Hamish started his journey in the insurance industry in 2011 as a loss adjuster following the Canterbury earthquakes, he joined Sedgwick in 2015 as the Christchurch Branch Manager before transitioning into the Business Development & Client Relationship role in 2021. Hamish’s background and experience in loss adjusting, operational delivery and client relationship management ensure that he is well placed to support Sedgwick’s clients and the wider industry.

Kim Hill has been presenting RNZ's award-winning Saturday Morning programme for the last 20 years. Her earlier career included television, and radio and print in Aotearoa, UK and Australia. For RNZ, she worked in Greymouth and Gisborne before joining Checkpoint, Morning Report, and Nine to Noon. Kim looks forward to returning to the ICNZ Conference as MC.

Dr Charles Ehrhart has nearly 30 years of professional experience working within governments, the UN, civil society and the private sector for sustainable development. For the past eighteen years, Charles has focused on the challenges of mitigating and adapting to climate change. Charles currently works for KPMG New Zealand as Partner, KPMG IMPACT Technical Lead Climate Change, Decarbonisation, ESG & Sustainability. Dr Ehrhart is a member of the Chapter Zero New Zealand Steering Committee. His primary interests are climate governance, the mainstreaming of sustainability in organisational strategies, and sustainable finance. Charles has a PhD in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University. He continues to publish and speak at national and international conferences.

Dr Judy Lawrence is Senior Research Fellow at the Climate Change Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington and a Climate Change Commissioner. Judy’s research and practice focus on climate change adaptation, sea-level rise and decision making tools under deep uncertainty. Judy was co-author of the coastal hazards and climate guidance, Co-Chaired the national Climate Change Adaptation Technical Working Group and co authored the first NZ National Climate Change Risk Assessment. She was Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Working Group II Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Her reseach and practice attracted the Prime Minister’s Science Prize 2019 with the Melting Ice and Rising Seas Team and the Terry Healy Coastal Project Award twice in 2017 and 2018. Judy has a PhD in Public Policy on the adequacy of institutions for climate change adaptation.

Tobias Grimm is a Senior Manager Climate Risks and Green Tech at Munich Re of Australasia, Sydney. Currently he is leading the business development activities for Munich Re’s Greentech Solutions in Australia and New Zealand. Tobias has a long background as Senior Expert for natural hazards, climate change and renewable energies. Over many years, he has been Deputy Head of Chief Climate Scientist for the Munich Re Group and contributed a lot to the Munich Re positioning on climate change. Tobias is with Munich Re since 2005. He holds a Master’s degree in geography and applied meteorology from the University of Munich.

Te Arawa and Tainui people. Sandy is the Vision Mātauranga lead for the Deep South Science Challenge: Changing with our climate and a member of the Steering Group for the Antarctic Science Platform. She is the Acting Dean, Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies at the University of Waikato. Her research and professional specialty focuses on climate change and impacts for Māori; adult education, and the application of Indigenous models in addressing developmental issues to improve livelihoods for Indigenous peoples and peoples of the Pacific. Sandy is the Past President of ICAE, International Council for Adult Education and was inducted into the International Adult and Community Education Hall of Fame by the University of Oklahoma in 2009.

That risks arising from more frequent and severe climate-driven extreme weather events are increasing year on year is well known. These risks are not just to property but include social, environmental, and cultural risks. There are also economic risks that are not or cannot be insured. Building reliance has never been more important to insurers, our customers, communities, business and the government. So how best to go about it?