Walkley Award-winning journalist and AI ethics advocate Tracey Spicer has been announced as the master of ceremonies for the 2026 TechDiversity Awards.
The awards, run by TechDiversity Foundation, will be held on 31 July at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, marking a return to Sydney after last year’s record-breaking 10th anniversary event in Melbourne. More than 500 attendees are expected, with organisers anticipating a sell-out crowd.
Spicer, a long-time broadcaster across ABC, Network Ten and Sky News, has built a reputation as a leading voice on gender equality, workplace culture and the ethical implications of emerging technologies.
Her book Man-Made: How the bias of the past is being built into the future explores how artificial intelligence can reinforce systemic discrimination, and has earned recognition at the Australian Business Book Awards.
Her appointment aligns with this year’s theme, ‘Influence Redefined, Power in Every Voice’, which focuses on expanding leadership beyond traditional power structures and ensuring more inclusive participation in the tech sector.
Executive director Luli Adeyemo said Spicer’s career made her a natural fit for the role.
“Tracey Spicer has spent decades asking who gets heard and who gets overlooked. At TechDiversity, we’ve spent 11 years celebrating the people who are changing that answer. This year, we’re bringing those two things together on one stage,” Adeyemo said.
Spicer said she was looking forward to hosting an event that spotlights more inclusive approaches to technology.
“The TechDiversity Awards celebrate the people who are building technology that actually works for everyone, not just the default user,” she said. “After writing a whole book about what’s going wrong with AI, it’s a joy to be in a room full of people getting it right.”
Nominations for the 2026 awards remain open until 30 April, with free entry across five categories spanning business, government, education, campaigns and “tech for good” initiatives.
Finalists will present to a judging panel of more than 50 representatives from industry, academia, media and the public sector.
