Safeguarding Australia's Financial Future โ Unleashing the Power of Collaboration against Financial Threats!
September 9 - 10, 2025 | Swissรดtel Sydney, Australia
Main Conference Day One: Tuesday 9 September 2025
๏ปฟ
8:15 am - 8:45 am
Registration and Morning Coffee
8:50 am - 9:00 am
Chair's Welcome Remarks
Andreas Chai -
Director,
Griffith University
9:00 am - 9:40 am
PANEL DISCUSSION: Future-Proofing Financial Institutions: A Leadership Perspective on Evolving Threats
Sharon Thorpe -
Chief Operating Officer, Financial Crime Compliance,
Commonwealth Bank
Toby Evans - Head of Economic Crime, AusPayNet
Akhilesh Mehta - Chief Operating Officer, G&C Mutual Bank
Wendy Ward - Vice President of International Oversight, American Express
Kaya Hassan - Head of Risk, Beyond Bank Australia
- How are financial institutions leveraging data analytics, AI, and other emerging technologies to enhance financial crime detection and prevention in 2025 and beyond?
- What are the key regulatory changes on the horizon (e.g., Tranche 2, sanctions regimes) and how are leaders preparing their organisations for these shifts?
- Beyond traditional partnerships, what innovative collaborative models are being explored to combat increasingly sophisticated financial crime?
9:40 am - 10:05 am
Protecting Customers in the Digital Age
Miguel Aguado -
Compliance Director Asia Pacific,
Ria Money Transfer
- Emerging fraud tactics, including crypto-enabled crime and payment system vulnerabilities.
- Strengthening KYC/CDD and authentication beyond current cybersecurity practices.
- Empowering customers through awareness and education.
10:05 am - 10:35 am
Re-imagining Financial Crime Transformation - AI & The Future Operating model
Kush Mukherjee -
Industry Leader ANZ and APAC Financial Crime & Compliance Practice,
Concentrix Australia
- Explore how emerging financial crime typologies are creating a need for institutions to abandon legacy models and build agile, real-time, intelligence-led frameworks.
- Witness a 24-capability blueprint and a stepwise AI maturity roadmap - revealing how institutions can embed explainable AI and have a realistic practical and achievable path to competency
- Learn about a dynamic operating model : Highlights the Future financial Crime PREVENTION Ecosystem - a dynamic operating model that is based on reduced complexity and increased use of data.
Sponsored by: Concentrix
Kush Mukherjee
Industry Leader ANZ and APAC Financial Crime & Compliance PracticeConcentrix Australia
10:35 am - 11:05 am
PANEL DISCUSSION: AI & Data: The Future of Fraud Detection and Investigation
Elise Muhlheim -
Head of Financial Crime Control & Fraud,
OFX
Murugan Manickam - Former Head of Enterprise Fraud Risk (APAC & Japan), Citi Bank
Andreas Chai - Director, Griffith University
Craig Doran - CEO, Comtrac
- What are the current limitations and vulnerabilities of AI and machine learning in detecting increasingly sophisticated fraud?
- How can we leverage data to stay ahead of criminal advancements in AI fraud?
- What strategies can be employed to stay ahead of criminals advancing AI tactics?
- How can we balance the need for effective AI-driven fraud detection using sensitive data with ethical considerations and user privacy?
Sponsored by: Comtrac
11:05 am - 11:15 am
Speed Networking Session
11:15 am - 11:45 am
Morning Break and Networking
Interactive Group Discussions
11:45 am - 1:15 pm
IDG A | Balancing Customer Experience with KYC and Onboarding Requirements
Harvinder Singh -
Regional Vice President of Sales โ Identity Verification, APAC,
Entrust
Discuss methods to streamline compliance processes while ensuring a positive and seamless customer onboarding experience.
Sponsored by: Entrust
11:45 am - 1:15 pm
IDG B | AI in AML: Balancing Innovation, Oversight and Accountability
Ernest Foo -
Professor,
Griffith University
11:45 am - 1:15 pm
IDG C | Designing an Agile Financial Crime Framework for Emerging Risks
11:45 am - 1:15 pm
IDG D | Auditing Financial Crime Processes for Efficiency and Complianc
1:15 pm - 2:00 pm
Lunch Break and Networking
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION: Panel Discussion: Bridging Industries to Combat Criminal Advancements
Anthony White -
Fraud & Counterfeit Manager,
Canon
Katie Lourey - Head of Risk and Compliance, Gold Bullion Australia
Tess Ogle - Head of Financial Crime Risk Stewardship| Compliance, HSBC
Andreas Chai - Director, Griffith University
- Adapting marketing strategies to the 2025 ban on gambling ads on public transport, exploring innovative digital and alternative channels.
- Overcoming the challenge of the credit card ban for lotteries, implementing seamless alternative payment solutions for continued customer engagement.
- Managing a unique regulatory position outside AML frameworks, proactively addressing evolving compliance requirements and building robust internal controls.
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Building a Resilient Defense: Capability Development in Financial Crime
Sharon Thorpe -
Chief Operating Officer, Financial Crime Compliance,
Commonwealth Bank
- Partnering with academia to support capability uplift.
- Discussing frameworks for building robust financial crime units, including talent acquisition, technology investment, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Highlighting best practices in designing and delivering training that equips professionals with the skills to detect and prevent sophisticated financial crimes.
3:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Dynamic Demonstration Drive
Get up close with the latest tools driving innovation in the financial crime solutions space. In this interactive demo showcase, leading solution providers will walk you through their platformsโdemonstrating how they enable secure identity verification, seamless user experiences, interoperability, and trust at scale. Discover real capabilities, ask questions live, and explore technologies that align with your organisationโs financial security goals.
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Afternoon Tea and Networking
3:45 pm - 4:15 pm
A Case Study from the Bullion Industry: Battling Money Laundering
Katie Lourey -
Head of Risk and Compliance,
Gold Bullion Australia
- Identifying key loopholes exploited by money launderers in the bullion trade.
- Analysing criminal methods, including mules and sophisticated scams.
- Navigating regulatory changes and strengthening bank collaboration.
- Building internal capabilities for detection and prevention.
4:15 pm - 5:00 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION: From Risk to Reward: Aligning Risk and Compliance with Business Objectives to Secure Leadership Focus
Jeremy Leong -
Chief Risk Officer - Head of Risk and Compliance,
Taishin International Commercial Bank
Porus Govekar - Head of Compliance, Lottoland Australia
Wendy Ward - Vice President of International Oversight, American Express
- Strategies for effectively communicating the value of risk and compliance, aligning them with business objectives to gain senior leadership support and resource allocation.
- Balancing a customer-first approach with robust risk and compliance frameworks, ensuring a positive customer experience while mitigating potential threats.
- Developing and supporting emerging risk and compliance leaders, fostering a culture of collaboration, and leveraging diverse perspectives to navigate the evolving risk and regulatory landscape.
- Moving beyond reactive measures to anticipate challenges and turn potential threats into opportunities.
Jeremy Leong
Chief Risk Officer - Head of Risk and ComplianceTaishin International Commercial Bank
