The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) will bring international business trailblazers to Sydney in December for a conference on innovation, risk and leadership.

The speakers will include futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil, who has been named “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes magazine; London Olympics Director of Communications Jackie Brock-Doyle; and global financial risk expert Satyajit Das.

The conference, titled “In the Room”, will be held at the Sydney Exhibition and Convention Centre from December 10-12.

ANZIIF CEO Joan Fitzpatrick says it will give the institute’s members “access to key management and strategic insights from world-class thinkers and leaders”.

“In the Room 2012 is focused on the issues of innovation, risk and leadership, and we believe it will become a cornerstone event of the insurance industry calendar for many years to come,” she said.

The conference title is a reference to the concept of being in the middle of the action and therefore playing a role in decision-making and leadership.