1.00pm to 1.45pm AEDT
Virtual
By invitation only | Chatham House Rule | Off the record
Following the recent discussion at our Preparing for Royal Commissions and Inquiries session, we are bringing the group back together for a dedicated open conversation with Dr Ashley Tsacalos, Partner at Clayton Utz.
Our first session explored what organisations can expect when facing a Royal Commission, public inquiry or major statutory investigation, from the first signs of scrutiny through to hearings, media attention, organisational pressure and the longer-term challenge of rebuilding trust.
There was considerably more the room wanted to explore.
This follow-on session deliberately changes the format. Rather than presentation, the 45-minute discussion will be driven by the questions, experiences and challenges of the Corporate Affairs leaders in the room.
Together we will explore questions such as:
• What should organisations be doing before an inquiry is even contemplated?
• What actually happens in the first 24 to 72 hours when scrutiny becomes real?
• Where do Corporate Affairs, Legal, the CEO and the Board most commonly clash?
• How should leaders respond when the facts are still emerging but the media cycle is already moving?
• What should Corporate Affairs push back on internally?
• How do organisations manage employees, witnesses and internal communications through prolonged scrutiny?
• What does accountability look like, rather than simply well-managed messaging?
• What can organisations learn now from those that have already been through the process?
Ashley will draw on his extensive experience advising organisations through Royal Commissions, inquiries and inquests, but this session is designed primarily as an open peer conversation. Participants will be encouraged to bring their own questions, observations and hypothetical scenarios for discussion.
About Dr Ashley Tsacalos
Dr Ashley Tsacalos is a Partner at Clayton Utz and a leading adviser to government and organisations in dispute resolution, litigation, administrative law, Royal Commissions and public inquiries.
He has been involved in 27 Royal Commissions, inquiries and inquests over the past eight years, including nine of the past ten Federal Royal Commissions, advising government agencies, organisations and individuals through complex investigations, hearings and periods of intense public scrutiny.
His work spans governance, public law, regulatory matters, dispute resolution, procurement, privacy and organisational risk, giving him a particularly practical perspective on what happens inside organisations when scrutiny intensifies.
This session forms part of the Corporate Affairs Directors Series and is exclusively for senior Corporate Affairs, communications and reputation leaders.
Attendance is by invitation only and numbers will remain deliberately limited to support a candid, peer-to-peer conversation.
