Event Details
Time: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM AWST
Date: 22 October 2026
Venue: Central Park Perth, 152-158 St Georges Terrace
Registration Fee: $89 Members | $189 Non-Members (incl GST)
CPD Points: 10 points
About the Event
The WA Chapter's 2026 Risk Odyssey will be held on Thursday 22 October, bringing together leading voices from across insurance for a day of insight, discussion and connections.
This year's theme, "Beyond Traditional Insurance, for the Modern-Day Risk Professional," explores the evolving role of insurance within broader risk management. As organisations navigate emerging risks, changing market conditions and increasing complexity, risk professionals are being challenged to think beyond conventional approaches.
Through expert presentations and discussions, attendees will explore insurance market trends, workplace risk, climate resilience, geopolitical uncertainty and innovative approaches to risk financing.
Don't miss this opportunity to connect with peers and industry leaders, gain fresh perspectives and take away practical insights to support better risk-informed decision-making
About the Speakers
Live Crisis Simulation by Battleground:
Integrating insurance considerations when responding to a crisis
Luke Smailes
DIRECTOR | RISK STRATEGY & TECHNOLOGY
Battleground
Luke leads Battleground’s NSW Practice, advising his clients Executives and Boards on crisis management, organisational resilience and prudential change.
Before Battleground he held senior roles at KPMG and PwC and ran his own consultancy, working with banks, insurers and superannuation funds on crisis & resilience transformation and regulatory change initiatives. He has worked inside APRA on an embedded basis and was part of the industry group consulted on CPS 230 and CPG 230, so he knows the standard from both sides of the table. Much of his current work is helping organisations, regulated or not, turn that framework into arrangements that hold up on the day they are needed – where he runs around 50 simulations per year.
Luke is a lawyer by training, admitted in Western Australia and a Perth native who was educated at Notre Dame in Fremantle before heading east.
Peter Duffy
DIRECTOR | RISK & RESILIENCE
Battleground
Peter brings 30 years of experience across risk, crisis and issues management, assurance and governance, and the practices that sit behind sound decision making in a resilient organisation.
Before joining Battleground, he led the Enterprise Risk function at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, where he rebuilt the organisation’s risk framework to lift risk maturity and support risk-aware decision making. In the same role he was responsible for business continuity and crisis management, designing the frameworks and then running them through significant live events.
At Battleground he leads the Risk and Resilience practice, working with clients to make risk management something that protects and grows business value through informing and strengthening decision making at every level.
Mark Maciolek
PRINCIPAL | RISK & RESILIENCE
Battleground
Mark is a Certified Practising Risk Manager with more than a decade of experience helping organisations navigate uncertainty, strengthen resilience and achieve sustainable outcomes in complex, highly regulated environments.
Before joining Battleground, Mark held senior roles in consulting and in-house risk teams where he led risk and controls transformations, business continuity, crisis management and resilience initiatives. He has worked across all three lines of defence, including leading operational risk and business continuity for WA's largest general insurer.
Based in Western Australia, he is committed to advancing the risk profession and currently serves as Vice President of the Risk Management Institute of Australasia (WA). He is also a Non-Executive Director of Mandurah Performing Arts Centre Inc, where he contributes to supporting arts, culture and community development.
Full program and speaker details will be announced soon.