With fresh leadership at the helm of the ACCC and the consumer law landscape undergoing transformation, you will delve into current enforcement priorities, providing valuable insights into the reforms and their potential ramifications. Join an exceptional panel to explore the latest developments in the law from current enforcement concerns, digital platform and other reform to greenwashing risks, compliance and remedies. 

Presenters

Bronwyn Furse, Partner, Thomson Geer
Bronwyn Furse is a commercial lawyer with specialist expertise in the areas of intellectual property, privacy, regulatory and competition and consumer law. Her practice traverses public and private industry sectors including automotive, higher education, health, manufacturing, medical devices, energy and resources, government, financial services and ecommerce, from start ups through to multinational groups. Bronwyn’s intellectual property practice includes advising on all matters of ownership, protection, commercialisation, licensing and enforcement of intellectual property rights. She routinely prepares and negotiates agreements for domestic and cross-jurisdictional licensing arrangements, commercialisation of intellectual property and technology procurement. Bronwyn has extensive franchising experience. She advises some of Australia’s most well known, and longest running franchise networks. Her practice includes assisting with the day to day management of franchise networks, along with related intellectual property, privacy and competition and consumer law issues. She also routinely assists in the expansion of networks into offshore jurisdictions and establishment of new franchise networks. Bronwyn is well known for her specialist expertise in privacy law and data protection and commercialisation. She has a particular interest and depth of expertise in privacy issues arising from data sharing and transfer, analytics and commercialisation, as well as behavioural advertising and electronic marketing. Over the years, Bronwyn has been seconded to various clients including global corporate groups, as well as universities and research organisations. Her in-house experience has provided her with invaluable insight, and honed her abilities to provide commercially astute and pragmatic advice to clients across a broad range of disciplines. Bronwyn is an active member of various professional intellectual property and privacy organisations, including Trustee of the Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand (LESANZ), an active member of the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) (Legal Sub-Committee and South Australian Chapter Committee), and a participating member of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand (IPSANZ) and International Association of Privacy Professionals of Australia and New Zealand (iappANZ). Bronwyn is widely recognised for her specialist expertise. She is regularly asked to present at conferences on issues related to intellectual property, privacy and franchising, and to provide tailored training programs to clients and industry associations. In 2016, Bronwyn was awarded an Australasian Lawyers ‘Rising Star’ award, and recognised by the publication as having ‘an outstanding reputation as an IP lawyer’. Bronwyn has been acknowledged by The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific (2018 & 2019) for her work in the Intellectual Property space. Bronwyn has been recognised by her peers as one of the Best Lawyers in Australia in the areas of Franchise Law, and Intellectual Property Law (2019 – 2022). Bronwyn has recently been recognised in Doyle’s Guide as a recommended lawyer in South Australia in the areas of Intellectual Property (2020 – 2021) and Technology, Media & Telecommunications Law (2020).


Ms. Melissa Fraser, Partner, Ashurst
Melissa Fraser is partner in Ashurst's APAC Competition team. Melissa's practice focuses on competition/antitrust matters and includes enforcement litigation and investigations, strategic advisory work, merger clearance and compliance matters. She is expert in the Australian Consumer Law and has advised extensively on the unfair contract terms regime, unconscionable conduct, misleading conduct and product safety issues and recalls. Her impressive client following in the important financial services, healthcare, infrastructure and FMCG sectors is a direct result of the excellent results she achieves for her clients. Melissa is recognised in Who's Who Legal – Future Leader, Competition; Best Lawyers, Sydney – Competition Law; and as a Next Generation Partner, Competition and Trade in Legal 500. Australia Legal 500 says: "Melissa Fraser has a wonderful focus on clients; she delivers great results in competition matters, fully aligned with the client’s objectives and ways of working.".


Mr. Nick Christiansen, Partner, Sparke Helmore Lawyers
Nick is a commercial litigator specialising in complex commercial disputes, competition and consumer law claims and regulatory actions, insolvency and corporations law proceedings. Nick has extensive experience in contentious property matters, acting for large landowners, property investors, property developers, corporates, and government bodies. This includes leasing disputes (including retail leases), sale and purchase disputes, option disputes, caveat disputes, disputes relating to mortgages and other securities, and construction and property development disputes. His competition and consumer law practice covers restrictive trade practices and anti-competitive conduct, the trade conduct protections, advertising and marketing, consumer guarantees, and franchising law and regulation. He also acts in corporate and personal insolvency litigation, advises corporate clients in non-contentious insolvency and restructuring matters, and acts for leading banks and financial institutions in enforcement and regulatory compliance matters.


Sian-Lee Ooi, Special Counsel, Clayton Utz
Sian has a sophisticated understanding of all aspects of competition and consumer law including: complex anti-trust litigation, merger clearance, investigations and enforcement action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and other regulators in concentrated and regulated industries. Sian also has extensive expertise advising on Australian third party access and utility infrastructure regimes in Part IIIA of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), as well as specialist access regimes including Part XIC of the CCA and the National Gas Law. Sian works with clients to provide clear, risk-based, and timely advice on complex competition and regulatory issues.