Event Details
Time: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM AEDT
Date: 11 November 2026
Venue: 100 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo, NSW
Registration Fee: $89 Members | $159 non-members (incl. GST)
CPD Points: 10 points
About the Event
The risk landscape continues to evolve as organisations navigate emerging technologies, shifting business priorities and increasing complexity. Building resilience, responding to new threats and identifying opportunities have become critical capabilities for organisations seeking to create and protect value.
Join risk professionals, business leaders and industry experts at the RMIA NSW Chapter Risk Odyssey 2026, themed "The Risk Exchange – A forum for ideas, insights, and practical approaches that create value".
Hear from leading academics, practitioners and industry specialists as they explore some of the most pressing topics facing risk leaders today, including ethical artificial intelligence, risk management in the AI era, developing and embedding risk culture, operationalising risk appetite and the growing role of risk technology.
The program will provide practical insights, encourage the exchange of real-world experiences and perspectives, and explore approaches to addressing contemporary risk challenges. Through facilitated discussions and dedicated networking opportunities, attendees will have the opportunity to connect with peers, collaborate on emerging issues and strengthen risk management capability across industries.
The event is proudly hosted by Marsh and presented by the Risk Management Institute of Australasia (RMIA).
About the Speakers
James Bailey
Head of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Practice
Marsh Risk Consulting, Pacific
James is a seasoned operational risk professional with experience in operational risk measurement, loss-data analysis and regulatory compliance, drawing on a background across banking, insurance and wealth management.
James has driven strategic improvements using operational risk scenarios and analytics to improve stress-testing outcomes, and has experience applying large language models (LLMs) to scaled root-cause analysis and incident triage. James developed a passion for risk management while leading Deloitte’s quantitative analytics team, specialising in remediation calculations during the Financial Services Royal Commission. Combining a strong risk mindset with data-science capability, James brings sophisticated, actionable and data-driven insights to clients.
Dr Gavriel Schneider
Group Managing Director, Chair of the Board & Founder
Risk 2 Solution Group
Dr. Gav Schneider is a globally recognised risk management leader, sought-after speaker, and consultant with a career built on advancing how organisations understand and manage risk. He is the Chair and Founder of the Risk 2 Solution Group, and more recently founded the AI startup PR3CORIA.
His contributions to the risk profession have been widely recognised: he has been named RMIA Risk Consultant of the Year and RMIA Risk Leader of the Year by the Risk Management Institution of Australasia, and currently serves as President of ISRM APAC. He is also a three-time recipient of the Life Safety Alliance Thought Leaders award, reflecting his sustained influence on risk thinking and practice internationally.
Beyond his executive and advisory roles, Dr. Schneider is a prolific international speaker and consultant, regularly engaged by organisations and industry bodies to share insight on risk strategy, resilience, and emerging technology's impact on risk management. Through Risk 2 Solution Group and PR3CORIA, he continues to push the boundaries of how risk management intersects with AI and innovation.
Jerome Nyssen
Senior Managing Director
FTI Consulting
Jerome is recognised for his work with major financial services organisations, helping them design and embed risk, compliance and governance (GRC) frameworks. He brings deep expertise in AI and automation, including the implementation and optimisation of technology solutions, and advises boards, chief risk officers and senior executives on future-fit strategies, operating models and risk governance.
Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Jerome was Chief Strategy Officer at ReadiNow, an AI-led GRC technology firm, where he developed and delivered Agentic AI solutions for large enterprises. He was previously a Partner at Deloitte, leading the firm’s Digitisation of Risk practice, and has held senior risk leadership roles across Australia, the UK and Asia.
Damien Stevens
Chief Product & Strategy Officer
Protecht
Damien Stevens is Protecht's Chief Product & Strategy Officer, leading our Product & Strategy team. He is responsible for Protecht’s global product vision, design and go to market strategy. Damien graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with a degree in Marketing & Finance. With extensive experience in B2B software, financial services and data and analytics, Damien has built and launched many widely used and loved products that solve real problems for large and small businesses.
Kat Conner
Partner, Risk Advisory
Ashurst Perkins Coie Group
Kat Conner is a Partner in Risk Advisory, specialising in regulatory risk.
Kat is a risk and regulatory specialist with more than 20 years' experience across Australia and the United Kingdom. Having worked in industry, in consulting and as a prudential supervisor at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), she brings a rare, three-sided view of risk and regulatory requirements. She understands what regulators expect, how boards and executives respond, and what it takes to deliver lasting change.
Kat currently leads independent reviews, investigations and assurance engagements for entities responding to regulatory enforcement action in Australia. Her work covers risk management, conduct, risk culture, compliance and governance, and she has worked with gaming operators, banks, insurers and superannuation trustees. Kat also advises clients in other highly regulated sectors, applying her regulatory and supervisory insight to help organisations meet regulator expectations and strengthen their risk and compliance frameworks.
Simeon Simoff
Professor of AI & IT
Wester Sydney University
Simeon J. Simoff is Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Information Technology at Western Sydney University, where he has accumulated almost two decades of experience in various senior executive leadership roles, including those on international professional bodies. His research contributes across the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, visual analytics, design computing and augmented reality. Much of it has been supported by $11.3mln of competitive research funding and reported in more than 340 publications. His current work is focused on interpretable machine learning, explainable AI, and AI-driven intelligent visualisation and visual analytics – all essential in evaluation of risk in adoption of AI technologies across organisations. He is founding director of the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia. He serves on the ACS Technical Advisory Board and as Australian Chair on the IFIP Technical Committee on Artificial Intelligence (IFIP TC12). He is the Immediate Past President of the Australian Council of Deans of Information and Communications Technology. He is Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales and the Institute of Engineers Australia.
Dr Zivit Inbar
Founder and CEO
DifferenThinking
Dr Zivit Inbar is the Founder and CEO of DifferenThinking, specialising in people, culture, ethics, responsible AI, leadership, and strategic decision-making. With over 20 years’ experience, she has advised boards and executives across private and listed organisations globally.
Zivit holds a diverse board portfolio and is a member of Standards Australia’s AI Trustworthiness and Governance Committees and Co-Chair of Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (Australia). She is also the author of The Ethical Kaleidoscope: Values, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, with her latest book, The Responsible AI Strategic Advantage, scheduled for publication by Routledge in 2026.
Her qualifications include an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from Harvard Kennedy School, and she is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow Certified member of the Australian Human Resources Institute. Zivit has received multiple awards for her work in responsible AI, ethical leadership, governance, and organisational culture.
Maksym Szewczuk
2026 RMIA Risk Manager of the Year
Maksym Szewczuk is a distinguished specialist security and risk manager at Bechtel, where he oversees the risk management of large-scale, critical infrastructure projects around the world—from bustling airports and expansive railway systems to mega-projects in Saudi Arabia and USA. He is recognized as the 2024 winner of the Australia Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPA) Outstanding In-House Security Manager/Director and RMIA 2026 Risk Manager of the Year. His expertise spans security, safety and project risk management. Currently, Maksym is working as project risk management lead on a variety of major Australian infrastructure projects, including AUKUS submarine infrastructure and Sydney to Newcastle High Speed Rail having recently finished as project risk manager on Western Sydney Airport. As a passionate advocate for developing young risk professionals while highlighting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the industry, he not only champions safety and resilience in infrastructure but also leads initiatives to uplift industry standards.
Stefan Plesko
2026 RMIA APAC Risk Leader of the Year
Stefan Plesko is Head of Enterprise Risk Management at Swiss Re Asia and the 2026 RMIA APAC Risk Leader of the Year. Based in Singapore, he leads the enterprise risk framework and risk governance for Swiss Re's consolidated Asia entity across six Asia-Pacific jurisdictions. He presents regularly to the Board Risk Committee and the Board, covering the quarterly risk report, ICAAP/ORSA, emerging risks and regulatory requirements. He also leads Swiss Re Asia's implementation of the new MAS Guidelines on AI Risk Management, spanning governance, risk assessment and controls. Stefan has 20 years' experience in reinsurance, insurance and banking across Asia and Europe, including direct supervisory engagement with MAS and FINMA. He is a Certified Practising Risk Manager (CPRM), an ANZIIF Fellow (CIP) and a member of the AICD.