Evaluating the role of risk committees in the new landscape

Tricia Hobson is a litigation and insurance lawyer based in Sydney, and is widely recognised as a global industry leader. Tricia is a past Global Chairman of her firm and was the first woman to hold that role.

She is a leading Australian class action lawyer accountable for leadership, strategy and negotiations for four of the largest class actions in Australia. Tricia advises both local and London insurers on complex coverage disputes and acts as lead defence counsel on class actions and difficult/multi-party litigation. Tricia has one of the largest London market practices in Australia, having worked with numerous companies and Lloyd's syndicates for over 25 years.

She has acted in many high profile, complex directors and officers disputes, as well as a range of other matters including professional indemnity, construction and infrastructure, warranty & indemnity, cyber risk, product development, regulator related actions, bribery and corruption investigations and whistle blower allegations. Tricia advises directors and boards in matters of governance, culture and risk along with ESG, regulation and compliance.

Tricia has a keen interest in innovation and the changing face of the insurance and legal sectors, demonstrated by her developing the firm's "Extend" program, a bespoke technology platform allowing law students to work remotely and flexibly on discrete, task-based projects.

Tricia very recently retired from the firm's Global Board, Global Risk and Audit committee and her role as Global Board leader for Diversity and Inclusion and Executive Sponsor for the LGBTI inclusion group. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion and its importance for the sustainable health of every organisation

Anne is a chartered accountant and is on the boards of ASX listed Steadfast Group Limited and Infomedia Limited. She is also on the board of two insurers, MDA National Pty Limited and Commonwealth Insurance Limited,She also chairs its Audit and Risk Committees

Anne qualified as a chartered accountant in Dublin with Haughey Boland (now Deloitte) before joining Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) in London. She moved to Sydney, Australia, with PwC in 1988 and then in 1995 she was recruited to join IAG insurance, one of Australia’s largest insurers. Following 13 years with IAG, Anne spent three years as CFO of Genworth Australia. She has held non-executive director roles since 2013 and is well known within the Australian insurance market.

Anne is a Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Director and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand.

Libby Davidson was appointed as Lion’s Group General Counsel & External Relations Director in 2015, following her appointment as Group General Counsel in 2014. In her current role, Libby leads Lion’s Legal & External Relations team and is also Lion’s Company Secretary and the Secretary of Kirin’s International Advisory Board. The Legal & External Relations team is responsible for legal, government relations, media, communications and Sustainability matters across Lion’s businesses.

Libby joined Lion in 2005. Before joining Lion, she spent 10 years with PepsiCo and Tricon/Yum Restaurants International, in legal counsel roles supporting the PepsiCo and Tricon/Yum businesses across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and Europe.