Thriving in the rain: GRMF 2026’s call for courage and resilience
On the morning of the second day of this year’s Governance & Risk Management Forum (GRMF), Brazil met Brisbane in dramatic fashion: rain‑soaked tarmac, roaring engines and Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna dominating the field with fearless precision. Widely regarded as the master of wet‑weather racing, Senna once said: “You cannot overtake 15 cars in sunny weather, but you can when it’s raining.”
It was a fitting way to frame this year’s theme of: Embedding organisational resilience amidst continuous change.
What made Senna exceptional in harsh conditions was not just his ability to handle the rain, but his willingness to use it to his advantage. It was the blend of finely honed expertise, the strength of the team around him, and the courage to act when others hesitated – braking that fraction of a second later into a corner awash with water.
The recurring themes at GRMF in Queensland suggested that we can no longer wait for the downpours to pass. Continuous change and uncertainty are now business as usual. It feels like it is always stormy. Organisational resilience is not just about surviving disruption but identifying and taking advantage of the opportunities to be found in it.
Helen Rowell’s opening address set the tone, focusing on courage in the boardroom, particularly the test of how leaders respond when things go wrong. That theme was brought to life by Bonnie Hancock’s inspirational story of paddling around Australia, making new friends and watching out for giant crocodiles.
Brian Parker’s state of the economy update was insightful and funny, but he struggled to keep his promise to find things to be optimistic about. If his session was a weather report, he confirmed that it will be raining for a while yet.
Another highlight was the AI session with Professors Marek Kowalkiewicz and Dian Tjondronegoro. Marek’s stunning bright yellow shoes and humorous presentation couldn’t soften a message that at times edged towards the apocalyptic. Thankfully, Dian balanced this with a grounded perspective on responsible use and good governance as a way of shaping better outcomes.
Laughter helped us navigate the tough subject of psychosocial safety. Isabelle Phillips’ session was a powerful reminder that resilience is not just about frameworks, controls and processes, but about what matters most – people.
The quality of the speakers was matched only by the strength of the community. Between sessions, conversations, shared experiences and genuine engagement revealed like-minded professionals working through these challenges together.
GRMF 2026 reinforced that there is no simple playbook for what comes next. If it feels like it is always raining, the challenge is not just to keep dry and warm, but to find collective ways to thrive.