Change is the law of life: AICD Review

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”

This famous quote from John F. Kennedy sets the scene for the Company Directors Conference 2003. Titled the Alchemy of Change, the conference focuses on the process of change and how it affects business and society. Robert D. Kaplan, correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly and author of several best selling books has reported on some of the most volatile and dangerous countries in the world. His recently published book – Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos is a frank and provocative essay arguing that the bedrock of sound foreign policy should be "comprehensive pragmatism" rather than "utopian hopes". With his unparalleled first hand experience of some of the worlds most turbulent and violent countries, Kaplan will make a stimulating keynote speaker, sharing his views on whether globalisation will ultimately strengthen or destroy the nation state and of the effect of transnational terrorism on global integration.

Arguably the most popular speaker at the Company Directors Conference 2002, Geoffrey Robertson QC has agreed (subject to his court dates) to moderate another hypothetical at the Alchemy of Change. With the collapses of HIH and UMP, its has become more difficult to obtain professional indemnity, workers compensation and personal liability insurance. This presents a challenge for today's directors and society in general – and an interesting hypothetical situation. This will be the first time AICD has held the Company Directors Conference in Canberra, and will take full advantage of the unique venues the city has to offer. The concurrent sessions, and the sponsor lunches following, will be held at some of Canberra's landmark locations including the CSIRO Discovery Centre, the High Court of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport, the Royal Military College and the Australian Federal Police Headquarters. With the forum topic being relevant to its location, delegates will be taken on a short tour of the venue before commencing their forum.

Disclaimer

The purpose of this database is to provide a full-text record of all articles that have appeared in the CDJ since February 1997. It is aimed to assist in the research and reference process. The database has a full-text index and will enable articles to be easily retrieved.It should be noted that information contained in this database is in pre-publication format only - IT IS NOT THE FINAL PRINTED VERSION OF THE CDJ - therefore there might be slight discrepancies between the contents of this database and the printed CDJ.