Sam Catlow
HR Transformation & People Analytics Leader
Virgin Australia
Sam Catlow is the Leader, People Transformation & Analytics at Virgin Australia, where he drives the design and delivery of workforce analytics, reporting and transformation initiatives. With a background in consulting and data strategy, Sam is passionate about building the capability, confidence and curiosity of People teams to unlock the full value of people data.
At Virgin Australia, he has led the development of an integrated reporting strategy, delivered enterprise-wide people analytics products, and played a key role in initiating the transition and transformation to Oracle Cloud HCM. His work has helped shift the function from reactive reporting to strategic enablement by embedding self-service tools, establishing governance practices and shaping a data-driven culture across the People function.
Sam draws on experience across organisational strategy, analytics advisory and transformation to connect insights to action and support evidence-based decision making. He is particularly interested in practical, repeatable ways to lift analytics capability at scale, whether through storytelling, product thinking or better system design.
He is currently focused on building a future-ready people analytics function that supports leaders across all levels of the business. At the Summit, he’ll be sharing insights on navigating the human side of analytics transformation, shaping a clear vision, securing executive support, and building cross-functional alignment to turn data into a shared asset across the organisation.
SESSIONS
Day 2
3:10
Panel: Building a Data-Drive Culture from the Centre: Uplifting Capability Across HR Function
Upskilling a multi-generational workforce: Adapting learning strategies to different levels of digital and data proficiency
Developing data literacy across HR by building capability to interpret, validate, and apply people data
Strengthening analytical thinking by improving understanding of what data shows—and what it doesn’t
Kirsten Edwards, Global Head of People Data and Insights, Rio Tinto
Rebecca Sexton, Director, HR Reporting, Analytics and Surveys Section, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Sam Catlow, HR Transformation & People Analytics Leader, Virgin Australia
Day 2
4:05
Roundtable Exercise
Join your peers in a collaborative session where you'll workshop real challenges presented during the project pitches. Apply your own experience to co-develop practical solutions and offer feedback to the next wave of people analytics talent.
Group A: Sam Catlow, HR Transformation & People Analytics Leader, Virgin Australia
Group B: Kirsten Edwards, Global Head of People Data and Insights, Rio Tinto
Group C: Rebecca Sexton, Director, HR Reporting, Analytics and Surveys Section, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing