Convention Program

Gemma Acton has worked across finance and broadcast media for more than two decades. She is currently the Network Finance Editor at 7 News where she presents the latest financial and business news to audiences across the country. She is also a regular guest host across the network’s news programs.

Prior to this, she hosted broadcast programmes at CNBC International in London and worked as an on-air correspondent pursuing stories across Europe for the network. She also spent a decade working in investment banking and wealth management throughout Europe, the Middle East and the United States. She has an MBA from Wharton and is a CFA charter holder.

Away from the screen, Gemma is the co-founder and director of the personal branding and presentation skills business, Everyday Showstopper, which helps clients to fundamentally restructure and improve their approach to how they present in public. She regularly joins private and corporate functions and charity events as an MC, facilitator, or keynote speaker.

In her downtime, Gemma loves to spend time at the beach with her young family as well as play tennis, ski and do battle with cryptic crosswords!

Emma Isaacs is the Founder and Global CEO of Business Chicks.

A business owner by the age of 18, property investor by 19, and self-made millionaire by 23, Emma Isaacs has entrepreneurship and achievement in her DNA.

As founder of Business Chicks—a thriving global community that operates on two continents in eleven cities – her team produces more than 100 events annually, with past speakers including Sir Richard Branson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane von Furstenberg, Kate Hudson, and Arianna Huffington, among others.

She’s also the author of bestselling books 'Winging It' and 'The New Hustle' and a mother to six kids aged 13 and under.

In 2020, Emma livestreamed the homebirth of her sixth child from her living room with tens of thousands of viewers tuning in to watch his peaceful arrival, and as a committed philanthropist has now raised more than $13million for various charities

Andrea encourages people to be 'future fit' in their careers through writing, speaking & delivering high-impact leadership programs. A former television news reporter and Washington D.C. correspondent, Andrea covered major news events across the US before working on humanitarian aid programs to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan.

With an obsession for growing careers, Andrea founded FutureFit Learning in 2012. She is the author of the book: 'Future Fit: How to Stay Relevant and Competitive in the Future of Work' - winner of the Australian Business Book of the Year 2019 and finalist in the UK Business Book Awards 2020.

Andrea is also a member of the Australian HR Institute's Future of Work Advisory Panel

Dr Ben Hamer is an accredited futurist, and he was recently awarded the number one thought leader for the Future of Work in the Asia-Pacific.

Ben has undertaken work and research around the world, including time spent leading critical projects on the future of work and skills at the World Economic Forum as well as being a Visiting Scholar at Yale University.

He is an Adjunct Professor at Edith Cowan University and a Board Member of the Australian HR Institute, where he was appointed as the youngest Non-Executive Director in the organisation’s history. A sought-after media commentator, Ben is the Chief Futurist at CreativeCubes and the author of 'The Kickass Career: How to Succeed in the Future of Work, today'.

Simone is the CEO of Insurtech Australia, a national not-for-profit organisation with a vision to create a world leading insurtech ecosystem which aims to foster a diverse community of insurance innovation and collaboration across the Australian insurance industry. An experienced leader in the insurance industry, Simone has held senior executive roles in both Australia and the UK and also has management consulting experience. Her previous role was that of Chief Operating Officer for Munich Re in Australasia. Additionally, she was Non-Executive Director of ANZIIF between 2018 and 2024

Gary’s expertise in advisory, risk and insurance sectors has guided the evolution of innovative solutions tailored to meet government protection needs, with a sharp focus on the important local government sector.

Having worked with insurance markets in Australia, Asia and London during a 40-year career, his approach has been trailblazing. Gary assists governments, businesses and not-for-profits to move beyond traditional insurance approaches and to take the reins for stronger risk management and claims results.

This work has resulted in modernising risk management for continuous change, including expanding opportunities in cooperative self-insurance. Gary is also leading conversations on disaster vulnerability and resilience-building in Australia.

Gary is now Head of JLT Public Sector – Pacific, part of Marsh McLennan. He is the President of Australia’s National Insurance Brokers Association and he holds a number of Board positions. He is a Qualified Practicing Insurance Broker.

With a career spanning over 20 years in the insurance profession, Rebecca gained extensive experience managing insurance programs for large commercial clients transforming the business to achieve year-on-year growth.

Rebecca focuses on cultivating a thriving workplace environment that encourages people to excel, collaborate and feel supported. As the 2010 recipient of the WTMA Insurance Young Professional of the Year Nationally and NSW, Rebecca’s gone from strength to strength as she was appointed NIBA board’s NSW Director and NSW divisional committee’s Vice Chair.

Rebecca has spent over 10 years volunteering for the The Reach Foundation and is currently a member of the NSW subcommittee to the board alongside having raised over $400k for multiple charities.

Colin began his insurance career over thirty years ago, starting as an insurance broker in Ireland before moving to Australia.

Colin worked for some of Australia’s largest insurers before moving into broking claims, where he spent fifteen years at two international broking firms.

He is a chartered loss adjuster and the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters Vice President.

Colin joined Sedgwick as the Client Director for major and complex loss in January 2022.

Sedgwick is a Global loss-adjusting firm with over 30,000 staff in 65 countries.

Nick joined Steadfast 9 years ago, and in his role as the Executive General Manager for Australasian Networks, Broker & Insurer Services at Steadfast, he oversees the strategic direction, operational excellence, and growth initiatives for the Steadfast broker networks across the Asia-Pacific region. With a career spanning over three decades in the insurance and financial services industry, Nick brings a wealth of experience in managing complex networks, enhancing carrier relationships, and delivering exceptional service to brokers. Nick is also Vice President of the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA), sitting on the Board representing brokers interests at the highest level of industry & government. Nick was previously at Zurich where he was responsible for the performance of Zurich products & propositions in the marketplace. In his spare time, Nick enjoys an occasional round of golf, which helps him maintain a balanced and well-rounded perspective both professionally and personally.

Gary’s expertise in advisory, risk and insurance sectors has guided the evolution of innovative solutions tailored to meet government protection needs, with a sharp focus on the important local government sector.

Having worked with insurance markets in Australia, Asia and London during a 40-year career, his approach has been trailblazing. Gary assists governments, businesses and not-for-profits to move beyond traditional insurance approaches and to take the reins for stronger risk management and claims results.

This work has resulted in modernising risk management for continuous change, including expanding opportunities in cooperative self-insurance. Gary is also leading conversations on disaster vulnerability and resilience-building in Australia.

Gary is now Head of JLT Public Sector – Pacific, part of Marsh McLennan. He is the President of Australia’s National Insurance Brokers Association and he holds a number of Board positions. He is a Qualified Practicing Insurance Broker.

Dianne Phelan is a well-known figure in the insurance industry, with a career spanning over 45 years. With an extensive background in insurance broking, she has dedicated 37 years to mastering the intricacies of the field. Currently serving as the COO at BJS Insurance Group, Dianne has spent the last 21 years contributing her expertise and leadership to the organisation.

Before joining BJS Insurance Group, Dianne held the position of Managing Director at Morris Lloyd Insurance Brokers. Over the course of 15 years, she provided exceptional broking services to numerous South Australian businesses, establishing herself as a trusted advisor within the local community.

Dianne's commitment to her profession extends beyond her individual achievements. She has made ongoing contributions to the insurance industry at large, exemplified by her two-year tenure as the President of the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA). In this role, she advocated for the interests of brokers, facilitated industry-wide collaboration, and played an instrumental part in shaping the future of insurance broking practices.

Dianne Phelan is a well-known figure in the insurance industry, with a career spanning over 45 years. With an extensive background in insurance broking, she has dedicated 37 years to mastering the intricacies of the field. Currently serving as the COO at BJS Insurance Group, Dianne has spent the last 21 years contributing her expertise and leadership to the organisation.

Before joining BJS Insurance Group, Dianne held the position of Managing Director at Morris Lloyd Insurance Brokers. Over the course of 15 years, she provided exceptional broking services to numerous South Australian businesses, establishing herself as a trusted advisor within the local community.

Dianne's commitment to her profession extends beyond her individual achievements. She has made ongoing contributions to the insurance industry at large, exemplified by her two-year tenure as the President of the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA). In this role, she advocated for the interests of brokers, facilitated industry-wide collaboration, and played an instrumental part in shaping the future of insurance broking practices.

David Locke started as the inaugural Chief Ombudsman and CEO at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) on 25 June 2018. 

David was previously Assistant Commissioner  at the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and played a key role in its establishment.

David is originally from the UK. He’s a qualified solicitor who has worked in the private, not-for-profit and Government sectors. He is passionate about access to justice.

David has also worked as an adviser to several international governments on the regulation of non-government organisations.

Katrina has spent much of her career in financial services. A Chartered Accountant by trade, Katrina started her career in Audit, spent time at Newton Fund Management in London and then joined Westpac Trust. She has owned her own small accountancy business for seven years, after which she was the Financial Controller for the New Zealand National Party.

Katrina has a deep understanding of the legislative process and how to influence policy development, drawn from her experience as a two-term Member of Parliament. During that time, she chaired Select Committees and was a member of the Commerce Select Committee during the significant legislative changes in the financial services sector.

Katrina has considerable experience leading membership bodies, working with regulatory change, creating public awareness, and has developed a learning academy. In addition to this she has managed the significant Funeral Trust Fund.

Katrina has been the CEO of Financial Advice NZ for five years. She was the inaugural CEO which merged three industry bodies into one professional body. In this time the organisation has become the voice of the financial advice sector, influenced significant legislative and regulatory change, and delivered quality professional development. In addition to this she has ensured research has been the basis for promoting the value of advice to consumers, enabling more New Zealanders, to seek quality financial advice to increase their financial health, wealth and wellbeing.

Before commencing his insurance training business, Oren had acquired over 20 years of insurance industry experience – predominantly as a senior Professional & Financial Lines broker and wholesaler across large, mid-sized and small brokerages in Australia and the United States. During that time, his clients ranged from publicly listed companies to SMEs and Associations across a broad array of industries.

The underlying theme of his career has been the desire for personal growth, imparting his knowledge, challenging himself and others, and developing and mentoring those around him. Oren is a passionate advocate for training in the insurance industry. He prefers to offer his programs “in-person” and is focused on changing the training mindset from often being a “box-ticking exercise”, to being a fundamental component of running a successful broking business. As a broker, Oren had always felt that something was missing in the professional development space and saw a real gap in the market to provide specialised insurance training in a more engaging and interactive way.

His training modules can be split into two broad categories. Product-related modules – which revolve around Professional & Financial Lines products, and non-product-related modules – which revolve around risk management, operational and sales training. Underpinning all he does is the desire for brokers to become more confident in their dealings with clients and underwriters. Oren is also a presenter at conferences and an accomplished mentor who is committed to attracting more talent to our industry.

A life-long learner, he holds several qualifications including a Master in Risk Management & Insurance, a Bachelor in Commerce, and a Certificate IV in Training & Assessment. In his spare-time you can find Oren swimming, working out, playing his guitar, learning a new language, meditating, and spending time with family and friends.