The Australian & New Zealand Disaster and Emergency Management Conference continues to support the Disaster and Emergency Management community with a strong focus on natural disasters and 2015 marks the 4th year of the event. The ANZDM Conference will be held 4-5 May 2015 at Jupiters Gold Coast with the theme of EARTH; FIRE AND RAIN.

Elizabeth McNaughton, General Manager of Strategy and Government Relations at New Zealand Red Cross and Mr Duncan Gibb, Executive General Manager – Group Strategic Projects at Fulton Hogan will present a joint Keynote entitled: Leadership and Collaboration in Disaster Recovery: Lessons Learnt from Canterbury

Elizabeth McNaughton is the General Manager of Strategy and Government Relations at New Zealand Red Cross; prior to this role she led the New Zealand Red Cross Christchurch recovery programme. In 2012 Elizabeth was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to study the leadership challenges faced by those in post-disaster recovery decision-making roles. In 2014 she received a scholarship to undertake a Leadership New Zealand programme.

She has worked with the New Zealand Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, where she was seconded for six months to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Recovery Policy Team in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes. She has also worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the Pacific regional programme. Her international experience includes working for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies based in South Asia.

Elizabeth enjoys writing and has written a book: A Practical Guide to Advocacy and for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Mr Duncan Gibb, Executive General Manager – Group Strategic Projects of Fulton Hogan, is a qualified Civil Engineer with over 30 years in civil construction. He is the Executive General Manager of Group Strategic Projects for Fulton Hogan. His experience has included numerous projects and programmes of projects in Australia and New Zealand, including the Christchurch post-earthquake horizontal infrastructure rebuild, and infrastructure projects in the mining, water, industrial and road sectors.

Between May 2011 and December 2014 Duncan was the General Manager of the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team (SCIRT).  SCIRT was established as a unique collaborative public/private partnership to deliver the NZ$2.0 billion programme of projects to rebuild publicly-owned, earthquake-damaged horizontal infrastructure (water, wastewater, drainage and road) in Christchurch, New Zealand.

A veteran of over 15 years involved in relationship style contracting, Duncan is a strong advocate for multiple organisations working collaboratively to achieve ‘shared outcomes’.   His experience in Christchurch, New Zealand, has reinforced his belief that collaboration is a key ingredient in optimising the outcomes in most business situations, and especially disaster response.

In 2013 Duncan was made a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, UK (ICE) and appointed as the 10th Brunel International Lecturer.  He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ).

More information and news on the Canterbury Earthquakes:

Christchurch earthquake kills 185

Canterbury earthquake (GNS Science)