Hear from two experienced Senior Risk Engineers as they seek to answer the question: How do insurance companies fit into the risk landscape when working with clients across multiple industries?

During the evening, the speakers will cover aspects risk from an insurance point of view relevant to the broad experience of the speakers across petrochemical, automotive, rail, transport, power generation, mining, oil and gas, renewables, defence, FMCG and heavy industry.

Specific presentation topics will include:

• The interaction between risk engineers and underwriters
• Natural perils
• Property damage
• Business interruption
• Machinery breakdown
• Fire prevention & protection
• Fleet risk assessments

Speakers

Mervyn Rea, Head of Risk Engineering, Zurich Australia Insurance

Mervyn has over 30 years’ experience in the insurance and risk engineering industry, all with Zurich. He has worked in the UK until 2003 when he transferred to Australia. Mervyn has experience in a broad range of industries ranging from general manufacturing, strategic infrastructure, freight and passenger rail, and transportation to mining. He is proficient in Property Fire, Security, Business Interruption, Natural Perils and Machinery Breakdown assessments, as well as Liability, Occupational Health & Safety and Motor Fleet (sedan, truck and mobile plant) assessments.   

Mervyn has completed Zurich's Fire Protection Course and the Team?Leader Training for the Zurich Hazard Analysis, as well as the International Risk Engineering Course. In his role at Zurich, he has also assisted in the development of the on?line Virtual Risk Manager – Fleet and the recent development of their global telematics solution, Zurich Fleet Intelligence. He also assisted in the development of the riskfeatures.com website.

Up to a few years ago, Mervyn represented the Asia Pacific region on Zurich Risk Engineering’s global Centre of Expertise for Motor Fleet and Transportation and was the Leader of that Global team. He is now Head of Risk Engineering in Australia and New Zealand, and responsible for Customer Management within Australia and the wider APAC region. He has provided and co?ordinated insurance and risk management solutions across the Transport sector for the past 10 years in Australia, including specialised Road Transport, Freight Rail and Marine.

Evan Blackburn, Senior Risk Engineer, Zurich Australia Insurance

Evan has 25 years’ experience in the insurance industry of which the last 20 years has been risk assessment work undertaking property, fleet and liability assessments. Throughout the last 14 years, he has specialized in mining insurance risk assessments and specialist knowledge of coal mining (open cut and underground). He is a member of the Zurich Mining Technical Centre and holds a Certificate IV in Underground Coal Operations (RII40412).

Specialist expertise in assessing insurance risks associated with:

• Underground coal operations
• Open cut coal mining
• Open-pit and underground metalliferous mining including block caving
• Mining processing plant risk assessments including machinery breakdown
• Fire protection systems
• Fleet risk assessments (Transport and Light vehicle)
• Mobile plant fleet risk assessments
• Freight rail of minerals from Pit to Port
• Rail loading and unloading operations
• Bulk commodity conveying, stockpiling, reclaiming and ship loading