Director masterclass: How to be effective, protected and prepared (Newcastle)

Date: Monday, 29 June 2020

Location: Online - information will be sent to you directly

Time/Duration: 9.00am – 1:30pm

Presenter:  Iain Rennie, Managing Director and Suzie Leask, Associate Director, Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA)

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Course Overview

While being a director can be incredibly rewarding, it can also come with the risk of legal exposure when things go wrong. It is important to be prepared and protect not only the business, but also to best position yourself to avoid personal liability and potential penalties.

Whether you are a newly appointed director wanting to expand your knowledge or a seasoned director looking for a refresher on the current regulatory changes, this is a valuable best practice session that will cover all areas of corporate governance, director duties, regulatory compliance, risk and key legal insights.

Presented by experienced corporate and commercial legal experts, you will gain insights on:

· Director foundations: The what, who and why
- Directors vs Officers
- What are the different types of Directors and how do they differ?
- The relationship between Directors, Shareholders, Creditors, Employees and the Company
- Director duties, defences, recent cases and hypotheticals

· Liability: Managing your risk profile
- Director Deeds of Access and Indemnity
- Safe harbour reforms
- Industrial manslaughter and new areas of director liability
- How good is your Director and Officer insurance?

· Regulators and regulation: What to watch for in 2020
- Whistleblowers: What to do about the new laws and how to make them your friend
- Critical aspects of recent Royal Commissions
- The Hayne Report and agenda items to watch
- Corporations Act penalties: The costs of getting it wrong

· Good governance and boardroom tools
- Best practice Board Minutes, policies and practices
- How to run an AGM (including template documents)
- Latest trends in director and executive remuneration
- Dealing with boardroom disputes and challenging shareholders

· Case studies and boardroom hypotheticals
- Applied case studies and facilitated boardroom hypotheticals to learn from and apply your knowledge.

This small group masterclass will provide an opportunity for you to get up to speed on the current regulatory environment, share and learn from your peers, while gaining a valuable legal perspective on your role in the business and the board. If you take your role as a Director seriously, you can’t afford to miss this.

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8:45 am - Virtual waiting room opens
9:00 am - Training commences
1:30 pm - Training concludes

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About the trainer

Iain Rennie,
Managing Director, Corporate + Commercial
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA)

Iain is a corporate and commercial lawyer with over 30 years experience. Prior to joining the firm he was a partner in the corporate team of an international law firm.
 
During his career, he has been involved in a broad range of transactions and advised participants in a variety of industries, assisting local and international entities in their dealings with regulators, with counterparties in commercial dealings and generally with strategic matters and issues of management.
 
He enjoys working closely with stakeholders, providing consistent, pragmatic and prudent assistance on a timely basis. His work is always accessible and focussed. Iain derives great satisfaction from being a "trusted advisor" for several long standing clients and enjoys being involved in strategic planning and commercial matters.
 
In recent years, Iain has held several Board seats, gaining a deeper understanding of governance matters and the strategic and commercial pressures faced by clients.

Suzie Leask,
Associate Director
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA)

A senior member of the corporate and commercial team, Suzie has acted for clients across a broad range of sectors, including IT, hotels, tourism, gaming, horse racing, mining, property development, construction, stevedoring, manufacturing, food and beverage, property funds, financial services, receivers and managers, and not-for profit organisations. 

Her in-house Legal Counsel experience has given her an insight into the extensive range of risks and legal issues facing organisations, and the importance of maximising revenue while minimising risk to the business. She sits on a number of not for profit boards and committees and is passionate about assisting companies and their boards, directors, company secretaries and key business stakeholders comply with their corporate governance and compliance obligations, as well as taking care of the legal details to get deals done in a commercial and cost effective manner. 

Suzie was awarded Private Practice Lawyer of the Year 2019 at the NSW Women Lawyers Achievement Awards and Finalist at the 2018 Australian Law Awards Regional/Suburban Lawyer of the Year, 2014 Hunter Business Chamber Young Business Executive Award; the 2013 Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, Community Legal Centres NSW Award; and 2014 and 2015 Pro bono Partnership Award; and the 2015 Governance Institute Award for Dux in Corporate Governance - Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance.

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FAQs

How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Contact Tori Smith: 02 9458 7384 or tori.smith@ablawyers.com.au

What's the refund policy?

Participants will receive a full refund if they cancel at least seven (7) business days prior to the scheduled event. However, if participants cancel less than seven (7) business days before the event, no refund will be made. The place can be transfered to another member of the paid organisation. No-shows or cancellations after 7 days will receive the course training material and supporting documents. If there are insufficient participants, we reserve the right to cancel the event and participants will be transferred to another module of equal value or receive a full refund at their election. We will give three business days’ notice of any such cancellation..

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