Speaking engagements, panels & where you'll find Kristina in 2026

Most of Kristina's speaking work happens under her international maritime brand, Southern Sky AI. It is the same person, the same expertise, a different audience. The reason the calendar is on this site is simple. What gets seen on the international circuit, what is working at scale and what is failing, is what shapes the advice we give to small businesses on the Central Coast.

Confirmed 2026 appearances

ASMEX 2026 — Keynote, AI in the Marine Industry Australian Superyacht, Commercial Marine and Export Conference, Gold Coast, 19 May 2026. Twelve months of AI in maritime, the $11.5 billion consulting shift, and the seven things that have moved under our industry's feet. The full recording is on the Southern Sky AI site and the written reflection sits alongside it.

Marinas26 — Innovators and Start-Ups Showcase (finalist) RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, 25–26 May 2026. Southern Sky AI was selected as one of five finalists for the Future Smart Innovators and Start-Ups Showcase, with a dedicated exhibition pod and a seven-minute presentation slot in front of more than 400 delegates from the Australian and international marina industries.

Marinas26 — AI: Practical Applications for Marinas (panel) Tuesday 26 May 2026, 10:15–11:15am, Gold Coast. Cutting through the hype on what is actually working: where AI is delivering value today, how to use the data marinas already hold, what to ask software providers, predictive maintenance and ROI, and quick wins that can be implemented in weeks. Joined by James Roy (ONE15 Marina), Tevz Grogl (Marina Master) and Ben Shand (Inspectahire), chaired by Gihan Perera.

ISS Leadership Series — AI in Yachting (moderator) Canopy by Hilton, West Palm Beach, 25 March 2026. Moderating the International Superyacht Society Education Committee panel on what AI looks like in practice across management, operations, safety and decision-making, alongside the harder questions of legal exposure, risk, ethics, and how to use AI strategically without getting it wrong.

USSA Superyacht Summit — Smart Marketing: The A to Z of AI Strategies (panel) Day of Insight, Influence & Impact, USSA, March 2026. A focused conversation on harnessing AI for marketing in the superyacht industry, moderated by Diane Byrne of Megayacht News, joined by Andrew Grant Super (MRKMKR), Claire Hagen (Armada Club), and Jake Lazarus (Fi AI).

MARE Forum — Super Yacht Americas WPB Edition 5 (panelist) West Palm Beach, March 2026. Contributing to the conversation on how applied AI is transforming maritime and luxury operations.

Australian Marine Industry Awards — Judge (3rd consecutive year) Hosted by the Australian International Marine Export Group (AIMEX), 2026.

Credentials and current study

Kristina is currently completing a Master of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New England, focused on cybersecurity, supported by the 2026 ATSE Elevate Scholarship from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

She holds a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Newcastle. Her AI credentials include AWS Certified AI Practitioner and CPD Certified AI Trainer.

Prior to Southern Sky AI and Coastie AI, Kristina spent more than twenty years across the global superyacht and commercial maritime sectors, including senior yacht management and her role as Superyacht Business Consultant with Wright Maritime Group (USA), and served on the Board of the International Superyacht Society from 2018 to 2024.

Why this matters for a Coast business

The maritime industry is small, technically complex, regulated, and built on long-standing trust. The lessons travelling out of those rooms — what governance actually looks like in practice, how a single agent moves a real workflow, how leaders avoid being sold the wrong solution — apply directly to a Coast accountant, vet, plumber, or marina just the same.

If you would like Kristina to speak at a Central Coast event, panel, or business chamber, the Find your AI quick wins email is also the best way to start that conversation.