Crisis Talks

Ellis Brover is the former CIO of Toyota Australia and an Independent Board and Executive IT Advisor. He has a proven track record over three decades of building and leading world-class IT organisations and his experience spans a range of roles and industries, from startups to multi-nationals. In this episode of Crisis Talks, we talk about the changing IT landscape over the past few decades, the nature of cyber threats and how they have evolved, and the importance building trust in your crisis teams when preparing for the worst case. We delve into one of his experiences as the CIO of a globally recognised brand that was targeted by an extremely complex cyber attack. His experience navigating the challenges of a cyber crisis is a must listen for business leaders, IT executives and cyber teams in any organisation.

“Data should be treated as a liability - not an asset” - Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus With recent high profile cyber attacks targeting Medibank and Optus, Australian boards are scrambling  to understand the risks a cyber attack may present to them and what they can do to prevent, prepare and respond. In this episode of Crisis Talks, I speak with Claire Pales and Anna Liebel, Co- directors of The Secure Board, and co authors of the book with the same title.   They share their insights into how a board’s understanding of risk management can be applied to cyber risks and how boards and executive teams can further enhance their cyber resilience.  We discuss the following : Data privacy and governance Cyber risk management Ransom decision processes Databreach preparedness and response Crisis response.

“Don't look at these events as black swans… I don't think any business should plan around what if, every business should plan on when.”    Thomas Knudsen  Thomas Knudsen is the Managing Director of global supply chain business Toll. Having previously lived through the global cyber attack at Maersk, he joined the business as the head of their Global Forwarding Division before being appointed Managing Director in January 2020. At this time, Australia was emerging from the disruptions of the Black Saturday Fires however further serious challenges were ahead. Toll was shortly thereafter the victim of two Global Cyber Attacks, whilst the onset of the global COVID pandemic was starting to wreak havoc on global supply chains. One of these crisis events alone would normally have crippled a business, however Toll has navigated its way through these crises and is emerging more resilient and stronger than ever. Thomas shares his insights into these events and the lessons he learnt from these in preparedness, planning, leadership, mindset, purpose, and supply chain resilience. 

From a career as a journalist working as a police reporter covering some of the worst crimes in Victoria’s history to the Executive General Manager Corporate Affairs, Government and Communications at the Australian Football League, Brian Walsh has had an amazing career in issues and crisis management. In this interview on Crisis Talks, we talk about his formative years as a journalist and how the “high emotion” of dealing with people on their worst day helped prepare him for his role in a highly emotive and high profile industry he works in now.  Brian discusses the importance of empathy and starting with the truth in any situation and how organisations that seek always to “do the right thing” in line with the purpose and values of the organisation tend to navigate their way through any issues. Brian shares some amazing insights into the league’s inner workings through COVID and the way they engaged with the different government, community and other stakeholders to deliver two successful seasons despite the logistics challenges they faced.  This episode is a must listen for anyone that is in the corporate affairs and issues management space, or anyone that is interested in the way that sports governing bodies navigate different stakeholder landscapes. 

Charlton Clark embodies the saying, "Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics."   Imagine having to plan and prepare for an operation that is 2 years away? How would you select the right people and the equipment needed for the task two years before that task is required and ensure that they are all in position and capable to perform that task on that given day?  In this episode of Crisis Talks, I interview Charlton Clark, the General Manager Antarctic Operations and Safety at the Australian Antarctic Division. We talk through some of the extreme planning considerations they apply every day to preempt, prepare and prevent crises in the world's most hostile environment.     This episode is a must listen for anyone in the Logistics, Safety and Risk fields. 

11 Years on from the Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon Crisis, we pick up from the moment the Crisis team observes the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig sinking in the Gulf of Mexico and the subsequent environmental disaster that ensued. In this episode, we talk through the shift in the response objective from People to the Environment and the realisation that Clint and others felt when confronted by the enormity of the environmental catastrophe. Importantly, we also explored the indelible impact that this disaster had on Clint and his colleagues and the juxtaposition of their desire to respond professionally, whilst acknowledging the failures that led to the incident occurring.    This series is an excellent insight into the importance of integrating risk management, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery under one consistent framework, and the impact that these events have on the people who are charged with responding to them. 

On the 20th April 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers, injured 17 more and resulted in the largest marine OilSpill in history.    Clint Honeycutt was one of the BP Health and Safety Advisors at the time and was activated as a part of the Company Incident Management Team to respond to the incident.   In this multi part series, we discuss his experience working through the immediate response as a part of the incident management team. We discuss the following:  Oil and Gas Emergency Preparedness Arrangements Lessons learnt from previous incidents The importance of training and exercising. The immediate activation and response and the moment the rig sank.    Clint Honeycutt is the Global HSE Director for Lufkin Industries and 11 years ago he was a Health and Safety Advisor working for BP in the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to working with BP, he had served in the US Navy and the National Guard and had built a successful working from heights business with his father. Since his time at BP, Clint has held senior Health, Safety and Environment roles with prominent Oil and Gas companies such as BHP, Hess, TD Williamson and now Lufkin Industries. 

From a 15 year old volunteer firefighter in Duffy’s Forest Fire Brigade in 1985 to leading 70,000 firefighters during the response to the 2019-2020 fires, Shane Fitzsimmons rise to being the most trusted face in the bushfire crisis has been a story of resilience, hardship and humility. From losing his father in a routine back-burning operation to overseeing the fire season which claimed the lives of community, volunteer and international firefighting professionals, the qualities that stood out to all of us was his calmness, empathy and authenticity.  In this episode of Crisis Talks we talk about the season that was; his insights into crisis leadership; what his new role as Resilience Commissioner holds for him; and the leadership legacy he wishes to leave. 

With thousands of Australians still stranded overseas due to the pandemic, I thought it was important to share the story of one man’s success despite another stunning failure of Australian Bureaucracy.  Shocked by a sudden and harsh lockdown in India in the early days of the pandemic, thousands of Australians turned to their High Commission and Foreign Affairs teams for advice on what to do, only to be told that there was no plan to help get them home. Enter Sanskrit student and English Teacher Simon Quinn, who wouldn't take no for an answer and set about coordinating his own repatriation plan, armed only with a facebook page and loads of initiative.   In this episode of Crisis Talks, hear the story of an unlikely hero’s success in repatriating over 2000 Australians home when our government couldn't. 

“The leaders who can lead from a place of compassion and empathy and really understand that we are all suffering, then I think they’ll achieve great things.”   Interested in an expert’s perspective on the US’ response to the pandemic? Regina Phelps is an internationally recognised expert in the field of crisis management, continuity planning and exercise design. She is the founder of EMS Solutions Inc, (EMSS) and since 1982, EMSS has provided consultation and speaking services to clients in four continents. During this episode we compare the US’ pandemic response with Australia’s; we discuss the difficulty in delivering a consistent strategy in any crisis; the importance of leadership during a crisis; and how more women can get involved in the field of emergency and crisis management. 

"You can have the greatest resources in the world, but the weights aren't going to lift themselves".  Tarkyn Lockyer is a 227 game champion of the Collingwood Football Club who now heads up the Australian Football League's National Talent Development Program. In this episode of Crisis Talks, we explore some of the highs and lows of his amazing career, from the disappointment of missing the 2010 premiership selection, his transition to coach in the same club and how he has found his own leadership style with the help of some amazing mentors. From no. 34 in the rookie draft,  to 227 game veteran, Tarkyn's shown amazing determination and a willingness to learn from those around him. He talks about the importance of feedback in development, how he has adapted his leadership style from player to coach and the importance of strength - based leadership in moulding high potential talent into high performing teams.

Justin Dunlop leads Ambulance Victoria’s response to public crises as the Director of the Emergency Management Unit. In this Episode, we talk about the simple strategic objectives his team has applied to ensure the safety of staff and the continuity of service for Ambulance Victoria during the CoronaVirus Pandemic. His insights are a masterclass in adaptive planning and leadership. Since 2004, Justin has been involved in managing Ambulance Victoria's response to major public events including the 2009 Black Saturday Fires, 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu, 2010/11 Victorian Floods, 2014 Heatwave, 2015 Ebola, 2016 Thunderstorm Asthma, 2019 Victorian Bushfires, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. As a paramedic for more than 23 years, Justin is also the secretariat for the Emergency Management Forum of the Australasian Council of Ambulance Authorities.  His passion to serve the community is evident in his lengthy history as a former board director and volunteer for St John Ambulance Australia. In 2015, Justin was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal for his work in emergency management and virtual reality simulation.    

Tony was appointed Victoria’s first Inspector-General for Emergency Management in July 2014, an independent Governor in Council Statutory Appointment, working closely with emergency management sector partners and the community to strengthen Victoria's emergency management arrangements and enhance community safety.For nearly 40 years he has worked in intelligence, security and emergency/crisis management performing senior operational functions in a number of Victorian emergency service organisations before moving to senior crisis coordination and policy positions. Tony has held a number of senior roles in both state and federal government including 4 years in the role of Director-General, Emergency Management Australia. In this episode, we talk about the importance of debriefing to improving performance and how government goes about reviewing major events to learn the lessons to enhance our preparedness for the future. 

Tim Walmsley is a veteran and the founder and CEO of BenchOn, the world’s first Talent Sharing Platform. Heeding the call for business owners and entrepreneurs to share their ideas to help get us through this Crisis, Tim joins me to discuss how organisations can keep their workforce and share their skills rather than standing them down. We talk about how he came up with the idea for this world-first solution, the process he applied to developing his business plan, and how you can use his solution to help keep your people in jobs during these extremely challenging times.  A quintessential entrepreneur, Tim saw a problem and instead of accepting it, asked “Why cant we find a better way to manage it?” If your business is currently suffering from the COVID-19 slowdown, then please either register your business for free through www.benchon.com  or if you have a larger requirement such as bulk staff to redeploy or large numbers of positions to fill, please contact BenchOn directly at info@benchon.com  so they can create a tailored service to meet your current needs.

From the frontlines of the NZ SAS to the frontline of a global pandemic, Anaesthetist Bill Bestic has seen the best and worst of humanity and understands leadership during uncertainty. In this episode of Crisis Talks, Bill gives us a unique insight into the preparations that are underway in our hospitals, the fears of our medical staff and the courage people are showing every day as they prepare for the worst case.   “As a healthcare worker, I know exactly why I’m being Intubated. ‘Cos my lungs have failed and my fear then is if well my lungs have failed and I’m being put to sleep on a ventilator, there’s a possibility I'm not going to be waking up from this”. Faced with the question of his mortality and that of his colleagues, Bill shares his perspectives on courage, leadership and decision making in uncertainty. Bill gives a pretty raw assessment on his disappointment with the leadership being shown at the NSW and Federal government levels and compares this with the real clarity in communications as all levels in NZ. Equally, he shares his optimism on what we can learn and take stock of as a society once we get through this pandemic.

After working on crisis management and continuity with corporates and government departments preparing responses to Ebola, Foot and mouth, H1N1 and now COVID-19 Jason Jarrett asks the question “Is the three-second rule dead?” Jason Jarrett is an adjunct professor in risk management, a consultant on risk and resilience and runs a mega Podcast, A Buddhist Podcast. Jason shares some unique perspectives on lessons from Ebola, Mad Cow and other crisis events that we can apply to confront Coronavirus.  We discuss optimism bias, managing uncertainty, the death of the three second rule, the phases of pandemics and how to plan the return to work safely post outbreak.  His daily mantra, “To bring out the best in yourself and the best in everyone around you” is embodied in his recommended daily Coronavirus routine: Pray / meditate - do something for your spirituality Read something that makes you a better person Find some time to encourage 3 people Exercise

After working on crisis management and continuity with corporates and government departments preparing responses to Ebola, Foot and mouth, H1N1 and now COVID-19 Jason Jarrett asks the question “Is the three-second rule dead?” Jason Jarrett is an adjunct professor in risk management, a consultant on risk and resilience and runs a mega Podcast, A Buddhist Podcast. Jason shares some unique perspectives on lessons from Ebola, Mad Cow and other crisis events that we can apply to confront Coronavirus.  We discuss optimism bias, managing uncertainty, the death of the three second rule, the phases of pandemics and how to plan the return to work safely post outbreak.  His daily mantra, “To bring out the best in yourself and the best in everyone around you” is embodied in his recommended daily Coronavirus routine: Pray / meditate - do something for your spirituality Read something that makes you a better person Find some time to encourage 3 people Exercise

With fires ravaging Australia, and questions about the affect of climate change, I sat down with Craig Lapsley, the former Emergency Management Commissioner of Victoria to discuss the lessons learnt from fires in Australia over the past 40 years.  Craig’s work here and overseas, enables a unique perspective on how to best prepare for the fire threat and how we compare with other international response organisations.

If there’s nothing more Australian than strangers coming together to help others in their time of crisis, then there is no one more Australian than Darren Hodge. Darren has spent over thirty years in the Victoria Ambulance Service, now serving as one of the elite few MICA Flight Paramedics. In this episode of Crisis Talks, we explore some of the cases he wrote about in his book, ‘A Life on the Line’ and we talk about motivation, fear, failure, success and the chain of life.

“Our currency is empathy”. When social media erupted after the Gold’s bus crash in 2016, we turned to Clare Gleghorn, the CEO of Bastion Reputation Management for support. Clare shares her insights into the impact of social media outrage and how her team measures influence to ensure a balanced response in a crisis; how to manage reputational risk in the digital age; the importance of empathy; and how organisations can prepare for the worst case.