Event Details
Time: 9:15 am - 5:00 pm
Date: 22 August 2025
Venue: KPMG, 151 Pirie Street, Adelaide SA
Registration Fee: $79 Members | $149 Non-Members
About the Event
Building on the RMIA's national conference theme Risk Drives Everything, the RMIA SA/NT Chapter invites you to their 2025 Risk Odyssey – a full-day, in-person event designed to explore how risk continues to shape decision-making, strategy, and leadership across all sectors.
Taking place on Friday 22 August, this immersive event brings together local and national voices to examine the evolving risk landscape – from AI and cyber to leadership, resilience, and culture. With a mix of thought leadership, practical case studies, interactive discussions, and candid career reflections, this year's event offers both fresh insight and real-world relevance for risk professionals at every level.
Expect meaningful conversations, actionable takeaways, and plenty of opportunities to connect with peers over coffee, lunch, and post-event networking drinks. Whether you're deep in the risk profession or just beginning your journey, the SA/NT Chapter's Risk Odyssey will challenge your thinking and broaden your perspective on what risk really means in 2025 – and beyond.
About the Speakers
Kirsty Sullivan
Chief Risk Officer, Police Health & Emergency Services Health
Kirsty Sullivan is an experienced risk professional with a diverse career spanning risk, governance, compliance, insurance, quality management and assurance, business resilience, security, work health and safety, facilities/fleet management. Previously, Kirsty served as a submariner in the Royal Australian Navy, held various positions in the Commonwealth Acquisition & Sustainment Group, government business enterprise ASC Pty Ltd along with working in the energy sector for ElectraNet and as a Non-Executive Director in the not-for-profit sector.
Michael Howell
Head of Risk Research & Knowledge, Protecht
Michael Howell is Protecht's Head of Risk Research and Knowledge. He is passionate about the field of risk management and related disciplines, with a focus on helping organisations succeed using a ‘decisions eyes wide open’ approach.
Michael is a Certified Practicing Risk Manager whose curiosity drives his approach to challenge the status quo and look for innovative solutions. Michael harnesses that curiosity in pursuit of risk knowledge, conducting research and developing content to support and advance risk methodology and product design at Protecht.
Michael’s industry experience includes managing risk functions, assurance programs, policy management, corporate insurance, and compliance.
Ella Withers
Head of Investment Risk & Compliance, Hostplus
Ella Withers is the current Head of Investment Risk & Compliance at Hostplus. She is a dynamic and emerging leader within risk and compliance, specialising within the financial services sector. Known for embedding a strong risk culture, her relationship-based approach supports successful embedment of risk and compliance frameworks within organisations to enable better organisational outcomes. With prior experience within the consulting sector, Ella leverages better practice insights and pragmatism to strike the right balance when designing and implementing risk and compliances frameworks. Ella is also a current Chapter Executive of the SA/NT Chapter and is an active participant within the RMIA community. She is passionate about providing support to new entrants to the risk profession and takes on active mentoring roles within the community. Outside of work, Ella is currently undertaking a Masters of Business Administration, reflective of her enthusiasm and desire for continuous learning and development.
Shay Johnston
Managing Director & Principal Consultant, Bright Quest Consulting
Shay Johnston is a senior risk and compliance professional who brings over 20 years of experience in financial services to his work as a management consultant. Drawing on deep expertise in the Australian regulatory environment, Shay now works with organisations to explore practical, human-centred uses of AI for risk, compliance, and operations.
As the founder of Bright Quest Consulting, Shay brings a unique blend of domain knowledge and strategic insight to AI implementation projects. In his financial services career, Shay gained deep experience in risk and compliance functions across general insurance, personal insurance, banking, financial advice and superannuation, including in risk profiling, control assurance, quality assurance program design and ownership, risk appetite development and monitoring, risk and compliance framework design and ownership, business continuity management, outsourcing and offshoring, automation governance, committee governance, board reporting and regulatory affairs. Shay led divisional risk and compliance teams in both Line 1 and Line 2 risk roles, also playing significant leadership and oversight roles in functional and enterprise-wide risk, compliance, quality and customer remediation programs.
With an MBA and a career grounded in real-world operational risk, Shay specialises in helping teams with limited capacity translate AI potential into meaningful outcomes—without adding unnecessary risk or complexity.
Moderator
Stephen Branch
SA/NT Chapter President / Risk & Compliance Manager, Tiimely