Event Details
Time: 9:00am - 4:00pm AEDT
Date: 25 September 2025
Venue: PwC Barangaroo | Watermans Quay, Barangaroo, NSW, 2000Australia
Registration Fee: $45 Member | $65 Non-Member incl GST
About the Event
The Risk Odyssey will explore how AI is fundamentally changing risk management in different sectors, with a focus on building resilience against the geopolitical landscape, global disruption, complexity and the impact on planning and decision-making across finance, people, ESG and insurance.
About the Speakers
Session 1
Tony Vizza
Keynote Speaker
Managing Partner, Novera
Tony Vizza has been involved in information technology, information security, privacy, and the law for over 25 years.
Tony has completed a Bachelor of Science in Computing Science from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Global Executive MBA from the University of Sydney, which included studies at Stanford University in the United States, the London School of Economics in the UK, and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Most recently, Tony completed a Juris Doctor degree in law at the University of New South Wales and is an admitted lawyer and solicitor.
Tony’s information security credentials include CISSP, CCSP, CIPP/E, CRISC, CISM and is a certified ISO/IEC 27001 Senior Lead Auditor. Tony is a Senior Member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS), a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, a former member of the Board of Directors for the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) and is a Teaching Fellow at the University of New South Wales, teaching cyber security and privacy to law and business students.
Tony is an expert speaker on information security, privacy and cyberlaw and a regular contributor to numerous cybersecurity and IT industry publications. Tony is the Managing Partner and Founder of Novera, an independent digital risk management advisory firm that provides cybersecurity, AI, and digital risk management services to clients ranging from ASX 50 firms to APRA-regulated entities and critical infrastructure entities. Tony assists as a court-appointed independent expert in cybersecurity breach legal matters.
Moderator
David Ma
Director AI Trust | PwC
Session 2
The Geopolitics of AI - Implications for security, stability, and building resilience.
Panelists
Dr Merriden Varrall
Keynote Speaker
Partner Geopolitics Australia Lead | KPMG
Dr Merriden Varrall is the Lead for Geopolitics at KPMG Australia. In this role she helps business understand and navigate the complex global geopolitical environment. Merriden provides business-relevant insights into global, regional and local geopolitical trends and works with clients to develop strategies and solutions to identify and mitigate risk and maximise opportunities.
A former UN diplomat based in China, Merriden is a sought-after commentator on geopolitics, East Asia, China’s foreign policy, and Australia’s bilateral relationship with China. From 2014-2018, Merriden was the Director of the Lowy Institute’s East Asia Program and is currently a Non-Resident Fellow at Lowy.
Merriden has a PhD examining Chinese foreign policy from Macquarie University, Sydney, and the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. She has a master’s degree in international Affairs from the Australian National University and completed her undergraduate studies in international studies at the University of Technology Sydney. Her analyses have appeared in academic journals, as well as publications such as The Quarterly, The New York Times, Nikkei Asian Review, Foreign Policy, The East Asia Forum, and the Lowy Interpreter, among others.
Brendan Thomas
CEO, Austrac
Nick De Bont
Chief Security Officer | Thales Australia and New Zealand
Peter Evans
CISO | Cyber Defense Centre |Technology and Communications Services Command | NSW Police Force
Moderator
Dave Cohen
Deputy CEO | Risk 2 Solutions Group
Session 3
Dr Gavriel (Gav) Schneider
Keynote Speaker
Group CEO and Principal Consultant | Risk 2 Solution Group
Dr Gavriel (Gav) Schneider is a global authority on risk, leadership, and building high-performance cultures in uncertain environments. As the creator of the Presilience® framework and author of Presilience: How to Navigate Risk, Embrace Opportunity, and Build Resilience, Dr Gav empowers leaders and practitioners to move beyond compliance and traditional resilience, building proactive, opportunity-centric risk cultures that drive sustainable high performance.
With extensive experience running companies across the risk, security, safety and leadership sectors, and nearly a decade as head of ACU’s postgraduate program in the Psychology of Risk, Dr Gav brings practical, real-world insights to every engagement. His contributions to the field have been recognised with numerous awards including RMIA’s Consultant of the Year (2019) and Risk Leader of the Year (2023), reflecting his commitment to helping organisations lead, adapt, and thrive in a complex world.
Moderator
Dean Devos
Associate Director | Risk | Australia, Pacific, Indonesia, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
Session 4:
Navigating AI trust, cyber, privacy, ethics and digital law at the edge of transformation
Panelists
Bola Oyetunji
Auditor General |NSW Audit Office
Alex Hutchins
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Lily Hands
AI, Cybersecurity and Data Privacy | Norton Rose Fulbright
Dhivya Kanagasingam
AI Ethics | Mantel Group
Moderator
Tony Vizza
Managing Partner | Novera
Session 5
Scott Ferguson
Keynote Speaker
Partner Insurance | PwC
Scott is a partner that has specialised in serving the insurance industry over the past 20 years. He is a past leader of PwC Australia's Insurance practice
Session 6
Navigating geopolitical, technological and people risk while maintaining organizational resilience.
Panelists
Jane He
Partner Crisis and Resilience | PwC
Andre Waitsman
Managing Consultant, Centre of Expertise (CoE)
| CFO and Risk | Korn Ferry
Paul Minter
Director | Battleground
Jeff Whitton FAICD CDPSE
Founding Non-executive Director Yirigaa |Global Board Advisor | Bihar International Trade Organisation
Moderator
Sandra Hinchcliffe
Head of Quality | Thales Australia
Session 7
Climate change and corporate resilience: integrating physical and transition risks into ESG strategies
Fireside Chat Subject Matter Experts
Dave Owens APM
Managing Director | Risk-e Business Consultants
Craig McIntosh
Climate Risk Manager | GPT Group
Moderator
Hela Ebrahimi
Principal Consultant | August Advisory