New Zealand Liability Conference

Amanda has worked in the Insurance industry for over 18 years and has specialised in liability lines for most of the last 16.

She started her career in New Zealand as a broker at Marsh before moving into underwriting at AIG New Zealand, AIG Australia and CGU Australia.

Eight years ago she returned to New Zealand and to broking with Gallagher’s specialist Financial and Professional Risks team (FINPRO).

She has managed both large and small teams for over 13 years and now as Head of FINPRO for Gallagher’s she leads a experienced team of 34 who provide comprehensive liability advice across all sectors of New Zealand business.

Stephen is the Programme Performance and Controls Director and he leads the CRLL’s assurance team with particular focus on programme, cost, risk and reporting and provides the CRLL CEO, Board and Sponsors independent updates on progress of the project.

Stephen brings to the CRL Project over 30 years of major international rail and aviation infrastructure project delivery. He started his career working for a concrete subcontractor for 5 years before moving into the client organisation for the UK Jubilee Line Extension in the 90’s. In 1997 Stephen joined Bechtel Ltd, a global construction and project management company, and worked on a number of UK rail and aviation projects over the following 20 years before relocating to New Zealand and joining the CRL Project. Stephen specialises in programme management, project controls, procurement and contract management.

Dr Fiona Crichton is a health psychology specialist and behavioural scientist.

Combined with a legal career incorporating roles as a litigation lawyer and a legal writer, Fiona’s work in health psychology has provided her a breadth of knowledge about the factors influencing psychological wellbeing and adaptive behaviour change.

Fiona brings these skills to the table in her work with Groov, as well as a track record of implementing workplace wellbeing programmes that improve wellbeing and performance within workplaces around New Zealand and Australia.

Jon Davies is the CEO of InsuredHQ, a Silicon Valley veteran, and the author of the 'Top 10 in Tech' weekly newsletter.

With over two decades of experience driving digital transformations and fostering innovation, Jon has had the privilege of working with clients like NASA, Nike, Yammer, and Microsoft.

Now happily resettled back home in New Zealand, he also mentors at Nasdaq's Entrepreneurial Center, blending his expertise with a touch of Kiwi spirit.

Philippa is widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s leading litigation and dispute resolution lawyers. She has been named a Leading Individual in every Legal 500 Asia Pacific edition since 2017 and is now a member of their Hall of Fame. Philippa is ranked Band 1 for Insurance in Chambers.

Her principal specialist area is the representation of professionals in connection with claims for negligence and disciplinary complaints. The parties she routinely assists include lawyers, chartered accountants, engineers, architects and insurance brokers.

She also regularly acts in claims against directors and officers, including (recently) those brought by liquidators, receivers or regulators arising from corporate financial collapse.

She routinely represents insurers and their clients in property damage claims which are covered under public and products liability policies.

Other areas of specialty include construction disputes (including leaky building litigation) and regulatory prosecutions.

Sophie is the Head of Climate and Sustainability at Gallagher. With over 15 years of experience in risk consulting, Sophie specializes in assessing and managing risks associated with climate change and natural hazards across various industry sectors.

As a registered Professional Engineer with Engineering New Zealand and Queensland, Sophie leads a team of dedicated consultants focused on sustainability (ESG / Climate Change) and resilience projects. Together, they deliver innovative and impactful solutions that enable clients to identify and navigate material sustainability (ESG / Climate Change) risks. Additionally, they create roadmaps for improvement and optimization, helping organizations stay ahead of the curve. Sophie's expertise lies in utilizing data analysis, risk assessment, and report writing skills to provide high-quality and tailored advice to clients. She is deeply passionate about making a positive difference and driving positive change in the world.

In her role, Sophie fosters a culture of innovation within her team and encourages creative thinking to tackle complex challenges. She believes that strategic risk management is crucial in today's rapidly changing world, and she works closely with clients to develop effective strategies for navigating external pressures and staying informed about the latest developments in sustainability and climate change. By staying ahead of the curve, she ensures that her clients are well-prepared to address emerging challenges and capitalize on new opportunities.

Having worked at leading New Zealand law firms as well as a prosecutor before taking up a role as a Health and Safety consultant, Joe Lill, has unique insight into the overlay between practical and legal issues. Starting out as a general civil litigator he worked his way through time on earthquake cases and general construction claims before becoming primarily focused on health and safety.

A published author and frequent presenter on case law developments he has a keen interest in how the law is developing and the intersect between general legal principles and H&S regulations.

Petra is the Group Claims Manager at Delta Insurance, overseeing claims across the Group in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.

She is a UK-qualified solicitor, with over 20 years' experience in the insurance industry in the UK and New Zealand. She is also a director of Delta New Zealand.

Anna is a claims litigator with extensive experience in property damage, public liability and professional indemnity claims.

Anna’s general liability expertise includes advising insurers on indemnity issues arising out of product recalls and third-party claims, as well as conducting the defence of those claims in a variety of forums. She also has experience defending claims against solicitors, engineers, architects and other professionals facing claims from both the private and public sector.

Anna represented insurers on earthquake related claims in both the commercial and residential spaces following the Canterbury earthquakes.  She has appeared in various appellate and courts of first instance and is experienced in alternative dispute resolution.

Anna previously practiced in the professional and commercial disputes team for a large firm in London, including appearances as instructing solicitor in the Chancery Division.  She was a Fulbright Scholar and holds a masters’ degree from Columbia University in New York.

Sam McIver has worked in the Insurance industry since 2008 and has been at QBE since 2012.

He has been a Senior Underwriter specialising in Financial Lines and Casualty, a Team Leader and is currently managing the QBE Corporate Team.

Over his time at QBE, and through a large number of dealings with Construction brokers in the market, Sam has developed an in-depth working knowledge of underwriting Construction risks from a liability perspective and has a real passion for the sector. 

Nick is an insurance specialist with over 30 years experience in the industry. At General Reinsurance, Nick is the Casualty Manager responsible for the broader range of casualty products.

Nick has a background in property and casualty reinsurance as well as direct insurance. His past executive roles have included marketing, underwriting and claims management.

Nick has spoken regularly at seminars in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. He has also previously held the post of Specialist Lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney, lecturing the Liability subject within the post-graduate course “Executive Certificate in Insurance".

David is the senior litigation partner at Brookfields Lawyers. He has extensive experience in insurance and construction litigation, as well as criminal and regulatory prosecutions (primarily acting for defendants in recent years).

David acted for ID Tours in the well-publicised prosecution by WorkSafe relating to the Whakaari/White Island eruption in 2019 and successfully had the charge against ID Tours dismissed at the conclusion of the prosecution case.

Prior to joining Brookfields, David was a crown prosecutor in Auckland, prosecuting the full range of criminal and regulatory cases, including multiple jury trials. He also acted in substantial construction arbitrations and negligence claims in Hong Kong.

At Brookfields, David acts for councils and their insurers and large corporates. David has appeared in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court as lead counsel in major litigation.

Martin started his insurance career in South Africa. He worked as a property underwriter specialising in mining and petrochemical. He then moved into reinsurance writing both facultative treaty and retrocession accounts.

In 1988 he emigrated to New Zealand and once again was a reinsurance buyer, which he did until 1996 when he moved to Australia to be the Technical and Reinsurance Manager for AMP General and then Allianz Australia.

Moving back to New Zealand in 2004 he held the roles of Technical and Reinsurance Manger of QBE and was one of the founding shareholders of DUAL New Zealand where the held the role of Chief Operating Officer and the Underwriting Director.

Since 2018 Martin has been at NZI and is now the National Manager Liability. During his career Martin has been a speaker at various ANZIIF conferences, Reinsurance Rendezvous in Australia been an expert witness in both mediations and the High Court and appeared as an expert in a number of reinsurance arbitrations.