Guest Speakers
We’re pleased to welcome an outstanding line-up of guest speakers across our Financial Crimes Week, including senior regulators and industry leaders sharing practical insights on today’s most critical financial crime challenges.
Guest speakers will be added below as they confim. Please check this page reguarly.
In person sessions
March 16, Sydney | 8:30am to 5:00pm
Brad Brown | National Manager of Regulatory Operations - AUSTRAC
Brad commenced in AUSTRAC in September 2004 and has led various intelligence, policy, project and regulatory functions. Brad is responsible for AUSTRAC’s education, supervision and enforcement operations. Brad also has responsibility for AUSTRAC’s legal, policy and communications functions.
Deborah Lockhart | CEO Australian Disputes Centre
Deborah Lockhart has served as the CEO of Australian Disputes Centre (ADC) since 2013. She is a thought-leader for ADR in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. ADC is an independent not-for-profit, dedicated to helping businesses, governments, communities, and individuals thrive by accessing world-class conflict management and dispute resolution processes and skills.
Before joining the not-for-profit sector, Deborah worked for over 20 years as an executive, consultant, and expert to a range of ASX 100 and Fortune 500 companies as a change agent and dispute resolution specialist. Deborah introduced the efficacy of ADR processes for the financial services sector from the early 1990’s, including establishing and managing the successful greenfield Dispute Resolution team for INGA Australia and leading multiple remediation programmes where ASIC Enforceable Undertakings were threatened or imposed.
Deborah holds an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand. She trained as a mediator with Harvard Law School in the early 1990s and is a nationally accredited mediator in Australia. Deborah also holds ADC’s Advanced Mediator accreditation and has completed additional ADR study and training with LEADR, the University of Technology Sydney and Cinergy Conflict Coaching.
Deborah is a founding member of the Council for Australian Dispute Resolution and Editorial Panel Member, LexisNexis ADR Bulletin.
Suanne Russell | Lead Ombudsman, Small Business - Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
Suanne Russell is Lead Ombudsman, Small Business at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), overseeing small business complaints relating to financial products and services, including banking transaction and scam matters. A banking and finance lawyer, she joined AFCA from Westpac in 2021. Her previous roles include senior legal leadership positions across institutional and business banking, where she managed lending disputes, remediation and regulatory projects, and contributed to industry-wide small business relief initiatives during COVID-19.
Samantha Sisomphou | Senior Legal Counsel - Paypal
Samantha Sisomphou is Senior Legal Counsel at PayPal, where she advises on financial services, payments regulation and technology-related legal matters. She has experience across regulatory investigations and enforcement, AML compliance, cybersecurity and commercial contracting within the payments and fintech sectors. Samantha previously practised at leading law firms including King & Wood Mallesons and Jones Day, and began her career in South Australia with the Attorney-General’s Department and the Supreme Court. Her work focuses on navigating complex regulatory frameworks in rapidly evolving financial services environments.
Kuan Chia | AFCA Panel Member & Adjunct Professor (University of Sydney)
Kuan is an Australian Financial Complaints Authority Panel Member, and Board member of LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, FCC Analytics and Argonauts. He taught governance at the University of Sydney as an Adjunct Professor and has spoken at regulatory fora about his PhD thesis on the ‘Development of a scam lifecycle framework to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of community protection measures in response to criminal exploitation of technology’. Kuan has governance, risk, compliance and corporate advisory experience with Macquarie Group, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, Big 4 (KPMG, PwC and Deloitte) and Goldman Sachs jv in Australia, Hong Kong, London and Tokyo. His subject matter expertise is reflected in invitations to support University of Sydney and Monash University research.
Bobbie Wan | Head of Regulatory Policy and Strategy - The Law Society of NSW
Bobbie Wan leads Regulatory Policy and Strategy at the Law Society of NSW, overseeing legal policy development, research and advice on the Uniform Law and broader regulatory matters impacting the profession. She also guides the strategic delivery of solicitor support services. Previously, Bobbie held senior advisory roles across several NSW government agencies and contributed to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. She has extensive expertise in legal policy, advocacy and stakeholder engagement, and holds a Juris Doctor and BA from the University of Sydney.
Timothy Goodrick | Partner, Financial Crime - KPMG Australia
Timothy Goodrick is a Partner in KPMG Australia’s Forensic practice, specialising in financial crime transformation and regulatory reform. He supports financial services and gaming clients to design and implement practical, risk-based frameworks across customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, sanctions and targeted operating models.
Before joining KPMG in 2019, Tim spent five years with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), where he led global policy initiatives on beneficial ownership, anti-corruption and virtual assets, and assessed countries against international standards. He has also held senior roles within the Australian Government and AUSTRAC, bringing deep regulatory insight and international experience.
Natalie Faulkner | Senior Managing Director, Leader of Australia Risk & Investigations - FTI Consulting
Natalie Faulkner is FTI Consulting Australia’s Head of Risk & Investigations, bringing more than 25 years’ specialist experience in forensic services, assurance and business advisory. She advises public and private sector clients across financial services, government, telecommunications, technology, mining and retail. Natalie has worked extensively with banks, insurers and wealth managers on large-scale customer remediation programs in line with ASIC RG277 and RG256 following the Banking Royal Commission. Her expertise spans regulatory investigations, fraud and scam prevention, forensic accounting, complex data and contract reviews, loss assessments, and the preparation of independent expert reports in high-stakes disputes and investigations.
Darlene O’Brien | Head of Dispute Resolution - Zurich Insurance Company
Darlene O’Brien is the Head of Dispute Resolution at Zurich Insurance Company Ltd, where she leads efforts to handle and resolve insurance disputes with fairness and independence. She brings broad experience in complaints and quality management across the financial services sector, having held roles that involved leading complaint teams, enhancing customer experience and quality assurance. Darlene’s career spans senior positions focused on dispute handling and operational improvement within major insurance and financial organisations. Darlene is also a SOCAP Board Director.
Steven Rice | Partner - Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Steven is a dual-qualified lawyer and Chartered Accountant specialising in financial services, financial markets, AML, prudential and corporate regulation. He advises banks, fund managers and corporate advisers in Australia and internationally on complex regulatory and compliance matters, including financial product classification, public offerings and foreign provider obligations. Steven is also recognised for his expertise in the Banking Executive Accountability Regime and Financial Accountability Regime. He regularly engages with ASIC and presents to professional forums on regulatory developments.
Caroline Marshall | Partner - Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Caroline is a Partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth and a director of the ACI, where she chairs the ESG Discussion Group. She specialises in investigations and inquiries, with extensive experience advising corporations on bribery, corruption, money laundering, sanctions, tax fraud and broader integrity issues. Caroline regularly acts for clients in regulatory enforcement matters involving AUSTRAC, ASIC, APRA and the ACCC, as well as royal commissions and major inquiries. Her expertise spans the full regulatory lifecycle, from strategy and compliance to enforcement and remediation, with a strong focus on ESG. She is dual-qualified in Australia, England and Wales.
Heather Loewenthal | Non-Executive Compliance Committee Member Dimensional Wholesale Trusts - Dimensional Fund Advisors
Heather is a Governance, Risk and Compliance advisor who links corporate behaviour to organisational culture and corporate capability. She is a proven ethics, governance and compliance/anti-financial crime strategist and change leader focused on positioning businesses to thrive in an environment of rapidly changing consumer expectations and regulatory and political requirements. Heather has built global AML/CTF, Sanctions and Financial Crimes teams, managed investigations and remediations with global reach and interacted with global regulators and authorities. Heather is Fellow, Life Member, and past Chair of the ACI. She was a Member of the Audit Committee for European Network of Integrity & Compliance Officers (ENICO) now merged with Institute of Business Ethics (IBE).
Annaliese Murray | AML/CTF Compliance Manager - Clayton Utz
Annaliese Murray is an AML/CTF Compliance Manager at Clayton Utz with extensive experience in financial crime compliance across legal and financial services sectors. Her expertise includes AML/CTF frameworks, KYC and customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence, and managing risks related to high-risk customers and politically exposed persons. Annaliese has previously held financial crime and compliance roles with Intesa Sanpaolo, Credit Suisse and PetSure, and began her career in compliance at Ashurst. She is known for her strong analytical approach and ability to navigate complex regulatory environments.
Claire Shaw | Head of Fraud - Bank of Queensland (BOQ)
Claire Shaw is Head of Fraud at the Bank of Queensland and a financial crime and risk executive with more than 20 years’ experience across banking, consulting and financial services. She has held senior leadership roles at Macquarie Group and National Australia Bank, leading major fraud, AML and financial crime functions. Claire has delivered large-scale technology and risk transformation programs and regularly partners with boards and senior executives to implement practical, risk-proportionate financial crime strategies aligned to organisational and regulatory expectations.
Lara Hall | Partner - Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Lara Hall is a Partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth specialising in competition and regulatory law. She advises on both contentious and non-contentious competition matters, including investigations by competition and sector regulators. Lara has particular experience in complex, multi-jurisdictional antitrust litigation and regularly works with clients to develop coordinated global defence strategies. Prior to joining Corrs, she worked with a leading international law firm in London. In 2021, Lara was recognised as a Rising Star in Competition Litigation by Legal 500.
Rebecca Ellis | GM Compliance, AIA Australia
Rebecca Ellis is a highly experienced compliance professional with more than two decades in financial services and banking. She has held senior roles across organisations including Mercantile Mutual, ING, Colonial Mutual Life Assurance and AIA, specialising in wealth management, banking and regulatory compliance. Rebecca has extensive experience across insurance, superannuation, AML, FATCA, CRS and licensing obligations, and led regulatory responses during the 2018 Royal Commission. An ASFA and FINSIA Fellow and ACI Associate, she is recognised for delivering practical, business-focused compliance solutions.
Amanda Wood |Managing Director and Head of AML Advisory, Australia and New Zealand - Kroll
Amanda is a senior leader in AML in Australia with deep and broad knowledge of financial crime risk management and compliance frameworks. Amanda was the General Manager for Compliance at AUSTRAC, was Head of Financial Crime at the Commonwealth Bank and Group Money Laundering Reporting Officer at Westpac. Earlier in her career, Amanda worked at the Department of Treasury and APRA.
At Kroll, Amanda leads the Independent Monitorship of SkyCity Adelaide and led the Financial Crime workstream of the Crown Sydney Monitorship, roles to which Kroll was appointed by gaming regulators in NSW and South Australia. Amanda is currently assisting a range of reporting entities to uplift their AML/CTF frameworks in response to the AML/CTF reforms and AUSTRAC enforcement actions.
Amanda is also regularly approached to work with AML regulators in the Asia-Pacific region to improve countries approach to the regulation and supervision of private sector entities in line with FATF obligations.
Merryl Tidyman | Executive Manager Fraud & Financial Crime, BT Financial Group
Merryl is an Executive Manager in Fraud and Financial Crime with more than 25 years’ experience across fraud, scams, and financial crime risk in the Australian financial services sector.
Merryl has been at BT Financial Group for 4.5 years and leads the Fraud and Financial Crime operational governance with responsibility for AML/CTF, Fraud and Scam investigations, Sanctions, Anti-Bribery and Corruption, Tax evasion and high‑risk customer governance. Merryl is dedicated to safeguarding organisations and individuals against all types of cyber related crime and ensuring financial integrity for business and customers. A big part of her work is turning complex regulatory and policy requirements — including the Scam Prevention Framework — into practical, operational process with appropriate robust controls. Merryl is particularly passionate about industry collaboration and improving customer outcomes in an increasingly sophisticated fraud and scam environment.
Merryl is the inaugural Chair of the Financial Services Council Superannuation Fraud and Scams Prevention Exchange, where she works closely with peers across industry to share intelligence, strengthen controls, and lift collective capability in fraud and scam prevention.
Merryl is also passionate about educating our community and children and in her spare time volunteers her services and expertise to partner and present the ThinkUKnow education program at schools. ThinkUKnow Australia is an evidence-based education program led by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to prevent online child sexual exploitation and is delivered to Parents, Carers and Teachers.
Geoff Mooney | Head of Financial Crime, Stockland
Geoff Mooney is Head of Financial Crime at Stockland, where he is responsible for the organisation’s enterprise-wide AML/CTF and financial crime risk assessment framework. A highly experienced risk and compliance professional, Geoff has held senior leadership roles across major financial services and property organisations including Charter Hall, Insignia Financial (IOOF), and Macquarie Group. He specialises in developing and embedding effective risk and compliance frameworks, aligning risk appetite with strategic objectives, and strengthening organisational risk culture. Geoff is recognised for building strong stakeholder partnerships and delivering practical approaches to managing regulatory change and financial crime risk.
David Ince | Director, PwC Australia
David Ince is a Director in PwC Australia’s Forensics and Financial Crime team within Risk Consulting. He specialises in financial crime risk management, investigations and regulatory response, working with organisations to strengthen controls, respond to complex risk events and meet evolving regulatory expectations. David has extensive experience advising financial institutions and corporates on fraud, misconduct and financial crime risks. Over nearly a decade with PwC, he has supported clients across strategy, remediation and governance to enhance resilience and improve the effectiveness of financial crime frameworks.
Online Sessions
Tuesday March 17 @ 12:30pm (AEDT)
Keynote | Crypto Under the Microscope: Risk, Regulation & Reality
Liam Hennessy | Partner, Thomson Geer & Adjunct Professor of Law (Griffith)
Liam Hennessy is a Partner at Thomson Geer, specialising in financial services regulation, funds management, and digital assets.
With experience across London, Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, he advises global clients, including insurers, funds, and digital asset firms, on complex regulatory and compliance matters. Liam is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Griffith University, holds a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney, and is pursuing a PhD on financial product tokenisation.
He contributes to LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters publications, serves on policy groups, and was a finalist for both Financial Services Partner of the Year and Blockchain Leader of the Year in 2023
Wednesday March 18 @ 12:30pm (AEDT)
Expert Panel | Managing Regulatory Convergence & Reform Fatigue
Tim Phillipps | Executive Chair - Identitii Ltd
Tim is the Executive Chair of an Australian-listed RegTech that powers how organisations store, transmit, and share sensitive data in the fight against financial crime. Tim is also a board adviser to several successful RegTech start-ups across Asia.
He is an experienced financial crime, data analytics and RegTech specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry in Global leadership roles and as a Regulator.
An internationally experienced adviser who is passionate about the future of RegTech, he is skilled in the strategic application of data analytics and regulatory technologies in financial crime compliance.
Ritu Bhandari | Co-Founder & Partner - Platinum AML
Ritu Bhandari is a Partner at Platinum AML and specialises in financial crime risk management and regulatory compliance. She brings extensive experience across the financial services and gaming sectors, having held senior leadership roles in large banking and casino organisations. Ritu has led major financial crime risk management initiatives, with a strong focus on strengthening compliance frameworks, governance, and regulatory engagement. Most recently, she has been advising and supporting organisations to prepare for and implement Australia’s AML/CTF reforms. A recognised thought leader in financial crime compliance, Ritu frequently speaks at industry conferences and forums on regulatory expectations, emerging risks, and practical approaches to building effective AML/CTF programs.
Jamie Lynch | Head of Anti-Money Laundering - Gilbert + Tobin
Jamie Lynch is the Head of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) at Gilbert + Tobin, a leading Australian law firm. With extensive experience in AML/Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) compliance and operational risk, Jamie has held senior roles in both New Zealand and Australia, including positions at Russell McVeagh and the Department of Internal Affairs. He is recognized for his expertise in integrating AML/CTF frameworks within legal practices and has contributed thought leadership on the intersection of compliance and cybersecurity. Jamie’s insights are especially timely as Australia undergoes major AML/CTF regulatory reform.
Thursday March 19 @ 12:30pm (AEDT)
Expert Panel | Making Financial Crime Controls Work in Practice
Sophie Loannou | ACI Director
Sophie Ioannou is a seasoned Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) senior executive with over 25 years of experience delivering fit-for-purpose and sustainable GRC management practices. Sophie specialises in assessing, developing, and uplifting governance frameworks while ensuring they align with international best practices and standards. Her career spans diverse industries, including financial services, health, education, government, not-for-profits, public sector organisations, start-ups, and small businesses. Sophie has a proven track record of success, particularly during periods of regulatory and organisational change, where her strategic leadership and expertise have driven tangible outcomes. Beyond her technical acumen, Sophie is deeply committed to education, mentoring, and coaching to support both organisational success and individual well-being. Her practical approach to governance and compliance, paired with her dedication to building capability, makes her an invaluable leader in today’s complex and evolving business landscape.
Louise Lane | Founder - Lane Consulting & Advisory (LCA)
Louise Lane is a trained lawyer and risk and compliance specialist with more than 20 years' experience designing and implementing compliance and risk frameworks across highly regulated sectors including media, gaming, gambling, wagering, sports administration, liquor, licensing and AML/CTF.
Louise has held senior executive and leadership roles with major Australian organisations including Endeavour Group, Racing Victoria, Crown Resorts, Consolidated Press Holdings, Consolidated Media Holdings and Publishing and Broadcasting Limited. Her experience spans compliance program design and build, corporate and regulatory transactions, board and corporate governance, and the management of complex multi-jurisdictional transactions and advisory services.
Having spent years on the client side, Louise understands the realities of managing large change projects, budgets and competing priorities.
Atorina Nissan | Founder - Amlytics
Atorina has over a decade of experience leading Financial Crime data, technology, and risk transformation programs. She previously served as Group General Manager of Financial Crime Solutions at Crown Resorts, where she built and led a 20-person multidisciplinary data, technology, and delivery team accountable for the Financial Crime Change Program that secured Crown’s casino licence. Prior to this, she was a Director in PwC’s Financial Crime practice, advising major financial institutions and gaming operators on AML/CTF transformation. She founded Amlytics, a specialist Financial Crime data and technology consulting firm, to help reporting entities cut through complexity and deliver practical, risk-aligned, outcomes-based solutions to financial crime challenges.
Friday March 20 @ 12:30pm (AEDT)
Expert Panel | Data sharing, privacy and collaboration in financial crime prevention
My-Linh Tyshing | ACI Board Member & Deputy Chair
My-Linh is a senior Risk and Compliance Executive with over 25 years of global banking experience across the UK, Asia, and Australia. She has led major programs including APRA Capital Reforms, commercial customer remediation following the Hayne Royal Commission, and the integration of HBOS and Lloyds TSB risk functions during the global financial crisis. A values-driven leader, My-Linh is known for uniting stakeholders to solve complex challenges and drive practical, strategic outcomes that balance effective risk management with commercial success.
Lisa Schutz | Founder and CEO - Verifier
Lisa Schutz is the Founder and CEO of Verifier, a RegTech firm delivering a privacy-by-design, consent-driven data sharing platform. She is a co-founder of The RegTech Association and a member of Australia’s Consumer Data Advisory Committee for Banking and Energy. With a background spanning Boston Consulting Group, MasterCard, and Australia Post, Lisa brings extensive expertise in data strategy, ethics, and innovation. She is also the author of Decisions not Data and actively leads conversations on ethical AI. Through Verifier, Lisa champions trusted, consented data use to drive better decision-making and a fairer, more transparent consumer experience.
Brad Bardell | Director - ProcureSure
Speaker profile coming soon.