The Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture has been a keynote feature of the annual SCREEN FOREVER conference since 1992. The speech honours its namesake's legacy and emphasises the importance of independent production in Australia's cultural life.

This year, the Hector Crawford will be delivered by one of the most powerful women in global entertainment - Cathy Payne, CEO of Banijay Rights.

Cathy's illustrious career in leadership roles at Southern Star, Endemol Shine, and now at Banijay Rights has given her a front row seat to industry change and she now oversees more than 120,000 hours of programming, ranging from juggernaut format shows such as Big Brother, MasterChef, and Survivor to critically acclaimed scripted series Black Mirror and Peaky Blinders.

With such immense contribution to the global and Australian industry over so many years, Cathy will share her thoughts about production and distribution changes, challenges and opportunities for our unique voices and Australian stories at such a critical time in the Australian industry.