This session offers a chance to explore an increasingly urgent question: What would it take to design regional economies that don’t just survive disruption - but thrive because of it?
It’s 2028. After a series of cascading supply-chain shocks disrupt national logistics networks, supermarket shelves begin to thin across the country. Energy prices spike. Headlines warn of another national supply crisis.
But in some regional towns, something unexpected happens. The lights stay on, the fridges stay full, and local businesses keep trading.
These communities aren’t the biggest or the wealthiest. They are the ones that quietly spent the previous decade strengthening local supply chains, investing in distributed energy, building trusted business networks, and supporting enterprises deeply embedded in place.
In this thought-provoking session, Reece Proudfoot will:
Open with a short “future history” - a glimpse of what resilient regional economies could look like just a few years from now.
Share Regen Labs’ recent research for the NSW government on regional business transformation and regenerative economic development,
Provide insights into how regional businesses, communities and institutions can move beyond reactive adaptation toward proactive economic transformation.
Designing regional economies for a time of change
Date: Thursday 13 August 2026
Time: 12pm - 1pm AEST
Speaker
Reece Proudfoot Co-founder and Director | Regen Labs
Reece is a Co-Founder of Regen Labs, and a speaker on Regenerative Economy, Innovation and Impact Investing. Reece's work at Regen Labs sees him working alongside a new breed of "Regenerative Enterprises" - businesses with positive social, environmental and local economic impact in sectors, such as energy & carbon, food & fibre, health, education, tourism, finance, manufacturing and FMCG. He led the strategic research for the NSW Government on approaches to support regional business transformation and regenerative economic development and co-convened the Highlands Homegrown Economy initiative.
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