Tuesday 4 – Friday 7 August 2026
Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley, Windsor, NSW
15 CIP POINTS
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The Reinsurance International Study Course (RISC) is widely considered the premier reinsurance training course in the southern hemisphere. The RISC program is a uniquely structured 4-day intensive, experiential course offering participants the opportunity to work together in syndicate teams to live the reinsurance process and directly apply learnings to real-life scenarios. The program also provides participants with the opportunity to network with other like-minded professionals and foster lifelong connections.
WHAT MAKES RISC UNIQUE?
• Exclusive learning opportunity: Participants will get access to, and guidance from, senior practitioners who are among the industry’s top reinsurance experts. All have deep technical expertise honed from decades of international and regional industry experience.
• Uniquely structured: Four days of intensive experiential learning that combines hands-on syndicate group work, expert presentations, knowledge sharing and team-building activities.
• Active learning: Participants are grouped into syndicates and immersed in a real-life case study to design and test the optimal reinsurance program. Using physical and digital tools, they will be mentored by a syndicate adviser in a small group to collaborate on the creation of the reinsurance program.
• Assessment benefits: Participants that complete all the assessments can gain credit towards their ANZIIF membership. They also are eligible to claim a digital badge, which can be shared via LinkedIn, email or a variety of other online formats.
• Course inclusions: Accommodation, meals and activities are provided throughout the four days, as well as complimentary return transport from Sydney CBD.
“Regardless of what part of the industry you work in, it is an excellent chance to see the reinsurance placement process from start to finish. Leaving the RISC course, I am thankful for the chance to have met and collaborated with so many skilled and accomplished industry professionals, and I have a reinvigorated interest in our industry.”
Charlotte Dunning Rural Affinity (2025 John Allison Award Winner)
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
RISC provides practical experience regarding the interplay between risk appetite, reinsurance and capital management.
The course is ideal for mid-level professionals i.e. those with approximately three or more years of insurance experience who work directly or indirectly in insurance or reinsurance, including underwriters, claims practitioners, brokers, lawyers, actuaries and finance professionals.
ABOUT THE COURSE
The four-day intensive reinsurance study course consists of 8-10 hours of presentations by leading experts from the reinsurance industry and approximately 18-20 hours of syndicate work.
Syndicates will be asked to digest a case study on a fictional insurance organisation and then address the related questions and learning outcomes. Acting as management representatives, syndicates will prepare and present a recommendation to the Board on the optimal reinsurance arrangements for the upcoming renewal. Syndicates are required to:
• make broad assumptions about the company’s direction and risk appetite
• evaluate and design a reinsurance program
• interact with board members and reinsurers in a simulated real-world experience. The syndicates will be supported and guided by syndicate advisors, who are insurance/reinsurance practitioners with deep technical expertise honed from years of international and regional industry experience.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the conclusion of RISC, participants should be able to demonstrate proficiency in five key areas:
1. Strategic
• Articulate the importance of reinsurance in relation to a company’s strategy, growth and underwriting philosophy.
• Demonstrate how a company’s reinsurance program interacts with risk appetite (Risk Appetite Statement - RAS) and Board expectations.
• Analyse how reinsurance programs interact with portfolio management and underwriting practices also accounting for market dynamics.
2. Financials
• Analyse and interpret the impact of current reinsurance on a company’s financial position. Forecast a company’s financial position based on changes to the reinsurance program.
3. Technical
• Distinguish between the types of reinsurance: facultative (foundational), property quota share, property surplus, property risk excess of loss, property catastrophe structures, casualty excess of loss.
• Choose the types of reinsurance applicable to specific portfolios/ classes of business.
• Describe how various reinsurance programs interact.
• Review and understand reinsurance contract wording.
• Demonstrate an understanding of catastrophe modelling.
• Apply the following to monitor underwriting performance at portfolio level:
– Risk profiles
– Large loss reports
– Underwriting results.
4. Regulatory Requirements
• Explain the regulatory minimum standard requirements for reinsurance – primarily the Insurance Capital Risk Charge (ICRC) (Australia). Other regimes include RBNZ’s Minimum Solvency Capital (New Zealand) and minimum solvency requirenents (Fiji and Papua New Guinea).
• Describe the purpose and calculation of APRA’s Natural Perils Vertical Requirement (NPVR) and Natural Perils Horizontal Requirement (NPHR) in deriving the Insurance Concentration Risk Charge (ICRC) and Prescribed Capital Amount (PCA) multiple.
• Understand key requirements of the Reinsurance Management Strategy (ReMS).
• Illustrate the relationship between reinsurance programs and regulatory capital requirements.
5. Structuring a reinsurance program
• Apply all learned concepts and structure a reinsurance program in line with risk appetite and strategic objectives.
• Implement all learned concepts into a Board report.
NETWORKING
In addition to learning about reinsurance, participants who attend RISC have the opportunity to build meaningful professional relationships that last well beyond the course.
ASSESSMENT BENEFITS
By successfully completing RISC, participants have the option to gain the following benefits:
ANZIIF Members
• Allied members and Affiliate CIP members will receive a complimentary upgrade to Associate CIP membership.
• Associate CIP members earn points towards their annual CIP point requirement.
• Senior Associate CIP members can claim 15 points towards the 100 points required for Fellow CIP membership.
Non-members
• Non-members who attend RISC can become eligible to apply for ANZIIF Associate CIP membership.
Digital Credential
ANZIIF have partnered with My eQuals to provide you with a digital version of your achievement. RISC participants will receive their digital credentials upon completing the course, which can be shared via LinkedIn, email or a variety of other online formats.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING RISC
Participants will need to successfully
Pre-course
• Complete the Understand Reinsurance online unit and assessment.
During the course
• Demonstrate their ability to work effectively in a team.
Post-course
• Complete the technical knowledge multiple-choice online exam within two weeks of the end of the RISC course.
DAY 1
Tuesday, 4 August
Time Session
11:00 pm - 12:00 pm Arrival and morning tea
12:00 pm - 12:05 pm ANZIIF Welcome
Official Welcome and Course Opening
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Irene Lai, Group Head of Underwriting Governance, Sustainability, and Standards, QBE
RISC Insider Board & Regulator Video
Irene Lai, Group Head of Underwriting Governance, Sustainability, and Standards, QBE
Andrew Allison, Principal, Allison Group Consulting
Jurgen Hoffman, Trainer & Assessor, TAFE NSW
Jonathan Wang, Divisional Director – Broking, Gallagher Re
Risk Appetite and REMS
Jonathan Wang, Divisional Director – Broking, Gallagher Re
Andrew Allison, Principal, Allison Group Consulting 25 mins presentation + 5 mins Q&A
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm Lunch
Reinsurance Finance
1:45 pm - 2:15 pm
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm
Nick Hartry, Executive Manager, Reinsurance Operations, IAG 25 mins presentation + 5 mins Q&A
Property - Structures
Carl Longmore, Senior Reinsurance Specialist, Suncorp 50 mins presentation + 10 mins Q&A
3:15 pm - 3:30 pm Tech Check
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm Check-In Break
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Syndicate Session
Keynote Presentation
6:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Richard Harding, Non-Executive Director
35 mins presentation + 10 mins Q&A
6:45 pm - 8:00 pm Dinner + Networking
18:55 – Entrée served / 19:15 – Main served
8:00 pm - 9:30 pm Syndicate Activities
DAY 2
Wednesday, 5 August
Time Session
6:30 am - 7:15 am
8:30 am - 8:40 am
8:40 am - 10:40 am
10:40 am - 11:40 am
RISC Activity Exercise Class (optional)
Q&A Board Session
Irene Lai, Group Head of Underwriting Governance, Sustainability, and Standards, QBE
Andrew Allison, Principal, Allison Group Consulting
Jurgen Hoffman, Trainer & Assessor, TAFE NSW
Syndicate Session In room morning tea 10am
Catastrophe Modelling & Structures
Tobias Pfau, Chief Underwriting Officer, Unimutual Ryan Springall PhD, Natural Perils Manager, Allianz 50 mins presentation + 10 mins Q&A
RISC Insider – Property Market News Update
11:40 am - 11:50 am
Kitty Ho, Munich Re John Carroll, CEO Australia & New Zealand - Reinsurance Solutions, Aon
11:50 am - 12:40 pm Networking Lunch
Catastrophe Pools
12:40 pm - 1:10 pm
1:10 pm - 1:40 pm
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm
Jason Flanagan, Chief Claims Officer, ARPC 25 mins presentation + 5 mins Q&A
Actuaries in Reinsurance
Bo Jiang, Director, Head of Public Sector Solutions ANZ, Swiss Re 25 mins presentation + 5 mins Q&A
Reinsurance Arbitration / Litigation
Mark Doepel, Senior Partner, Sparke Helmore 25 mins presentation + 5 mins Q&A
2:10 pm - 2:20 pm Break
2:20 pm - 5:35 pm
Syndicate session In room afternoon tea 3:30 pm Board visits - 4:30-5:30pm
5:35 pm - 6:10 pm Break (SA Debrief)
6:10 pm - 7:10 pm Dinner
7:10 pm - 9:10 pm
Syndicate Case Study Session
DAY 3
Thursday, 6 August
Time Session
6:30 am - 7:15 am RISC Activity Exercise Class (optional)
Casualty Reinsurance & Casualty Catastrophe Deep Dive
Teresa Aquilina, Head of Risk and Operations, Guy Carpenter
8:30 am - 9:50 am
Sally Nickerso, Senior Underwriter, Berkley Re
Johanna Roman, Casualty Treaty Manager, Munich Re 75 mins presentation + 5 mins Q&A
RISC Insider – Casualty Market News Update
9:50 am - 10:00 am
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Nick Sordon, Head of Casualty Underwriting at Swiss Re Australia & NZ, Scor Re
Teresa Aquilina, Senior Vice President, Guy Carpenter
Syndicate session In room morning tea 10:00 am
12:30 pm - 1:15 pm Networking lunch
Emerging Risks
1:15 pm - 1:45 pm
1:45 pm - 2:10 pm
2:10 pm - 6:20 pm
Irene Lai, Group Head of Underwriting Governance, Sustainability, and Standards, QBE
20 mins presentation + 5 mins Q&A
Customised Solutions – RI Legacy Management
James Mounty, Global Practice Leader, Customised Solutions, Gallagher Re 25 mins presentation + 5 mins Q&A
Syndicate session In room afternoon tea 3:15 pm and break for 15 mins
6:20 pm - 6:50 pm Break SA Briefing
6:50 pm - 7:50 pm Dinner
8:00pm - 9:30pm RISC Networking Activity
DAY 4
Friday, 7 August
Time Session
6:30 am - 7:15 am
8:15 am - 9:45 am
9:45 am - 11:45 pm
11:45 pm - 11:55 pm
RISC Activity Exercise Class (optional)
Syndicate session Morning Tea - Silent Service back of room
Syndicate presentations (2 x groups presenting 4 syndicates in 2 rooms concurrently)
Course Closure
Presentation of the John Allison Award
11:55 pm - 12:15 pm Syndicate Feedback
12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Networking Lunch
“I went into RISC with the aim of discovering more about the interplay of different reinsurance programs in practice. I walked away with that and so much more. Being amongst like-minded professionals from diverse backgrounds and having the opportunity to learn, share and then apply your knowledge in the different elements of the syndicate work ensures everyone has an opportunity to walk away with what they came for.”
Jessica Chambers Rural Affinity (2023 John Allison Award Winner)
PRE-COURSE PREPARATION
To ensure that participants will be adequately prepared for the study course they are required to complete a mandatory ANZIIF unit beforehand, Understand Reinsurance.
This online unit provides participants a solid grounding in the basics of reinsurance.
The Understand Reinsurance unit consists of:
• A learning pathway with the following four sections:
– Outlining reinsurance
– Methods of reinsurance and facultative reinsurance
– Treaty reinsurance and proportional treaty categories
– Non-proportional treaty categories and reinsurance claims.
• An online assessment with two parts:
– 15 multiple choice questions covering key knowledge
– 5 complex multiple choice questions designed to assess how participants apply the knowledge to different situations.
Participants who already have a basic knowledge of reinsurance should take up to 5 hours to complete the learning pathway and assessment.
Participants are required to complete the pre-course unit in their own time by no later than 11:59pm AEST on Monday, 3 August 2026.
Participants will have access to the pre-course unit from Friday, 27 July. Instructions and details of the online pre-course unit will be emailed directly to participants approximately 6 weeks prior to RISC.
2026 SPEAKERS
We are delighted to welcome an outstanding lineup of this year’s speakers.
Richard Harding Non-Executive Director ANSVAR
Carl Longmore Senior Specialist RI Suncorp
Jonathan Wang Divisional Director – Broking Gallagher Re
Tobias Pfau Chief Underwriting Officer Unimutual
Sally Nickerson Senior Underwriter Berkley Re
Teresa Aquilina Head of Risk and Operations Guy Carpenter
Bo Jiang Director, Head of Public Sector Solutions ANZ Swiss Re
Nick Hartry Executive Manager, Reinsurance Operations Insurance Australia Group
Johanna Roman Casualty Treaty Manager Munich Re
Irene Lai
Group Head of Underwriting Governance, Sustainability, and Standards QBE
Andrew Allison Principal Senior Consultant Allison Group
Jason Flanagan Chief Claims Officer Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation
James Mounty Global Practice Leader, Customised Solutions Gallagher Re
Mark Doepel Senior Partner Sparke Helmore
ORGANISING COMMITTEE
ANZIIF gratefully acknowledges the generous assistance and support of the 2026 RISC Organising Committee.
Irene Lai
Group Head of Underwriting Governance, Sustainability, and Standards, (Organising Committee Chair) QBE
Andrew Allison Principal Senior Consultant Allison Group Consulting
Carl Longmore Senior Specialist RI Suncorp
Jonathan Wang Divisional Director – Broking Gallagher Re
Jurgen Hoffman Trainer & Assessor TAFE NSW
Tobias Pfau Chief Underwriting Officer Unimutual
Sally Nickerson Senior Underwriter Berkley Re
Teresa Aquilina Head of Risk and Operations Guy Carpenter
CASE STUDY REFINEMENT FOCUS GROUP
Ian Long Head of Catastrophe Management, ANZ AON Reinsurance Solutions
Andrew Davidson Senior Client Underwriter Swiss Re
SYNDICATE ADVISORS
Carl Longmore Senior Specialist RI Suncorp
Jonathan Wang Divisional Director – Broking Gallagher Re
Jurgen Hoffman Trainer & Assessor TAFE NSW
Tobias Pfau Chief Underwriting Officer Unimutual
Sally Nickerson Senior Underwriter Berkley Re
Teresa Aquilina Head of Risk and Operations Guy Carpenter
Bo Jiang Director, Head of Public Sector Solutions ANZ Swiss Re
Andrew Davidson Senior Client Underwriter Swiss Re
Jennifer Chung Senior Treaty Underwriter Gen Re
Cameron Hick Head of Technical Underwriting Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation
Nick Hartry Executive Manager, Reinsurance Operations Insurance Australia Group
Siegmar Dobry Senior Underwriting Manager, Treaty QBE
Johanna Roman Casualty Treaty Manager Munich Re
Alvin Seeto Property Treaty Underwriter Munich Re
Jade Wahlen Senior Casualty Underwriter Unimutual
EVENT DETAILS
Venue
Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley 61 Hawkesbury Valley Way Windsor NSW 2756, Australia
Enrolment
Please enrol by Friday, 1 August 2026
Places are strictly limited so we recommend that you book early to avoid missing out.
CIP points
Upon completion of RISC, participants will earn 15 Certified Insurance Professional (CIP) points.
What to bring
Participants must bring a laptop to view and engage with course material. Please ensure your organisation’s firewalls allow access to the ANZIIF materials. A test link will be made available to you.
Accessibility
The ANZIIF team are committed to making our professional development programs accessible to as many people as possible. If you (or someone you know) would like to attend this course and have hearing or visual impairments, please reach out to our team to discuss how we can support your learning experience.
Transport
The Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley is located a 1 hour 30 minute drive north of Sydney.
Coach Transfer (Free - Limited Availability)
Return coach transfers will be provided from Sydney CBD to the Crowne Plaza. If you wish to use this service, please indicate your preference during registration or by emailing events@anziif.com (Seats are limited)
Car Parking
Available onsite.
Train
From Sydney Town Hall Station, take the T1 train towards Richmond via Central. The journey takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. Alight at Windsor Station, then walk approximately 850 metres to the Crowne Plaza.
Oversubscription
In the event of oversubscription, the RISC organising committee reserves the right to accept registrations based on the principle of ensuring equal representation across the industry.
John Allison Award
This award is presented in honour of John Allison’s 51-year contribution to the reinsurance industry and, in particular, to the Reinsurance International Study Course. The award will be presented to the top performer of RISC 2026.
Further information
For further information please email Andrew Flynn, Event Manager at aflynn@anziif.com
“There will be numerous benefits for my career of attending RISC. I really enjoyed getting to meet and learn from people with a wide variety of professional and educational backgrounds, including a broader network within my industry and in adjacent industries. I’ve gained a stronger understanding of the foundations of reinsurance and improved my confidence in my softer skills, especially presenting and time management.”
Esther David Associate Broker Gallagher Bassett (2024 John Allison Award Winner)