people deeply while confidently charging for the value they create. Your price is a position—and positions can get stuck, just like conflicts do. In this practical session, Executive Transition Coach and Certified Conflict Coach and Mediator Philipp A. Effenberger turns his mediation toolkit toward coaching businesses and the internal tension around premium pricing. Discover how to separate your worth from old pricing assumptions, recognize pricing tension before it hardens, and reframe “too expensive” around value and shared interest. Through a real case, a practical reframing tool, and language you can use in your next pricing conversation, you’ll explore how to charge for transformation, not hours—and price like the expert you already are. 🗓️Join us on **Sunday, August 2, 2026**, for “**Raise Your Rate as a Coach: Break It to Create It — How to Mediate Your Premium Fee with Yourself,**” featuring **Philipp A. Effenberger**, Executive Transition Coach, NLP Master Trainer, Certified Conflict Coach, and Mediator. 🎯 **Key Points / Takeaways for the Audience** ✅ **Treat your price like a stuck position.** Identify the assumptions and internal conflicts keeping your rate frozen at an outdated level. ✅ **Charge for transformation, not hours.** Shift the conversation from the time you spend to the meaningful results and value you help create. 🎯 **Additional Key Points / Benefits** Participants will discover how to: ✔ Let your toolkit prove your worth. Recognize how your experience, methodology, and ability to create meaningful change support your business case and pricing. ✔ Attract clients who value expertise. Position your coaching around outcomes and value rather than competing primarily on price. ✔ Build a signature method that stands out. Turn your unique combination of skills, experience, and approach into a stronger coaching proposition. ✔ Move beyond hourly-rate or package thinking. Explore pricing through the value and transformation you help create rather than simply the amount of time you spend. ✔ Stop justifying your fee every single time. Develop clearer language for pricing conversations so you can communicate your value with greater confidence. ✔ Stop blending in as “just another coach.” Understand what differentiates your work and learn to make that distinction visible to prospective clients. ✔ Reframe “too expensive.” Learn how mediation principles can shift a pricing conversation away from opposing positions and toward interests, outcomes, and value. ✔ Navigate the helping-versus-charging dilemma. Explore how being committed to helping people and running a sustainable, profitable coaching business do not have to be opposing goals. 🎤 **ABOUT THE SPEAKER** Philipp A. Effenberger is an Executive Transition Coach, NLP Master Trainer, Certified Conflict Coach and Mediator who helps international executives navigate high-stakes transitions and thrive in demanding leadership environments. His approach combines military discipline, IT logic, translation training, and experience as a COO and CTO with 16 years as a trainer and 10 years as a coach. Culture-aware, systemic, NLP-based, and mediation-informed, his coaching is designed to turn complexity into practical action and measurable results. He works in German, English, and Polish. **CONTACT DETAILS** 👉**Email**: pe@leadforward.io 👉**WhatsApp:** 00436705050120 👉 **LinkedIn:** www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-effenberger-chief-coaching-officer/ 👉**Website:** German: pe-training.at and leadforward.io, let’s go English in LinkedIn ⏰**August 02, 𝟮𝟬𝟮6** (𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆), 𝟭.𝟱 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 5:00 PM GMT+8 China 7:00 PM GMT+10 Australia 5:00 AM GMT-4 New York 11:00 AM GMT+2 Barcelona 📌For first-time attendees please scan the QR code on the flyer or click the following link to register and become part of our enriching live discussion, all at no cost: https://adriancahill.agilecrm.com/forms/6002900926529536 📌Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/86301571361 Log-in: 86301571361 Password: #motivate Don’t miss it. Register now!

Women in Projects Australia presents: Ai in Action with Barbara Watson

Kick off 6pm for Nibbles and networking. Welcome at 6:30pm and then dive into our session. With the success of our Ai-prompt-a-thon, we have decided to do a series on Ai. We are going to start with the basics so people have a way to start, to learn how to work safely with Ai, and get outcomes that work for you! This will be a practical session, so bring your devices to practice on the night. All are welcome, but this will be especially valuable for beginners. Thank you to PMI Sydney Chapter, Escient and The Commons for your support.

Lean Beer F2F IRL

Join us for an **in-person Lean Beer Sydney** session — great conversations, great people, and a relaxed pub atmosphere. We use the **Lean Coffee** format: * No fixed agenda * Everyone suggests topics they care about * We vote on what matters most * Then we dive into short, focused discussions **What to expect:** * A friendly, informal setting at a local pub * Conversations about agile, product development, leadership, and more * A chance to learn, share, and connect with like-minded people **What to bring:** * Your curiosity and a few topics you’d love to discuss * No slides, no presentations — just ideas and conversation **Why join?** * Meet new people in the Sydney agile community * Share your experiences and learn from others * Enjoy a drink while having meaningful discussions Grab your favorite beverage, bring your ideas, and let’s make this an engaging Lean Beer Sydney session!

Sydney AI & Integration Meetup

Testing Talks Conference 2026 Sydney

Posted on behalf of our friends at Testing Talks Conference. A fun event for all; to share, learn and reconnect in-person. We are committed to making Testing Talks Conference 2026 in Sydney the most amazing day for our community. Our Commitment: 1.) Incredible speakers and sponsors. 2.) Practical takeaways for our attendees. 3.) Delicious and bountiful catering. 4.) Lots of activities, games, swag and prizes. 5.) Drinks and Nibbles to wrap up the day. Note: This is a ticketed event. Please go to [https://www.testingtalks.com.au/](https://www.testingtalks.com.au/) to learn more and purchase a ticket.

TechWalking - Sydney - Networking Event for Tech Professionals

**TechWalking is here to stay in Sydney!** 🌊🚶‍♂️A huge thank you to our co-hosts — Nitta, Malathy, Cara, Vishal, and Akhil — for making it happen! Are you a tech professional looking to network beyond the screen? Join us for a refreshing **#TechWalking** event along the stunning Royal Botanic Garden! It’s the perfect chance to connect with industry peers while getting in some steps! Whether you're in software development, cybersecurity, data science, or any tech-related field, this is the perfect opportunity to expand your network in a relaxed setting. 🌅 **Meeting Point:** Archibald Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park 🏖 **Route:** 4 km walk through the Botanical Garden to the Sydney Opera House 🕙 **Start Time:** 10 AM sharp—don’t be late, or you might have to sprint to catch up! Check out the photos from the last event in Sydney: https://www.meetup.com/it-career-in-australia/photos/35710580/ And video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/H6_-ZET00I8 **Please note:** unfortunately, dogs aren’t allowed in the Botanical Gardens. A bit sad, we know 🐶💔 Looking forward to meeting you all in real life! **TechWalking Community page: [https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/](https://tech-walking.yanamartens.com/)** *** Join the TechWalking group on LinkedIn! [https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14477058/](https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14477058/) Just moved to Australia? Grab your FREE guide to landing your tech job! [https://yanamartens.com/first-tech-job-in-australia/](https://yanamartens.com/first-tech-job-in-australia/) Follow me on LinkedIn for more information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-martens/ Subscribe to YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ITCareerinAustralia