If HEXPO 2025 was a feast for the mind, then Rebecca Scott was the final course, nourishing, grounded, and unforgettable.

As the Keynote Speaker, Rebecca didn’t just talk about leadership or innovation. She talked about purpose, the kind that feeds communities, not just companies.

A Taste of Purpose

Rebecca Scott is best known as the co-founder and CEO of STREAT, the social enterprise that’s transformed Melbourne’s food scene by training and employing young people who’ve faced homelessness or disadvantage.

But what she shared on the HEXPO stage went far beyond her résumé.

With her trademark warmth and wit, Rebecca spoke about what it means to build something that matters, something that doesn’t just sustain your ambition, but sustains others too.

She reminded the audience that food has always been more than just nourishment. It’s a connector. A story. A form of social change.

“Every meal,” she said, “is a chance to make someone feel seen.”

Stirring the System

Rebecca’s talk unpacked how STREAT started as a small street cart and grew into a movement, a network of cafés, bakeries, and kitchens creating pathways for hundreds of young people to rebuild their lives.

But she didn’t romanticize it.

She talked about the mess of social entrepreneurship, the sleepless nights, the impossible funding cycles, the heartbreak that comes when the system feels stacked against you.

And then she shared the part that silenced the crowd:

“Change doesn’t happen because you have everything figured out. It happens because you show up, over and over again, even when you don’t.”

That was the moment. The kind that sinks deep.

Leadership with a Human Heart

What makes Rebecca’s story so resonant is that her version of leadership doesn’t sit in boardrooms. It lives in the kitchen. It rolls up its sleeves. It listens before it speaks.

She urged founders and future changemakers to redefine success, not by profit margins, but by impact.

“Startups can scale quickly,” she said, “but culture scales slowly. Build something that lasts.”

In a room full of ambitious creators, that message landed like a quiet revolution.

A Feast to Remember

By the time Rebecca finished, there wasn’t a single person not reflecting on what their work really means.

Her closing message wasn’t flashy or loud. It was simple, and that’s what made it powerful:

“Feed the world in your own way. Whether it’s through ideas, kindness, or a plate of food, make it generous.”

As the crowd rose in applause, you could feel it, that mix of inspiration and responsibility that defines HEXPO.

Rebecca Scott didn’t just close the event. She reminded us all why it mattered.

The Aftertaste

HEXPO 2025 ended not with fireworks, but with fullness, the kind that comes from being part of something bigger.

Because innovation isn’t just about the next big thing. It’s about what we bring to the table, together.

Rebecca Scott left us with a challenge and a promise:
To build with heart. To lead with purpose.
And to make the world a little better, one plate, one idea, one person at a time.