Australians lost more than two billion dollars to scams this year alone, and businesses are not standing outside that number. Organisations get scammed through the people inside them, which is why scam prevention speaker Dr Emily Heath is being booked for corporate conferences, leadership days and staff events. Her message to a business audience is blunt: your controls are only ever as good as the humans using them, and scammers have worked that out.
What is actually at risk
Money is the obvious exposure, and it is the least of it. A staff member deceived is a business decision made badly, an approval given, a payment released or access handed over. Customers who lose money hold the organisation responsible, so trust and reputation are on the line alongside the loss. As Emily puts it, organisations are now under pressure from customers, regulators, legislators and internal stakeholders to keep people safe, and that pressure does not ease when the controls were technically followed.
Then there is the cost that never reaches a risk register. Employees scammed in their personal lives bring the consequences to work: fear, shame, embarrassment, anxiety, depression and even physical health risks. That is a wellbeing and productivity issue sitting quietly inside your business right now, and most of the affected people have told nobody.
Why your training is not fixing it
Businesses respond to scams with modules, warnings and mandatory refreshers. Emily explains why that rarely changes outcomes: it teaches people what to look for, but leaves the belief underneath untouched.
One of the most dangerous beliefs that someone can hold is "I'm not the sort of person who gets scammed."
There is no such thing as being too smart, too informed or too literate to be scammed. Emily's point is that people who believe they are immune are more receptive when a scammer makes contact, harder to reach when a colleague tries to intervene, and far less likely to speak up afterwards. Every warning email in the world sails straight past someone who has already decided the warning is meant for other people.
Why you need a speaker, not another module
This is the case for putting it on your stage. Compliance training changes what people know. A keynote from a credible expert changes what people believe about themselves, and that is where the real protection sits. Emily does it with neuroscience rather than scare tactics, and it works in the room: delegates arrive certain scams happen to other people and leave understanding that there is a scam for everyone, including them. That shift travels home with them and back to their teams.
Why Dr Emily Heath is the expert to book
Emily holds a PhD in behavioural neuroscience from the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Centre and a graduate certificate in behavioural economics from UTS. She was a Director and sub-service line leader at EY, leading more than 50 people delivering large-scale behaviour change programmes, and has advised business and government on scam prevention, financial capability and support for vulnerable customers, including Australia's National Financial Capability Strategy. She speaks the language of a boardroom and an all-staff day equally well. Her full range of topics is on her ODE Management speaker profile.
Book Dr Emily Heath for your next corporate event
Give your people a session that protects them, your customers and your business. To check Emily's availability, contact ODE Management today.
Scams and digital safety is one of the areas we are deepest in, and where a programme runs more than one session on it, our guide to the best speakers on scams and cyber security in Australia covers the others we manage.
