The Resilience Matters webinar series will focus on systems, environments and human factors that intersect to influence the varying levels of risk, harm and equity that people experience before, during and after a disaster. 

Presenters from a variety of research, government and community backgrounds will be invited to provide their insights and perspectives as we seek to understand how we can reduce harm in these systems to reduce disaster risk and build resilience.

Throughout the series, we will build on these foundational concepts. Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you are an experienced practitioner or new to these concepts, or somewhere in between.

Look out for new webinars as they are developed and added to the events calendar.

Webinar five: The ethical premise of disaster management leadership

Wednesday 12 November 2025

AIDR welcomes Dr Mark Crossweller to guide us through an exploration of the links between vulnerability, resilience and ethics. Mark will discuss how we all become vulnerable in times of catastrophic disaster and how we can reframe that vulnerability from harmfulness to relationality.

The webinar will then explore how certain political discourses and rhetoric separate leaders from their communities and how we might reframe resilience to be more inclusive and relational. The webinar will conclude by exploring the critical importance of ethics such as trust and compassion in leadership throughout the disaster management continuum.

Guest Speaker:

Dr Mark Crossweller

Director, Ethical Intelligence Pty Ltd

Mark has over 40 years of experience in crisis, national security, and emergency management, leading major strategic reform in governance, strategy, policy, operations, and capability.

Between 2012-2020 as Director General Emergency Management Australia and Head of the National Resilience Taskforce, Mark was responsible for briefing the Prime Minister and Cabinet on disaster management, and providing strategic policy advice on climate and disaster risk reduction and resilience. From March 2020-June 2025, Mark was a Senior Advisor and International Luminary to KPMG advising on disaster management, resilience, and leadership ethics.

Concurrently and continuing, Mark is the Founder and Director of Ethical Intelligence; Distinguished Advisor to the National Security College - Australian National University; and published author. Mark's ongoing research interest is in relational leadership ethics in senior executive leadership within the private sector, public service, national security, and disaster management sectors. His book is titled Compassion in Disaster Management: The Essential Ethic of Relational Leadership.

John Richardson (host)

Executive Director, Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (AIDR)