21-22 May 2025, The Hotel Windsor Melbourne
Day One – Wednesday 21 May 2025
8.30 Registration
9.00 Opening remarks from the chair
9.10 International Keynote Address:
Preparing for critical risks in the public sector – insights from the Home Office (UK)
- Establishing systems and procedures to manage significant risks
- Developing accurate assessments of potential risks facing the public service
- Building capabilities and resilience as insurance against crisis threats
- Collaborating across the public sector to manage risks across portfolios
Frances King, Deputy Director Protect and Prepare, UK Home Office
10.10 Embedding a positive risk culture through training and support
- Establishing the benefits of a mature culture for risk mitigation
- Designing awareness campaigns around risk management with high impact
- Measuring the maturity of organisational culture regarding key risks
- Collaborating with other business functions to ensure effective and resilient culture change
Claire Sullivan, Director Risk, Assurance, and Governance, Fire Rescue Victoria
10.50 Morning coffee
11.20 Providing effective dialogue and education for employees outside of your risk team
- Gathering key data on key risks to target in risk training and development
- Explaining risk concepts to non-experts where necessary
- Collaborating with other business functions to produce best-practice training
- Developing your risk learning and development around sustainable and continuous improvement
Andres Ramirez, Manager Risk, Department of Families, Fairness, and Housing
12.00 Developing precise risk management methodologies and practices
- Constructing your risk management approach based on current best practice
- Assembling a team of effective risk management professionals in your organisation
- Transforming your risk management method to prevent risks before they are realised
- Seeking key connections and partners within multiple organisational functions and offices
Kristy Watts, Director Corporate and Community, Strathfield Council
12.40 Lunch
13.40 Utilising modern technology to effectively manage complex risks
- Introducing new technologies with an understanding both of their benefits and blind spots
- Managing risks effectively by leveraging innovative technology
- Utilising technology and data from other business functions to mitigate risks
- Working in partnership with your IT partners effectively
- Achieving senior leadership buy in for technological investment in risk management
Mike van de Graaf, Executive Director Risk, Treasury Corporation of Victoria
14.20 Maintaining accurate, current, and accessible data in risk management
- Identifying key indicators of current risks and organisational resilience
- Utilising existing and new technology for mature risk data monitoring
- Interpreting changes in risk data effectively within a tolerable margin of error
- Negotiating privacy concerns when utilising ongoing data in risk management
- Monitoring data for indicative changes around emergent risks
Simon Joyce, Assistant Secretary Data Governance and Services, Department of Defence
15.00 Afternoon tea
15.30 Employing an informed mitigation strategy around Artificial Intelligence risks
- Understanding the key risks and opportunities around AI today
- Producing a proactive AI risk management strategy
- Navigating the inherent risks of utilising AI technology in public sector operations
- Organising your risk management strategy to counter future AI risks
Kristen Moore, Team Leader Human-Centred AI and Cybersecurity, CSIRO’s Data61
16.10 Preparing for the key risks posed by intensifying climate change
- Establishing the impact of climate breakdown for every organisation
- Mitigating the risk of climate impacts with prior preparation
- Meeting climate-related compliance objectives effectively
- Adjusting your existing risk ratings to account for climate-driven intensification
Dr Karl Braganza, National Manager Climate Services, Bureau of Meteorology
16.50 Closing remarks from Chair
17.00 End of Conference Day One and Networking Event
Day Two – Thursday 22 May 2025
8.00 Registration
8.30 Opening remarks from the chair
8.40 Building accessible and enthusiastic engagement with risk appetite
- Explaining risk appetite effectively to your colleagues and leaders
- Balancing risk appetite with tolerance in an uncertain environment
- Building senior engagement with risk appetite despite the drive towards ideals
- Supporting colleagues across the organisation to take risks responsibly in line with corporate values
Dr Mark Sullivan, Chief Risk Officer, National Disability Insurance Agency
9.20 Improving your executive buy-in for risk mitigation projects
- Approaching your executive leadership strategically when seeking buy-in for risk strategies
- Ensuring your communication with executive leadership is effective
- Demonstrating the importance of managing a given risk with data visualisation
- Developing sustainable risk strategies with measurable positive impacts
Gael Evans-Barr, Executive Director Governance and Portfolio Services, Department of Transport and Planning
Kirsten Lacey, Chief Risk Officer, and Director of Risk Compliance and Resilience, Department of Transport and Planning
10.00 Constructing your risk management strategy around the unique features of the modern government organisation
- Constructing a robust risk framework around particular public sector challenges
- Developing agile risk management systems and workforces in government
- Aligning your risk management plan according to appetite and continuity planning
- Ensuring your risk management approach is prepared for future threats
Alana Martin, Chief Governance and Risk Officer, City of Greater Geelong
10.40 Morning coffee
11.10 Communicating your key risks across the organisation
- Developing a thoughtful approach to explaining risk to non-experts
- Targeting your risk messaging around your audience
- Engaging on constructive conversations around risks
- Encouraging others to communicate potential risk vectors to your team
Michelle Holland, Chief Risk Officer, Queensland Police
11.50 Private Sector Insight:
Meeting risk reporting and compliance standards effectively
- Identifying your key responsibilities for internal and external reporting
- Ensuring enthusiastic and substantive compliance from your organisational stakeholders
- Engaging with your organisational risk, assurance, and compliance processes regularly
- Onboarding new leaders and team members around compliance procedure effectively
Joel Williams, General Manager Government and Regulatory Affairs, Tabcorp
12.30 Lunch
13.30 Developing operational resilience for ongoing risk management
- Preparing for the risks to meeting operational objectives and functions
- Ensuring operational resilience is treated as a key emergent risk
- Training your workforce to prevent and detect key operational risks
- Safeguarding against operational failure according to best practice
David Duncan, Head of Enterprise Risk, Future Fund
14.10 Case Study:
Mitigating key risks in grants administration
- Identifying key areas of concern in awarding program grants
- Developing targeted strategies to minimise risks in your grants administration
- Working across internal branches for ongoing grants risk management
- Ensuring grants-related risks are communicated effectively across the organisation
Noel Taloni, General Manager Business Grants External and Assurance, Department of Industry, Science, and Resources
14.50 Afternoon tea
15.20 Building an agile and responsive risk management strategy
- Seizing the advantages of agile risk management practices
- Establishing risk appetite and rating frameworks to address unforeseen risks
- Reviewing current data and key indicators of significant potential risks
- Verifying potential red flags in an uncertain risk environment
- Engaging with line leaders and teams to manage risks on the coalface
16.00 Upgrading your cybersecurity response in a high-risk environment
- Building an evidence-led cyber risk framework based on emergent and ongoing threats
- Collaborating effectively with your organisational cybersecurity specialists
- Providing practical guidance to stakeholders around cybersecurity risks
- Leveraging guidance and support from other organisations and regulators
16.40 Closing remarks from chair
16.45 End of Conference Day two