The insurance industry will be well represented at the Australia 2020 Summit in Canberra next month.

IAG CEO Michael Hawker, well known in the industry for his stance on climate change, will have his say in a discussion on population, sustainability, climate change and water.

Sam Mostyn, IAG’s former Group Executive Culture and Reputation and now Executive Adviser, will also attend. She already has her finger on the climate change pulse as a member of the NSW Greenhouse Advisory Panel, advising the NSW Government on broad environmental policy and program directions.

Suncorp CEO John Mulcahy will take part in a discussion on future directions for the Australian economy, as will Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) CEO Joan Fitzpatrick.

Also joining in will be Peter Coates, CEO of Axiom Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Axiom Claims Consulting UK.

Ms Fitzpatrick told insuranceNEWS.com.au she believes the shortage of talent and people is the biggest predicament facing the insurance and finance industry’s future.

“A majority of the finance industry is very rarely a career of choice for the young,” she said. “We have moved now to a situation where employees tend to stay in one job for a maximum of three years.”

She says a training program is needed to allow staff to become skilled enough to contribute in their roles in a very short space of time.

“Our education system has had very little investment in the past decade and we must move quickly to support the new environment and respond to the future evolution of the workplace,” she said.

The 2020 Summit aims to help shape a long-term strategy for Australia’s future and confront challenges that require responses beyond the three-year electoral cycle.