Big Issues for Boards

Introducing our webinar series, "Big Issues for Boards".  This series is focusing on essential areas that demand your attention: cyber vulnerability, evolving regulatory practices, and the security and privacy implications of generative AI.

Don't miss out on invaluable insights from industry experts. Enhance your board's decision-making and stay ahead in the evolving business landscape. Register now.

Sessions

• Webinar 1  |  Mandating Sustainability Reporting - Thursday 15 June 
• Webinar 2  |  Strategies for Board management of cyber risk and resilience - Thursday 22 June 
• Webinar 3  |  AI & Data - Wednesday 28 June 
• Webinar 4  |  Culture & Talent - Wednesday 5 July  

Webinar 1  |  Mandating Sustainability Reporting 

Aletta Boshoff - Partner & National Leader, IFRS & Corporate Reporting, BDO

Sustainability reporting is evolving at pace. While it’s currently a voluntary reporting mechanism in Australia, regulators have long recommended that organisations consider climate-related reporting. Soon it’s expected to become mandatory for some organisations following the imminent release of new, global sustainability reporting standards.

So, what will this mean for your organisation? Whether your organisation falls in or out of the mandated catchment, you’ll likely need to consider the impacts – directly or indirectly through partnerships, financing, stakeholder or supply chain requirements.

Join us for a webinar where we’ll hear from Aletta Boshoff, BDO’s National Leader of both ESG & Sustainability and IFRS & Corporate Reporting, as we unpack the current state of sustainability reporting in Australia and why organisations need to prepare now.

Webinar 2  |  Strategies for Board management of cyber risk and resilience

Matthew Green & Daniel Farthing - Partners – Consulting, Risk Consulting, Grant Thornton

Fraud, corporate crime, commercial disputes, litigation and growing data security and regulatory requirements can undermine an organisation’s integrity and reputation, and attract unwanted media attention. It’s never been more important for organisations to have proven strategies to effectively manage and prevent disruptive cyber events, understand risks and be better equipped to handle these challenges and develop a framework of ‘cyber resilience’.

Join Grant Thornton Partners, Matthew Green and Daniel Farthing who will host a webinar on Cyber, exploring the current state of cyber risk and its implications for boards. Gain insights into the cyber risk ecosystem, understanding the motivations and techniques employed by cyber adversaries. Learn about the board's role in cyber risk governance and fostering a cyber-risk-aware culture within organisations. Discover strategies for readiness and effective response to cyber incidents. Explore best practices for data protection and privacy, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.

Why attend this session?

• Cyber risk should be at the forefront of Board’s priorities given the recent high-profile data breaches in the last 12 months;
• Understand what potential breaches look like, and how to mitigate these risks;
• Develop a framework for cyber resilience.

Key points:

• Current state of cyber risk
• Cyber risk ecosystem
• The Board and Cyber Risk
• Readiness for responding to a cyber incident
• Data and privacy

Webinar 3  |  AI & Data 

Susan Bennett - Founder & Executive Director - InfoGovANZ

AI and data are crucial in today's business landscape, and board directors must be well-informed about these issues. AI revolutionizes industries through advanced analytics, automation, and decision-making. Data is a valuable asset driving insights and data-driven decisions. Directors must grasp the potential of AI and data, including ethical, legal, and societal implications. They must ensure transparent, fair, and unbiased AI systems that comply with existing regulations and privacy laws. Understanding AI and data allows directors to guide responsible AI adoption, unlocking potential while mitigating risks. This topic is vital as AI and data strategies impact competitiveness, growth, and reputation. Informed directors make better decisions, manage risks, and harness the transformative power of these technologies.

Key points:

• What do Directors need to know about AI and data?
• What are the risks for Directors?
• ESG reporting on AI and data
• What information do Directors need for board decision-making?
• What questions should Directors be asking?

Webinar 4  |  Culture & Talent

Coming soon
 

Key Presenters

Webinar 1 -  Mandating Sustainability Reporting

Aletta Boshoff - Partner & National Leader, IFRS & Corporate Reporting, BDO

Aletta is an IFRS advisory specialist with over 25 years’ experience in financial reporting and accounting, including IFRS.

Aletta has lectured on financial accounting and reporting, auditing and assurance and taxation at various Australian and South African universities. As an Associate Professor, she authored various financial reporting and accounting text books. Prior to joining BDO, Aletta was the Technical Director at two large national networks.

Aletta also spent a number of years as a Project Manager at the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB).

Webinar 2 - Strategies for Board management of cyber risk and resilience

Matthew Green - Partner, Risk Consulting Grant Thornton

Matthew is a Partner and head of Cyber and Technology Risk for Grant Thornton in Australia. With over 20 years technology risk experience advising listed, corporate and government clients in Australia, Asia, the US and Middle East Matthew is often engaged by Boards to advise on cyber risk management. 

As a specialist delivering independent cyber and technology risk audits and reviews, Matthew regularly provides independent reports to clients, regulators and supervisory bodies on the design and effectiveness of security, privacy and resilience controls in operation across regulated entities and third party providers. Matthew’s experience allows him to impart considered, focused advice in a clear and pragmatic way that is commercial and balanced.

Daniel Farthing - Partner – Consulting, Risk Consulting, Grant Thornton

Dan is the Sydney-based leader for technology risk. He has significant experience in providing assurance and consulting services against industry frameworks including CPS 234 (Information Security) in financial services.

Daniel has been instrumental in responding to the increase in customer demand for SOC-2 (for security, privacy, availability, confidentiality and processing integrity) audits at service providers which has been driven by the continually increasing industry expectations around third party risk management. Daniel thrives in industries with high expectations regarding the integrity and quality of control systems, however, he takes pride in providing practical advice to clients based on their size, industry and strategic objectives.

Webinar 3 - AI & Data

Susan Bennett - Founder & Executive Director - InfoGovANZ

Susan is Founder and Executive Director of think-tank Information Governance ANZ and Principal of Sibenco Legal & Advisory. Susan’s focus is driving best practice holistic governance solutions aligning data, information, privacy and records with technology and regulatory compliance to achieve organisational goals.

Recognised for her global thought leadership in information governance, Susan has deep commercial expertise and global networks on which she draws to work with cross-functional and multi-disciplinary teams to deliver outcomes and add value to client projects. Susan advises organisations on the design and implementations of fit-for-purpose information and data governance frameworks and policies, including cross-border data privacy and regulatory compliance, as well as acting in internal investigations and regulatory inquiries.

Susan holds a Master of Laws and a Master of Business Administration and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional – Europe (CIPP/E). Susan is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Sydney, Law School and teaches Corporations Law.

Webinar 4: Culture & Talent

Joanne Fisher - CEO & Founder, Fisher People in Culture

Sector Specialist - HR and Recruitment, Humans United By Business

Joanne is the founder of Fisher People in Culture, a company dedicated to assisting SMEs in achieving accelerated growth and profitability through optimal cultural foundations. With a background in diverse cultures and over 30 years of experience, Joanne has worked globally, providing consultancy services to SMEs, guiding them in effective leadership, cultural transformation, team collaboration, and management development during times of change. She is deeply committed to client success and well-being, emphasizing the value of diversity in organizational performance. Joanne's approach combines extensive business expertise with emotional intelligence, enabling her to connect with individuals in complex environments and deliver practical outcomes.

Throughout her career, Joanne has established trusted relationships with Australian and international business leaders, leveraging her expertise to create tangible results for their organizations. She brings a wealth of knowledge in various markets and countries, continually staying updated with the latest advancements in executive coaching, neuro-leadership, emotional intelligence, and organizational culture. By embracing a philosophy of ongoing development and growth, Joanne consistently empowers her clients with cutting-edge insights that resonate with how people think and behave in today's dynamic business landscape.

Webinar Series Facilitated by Claire Braund 

Non-Executive Director, WOB Pty Ltd (appointed April 2006)
Executive Director, Women on Boards Australia (appointed Feb 2018)
Chair, Central Coast Conservatorium of Music
Non-Executive Director & Governance Committee Chair, Coast Shelter Emergency Accommodation Ltd

As the co-founder of Women on Boards, both in Australia (2006) and the UK (2012) it goes without saying that Claire has a wealth of experience in working with women who are seeking board roles. She is an informed,  entertaining and engaging presenter who brings the world of boards across a wide range of sectors alive to participants and is able to quickly connect the dots and match people to areas aligned to their skills and interests. Claire is an experienced Non-Executive Director on small businesses and large Not-For-Profit organisations and has a deep understanding of the board environment across a wide range of sectors.