Australian Liability Conference

Derham is the Head of Liability for Crawford Australia having held that position for over 20 years. In addition to leading the team of 23 liability specialists across Australia, he is still very much a working loss adjuster.

One of Derham’s areas of focus is Product Liability. He has managed hundreds of such files for the local and London market, with particular areas of expertise including packaging, motor vehicle parts, plastics, beverages and food ingredients.

About 15 years ago Derham was entrusted with his first Product Contamination and Recall claim from a local underwriter. At that time this was still very much a niche policy, and in the early stages these claims were a significant learning experience, both for he and the insurers. Since that time he has managed, or assisted with some of the most high profile product recall claims in Australia.

Derham and his team are very much relied upon by Insurers who write this business to respond at short notice to new recall notifications and to assist the Insured’s with what often becomes one of their most challenging hurdles to overcome from a cashflow and reputational perspective. It is that particular challenge which he enjoys the most.

Donna has more than 20 year’s experience in the insurance industry, having held positions with both Australian and Internal Insurers. She has extensive experience in specialist insurance areas including Contaminated Products Insurance and Product Recall.

Donna joined Liberty Specialty Markets in 2008, bringing several years of crisis management experience to the launch of the Liberty Crisis Management solutions product suite for Asia Pacific. She is based in Melbourne and her emphasis is on development of new business and the education of clients and brokers on Product Recall Insurance.

Donna is a senior associate with ANZIIF.

Estelle has played a role in some of Australia’s high-profile insurance milestones – she was the actuarial expert to the HIH Royal Commission and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

She worked with the State and Federal Governments on the Liability Crisis back in the early 2000s and more recently advised an Interjurisdictional Working Group of States and Territories on solutions to the availability of adequate insurance cover for NGOs providing critical out of home care services.

Estelle was the President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia in 2015 and in 2012 was named Actuary of the Year. She has been a member of the Board of the National Disability Insurance Agency since 2017.

Joann is a space and corporate lawyer and Space Lead at Lander & Rogers. She works with deep space technology and other businesses in the space economy, including in relation to liability and other risks of in-orbit activities, regulatory advice for space activities, fundraising, corporate governance and intellectual property.

Joann is also the Chair and a Director of the Space Law Council of Australia and New Zealand, a not-for-profit company established to further the interests of all in securing sustainable access to the benefits of space activities and contribute to the advancement of space law and policy. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Joann was a medical radiation scientist.

Nicholas started his career in legal practice before moving into in-house insurer roles dealing with large Professional Indemnity, Liability and Financial Lines claims with some major Australian insurers over a period of 12 years.

Nicholas then joined reinsurer Gen Re in 2002 where he has been managing a mixed portfolio of large and complex reinsurance claims in Property and Casualty for over 22 years. He is also actively involved with the Australian Insurance Law Association and led the NSW Chapter as President in 2020 and 2021.

Nicholas regularly undertakes claims audits of Gen Re’s insurer clients to provide constructive feedback on claims processes, reserving and management and he also provides strategic advice and guidance to the Gen Re Executive team on all claims related issues affecting Gen Re. In his spare time he enjoys the outdoors and he is a keen skier, meticulous formal gardener and traveller.