Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Michael Carroll, Deakin University vice-chancellor and president Professor Jane den Hollander and South West Credit Union deputy chairman Robert Lane will be part of a panel at the luncheon, which is expected to draw about 75 members of the Warrnambool and district business community. Mr Carroll is also involved in the boards of Queensland Sugar Limited, Rural Finance Corporation, Warrnambool Cheese and Butter, Select Harvests, Rural Funds Management, Sunny Queen Australia and the Gardiner Dairy Foundation.

The event is the first of the 2014 series of Leaders’ Luncheons and will be held at the Lady Bay Resort from noon.

The theme of the panel will be “Big issues boards and directors face in 2014”.

“We are living at a time of considerable volatility and uncertainty in Australia and around the world,” the flyer for the event states. 

“Organisations need to adapt as regulation and technology opens up new possibilities. 

“An experienced panel of directors will discuss the key known challenges facing directors and identify potential unforeseen issues, which boards need to be aware of both locally and nationally in the next 12 to 18 months.”

Issues such as mergers and acquisitions, strategy and risk, organisational culture, and board composition are expected to covered in the session.