Virtual Event |
Law Squared
Overview (Program Summary)
A program hosted by:
ACC Australia
When modern crises hit a not-for-profit (NFP), it’s rarely just operational. It’s human, public, and trust-critical.
NFPs deliver essential services to vulnerable communities, often with lean teams, volunteers, and funding scrutiny. That means crises escalate fast and the cost is measured not only in dollars, but in people impacted, donor confidence, and licence to operate.
Crisis Management in 2026: Setting up your NFP to Best Respond is a practical 60-minute webcast for not-for-profit leaders, General Counsel and People + Culture leaders who want clearer governance, stronger people safeguards and calmer communications under pressure.
Join us at midday on Wednesday 25 March as our expert panel unpack:
• the crisis scenarios hitting NFPs more often - and why they accelerate faster
• how to build a crisis-ready governance framework
• how to respond in a way that protects people, evidence, and stakeholder confidence
• how to move from response to prevention and resilience
Hosted by our own Chief People & Capability Officer, Cassandra Hatton, and featuring Andrew McKenzie, CEO at Word Investments and former Executive Comms at St Vincent de Paul Society during COVID, alongside Law Squared’s own Head of Employment + Workplace Relations, Andrew Brooks, and Commercial + Corporate lawyer, Tess Hauser, you’ll walk away with practical frameworks to prepare, respond and recover — while protecting trust with staff, volunteers, funders, and the communities you serve.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Built for NFPs, this webcast is for the leaders responsible for governance, people, risk and decision-making in a crisis, including:
• People + Culture / HR leaders
• CEOs, COOs and executive leaders
• General Counsel and in-house legal teams
• Board members and company secretariat / governance teams
• Risk and compliance leaders
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
By the end of the webcast, attendees will be able to:
• Spot the crisis patterns most likely to hit NFPs in 2026
• Build a crisis-ready governance and operating framework (including roles, delegations, playbooks, thresholds).
• Respond to governance breaches/whistleblowing in a way that protects people, evidence, and trust.
• Communicate clearly under pressure without creating legal or reputational own-goals.
• Shift from responding to prevention and resilience.
Attendees earn 1 CPD.
Register now!
Speakers
Cassandra Hatton - Chief People + Capability Officer at Squared Group
Cassandra is an executive leader with a background in HR and psychology, known for driving people-centred transformation across industries in the UK and Australia. With experience leading teams from 200 to 12,000 across strategy, operations, client services, and corporate functions, she brings a unique blend of commercial acumen and human insight. She is passionate about shaping the future of work through bold leadership, practical strategy, and purpose-led culture.
Andrew McKenzie – CEO at Word Investments
Word Investments began in 1975 as a way of supporting not-for-profit causes and charities. Over its duration it has run several different business models, the most successful of them being Bethel Funerals, which began in 1997. Since then, it has distributed over $7m to support mission, humanitarian and local causes. As CEO, Andrew focuses on the business operations, while staying focused on the mission. This balance between future strategy, day to day commercial success, and long-term commitment to the organisation’s purpose brings plenty of challenges and chances to get things wrong!
Andrew Brooks – Head of Employment + Workplace Relations at Law Squared
Andrew will be well known to many viewers, having worked extensively as an employment law advisor to many of Law Squared’s clients across both the for-profit
and not-for-profit sectors. He is also the driving force behind a library of free legal resources aimed at helping organisations comply with employment legislation and emerging trends in the workplace, including Respect@Work and Psychosocial Hazards.
Tess Hauser – Commercial Lawyer at Law Squared
Tess brings first-hand experience in crisis management and prevention as both a Regional Head of Legal and Company Secretary, with a strong understanding of in-house pressures and board expectations. She has acted as Company Secretary for a group parent entity and Australian subsidiaries, supporting complex structures and engaging closely with Chairs, boards and executive teams.
Notes
*Competitor Exclusion – ACC Australia Partner’s may request that representative/s of a competitor organisation/s registered for the event be excluded, and ACC Australia reserves the right to make the final decision as to whether a registration is rejected. As a guide, a competitor organisation could be defined as a rival organisation of similar size to the host Corporate Partner, with an established practice, product or service in the area being showcased by the Corporate Partner’s at the event. Please provide a brief statement as to why you have deemed an organisation to be a competitor, in support of any request to ACC Australia to reject a registration.
* Please note that registrations are being managed by Law Squared. Please let ACC Australia know if you have not received your confirmation within 24 hours.
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