Speakers

We are thrilled to reveal the current line-up of speakers for the 2025 Self Insurers Conference, creating connections!

This year, we have an exciting group of experts from across the self-insurance and related industries, each ready to share their knowledge and insights on the most pressing issues affecting our sector.

Stay tuned for more speakers and information on the full program and the topics our distinguished speakers will be addressing.

We can’t wait for you to join us for this incredible opportunity to learn, engage, and connect with leaders in the field.

Master of Ceremonies

	Samantha Riches TV Presenter & Event Host Sam Riches has been a prominent figure in the Australian event industry for over 10 years, building a career as a highly respected event presenter and MC. She has worked on numerous high-profile events and continues to bring energy, professionalism, and engagement to every occasion. Known for her dynamic style and engaging presence, Sam will guide us through the day’s sessions at the Self Insurers Conference 2025.
Keynote Speakers
	Darren Flanagan Beaconsfield Mine Rescue Hero Seventeen years ago, a phone call changed Darren Flanagan's life forever. Summoned to the Beaconsfield gold mine collapse, he operated over 70 explosives in a continuous 30- hour stretch deep underground, helping rescue two men trapped nearly 1 km below the surface. The impact of this experience ran deeper than initially realised. Today, Darren speaks extensively to organisations of all sizes, sharing his journey of pain, trauma, hope, and resilience. His story has taught him that conversations about these challenges can transform workplaces and organisations, proving that we have the power to spark dialogues and drive impactful change. As a motivational speaker who covers topics including Workplace Safety, Risk Management, Mental Health, Leadership and Teamwork, Darren’s mission is to empower teams through transformative lessons built upon the foundation of the Beaconsfield mining disaster.
	Mary Coustas Australian Actress & Comedian Mary Coustas has entertained and inspired top corporate, financial, political, sporting and cultural communities for over 3 decades. Her experience, warmth and humour has kept her in huge demand. Mary’s performing career and personal challenges have cemented her in the eye of the public as an authentic and admired agent of change. Whether the issue is race, diversity, gender, class, leadership, motherhood or politics, Mary can tackle life’s difficult complicated issues in an illuminating and motivational way. Her special gift is seeing possibility in everything and everyone. Her ability to articulate in an impactful, funny and memorable way is what sets Mary apart.

	Kylie Gould Head of Partners & Providers, RTW Victoria Kylie has recently returned to WSV as the Head of Partners & Providers within the RTW Business Unit after serving as the Director of the Service Delivery Business Unit from 2005-2009. Kylie brings over 25 years’ experience in the Personal Injury Insurance Industry across public and private organisations. Known for her results-driven approach, Kylie has successfully co-designed and implemented impactful initiatives in various capacities, including roles within insurers, regulators and providers. Throughout her career, Kylie has consistently focused on driving financial sustainability while protecting and improving the client experience. Her passion for personal injury and commitment to positively impacting the lives of injured Australians has earned her a respected reputation in the industry.

	Danielle Casamento Actuary, Finity Danielle Casamento is an actuary and Principal at Finity Consulting, Australia’s largest independent actuarial and analytics firm. She leads Finity’s self-insurance and corporate practice, providing strategic and actuarial advice to organisations on managing retained claims risk, conducting insurance reviews, and exploring alternative risk transfer options like self-insurance and discretionary mutual funds. With extensive experience in workers' compensation, Danielle serves as the primary actuary for several self-insurers in Victoria and across Australia. She has helped many self-insurers assess the financial and other benefits of self-insurance. Danielle is passionate about leveraging actuarial skills and data analytics to drive social impact.
	Anna Feringa Workplace Mental Health Consultant, Director, Anna Feringa Consulting Pty Ltd Anna is a renowned international speaker, author, trainer, and workplace mental health consultant, celebrated for her expertise in psychosocial health & safety, leadership development, injury management, and best practices in workplace mental health. Recognised as a Global Top 10 Health and Safety Influencer in 2020 and voted LinkedIn Top Voice for Workplace Mental Health in 2022, Anna brings over 20 years of industry experience to her work. Anna is dedicated towards empowering employers to embrace Psychological Safety and works closely with organisations to sustainably implement Psychosocial Risk management practices for improved overall workplace health and business prosperity. She specialises in guiding Australian businesses from uncertainty and apprehension to confidence and proactivity in navigating their Psychosocial Legislative obligations through human centric and evidence informed consulting, training and strategic planning.

Stream Speakers
	Ally Palombi Acting Operations Manager - Federal Self Insurance, EML Ally currently holds the position of Claims Operations Manager, responsible for the operations of the Federal Self Insurance business, and prior to this held the position of Senior Manager of Performance & Assurance, responsible for the monitoring, reporting and direction of portfolio strategies. Ally’s experience in case management and operational leadership translates to a strong skill base to identify and drive portfolio initiatives on claim cohorts to deliver improved liability outcomes.

	Dr. Faye Forbes PhD Dr Forbes, is a Research Fellow at ISCRR with a PhD in Public Health and a Bachelor’s degree with Honours in Psychology from Monash University. She has extensive experience in psychology and public health research, with a strong focus on program evaluation across the government, non-government, and private sectors. Her expertise spans qualitative and quantitative research methods, particularly in evaluating mental health and workers' compensation programs. She has managed large-scale evaluations that address mental health, occupational rehabilitation, and psychosocial risk factors, ensuring that policy and decision-makers have an informed and empathetic understanding of the people, contexts, and challenges their programs seek to address. Her research informs best practices and contributes to improving claims management and return-to-work outcomes for individuals with mental injury.
	Dr. David Brentnall Managing Director, Axis Axis delivers early intervention workplace healthcare through Premium Care, a dedicated hotline triage service, along with onsite physiotherapy and psychology support for Australia's and New Zealand’s top 500 public and private companies. David is a specialist physiotherapist, lecturer, and expert witness, bringing extensive expertise to his field.

	Mike Hagan HR & WHS Consultant/Mental Health Advocate Mike Hagan is a highly experienced Human Resources, Health, Safety, and Wellbeing consultant with nearly 30 years of expertise in helping organisations strategically manage workplace risks that affect health, wellbeing, engagement, and productivity. Throughout his diverse career, Mike has held various roles, from fitter and turner, to Health and Safety Representative (HSR) and union representative, plant operations manager, and safety manager at a nuclear waste facility. Most notably, he spent over 12 years as the HR/HSE General Manager for the global German multinational, Bosch. This wide-ranging experience has provided him with valuable insights into workplace mental health across various industries, both in Australia and internationally.

	Brianna Cattanach National Manager Mental Health Strategy & Delivery, Allianz Australia Brianna oversees workers' compensation, CTP, NDIS, and personal injury lines. A registered Senior Occupational Therapist with qualifications in psychology and behavioural neuroscience, she has extensive experience in mental health service provision, occupational rehabilitation, and complex claims management. Brianna leads initiatives to improve workplace safety, return-to-work outcomes, and recovery strategies. She advocates for Occupational Therapists in mental health and rehabilitation, serving as a committee member with OT Australia, and lecturing at Swinburne and La Trobe University. Brianna is also an expert advisory board member for SuperFriend, a leading workplace mental health agency.

	Nick Grant Executive General Manager Nick is the Executive General Manager for Cogent Thinking, a leading provider of workplace health services. Nick has over 10 years’ experience working within and alongside the health sector including clinical practice, workplace health, technology, payments and disability employment. He is passionate about the design and delivery of integrated healthcare models.

	Rae Bonney OAM Rae Bonney OAM is a renowned Australian workplace mental health specialist, qualified counsellor, and advocate for men's health. She was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2025 for her significant contributions to mental health and men’s health, with a particular focus on creating environments that support psychologically safe spaces. Rae collaborates closely with businesses to inspire cultures of care, inclusivity, and open communication, where people feel safe and equipped to manage life challenges and barriers to living. Her expertise in crisis and trauma management is unique and intentioned to hold space in a respectful, collaborative and compassionate manner. She also holds key roles with the Australian Men’s Health Forum and Global Action on Men’s Health, advocating for systemic changes to support men's and boys' health globally and locally.

	Darrin Brandis Executive General Manager, PeopleSense Darrin is a registered psychologist with extensive experience providing clinical and organisational psychological support services to workplaces. As Director of PeopleSense since 2002, Darrin has developed and delivered programs providing psychological assessment (medico-legal), psychological support services, vocational rehabilitation, organisational consultancy and training-related services to a wide range of organisations. Darrin enjoys applying his experience managing complex cases of both a physical and psychological nature and supporting individuals and organisations through workplace rehabilitation case management, where he has experience within both WorkCover WA and Comcare schemes.

	Scott Newlan Special Counsel, TG Legal + Technology Workplace and Insurance Services Scott acts for self insurers and WorkSafe Victoria in a wide variety of claims and disputes in Victoria's WorkCover scheme, including serious injury applications, pre-litigated and litigated common law damages, impairment benefits claims, statutory benefits disputes and dependency claims. He is regularly consulted by clients for his advice on highly complex, sensitive and strategically significant claims. Scott has a strong interest in Artificial Intelligence and its potential applications in the legal claims sector. He has presented to clients and peers on the topic of Ai and ethics.

	Andrew Smith Director of Personal Injury, HAYLO People Andrew is a recruitment leader with over a decade of experience in Insurance and Personal Injury recruitment. As Director of Personal Injury at HAYLO People, Andrew leads a team of expert recruiters, connecting top talent with businesses across employers Australia wide. HAYLO People has extensive experience supporting self-insurers, providing tailored recruitment solutions to help businesses build high-performing claims, injury management and safety teams. Through market-leading reports and industry surveys, HAYLO delivers valuable insights that shape talent strategies and workforce planning across the sector, ensuring organisations stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

	Dr Kevin O'Daly Psychiatrist, BSc MBBS FRANZCP Dr. Kevin O'Daly is a highly experienced Psychiatrist with over two decades in the field. His primary clinical interests include schizophrenia, treatment-resistant depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, alcohol and other drug dependence and addictions, trauma and PTSD, gender and sexuality-related issues, psychosis and personality disorders. Full Bio Here: Dr Kevin O'Daly
	James Johnson National Practice Group Leader, Sparke Helmore Lawyers James has 30 years’ experience managing Victorian State workers’ compensation and common law matters and leads Sparke Helmore’s Statutory Insurance group nationally, with a sub-specialty in psychological injury claims. He advises and represents a number of Victorian self-insurers and the SIAV. James is a national expert in self-insurance and has extensive experience in the strategic management of claims portfolios—including tail claims and third-party recoveries—as well as running major litigation proceedings and managing litigation teams. He is highly experienced in strategic planning for self-insurance, self-insurance eligibility and applications, and advising self-insurers on the management of their existing liabilities.
	Rod Hampel Partner, Bodycare As a partner at Bodycare Workplace Solutions, Rod leverages a wealth of experience to position the company as a leader in occupational injury prevention and early intervention. Over the past two decades, Rod has collaborated with a broad range of Australia’s top corporations, helping them minimise risks, improve workforce health, and create safer work environments. By combining a strategic focus with a commitment to proactive solutions, Rod continues to build Bodycare’s reputation as a trusted partner in enhancing workplace safety and employee performance.
	Andrew Stevens CEO, Mantulus Andrew brings 25+ years of experience in the Australian IT industry to his role as CEO of Mantalus. Over his working life, Andrew has developed deep expertise in enterprise infrastructure, large scale program management, executive stakeholder management and corporate strategy and cloud computing. Andrew Stevens manages the corporate direction and strategy at Mantalus, facilitating alliances with leading technology partners, maintaining key customer engagement and overseeing activity in consulting, sales, marketing and support. He is also responsible for Mantalus’ evolving delivery strategies, ensuring the development of service offerings designed to help solve the most complex cloud adoption issues for enterprises and start ups alike Since co-founding Mantalus, Andrew has worked to expand Mantalus’ market footprint, and to share the company strategy and vision with customers, partners, stakeholders, and staff.