2026 Speakers

With 7 years experience in the SRC jurisdiction and 15 years personal injury experience, Ally has held a range of roles from Senior Case Manager to Technical Advisor and Team Leader at Suncorp. Ally joined EML in November 2018 as a Team Manager, playing a key role in the transition of claims from Comcare while managing case managers that were accountable for a complex portfolio of claims, including emergency services agencies. As Head of Performance, she is responsible for the performance operations, including monitoring, reporting and direction of portfolio strategies. Ally holds a Cert IV in General Insurance.

Anastasia Coutsouvelis is a Partner and National Insurance Practice Leader at Hall & Wilcox, specialising in personal injury litigation and administrative law. She is widely recognised for her expertise in workers compensation, statutory benefits and common law claims, and is consistently ranked as a leading defendant workers compensation lawyer in Victoria.

Andrew Smith is a Managing Director at Scyne Advisory and the leader of Scynes actuarial and modelling team. Andrew currently serves as the Scheme Actuary to both NT WorkSafe and the NT Motor Accident scheme. Andrew has 35 years of experience in the general insurance industry and has provided both strategic and actuarial advice to nearly all accident compensation schemes and large general insurers across Australia.

Ben Pickles is an experienced injury management and workers’ compensation professional with a clinical background as a Physiotherapist and Occupational Rehabilitation Consultant. After commencing his career in workplace rehabilitation, Ben has spent the past decade working within Workers’ Compensation insurers, developing deep expertise across the Victorian Workers’ Compensation Scheme.

Ben has held a range of leadership roles across multiple insurers, predominantly managing claims teams and operational divisions. In January 2024, he joined CGU in Western Australia as an Injury Management Advisor and was appointed to the role of National Injury Management Lead in September 2024.

Ben is passionate about implementing best‑practice injury management within personal injury insurance schemes and optimising recovery and return‑to‑work outcomes for injured workers. He is strongly focused on balancing the needs of workers and employers, supporting healthy and productive workplaces, and fostering staff cultures that enable people to perform at their best and enjoy their work. Ben also has a keen interest in enhancing business strategy and performance through the intelligent use of analytics, alongside a progressive and reflective approach to leadership.

Craig Anthony Smyth was appointed as Acting Associate Justice in February 2025. At time of his appointment he was the Executive Director of Legal Services at the Solicitor for the Northern Territory.

Dr Michael Lim graduated from the University of Sydney in 1979. He worked as a GP, medical officer at the Trade Union Medical Centre and a port doctor for the next 9 years. He qualified as an occupational physician in 1988. He worked as a medical specialist in Sydney from 1988 to 2020. He consulted at the Risk Management Office of University of Sydney, medical unit at NSW Fire Brigades, the occupational rehabilitation unit at Sydney Hospital and the OH&S office of the Roads and Traffic Authority. He served as appointed medical examiner for the NSW Motor Accidents Authority and the Workers Compensation Commission. He lived in Darwin from 2021 to 2024 and provided injury management through Northern Occupational Health Services during the period.

Dr Naresh Verma is a dual-qualified practising Occupational Physician and Psychiatrist who provides weekly clinics for the Australian Specialist Hub (ASH). Dr Verma is accredited as a Permanent Impairment Assessor in AMA 4th and 5th edition impairment guidelines and provides psychiatric whole-person impairment ratings.

Jaimi-Lee is an experienced litigation solicitor with a strong focus on insurance-related litigation, specifically workers compensation. Jaimi-Lee has practiced extensively in this area in the Northern Territory for over a decade, priding herself on being able to approach matters with a collaborative and solutions focused mindset.

Jaimi-Lees strong foundation in insurance litigation naturally complements her practice in employment and industrial relations law. Her understanding of risk management, liability, and employer obligations across both areas enables her to provide integrated advice that addresses both the legal and operational complexities faced by employers and insurers alike.

Khar Mun KM Tang is a Director at Scyne Advisory and an experienced actuary who has worked with workers compensation and motor injury schemes across Australia, including in the Northern Territory. With expertise spanning reserving, pricing, legislative reform, scheme analytics, and financial reporting, he supports government insurers and regulators to make informed decisions in complex and evolving environments. KM has a particular interest in identifying emerging trends and sharing lessons from across jurisdictions to help schemes enhance performance, sustainability, and claimant outcomes.

With over 30 years of experience in the NT Workers Compensation jurisdiction, Leonora is a distinguished claims management professional known for identifying and implementing strategies that drive optimal outcomes. She has extensive legislative expertise that enables her to navigate complex litigated matters with confidence from disputation and mediation to negotiation and resolution.

Megan Scott is an accredited exercise physiologist and national account manager with Guardian Exercise Rehabilitation. In addition to supporting clients with compensable injury recovery and return to work and life, she has a strong drive to ensure all stakeholders; injured workers, GPs, insurers and employers are provided with optimal RTW outcomes.

Reinis is a senior practitioner in the area of workers compensation providing claims advice to self-insured employers and insurers. With over 20 years of experience in workers compensation in WA, SA and the NT, he provides both strategic advice and representation at the Mediations before NT WorkSafe, in proceedings before the Work Health Court, the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory and the Court of Appeal of the Northern Territory, and training and advice to clients on the implementation and application of legislative change in the Northern Territory.

Shanes areas of practice are workers compensation, work health and safety and allied employment issues. Shane has been listed in Doyles Guide as a leading ReturnToWork and Workers Compensation Lawyer (Defendant) in South Australia.

Shanes experience includes: strategic advice to and representation of employers, insurers, claims agents and self-insurers on the management of their workers compensation portfolios in South Australia and the Northern Territory; training and advice on the implementation and application of legislative changes in South Australia and the Northern Territory.