Tess Palmyre

Brandable

Appearing at 2.30-3.10PM

Breakout Session

SESSION DETAILS

Tess’s DEI Truthbombs: 30 Minutes of Pure Discomfort
Feeling comfortable about DEI? Still focused on representation? Then you’re stuck in 2020! Discover how to lead meaningful change in 2025. How systemic forces (like white supremacy) shape brands and campaigns. And how your DEI and racial privilege blind spots are holding you back.

Founder of Brandable and DEI Lead for WAMA, Tess helps organisations cut the crap and build brands that actually connect – with purpose, with people, and with integrity. She shows businesses how to show up in a polarised world without faking it, fusing cultural intelligence, inclusive strategy, and honest storytelling to create real connection that actually matters.

A former teacher and proudly Seychellois foster mum to two Noongar girls, Tess brings lived experience, sharp strategy and zero tolerance for performative nonsense. She was named on the 2025 AdNews Champions of Change Power List for driving real impact in the DEI space.

This is her third time speaking at State of Social, and her 2025 session pulls no punches. It’s a call to action – or maybe a call to arms – for marketers and leaders who claim to care about inclusion… but still want it to be comfortable.