Nick Clare

Head of Partnerships, Market Intelligence & Growth at Victorian Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Speaker

Nick Clare is Head of Partnerships, Market Intelligence & Growth at the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), where he leads growth strategy, market intelligence and AI enablement initiatives supporting businesses across Victoria.

Nick works with business leaders every day to understand how AI is reshaping the small and medium business landscape. Through VCCI's AI Adoption and Enablement Strategy, he helps SMEs move beyond the hype to understand where AI can create genuine productivity gains, commercial value and competitive advantage.

Drawing on VCCI's extensive engagement with the business community, Nick leads partnerships, education programs and market intelligence initiatives that help organisations build confidence, capability and practical pathways to adoption. He works closely with organisations including the National AI Centre, Microsoft and the Future Skills Organisation to strengthen AI readiness across Australia's SME sector.

With a strong focus on evidence over opinion, Nick is leading long-term research and insight programs examining how SMEs are adopting AI, the barriers they face, and the approaches delivering the greatest business impact. His focus is helping SMEs understand where AI can create genuine business value and supporting them to adopt it with confidence, purpose and measurable impact.