Event Details
Time: 8:00 am - 8:30 am AEDT (UTC+11:00)
Date: 12 October 2026
Venue: Online
Registration Fee: FREE
About the Podcast
To launch RMIA Disaster Reduction Week, Craig Goldberg, CEO & Founder of Battleground, is joined by Ben Thompson Director Community, Culture and Customer Experience at Waverley Council, and Jane Whiter, RMIA President, for a candid conversation about leading through major community incidents.
Drawing on Waverley Council’s experience responding to events affecting the Bondi precinct and Westfield, the discussion will explore what leaders need to understand when a crisis moves quickly from an unfolding incident to a community-wide concern. The conversation will consider early situational awareness, coordination across agencies and services, public communication, support for affected people, recovery, and the lessons that reshape future readiness.
This is not a retrospective about perfect plans. It is a practical conversation about the human, operational and leadership realities of protecting communities when disruption is felt first at home.
Key takeaways
Understand how leadership priorities shift across the first hour, first day, first week, and longer-term recovery period.
Learn the importance of clear roles, trusted information, and coordinated decision-making during complex events.
Explore practical approaches to communicating with stakeholders under intense pressure.
Discover how post-incident learning can strengthen resilience and preparedness for future disruptions.
About the Speakers
Craig Goldberg
CEO & Founder | Battleground
Craig is responsible for several global innovations in business continuity and resilience, using his expertise to develop tailored solutions for organisations of all sizes across a range of industries. Craig brings the customer to the centre of the journey, to show the value and benefits of a strong and robust program of work and adds value through assisting his clients to anticipate, respond and adapt to the demands and uncertainties of incidents and crises to protect the integrity of their business.
Ben Thompson (MAHRI) is Director, Community, Culture & Customer Experience at Waverley Council, home to Bondi Beach. He leads a directorate of around 300 employees delivering services directly to the community.
With experience across finance, government relations, industrial relations, business transformation and local government, Ben is passionate about improving services and customer outcomes through people, innovation and technology.
Before joining Waverley Council in 2022, he held senior transformation, organisational development, workplace relations and safety roles at Bayside Council and previously worked with the United Services Union. Ben holds a Bachelor of Public Administration from the University of Queensland.
Jane E. Whiter
Interim CEO, President & Board Chair | RMIA
Jane Whiter is an innovative and diversified executive leader and board director, demonstrating a blend of competencies across government, not for profit and the private sector. Deep experience leading diverse and geographically dispersed multi-disciplinary organisations and teams in broad scope corporate, regulatory and business operations. Jane has a unique breadth of expertise gained from her involvement in various industries including construction, consulting, Saas, NGOs and insurance.
As president and Chair of RMIA, Jane will provide strategic direction and oversight, furthering the mission to promote risk management and business preparedness across Australasia. Jane is committed to industry excellence and aims to inspire and empower the risk management community to navigate uncertainty with confidence and resilience.
Jane champions initiatives to foster innovation, diversity and equity. She hopes that her passion for membership, mentorship, and knowledge sharing will inspire all professionals to pursue education and understanding of and in risk management, ensuring a collective contribution to society’s sustainability and resilience.
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