COO


Rowan is an engineer, CTO and founder by background. He's always cared deeply about people + culture, and treats it the same way he thinks about product and engineering. Something to be innovated on, something unique to your organsation, and vitial to the success of the business.
Startups pride themselves on being innovative and disruptive with their products and technology. But when you look at most startups, their people policies are simply whatever the standard approach happens to be.
If a company truly believes that great people are essential to building a great company, it should innovate on its culture at the same level.
Rowan will discuss his real-world experience as a founder and CTO, as well as his experience joining an established startup as COO, before opening the discussion to hear other innovations and ideas.
What you'll leave with:
Final tickets are now selling. Choose the pass that works for you. However you join us, you’ll get access to the ideas, people and sessions shaping startup People teams right now.
Get in while you still can. SPS 2026 kicks off in:
The full SPS 2026 experience. Live sessions across 5 tracks, real-time Q&As with speakers, guided networking built into the day, and your event workbook.
This is the one. Be in the room.
Join the sessions you can live, then catch the rest on replay for the next 12 months.
Bring your whole People team to SPS for one flat fee, with live access for your team, and 12 months of replay included.
A simple way to turn SPS into a shared learning experience.
Sales close 2 September (AEST).
Can’t join us live? Get the complete SPS 2026 session library and watch every session and every speaker at any time.
It's not the same as being in the room, but it means you won't miss a thing.
Price rises to $360 on 4 September (AEST).
Need a little flexibility? BNPL options are available at checkout.
Most attendee's choose to use their L&D budget for their ticket, and Startup People Summit is easily expensed. Here's a template to help you make the case to your boss.
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