Conflict key theme for WICA 2023

by Resolve Editor Kate Tilley

Conflict might not be occurring at Australia’s door step, but it impacts on all nations, making it an ideal topic for discussion at the XVI AIDA World Insurance Congress.

AILA is hosting WICA 2023 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on 30 August to 1 September 2023.

Dr Robin Bowley, a Senior Lecturer in the Law Faculty at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is co-chair of the congress session on conflict. Delving into his background and research interests explains why he was an excellent choice for the role.

His co-chair is Professor Özlem Gürses, from King’s College London, who is vice-chair of AIDA’s reinsurance working party and a committee member of the British Insurance Law Association.

The session – the first of four on key themes at WICA 2023 – will cover war and conflict, including the international security outlook and insurance implications globally.

Eclectic mix

An eclectic mix of speakers will give their views on issues ranging from the war in Ukraine and political tensions, like China and Taiwan, to piracy, cyber attacks, marine and aviation risks, and terrorism.

Dr Bowley and Professor Gürses used their network of global colleagues to identify speakers whose expertise will be relevant to delegates from around the world.

Dr Bowley said Australia was privileged to host WICA 2023 and delegates would have a unique opportunity to gain an understanding of current insurance industry issues from a global perspective.

His research projects focus on insurance responses to maritime security and terrorism risks, corporate and financial services regulation, and the responsibilities of financial services intermediaries.

Dr Bowley obtained his PhD from the University of Wollongong in 2014 for a thesis that evaluated international legal responses to the risk of maritime terrorism. The work was ranked second of 14 dissertations internationally in the 2014 “Best PhD thesis in the field of terrorism and counter-terrorism studies”, conducted annually by the Netherlands-based Terrorism Research Initiative.

ASIC lawyer

From 2005 to 2011, Dr Bowley was a lawyer with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission where he was involved in investigations into possible contraventions of the Corporations Act and related legislation, including continuous disclosure, insider trading, market manipulation, breaches of directors’ duties and insolvent trading. 

At UTS, where he has been a full-time academic since 2014 and taught part-time before that, Dr Bowley teaches and researches in the areas of corporate and insurance law.

He joined the AILA NSW committee in 2012 and has been a member ever since. Dr Bowley says AILA offers valuable opportunities to network with the industry and see practical applications of insurance law. He encourages UTS students to join AILA and assist with running AILA events.

Dr Bowley lead the development of the technical program for the 2022 AILA national conference, held in Sydney, and in 2018 he organised AILA’s Sir Ninian Stephen insurance law masterclass.

He actively contributes to several legal commentaries published by Lexis Nexis.

Before studying law, he served for five years in the Royal Australian Navy. Outside the work environment, Dr Bowley has been a volunteer surf lifesaver at Sydney’s Coogee Beach since 2006 and is a volunteer firefighter with the NSW Rural Fire Service, where he was actively involved during the 2019-2020 bushfires.