ICNZ annual conference to feature array of guest speakers

The Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) will hold its annual conference on Nov. 8 at the Cordis Hotel in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. The conference will feature numerous expert speakers from various fields, and members of the media can register to attend free of charge.

The morning keynote speaker is Dr Lucy Hone, a wellbeing and resilience expert and director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed international journals and frequently cited by others. She works with a large number of organisations, ranging from Fortune 500 firms, government agencies and law firms to community groups and schools to design and implement wellbeing and resilience initiatives.

The first morning panel is titled Facing the future with confidence and will have the following members:

• Jimmy Higgins, chief executive, Suncorp New Zealand
• Geeke Feiter, director of non-life and innovation at the Dutch Association of Insurers and chair of the Global Federation of Insurance Associations’ disruptive technology working group
• Matthew Tukaki, director, suicide prevention office, mental health and addictions, New Zealand Ministry of Health

The second-morning panel, Facing up to rising cyber threats, will feature:

• Jonathon Berry, principal consultant, InPhySec
• Matt Harrison, director of product management for cyber, RMS
• Jono Soo, head of cyber specialty – New Zealand, Marsh
• Adrian Sweeney, underwriting manager, Delta Insurance New Zealand

In the afternoon, the keynote speaker is Shamubeel Eaqub, an economist, author, media commentator and public speaker. He has over two decades of experience as an economist in Wellington, Melbourne, and Auckland, leading international banks and consultancies. Eaqub is currently a partner at a boutique economic consultancy Sense Partners.

The first afternoon panel is Doing the right thing for our customers, with the following as speakers:

• Samantha Barass, chief executive, Financial Markets Authority
• Annabelle Butler, executive manager, regulatory change and consumer affairs, Suncorp Australia 
• Ronji Tanielu, principal social policy advisor, The Salvation Army

The afternoon’s second panel is Why climate risks must not just be transferred to insurers but reduced. The speakers are:

• Dr Judy Lawrence, senior research fellow, Climate Change Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington
• Dr Charles Ehrhart, partner, KPMG
• Tobias Grimm, senior manager climate risks and green tech, Munich Re
• Tamatha Paul, councillor, Wellington City Council
• Prof. Sandy Morrison, acting dean, Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies at the University of Waikato.