The Australian Hairdressing Council’s (AHC) Industry Day and Leadership Summit 2025 brought together more than 400 professionals at Sydney’s Sheraton Grand Hyde Park, uniting salon owners, educators, RTOs, and government representatives for two transformative days of bold ideas, shared purpose, and future-focused dialogue.

Held on 27-28 June, the back-to-back events were anchored by a clear message from AHC CEO Fiona Beamish: “There’s a real sense of momentum right now. Events like this help us not only navigate change but lead it.”

Industry Day opened with powerful calls for collective leadership from Beamish and MC Richard Kavanagh. The agenda focused on education reform, with Anthony Gray (AHC Education & Training Committee) highlighting the group’s role in shaping the long-awaited Training Package Review.

Key findings from the AHC Apprentice Survey, presented by Liz Maher, shed light on apprentice experiences, while Peter Gilchrist (Apprenticeship Support Australia) underscored the national challenges of retention. Sandee Harris (Department of Employment and Workplace Relations) shared practical wage subsidy opportunities, urging salon owners to “embrace creative hiring and build diverse teams.”

A standout panel, “Salons Doing Apprenticeships Differently”, featured Sharlene Lee, Justin Pace, and Sheridan Rose Shaw, who each shared measurable success stories around reimagined training models. “It felt like the whole industry was in the room – and for the first time in a long time, we were all speaking the same language,” one attendee noted.

The following day, the AHC Leadership Summit continued the momentum, with presentations from economist Stephen Walters and global demographer Mark McCrindle, whose keynote on generational trends captivated attendees.

Both events confirmed a unified vision for industry-led reform, concluding with heartfelt farewells to long-serving AHC leaders Clint Piper and Anthony Gray. As Beamish reflected, “We’re not just talking about the future. We’re building it.”