#45 | Dave Owens, Leading in Uncertainty: why risk leadership needs to change

Disasters are changing and so must the way we prepare, respond, recover, and lead. In this episode of Doing Disasters Differently: The Podcast, host Renae Hanvin speaks with Dave Owens, an experienced emergency manager and former police officer who now works with governments and organisations to strengthen risk and crisis leadership. Drawing on more than three decades of experience across emergency management, Dave shares why traditional leadership approaches often fall short in complex and uncertain disaster environments. The conversation explores the shift from tactical response to strategic thinking, and why leaders need new skills to navigate increasingly frequent and compounding disasters. If you’re passionate about emergency preparedness, disaster recovery, community resilience, business continuity, or resilience leadership, this show is for you. 👉 Subscribe now and join us as we explore smarter, stronger, and more connected ways to prepare for the future. About Dave Owens After leaving the police (after 30 years) Dave established a consultancy business that specialises in a number of areas. David has been a consultant to the NSW and ACT Governments on Investigations, Policy Development and Emergency Management in the areas of mining and transport (Sydney Metro-formally North West Rail Link). In 2015 David was appointed by the State Emergency Management Committee as the facilitator for the Greater Sydney Mass Care Exercise. In June 2016, appointed as the NSW State Recovery Coordinator for the East Coast Low and in September 2016 as the Regional Recovery Coordinator for the Central Western floods. In 2017, David was appointed by the NSW Government to the NSW Energy Security Taskforce. State Emergency Management Committee (Exercise Lumen Tenebris) 2018 – largest public/private partnership exercise conducted NSW. 2018 facilitation of NSW Health Influenza Pandemic Exercise and ANSTO Health Supply Workshop. 2019 ANSTO (Executive mentoring), 2019 State Emergency Management Committee Catastrophic Flood Exercise (4 months planning & facilitation). Connect with Dave LinkedIn -   / dave-owens-apm-f-isrm-96494242   Website - https://www.riskebusiness.com.au/ Connect with Renae Hanvin: Website - https://resilientready.org/ Podcast - https://resilientready.org/podcasts/ LinkedIn -   / resilient-ready   Instagram -   / resilient_ready   Facebook -   / resilientready.org   Business Ready Together - https://resilientready.org/solutions/... Microtools - https://resilientready.org/solutions/... #doingdisastersdifferently #disasterresilience #emergencymanagement #disasterpreparedness #communityresilience #businesscontinuity #climateadaptation #leadership #renaehanvin #corporate2community #preparedness #resilience