AGENDA

• 8:15 AM

  Registration opens

• 8:55 AM

  Opening remarks from the chairperson

  

  Sylvia Quang

  Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers and President, NSW, YIPs
  

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  Sylvia Quang

  Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers and President, NSW, YIPs
  

  Sylvia Quang is a Special Counsel in HWL Ebsworth’s Sydney insurance practice. Her key expertise is in life insurance and general insurance (property damage). Sylvia’s practice also includes public liability, personal injury and professional indemnity matters. She joined HWL Ebsworth in 2016, after working in a strata and property specialist firm for 6 years, with a diverse practice in debt recovery, insurance, insolvency, and strata and property disputes.

  Sylvia has acted for major insurers in claims investigation, fraud and assessing disputes, coverage and indemnity issues, non-disclosure disputes, and claim recoveries and settlement. She regularly provides practical training sessions to clients on the application of the law and claims handling. Sylvia is particularly skilled in litigation, and was involved in a long running dispute spanning across 12 separate proceedings in NSW and Federal jurisdictions, which culminated in a successful application pursuant to the Vexatious Proceedings Act 2008 (NSW). More recently, Sylvia has provided advice to insurers on regulatory reform, including policy wording reviews in accordance with the unfair contract terms regime.

  Sylvia is also the President of the NSW Committee of the Young Insurance Professionals Australia and New Zealand (YIPs). She is responsible for developing strategies to further YIPs’ local growth and exposure in the industry. Sylvia is passionate about showcasing the insurance industry as a career of choice of students and graduates, and providing opportunities and education for young professionals in insurance.

• 9:05 AM

  Welcome remarks from the event partner, MARSH

• 9:10 AM

  OPENING KEYNOTE: Unbreakable

  In this captivating keynote, Jelena Dokic will share her journey as a professional tennis player and the challenges she faced as a refugee, growing up in poverty as well as dealing with domestic violence, and how these impacted her life and mental health. 

  Jelena will talk about the resilience, lessons, perseverance, and courage to overcome adversity, featuring insight on her life after tennis and why advocacy for mental health, child abuse, family violence, and the importance of speaking up and sharing our stories is important to normalise the conversation around these very important issues and why it can save lives. 

  

  Jelena Dokic

  Former World No. 4 tennis player, Channel Nine commentator, speaker, bestselling author
  

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  Jelena Dokic

  Former World No. 4 tennis player, Channel Nine commentator, speaker, bestselling author
  

  A former world number 4, popular tennis commentator and best-selling author of her autobiography ‘Unbreakable’, Jelena Dokic’s story of survival is nothing short of remarkable, both on and off the court.

  Her rise in the ranks of tennis was meteoric, reaching the quarter finals at Wimbledon at the age of just 16. With a steely nerve, she fought off opponents with the same gutsy zeal Jelena Dokic used to fight off poverty and racism, bullying, discrimination, injury, depression – and the greatest fight of her life – the physical and emotional abuse she suffered for over 20 years at the hands of her tyrannical father and coach.

  Jelena has penned the best-selling autobiography Unbreakable, a book which details her career and her life. In the book, she details the struggles of being a refugee, dealing with poverty, racism, bullying, and discrimination. She also talks about the physical and emotional abuse she suffered for over 20 years at the hands of her father which started when she was just six years old. She also talks about dealing with heavy depression and almost committing suicide.

  Jelena courageous story has captured a massive worldwide following. Her raw honesty will leave you in awe. Her ability to free herself from the grips of darkness will astonish you. Most of all, Jelena Dokic’s will to survive will inspire you. She embodies hope and strength and perseverance and will leave any audience mesmerised.

  Jelena now pours her efforts into commentary as one of the key voices for Nine.

• 10:00 AM

  Speed networking

  Expand your network, make connections, and meet fellow delegates in a structured networking session.  

  Moderator

  

  Sylvia Quang

  Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers and President, NSW, YIPs
  

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  Sylvia Quang

  Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers and President, NSW, YIPs
  

  Sylvia Quang is a Special Counsel in HWL Ebsworth’s Sydney insurance practice. Her key expertise is in life insurance and general insurance (property damage). Sylvia’s practice also includes public liability, personal injury and professional indemnity matters. She joined HWL Ebsworth in 2016, after working in a strata and property specialist firm for 6 years, with a diverse practice in debt recovery, insurance, insolvency, and strata and property disputes.

  Sylvia has acted for major insurers in claims investigation, fraud and assessing disputes, coverage and indemnity issues, non-disclosure disputes, and claim recoveries and settlement. She regularly provides practical training sessions to clients on the application of the law and claims handling. Sylvia is particularly skilled in litigation, and was involved in a long running dispute spanning across 12 separate proceedings in NSW and Federal jurisdictions, which culminated in a successful application pursuant to the Vexatious Proceedings Act 2008 (NSW). More recently, Sylvia has provided advice to insurers on regulatory reform, including policy wording reviews in accordance with the unfair contract terms regime.

  Sylvia is also the President of the NSW Committee of the Young Insurance Professionals Australia and New Zealand (YIPs). She is responsible for developing strategies to further YIPs’ local growth and exposure in the industry. Sylvia is passionate about showcasing the insurance industry as a career of choice of students and graduates, and providing opportunities and education for young professionals in insurance.

• 10:20 AM

  Morning tea and refreshments break

• 10:50 AM

  PANEL: Competitive intelligence – Market trends and the future of insurance

  Digital disruptions, including AI, deep learning technologies and Blockchain, post-pandemic and environmental factors, are changing the insurance market and the way products and services are delivered. As we move out of the pandemic, what are the latest market trends, opportunities, and technologies shaping insurance today? In this session, hear from key industry leaders as they dive into the current and future insurance market – and what you need to know to remain an informed and effective leader. 

  • What are the latest market trends and what do they reveal? 
  • Discover current thinking on ESG priorities, big data, and analytics  
  • Addressing emerging trends in natural disasters and climate risk   
  • What’s next? Anticipating market trends and industry changes in 2024 and beyond  

  Panellists

  

  Meray El-Khoury

  Chief Insurance Officer
  MetLife

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  Meray El-Khoury

  Chief Insurance Officer
  MetLife

  Meray El-Khoury is the Chief Insurance Officer, responsible for our client partnerships, as well as developing all of MetLife’s product and pricing strategies in the Australian market. Meray is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, with a Bachelor of Commerce (Actuarial Studies) degree. Her career spans over 15 years in the insurance, superannuation and wealth management industries, most recently performing roles at MetLife including Chief Retail Insurance Officer and Head of Retail Distribution. Prior to joining MetLife in 2019, Meray held various roles across the Superannuation industry, with highlights including Head of Corporate and Institutional Distribution at a major industry fund, as well as roles in group insurance, finance and financial planning. With a strong passion for developing customer-led product solutions, Meray aims to deliver meaningful propositions to customers that are valued over their lifetime.

   

  

  Julie Batch

  Group Executive, Direct Insurance Australia
  IAG

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  Julie Batch

  Group Executive, Direct Insurance Australia
  IAG

  Julie was formerly Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer and Group Executive Intermediated Insurance Australia (Acting) and she has served as IAG’s Chief Customer Officer.

  In her Strategy & Innovation and Customer roles, Julie helped IAG reimagine the experiences it can provide to customers, and her new role will enable her to further realise this potential in the Direct Insurance business.

  In Strategy & Innovation, Julie combined strategy with customer governance, chief underwriting office, data, artificial intelligence, innovation and venturing. Her focus was on building new growth pathways and developing future capabilities across Australia and New Zealand. In Customer Labs, she was responsible for improving customer experiences and driving product, pricing, marketing and digital innovation using data and analytics.

  Julie joined IAG in 2005. She has deep insurance expertise, including experience in capital, reinsurance, underwriting, risk management and corporate governance. Previous roles in the business include Chief Analytics Officer, responsible for Group Reinsurance and Analytics, and Chief Risk Officer in IAG’s then Direct Insurance business. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles at Gen Re Australia, part of the Berkshire Hathaway Group, as well as with other reinsurance organisations.

  Julie is focused on creating fair systems that support health of financial services. She is a Director of Gradient Institute, a not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to progress the research, design, development and adoption of ethical artificial intelligence systems and was previously the Co-Chair for the insurance stream of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI PSI).

  She has a Masters of Applied Finance and is a Fellow of ANZIIF and is completing a Masters of Creative Intelligence and Strategic Innovation at UTS.

  

  Glen Riddell

  CEO
  Berkley Re Asia Pacific

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  Glen Riddell

  CEO
  Berkley Re Asia Pacific

  Glen Riddell currently holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of Berkley Re, Asia Pacific. He is responsible for the leadership of Berkley Re Asia and Berkley Re Australia.

  Glen has worked for Berkley Re since 2015, originally in Singapore and in 2021 relocated back to Sydney. Prior to joining Berkley Re, Glen worked for Willis Re Australia for 3 years in the position of Head of Treaty Broking and also worked for Gen Re for 16 years in various positions.

  As a reinsurer, Glen has held a number of different roles ranging from facultative, treaty and reinsurance broking across Asia Pacific including Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and Australia.

  Although originally specialising in long tail liability classes, his experience includes other classes such as Property Risk, Property Catastrophe, Motor Vehicle and Marine.

  Glen is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance and is a regular speaker at industry events.

• 11:40 AM

  Session details to be announced shortly

• 12:10 PM

  Networking lunch

• 1:10 PM

  PANEL: Getting ahead – accelerating career and skill development

  The industry is rapidly changing, and leaders need to be at the forefront to deliver business objectives. How can you ensure you are on top of your game through self-driven learning and development? This session will discuss strategies to develop capabilities and skill sets for career advancement. 

  • What are the top emerging leadership skills, and how can we develop them? 
  • Overcoming fear, insecurities, and impostor syndrome to be your best self at work 
  • Managing challenges such as time management, multiple responsibilities and burnout 
  • Understanding the role of mentorships in and out of the workplace 

  Moderator

  

  Drew Schnehage

  Managing Director – Australia
  Innovation Group

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  Drew Schnehage

  Managing Director – Australia
  Innovation Group

  Drew has 30 years’ experience in the insurance industry in South Africa. Her first insurance job was in claims, and she worked for two insurers and a broker before joining a third-party administrator. She has a strong focus on building and strengthening client relationships and has built and grown two business from ground-up.

  Drew thrives in innovative and entrepreneurial environments, leads by example, and believe that hard work pays off. Drew is always willing to have open and honest conversations with her teams and staff. She upholds that nurturing and building highly effective teams helps you to be successful and that being honest establishes a sense of trust with your team.

  She became a director at the age of 32 and soon after joined an Underwriting Agency to develop a new niche insurance product for high-net worth individuals. In 2008, she was offered the opportunity to start an Underwriting Agency to grow the first ever high-net worth portfolio, which had never been done before in South Africa.

  In 2016, her team won the Underwriting Agency of the Year award. After 7 years she sold her Underwriting Agency to Hollard Insurance in South Africa and joined their personal lines division to assist with the development of their new personal lines’ product offering. After 2 years Drew was head-hunted to join Innovation Group in South Africa as Commercial Director.

  Uprooting herself to try and build a struggling business back up where nobody knew her was the challenge that Drew accepted in 2019. This move saw her leave the South African unit of Insurtech and third-party administrator (TPA) Innovation Group to lead the Australian operations in her capacity as managing director.

   

  Panellists

  

  Archana Acharya

  Chief General Counsel
  Gallagher Bassett

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  Archana Acharya

  Chief General Counsel
  Gallagher Bassett

  As a Corporate Lawyer with 20+ years’ experience within the Banking, Insurance & Financial Services sectors, Archana has gained a breadth of exposure to complex corporate transactions and business transformation programs within large, multinational organisations, and heavily regulated commercial environments, both in Australia and internationally. 

  Harnessing technical expertise, strategic acumen and stakeholder engagement skills, Archana has led significant M&A transactions and managed cross-functional teams to facilitate seamless business integration and organisational change management. 

  Working collaboratively and building exemplary relationships with internal and external stakeholders and navigating multijurisdictional regulatory frameworks, Archana has contributed to strategic growth and transformation programs for blue-chip industry leaders. 

  She has worked as a trusted business partner, providing strategic legal advice to senior executives within some of Australia’s and the world’s leading organisations including AIA Group, Deutsche Bank, Insurance Australia Group (IAG) and ANZ. 

  

  Jenny O’Neill

  Chief Legal and Governance Officer
  Hollard Insurance

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  Jenny O’Neill

  Chief Legal and Governance Officer
  Hollard Insurance

  

  Skye Theodorou

  Co-Founder & CEO
  upcover

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  Skye Theodorou

  Co-Founder & CEO
  upcover

  Skye is the co-founder and CEO of upcover, recently ranked as Australia’s #2 startup. upcover is Australia’s fastest insurance for small businesses. Skye was also recently appointed Non-Exec Director of Insurtech Australia. Skye has a background across commercial lines products, underwriting and claims, risk and compliance. Some of her career was also spent in government to help SMEs in policy & regulatory reform across NSW. Skye is passionate about helping small businesses manage their own risk having worked in her family’s businesses from a young age. She has worked with hundreds of SMEs at Zurich, across multiple functions and now has helped almost 20k SMEs in 18 months with her technology platform. Skye lives in Sawtell in the Mid-North Coast and recently got married and had her first son in 2021 so she likes to keep life busy! 

   

• 2:00 PM

  Know your worth – How to negotiate during pay discussions 

  Gender pay inequity exists at all levels in the insurance profession. This interactive session will provide you with the confidence to negotiate your remuneration, while meeting the needs of your organisation. 

  • The facts about pay equity in Australia including the insurance profession 
  • The 4 steps to negotiate to create positive outcomes for you and the organisation 
  • The 3 secrets that will always give you confidence when negotiating 

  

  Katie-Jeyn Romeyn

  Founder and CEO
  Katie-Jeyn Romeyn International

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  Katie-Jeyn Romeyn

  Founder and CEO
  Katie-Jeyn Romeyn International

  Award-Winning Executive, Best-Selling Author, Speaker Mentor and Coach

  Award-Winning Executive and Best-Selling author, Katie-Jeyn Romeyn is the Career Accelerator. She works with CEOs, Executives and Ambitious Leaders privately and in group trainings to fast track their career and business success. Helping leaders exceed their career goals is her greatest joy. Known as a ‘disruptor’ she is well regarded for shaking things up so her clients progress rapidly rather than remain dormant in their various stages of success.

  No stranger to adversity, Katie-Jeyn’s rapid rise up the corporate ladder had humble beginnings in a low-paid administration role for a mining company in an isolated country town, Roxby Downs, South Australia. Within just 10 years she secured her first executive role at an ASX-listed resources company. During her 15-year operational and corporate career, Katie-Jeyn worked for WMC Resources, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, and St Barbara where her last role was Executive General Manager for People and Business Services.

  Katie-Jeyn credits her rapid rise to the implementation of a series of her Career Success Formula™ which she now shares with her corporate and operational clients who are having extraordinary success. Clients securing salary increases of between $20,000 AUD and $460,000 AUD and many elevating to the C-Suite and beyond to CEO roles, Board roles and some starting their own business. One new business owner created $3 Million AUD in revenue in their first year of business.

  Katie-Jeyn has been inducted into the National Academy of Best-Selling Authors in 2017 at the highly acclaimed Quilly Awards in Hollywood USA for the book, The Success Blueprint which she co-authored with Brian Tracy (International Speaker and best-selling author) and other experts around the world. At the same time she was interviewed by Jack Canfield (Author of Chicken Soup For The Soul). These events brought international media attention to Katie-Jeyn who was featured on US television A&E, Bravo and E!

  According to Katie-Jeyn , ‘When you change, everything around you changes!’

• 2:40 PM

  Afternoon tea and refreshments break

  Tea break discussion tables  

  Grab some tea, choose the topic that matters to you most and join an informal discussion with your peers. This session’s interactive format enables in-depth peer-to-peer discussions around personal development, offering an opportunity to network and exchange best practices.  

  Topics to be discussed include: 

  • Work-life balance 
  • Mentorship 
  • Career development 
  • Leadership development 

• 3:10 PM

  Leading with resilience – overcoming adversity to achieve goals

  In this inspiring keynote, Sam shares her journey from the start of her career in insurance, the challenges she faced along the way, and how the importance of community can make a difference in overcoming some of the most difficult obstacles in your personal and professional lives.  

  

  Sam White

  Founder and CEO
  Stella Insurance

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  Sam White

  Founder and CEO
  Stella Insurance

  Sam White is the multi-award-winning CEO of Freedom Services, an ever-expanding insurance business including Action 365, Pukka Insure and Freedom Brokers in the UK, and Stella Insurance in Australia.

  Having started her first company in 1999 aged just 24 in her sister’s conservatory, 22 years later she employs over 160 staff with offices in Cheadle, Cheshire, and Sydney, Australia with a turnover of over £14million.

  Sam cares passionately about diversity, equality, innovation and above all, making business human. Motivated by a desire to change the insurance industry for the better, Sam is a vocal advocate for levelling the playing field for women and championing female leaders within the industry.

  In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, Sam is a regular business commentator in media and have been seen discussing current business affairs on BBC’s Wake Up to Money and Ian King Live on Sky News. She also hosts her own podcast “Human Business with Sam White” where she candidly discusses successes and failures with fellow business owners.

• 4:00 PM

  PANEL: Fighting fatigue – How to remain on top of your game

  With competing priorities and stressful working environments, many managers and executives are experiencing various levels of burnout. How can we prioritise wellbeing, and in turn, create a culture of empathy and support? This session will discuss strategies to fight fatigue, boost resilience, and focus on self-care and mental wellbeing to lead by example.
   

  • What are the best strategies for fighting burnout and fatigue, and how can we develop them? 
  • How can managers and organisations encourage and prioritise a culture that supports wellbeing? 
  • Overcoming challenges contributing to burnout such as work-life balance, multiple responsibilities, and digital overload 

  Moderator

  

  Sylvia Quang

  Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers and President, NSW, YIPs
  

  ×

  

  Sylvia Quang

  Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers and President, NSW, YIPs
  

  Sylvia Quang is a Special Counsel in HWL Ebsworth’s Sydney insurance practice. Her key expertise is in life insurance and general insurance (property damage). Sylvia’s practice also includes public liability, personal injury and professional indemnity matters. She joined HWL Ebsworth in 2016, after working in a strata and property specialist firm for 6 years, with a diverse practice in debt recovery, insurance, insolvency, and strata and property disputes.

  Sylvia has acted for major insurers in claims investigation, fraud and assessing disputes, coverage and indemnity issues, non-disclosure disputes, and claim recoveries and settlement. She regularly provides practical training sessions to clients on the application of the law and claims handling. Sylvia is particularly skilled in litigation, and was involved in a long running dispute spanning across 12 separate proceedings in NSW and Federal jurisdictions, which culminated in a successful application pursuant to the Vexatious Proceedings Act 2008 (NSW). More recently, Sylvia has provided advice to insurers on regulatory reform, including policy wording reviews in accordance with the unfair contract terms regime.

  Sylvia is also the President of the NSW Committee of the Young Insurance Professionals Australia and New Zealand (YIPs). She is responsible for developing strategies to further YIPs’ local growth and exposure in the industry. Sylvia is passionate about showcasing the insurance industry as a career of choice of students and graduates, and providing opportunities and education for young professionals in insurance.

  Panellists

  

  Dr. Priya Chagan

  General Manager, Health Services and Chief Medical Officer
  TAL

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  Dr. Priya Chagan

  General Manager, Health Services and Chief Medical Officer
  TAL

  

  Jay Epps

  Senior Manager, Work Health & Safety
  QBE

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  Jay Epps

  Senior Manager, Work Health & Safety
  QBE

  Jay is a respected health and safety specialist delivering strategies that care for workers in our fast paced, 24/7, technological world. He leads health and safety at QBE across Australia Pacific. Masters qualified in WHS, with 30 years of risk management experience, he’s worked on both sides of the health and safety playing field as regulator and regulated. He loves to tackle the big issues and enjoys working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure Australia remains at the cutting edge of health and safety innovation.

   

  

  Gillian Davidson

  Partner
  Sparke Helmore Lawyers

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  Gillian Davidson

  Partner
  Sparke Helmore Lawyers

  As a senior partner and market leading expert specialising in general commercial insurance, Gillian leads the firm’s national liability team of more than 50 partners and lawyers. She advises many of the largest Australian and international insurers, The London Market, underwriting agencies, brokers, claims managers, TPA’s and insureds, and is particularly adept at handling large multi-party claims which require an additional layer of sensitivity and proactive response (including advising on Royal Commissions).

  Passionate about disruption and innovation, Gillian develops transformative solutions (in collaboration with her clients and industry) that respond to a rapidly evolving insurance environment. Gillian applies the same endless energy and enthusiasm to drive innovative diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategies within and outside the workplace and in the broader community. Looking beyond traditional definitions of diversity, Gillian seeks to remove structural barriers to support people of all identities and backgrounds, and mentors others to so the same.

  Gillian serves as a board member of Global Insurance Law Connect, a global network of independent insurance law firms. She chairs the Asia Pacific regional group. She has been a member of the firm’s Board and she chairs Sparke Helmore’s D&I Advisory Committee, which is responsible for oversight of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy. The firm’s (first and continuing) appointment as a WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality in 2018-2020 and 2021-23 and being named a Diversity Council Australia Inclusive Employer for 2019-20 and 2021-22 are just some of the successes of this strategy. Gillian also founded the Six Degrees network, which supports Sparke Helmore’s community of women through networking, leadership, mentoring and collaboration.

  Gillian is routinely recognised for her contribution to both D&I initiatives as well as her contribution to the Insurance Industry. In 2021 Chambers Asia Pacific awarded her Highly Commended in the D&I category and Insurance Business Australia named her as one of 42 Elite Women in Insurance in 2021. Gillian was also recognised as a winner of the Insurance Business 2022 Hot list award.

  Gillian has also sat on many charitable and NFP boards including schools, faith based organisations, aged care and medical research boards.

  

  Morag Fitzsimons

  Manager – Employee Care
  Lockton Companies Australia

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  Morag Fitzsimons

  Manager – Employee Care
  Lockton Companies Australia

  Morag has focused on developing specialist services for clients, ranging from absenteeism to career planning.

  Morag has been instrumental in developing key regulatory initiatives with the NSW WorkCover Authority and has worked closely with WorkSafe Victoria to assist businesses to address issues relating to the management of their mature workforces. Morag works closely with Lockton’s national clients to ensure consistency of system implementation with a specialist focus on self-insured companies.

  In 2015, Morag was approved as a founding signatory to the Health Benefits of Work Consensus Statement and served as the Deputy Chair of the Signatory Steering Group for four years which was formed to inform Government and Business on the key principles of Health Benefits of Good Work. Morag continues to consult to the HBGWSSG on matters pertaining to good work within a business operational context.

  She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

   

• 4:45 PM

  Networking drinks sponsored by Brooklyn Underwriting

• 5:45 PM

  Event concludes