Reinsurance Rendezvous

Steven Asnicar is the Chief Executive Officer for Diversity Australia / New Zealand and an esteemed international keynote speaker specializing in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).

Steven has recently led the development of the new ISO International Standard in Human Resource Management - Diversity and Inclusion.

Additionally, Steven has spearheaded the development of Global Neuro Divergence Training and Assessments, Menopause at Work Programs, Respect at Work, and Psychological Safety at Work Laws and Legislation.

With extensive expertise in mental health first aid and learning program development, Steven has been pivotal in advancing initiatives that promote respect, safety, and inclusion in workplaces globally.

His engaging presentations and workshops provide organizations with actionable strategies to support neurodiverse employees and foster psychologically safe work environments.

Teni Berberian was admitted as a solicitor in 1998 with degree in Biomedical Science/Law with Hons and in 2002 obtained her Masters in Law from the University of Sydney. She was called to the NSW Bar in 2005 where she practises from the 13th floor Wentworth Selborne Chambers.

Teni’s main area of practise at the Bar is insurance, an area she practised in extensively as a solicitor. She practises in all aspect of insurance law and insurance litigation including life, TPD, income protection, professional indemnity, general liability and general commercial litigation. She has been briefed and appears on behalf of many local and international insurers in various Courts in NSW, ACT and Victoria.

Teni has been named in the “Best Lawyers in Australia” in insurance law for 2015, 2016 and most recently for 2017.

Teni has a special interest in medical law and is briefed regularly on behalf of medical indemnity insurers and the NSW Ministry of Health to appear on behalf of medical practitioners as well as public and private hospitals in defence of medical negligence claims and Coronial Inquests. Teni was involved in the landmark case of Tabet v Gett, now the leading High Court authority on causation in medical negligence cases. Since 2007, Teni has been a guest lecturer of legal principles at the University of Sydney School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology.

Teni has extensive experience and expertise in Commonwealth crime matters and appears on behalf of the Crown on instructions from the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) in prosecution of serious Commonwealth crime matters. She has appeared in various complex trials before juries in matters involving people smuggling, tax fraud, insider trading, proceeds of crime, drugs, money laundering and criminal breaches of the Corporations Law. Teni has appeared for the Commonwealth in various Project Wickenby prosecutions for tax fraud, involving offshore tax havens as part of the joint initiative between the ATO and the AFP.

Teni is also briefed and appears in both the prosecution and defence of disciplinary proceedings involving solicitors. She was junior counsel briefed on behalf of the NSW Bar Association in the leading case on overcharging by barristers in New South Wales Bar Association v Meakes both at first instance and in the NSW Court of Appeal.

Andrew is the Equities Analyst at Macquarie Group for the Australian Insurance and Diversified Financials sectors.

Prior to this, Andrew worked at Aon for six years in their consulting division, advising insurers on M&A and strategic growth options across Asia Pacific.

Andrew is a CA and CFA charterholder.

Student at Victoria University

Dr. Adrian Cohen is the founder of Headsafe, the developer of the Nurochek system. 

A former academic at the University of Sydney, he has over 30 years practical expertise in rescue and emergency services in Australia and abroad.  

Over the last decade he has piloted studies into brain injury assessment with a focus on EEG testing, impact sensors and biomarkers as well as visual, balance and neurocognitive testing, culminating in the development of Nurochek, an innovative, portable, objective and affordable brain assessment device.  

Dr. Cohen is an accomplished international author, speaker and consultant, working on and off the sporting field as well as in front of and behind the cameras for TV shows and movies. He continues to work with sports and team clinicians and to run a Not for Profit charity called Nurosafe, dedicated to the elimination of preventable head and neck injuries through education, awareness, advocacy and research. 

Blake is the current CEO of Hannover Re Australia Branch, recently returning to Australia in October of this year.  He has been working within the reinsurance industry since 2006 where he began with GEIS before spending 18 years with Swiss Re in a variety of Finance, Treasury, Structured Solutions and Business Management roles, including member to Swiss Re’s APAC Management team.  Before joining Hannover Re Blake led Guy Carpenter’s Capital Advisory business in APAC. He has lived and worked in multiple jurisdictions including Australia, UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia.

John is the Chairman of the law firm Gilchrist Connell.

He has been working in reinsurance since he began his career in London in 1994. He emigrated in Australia in 1998 and has been involved in some of the leading cases and arbitrations in reinsurance law in England and in Australia. His practice covers both reinsurance litigation and advisory services.

Despite the combination of the words lawyer and insurance being an almost immediate barbecue stopper, he loves it.

John works part-time these days and spends a good deal of his time with his family. He lists his hobbies as travel, walking, snooker, tennis, poor golf, Chelsea FC, britpop and curry.

Jilly is an experienced pro bono practitioner with over 15 years experiencing leading pro bono practices with a particular focus on systemic reform and ethics. Jilly is committed to driving fair and realistic thinking through corporate response to unmet legal need.  After completing an Ethics Fellowship (Cranlana Fellowship of Ethical Leadership) she is undertaking a Masters of Sociology. Jilly is a Board member of Community Legal Centres NSW, Women’s Legal Service NSW and Transcend Australia. 

Cherie Gray is the Global Lead for Sustainability and Market Development, with Swiss Re's Public Sector Solutions business.  

Cherie works with governments, institutions, NGOs, and the insurance industry to create opportunities that support nature-positive action, the energy transition and broader sustainability practices.  

Cherie joined Swiss Re in 2017 as Strategy & Insights Manager for Australia and New Zealand, then moved to Singapore to lead Business Transformation in the Asia region.  

Prior to Swiss Re, Cherie spent 13 years in primary insurance, leading and transforming functions across the value chain, including strategy and planning, sales and distribution, product management and claims. Before insurance, she spent a number of years in marketing and consulting.  

Cherie has an MBA, is a qualified Executive Coach and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Ann Gi brings over 10 years of experience in insurance industry across Australia and Singapore. She currently leads ethical practices as the Risk & Compliance Manager for the Australia & Pacific operations at Canopius, while also championing inclusion and diversity as the Chair of the impactful APAC committee she established in 2020.

Ann Gi believes in the transformative power of kindness at work and creating a space that celebrates diverse perspectives and empowers all voices. She is a certified workplace Mental Health First Aider and holds a Bachelor of Business Management from Singapore Management University, Diploma in Insurance with Chartered Insurance Institute and is a Senior Associate with ANZIIF.

Steve Johnston was appointed Suncorp Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director in September 2019.

Steve joined Suncorp in 2006 and has held various executive positions. Prior to his appointment, Steve was the Group Chief Financial Officer with responsibility for financial reporting and management, legal and company secretariat, taxation, investor relations, corporate affairs and sustainability.

Steve’s previous roles include Deputy CFO and Executive General Manager Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs, and he has played a key role in the strategic and financial management of the Group including Suncorp’s rebuild following the global financial crisis.

Prior to joining Suncorp, Steve held senior positions at Telstra and the Queensland Government.

Dr Omid Karr is a data science and technology leader with more than 15 years of experience.

Omid has a proven track record of building and executing end to end data-driven software solutions including artificial intelligence, machine learning, mathematical & statistical modelling and optimisation to solve complex real-world problems, deriving actionable insights and supporting optimised decision making in a wide range of contexts.

With a PhD in machine learning, more than 8 years of executive-level consulting and 5 years of executive leadership experience, Omid is passionate about making real impact through scientifically proven, commercially driven and ethical application of data science.

Anja Linsmaier is a reinsurance professional with 15 years’ experience in general management, traditional and structured reinsurance, and corporate finance.

In her current role as Head of Non-Life for Australasia, Anja is responsible for setting the strategic direction of Munich Re's non-life business in Australia and New Zealand, including its New Markets and Climate Analytics functions.

She is passionate about the purpose of the (re)insurance industry and building inclusive and diverse teams where every individual can realise their full potential.

Anja has been with Munich Re since 2008 and held several positions within the Munich Re Group in Milan, New York, Munich and Sydney. Before moving to Sydney, she served as Client Executive within Munich Re’s Global Clients division leading the Client Management function for selected global insurers and various multi-nationals based in Bermuda and the US.

Born in Germany, Anja holds a degree in Insurance Management from the Cologne University of Applied Science.

Vanessa Low is a Paralympic gold medallist, who passionately shares her story of overcoming all the odds and not losing hope when faced with challenges, to achieve her goals.

Vanessa Low lost both of her legs and sustained head and back injuries in a tragic train accident at the age of 15, spending 2 weeks in a coma, 6 months in hospital and undergoing 9 surgeries. After being told she would never walk again, Vanessa struggled to believe in herself and her abilities. Although, her strong spirit and unwavering perseverance saw her relearning how to walk with her prostheses in two years. Vanessa’s story is not driven by adversity, but rather about taking action against all odds, centered around choices, courage, and not losing hope. 

After learning how to walk again, Vanessa soon turned to the athletics track where her unquestionable talent was discovered. Her determination to reach beyond what she was told was possible, take charge of her life and take a chance achieving the unimaginable, allowed Vanessa to create a life beyond fear, a life on her new feet. Her strong vision, resilience and perseverance, saw her competing for Germany from 2011 to 2016, where she established herself as one of the fastest sprinters in the world, and a remarkable long jumper. Vanessa won multiple medals at three World Championship events, made possible by her hard work and passionate heart. 

Vanessa won gold at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, setting a new world record in the T42 long jump event, and achieved a personal best in the T42 100 m sprint to win silver. In 2021 she competed representing Australia, in her third Paralympics, where she won her second gold medal and surpassed the world record for the third time in long jump. At the 2023 Paris World Championships, Vanessa won bronze in the long jump. Today she is still the only above knee amputee, single or double, to have a jump over the 5 m mark in long jump. Vanessa found a new purpose in her life through athletics, and alike many of us, her proudest achievements came in the face of great adversity. Vanessa made a fourth appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she took home a gold medal in the women's long jump T63 event. 

Vanessa proudly donates her time toward the FIA #3500lives road safety campaign, which is centered around the goal of reducing every day traffic casualties to zero. Having overcome severe adversity and countless challenges throughout her life, Vanessa passionately shares her story to have an influential impact on people worldwide. 

 

Karl is the Head of Advisory and Analytics, APAC at Howden Re, having joined in early 2024.

Prior to this, Karl was the Group Chief Actuary of QBE. Before joining QBE, Karl lead Quantium’s Insurance Analytics and Consulting Practice and was an Appointed Actuary for a number of insurers in both Australia and New Zealand.

Karl’s areas of expertise include reserving, capital management and strategy, reinsurance analysis & strategy, financial modelling & strategic planning, risk management and pricing strategy. Karl advises QBE’s board and senior management across a wide range of actuarial and strategic matters.

Dr Rowena Mobbs is a cognitive neurologist at Mater Hospital Sydney and is one of Australia's leading clinicians in the management of concussion and related disorders, including traumatic encephalopathy syndrome and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Her main research focus in collaboration with the Queensland Brain Institute is on the development of novel approaches to CTE diagnosis and care. She was founder of the Concussion Big 5 initiative (concussion big5.au) for the immediate detection of concussion, as well as the Circle CTE or Concussion Connect support program for patients at risk of CTE and their families. Thanks to a partnership with Dementia Australia, the Brain Foundation, Connecters Australia, the University of Queensland, and king Wally Lewis who spoke at the National Press Club, CTE is firmly on the national sporting agenda towards prevention, care and research.

Rade Musulin is a Principal at Finity Consulting in Sydney, Australia, focusing on extreme events and climate risk. Previously he served as the Chief Executive Officer of FBAlliance Insurance, Chief Operating Officer of Aon Benfield Analytics Asia Pacific, and Vice President Operations, Public Affairs, and Reinsurance for the Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Companies.

Rade serves Chair of the International Actuarial Association’s Resource and Environment Virtual Forum. He recently was Chair of the Actuaries Institute’s Climate and Sustainability Working Group and was Vice President – Casualty for the American Academy of Actuaries from 2016 – 2018. He was named as co-winner of the Actuaries Institute’s Actuary of the Year award in 2023.

His main areas of interest include how changing population demographics affect catastrophe exposure, climate change adaptation, applications of catastrophe models for disaster planning in developing countries, building code development, and community resilience. He represented the International Actuarial Association at COP 27 in Egypt in 2022 and at COP 28 in Dubai in 2023.

Callan is an experienced junior counsel and principally practises in the areas of insurance and reinsurance law, common law and commercial law. He appears in disciplinary proceedings, employment and industrial proceedings, product and professional liability disputes and work health & safety prosecutions.

Callan has appeared in a number of leading cases (including in appellate courts and in the High Court) and regularly appears in the Federal Court, Supreme and District Courts of NSW and in interstate Courts.

Callan also appears in coronial inquests, public commissions of inquiry and tribunals across Australia. He holds a Master’s degree in law with a major in Alternative Dispute Resolution which is a particular focus of his practice.

Callan was elected to serve as a Councillor of the NSW Bar Association (2019 to date) and the Judiciary Panel for NSW Rugby Union (2018 to date). He has also chaired and appeared at various sporting integrity tribunals including in cricket, tennis, rugby league and hockey.

Callan is a Committee Member for the Council of Law Reporting NSW (2014 to date) and a member of the Australia and New Zealand Sports Lawyers Association.

Prior to joining the Bar, Callan practised as a solicitor at Clayton Utz and Wotton & Kearney. Callan was called to the Bar in 2012.

Alex is the Global Head of Emerging Technology of QBE Ventures, the venture investment and development arm of QBE Insurance. Alex and the team invest in, build alongside and partner with early-stage technology companies that have the potential to reshape the insurance industry.

Alex is an innovation and disruption specialist and futurist, helping established companies to see where the threats lie, and how they can play in the same field and with the same tools as the disrupters – and has spoken before a wide range of audiences on the Horizon 1 to Horizon 3 innovation and disruption journey, and how to navigate the bridge between.

As the technology lead on a number of AI/ML investments in VC and CVC environments, Alex has lived the challenge of applying machine learning and related technologies in highly regulated environments - from visual and voice analytics, customer sentiment platforms and IoT to the challenges of vehicular automation.

Before joining QBE, Alex was the Director of Emerging and Innovation Technology and also Entrepreneur in Residence at IAG.

Steph has been an advisor and thought leader in the workplace mental health sector for over 10 years, previously working at The Black Dog Institute where she led and supported workplaces in creating mentally healthy work environments.

Steph has experience in strategically designing, implementing and evaluating workplace wellbeing initiatives in complex corporate environments including seven years with Bupa ANZ.

Steph started her career in mental health service delivery and she holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Masters in Human Resource Management.

Bruce Tyrrell AM 

Born 1951 
Fourth Generation 
Executive Chairman 

The Tyrrell family has been producing outstanding wines in the Hunter Valley since 1858; Tyrrell’s is the equal second-oldest continuously owned and operated family winery in Australia. 

Bruce graduated from the University of New England in 1973 with a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics. He has had a broad range of involvement in the wine industry, including serving as a Director of the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association and the Hunter Valley Research Foundation. 

In 2006, Bruce was recognised with an Order of Australia medal in recognition of his contribution to the Australian wine industry – in particular his efforts to improve grape quality, research, tourism and export opportunities. In 2009, he was named a Hunter Valley Living Legend at the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Awards. The same year, Tyrrell’s was named Australian Red Winery of the Year by Gary Walsh and Campbell Mattinson. Tyrrell’s was also named Australian 
Winery of the Year by James Halliday in his 2010 Australian Wine Companion. 

In 2012, Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon and Vat 9 Shiraz were the inaugural winners of the Wines of Provenance award at the Hunter Valley Wine Show. In 2016, Bruce received the Graham Gregory Award in recognition of his services to the NSW wine industry. The following year, Bruce was recognised by his peers for his significant contribution to the Hunter Valley wine industry, presenting him with the Hunter Valley Award for Excellence. And in 2023, Bruce was honoured as a Life Member of the Australian Grape and Wine Industry. This award recognises outstanding leadership and contribution to the nation’s wine industry over and above an individual’s career achievements. 

Tyrrell’s continually works to maintain its position as one of Australia’s pre-eminent family-owned wine companies, producing wines that are not only of the highest quality, but perhaps more importantly, are wines that people love to drink. 
Bruce and Pauline Tyrrell’s three children, Jane, John and Christopher, all currently work in the business. They grew up on the Tyrrell winery and estate, just as their father and grandfather did. Today, they are instrumental in directing Tyrrell’s as a modern Australian wine company, leading it into the fifth generation. Bruce’s grandchildren Henry and Edward were born in 2016 and 2018 respectively to Bruce’s youngest son Christopher and his wife Tegan. Henry and Edward are the sixth generation to be born and raised on the Tyrrell Family Estate. 

Tyrrell's Today - Tyrrell's - First Family of Wine (tyrrells.com.au) 

Australian Wine | Bruce Tyrrell 

History - Tyrrell's - Hunter Valley Wine (tyrrells.com.au) 

Laura Wood is the Head of Reinsurance at Youi Insurance, based in Sydney. Laura brings 18 years of expertise towards her new role on the Reinsurance Faculty Advisory Board, having worked within re/insurance and broking across most of the industry’s key markets around the globe and across many lines of business.

She joined Youi Insurance in 2023 from global reinsurer Swiss Re, after an eight-year tenure with the firm. In her most recent role at Swiss Re, she served as Key Account Manager, and prior to that she was a Senior Client Manager within property & casualty (P&C) for Australia & New Zealand. Prior to joining Swiss Re, Laura has also held roles at Aon, where she held the role of Senior Actuary, Analytics, Reinsurance for Australia & New Zealand, as well as  Head of Actuarial at Odyssey Re’s London branch.

Laura holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with Finance, is a Fellow of the Institue of Actuaries, a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries Australia, and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary.