Melbourne agenda
Melbourne agenda
July 30 | Melbourne
07:30 – 09:00
Welcome breakfast
09:00 – 09:10
Chairperson’s opening remarks
Peter Deans is a former Chief Risk Officer and retired from executive life in 2019, after a finance career of over 32 years. Peter is today an industry leading risk management and strategy advisor through his firm, Notwithoutrisk Consulting. Peter is currently Chair and Non-Executive Director of NerdWallet Australia, and a Non-Executive Director of Trade for Good and The Regtech Association. Peter is also an advisory board member for several fintechs and start-up companies.
Peter is a regular contributor to a range of strategy, risk and finance publications including Company Director Magazine (Australia), Director Today (India), FINSIA (Australia) and The Asian Banker (Singapore).
Peter was awarded Australian Banking & Finance magazine’s Chief Risk Officer of the Year award in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
09:10 – 09:30
Global economic and market outlook
09:30 – 10:00
Keynote panel
Lead with innovation, don’t just react to disruption: superannuation in Australia
- Explore the impact of CPS230 on superannuation funds’ investment approaches and risk management strategies
- Anticipating regulatory challenges by 2025 with a focus on CPS230
- Best practices in superannuation analysis to adapt to Australia’s constantly evolving financial landscape
Jo Leaper is the Head of Custody & Operational Consulting. In this role, Jo focuses her time on the operational needs of JANA’s client base, including custody and operational research (including operational due diligence and securities lending), governance reviews and assisting JANA’s clients with broad operational expertise.
With almost 20 years of industry experience, Jo‘s background in asset servicing and relationship management has honed her core strengths of operations management and client strategy. Her current role enables her to assist clients and is ever expanding with regards to researching better ways to help and guide JANA’s client base.
Mr Narayan is responsible for developing and implementing the organisation’s risk, compliance and internal audit strategy. The role encompasses embedding a risk culture within State Super, setting and monitoring strategic and operational risks and reporting to the Trustee Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee and the Trustee Board.
Mr Narayan has over 20 years’ experience in risk management, with more than 15 years in financial services organisations. His previous employers include the Territory Insurance Office (TIO), Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Caltex Australia and Westpac Banking Corporation. Prior to his appointment in October 2015, Mr Narayan led the Audit, Risk and Compliance function and reported to the CEO and the Audit and Risk Committee/Board of the Territory Insurance Office in Darwin.
Mr Narayan is a qualified Chartered Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Compliance and Risk Professional. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Western Sydney.
Gemma was appointed as Chief Risk Officer in November 2018 and is responsible for leading a diversified team that includes strategic sourcing, company secretariat, legal, audit, security, risk and compliance. She brings a wealth of experience to her role, having previously worked on the separation of MLC Life Insurance from NAB, where she established their first-line risk, compliance and financial crime capabilities.
Gemma has worked across multiple industries, including financial services, engineering, and government, and is known for her ability to drive organisational change and achieve business objectives in complex and dynamic environments. She has been a Director on the Board of Fund Executives Association Limited since 2023.
Gemma holds a Master of Arts from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Economics, Social Science (First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney.
10:00 – 10:30
What next for clearing and collateral management?
- Impact of Regulatory Changes: Examining their influence on clearing and collateral processes, especially considering recent market fluctuations
- Enhancing Risk Management: Implementing real-time risk evaluations, predictive analytics, and advanced stress testing models to navigate market uncertainties more effectively.
- Basel III endgame – will the proposed changes from The Fed really push US banks to cease offering client clearing? What might the other potential (e.g. price) impacts to these changes be to both clearing banks and their clients?
- US Treasury Clearing – how will the proposed clearing of these instruments impact existing clearing members? Is there consideration for the service to be extended for futures and OTC clearing client firms?
10:30 – 11:00
Networking break
11:00 – 11:30
Key insights into risk intelligence for superannuation funds
- How superannuation can use data analytics to identify and manage investment risks
- The role of risk intelligence in guiding investment decisions and strategies for superannuation funds
Madeleine has over 30 years experience in financial services, advising banks, insurance companies, superannuation funds, asset managers, brokers & fintechs.
She is a Chartered Accountant and a Governance & Risk & Compliance adviser. She has consulted to regulators including APRA & ASIC and is a trusted advisor to Boards & management.
Madeleine has been a Partner in Big 4 accounting firms and was the National Head of Financial Services for Grant Thornton Australia. She is also an experienced Non Executive Director and Chair of Audit Committee.
11:30 – 12:00
Leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance risk management and compliance in superannuation funds
- How AI could reshape the landscape of investment management
- Should AI be regulated for managing risks in investment firms?
- The downside of AI in investment. And the risks of not using it
12:00 – 12:30
Spotlight panel: crafting a greener future in Australia’s superfunds
- Climate and social resilience: gauging investment preparedness for climate risk
- Strategies to identify and avoid greenwashing in investment portfolios
- Evaluating investment environmental practices and their influences on credit risk
Leading the delivery of the responsible investment strategy at Equip Super, Jessie’s focus is on the integration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations into the team’s investment process, the asset stewardship program, including company engagement and proxy voting activities, as well as sustainable investment advocacy. Jessie has worked in sustainability and ESG risk across financial services for almost a decade, with a focus on investments and superannuation.
Priya is responsible for leading and implementing the ESG strategy at TelstraSuper as the Acting Head of ESG. Priya has over sixteen years of experience spanning across various sectors, including property, infrastructure, corporate, government, investment, and banking. Prior to joining TelstraSuper, Priya was a Senior Responsible Investment Advisor at Frontier Advisors and a Stewardship Manager at VFMC, where she worked across all asset classes.
Priya holds a Master of Law in Climate Change & Human Rights from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Engineering in Sustainable Energy from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Additionally, Priya has completed a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science & Biotechnology and a Diploma in Accounting in Carbon Management from Swinburne University.
Ross Piper is the Chief Executive of Superannuation at Australian Ethical Investment, with close to $10bn funds under management and over 120,000 members. Previously Ross was the Chief Executive Officer of Christian Super, a $2 billion superannuation fund with over 30,000 members across Australia. He has over 25 years of leadership and management experience in corporate and non-profit contexts. Prior to Ross’ return to the finance sector in January 2018, he was Chief Operating Officer with World Vision Australia and also served with World Vision International for several years in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and various countries of the former Yugoslavia.
During his career Ross has held a number of positions in the corporate sector, primarily in investment banking and mining. He was Head of Corporate Risk for Macquarie Bank for several years, and his early professional experience was gained in Indigenous communities and the mining sector. For six years he served as a Director and Founding Chair of AgroInvest, a microfinance bank serving rural families in Serbia and Montenegro, and currently sits on various other boards for organisations focused on social enterprise and technology. He is the current board chair of the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA).
Ross’ formal qualifications include a BSc (Geophysics), GradDipEd, and MBA (Deakin University).
12:30 – 13:30
Lunch break
13:30 – 14:00
The next big thing: predicting the future of operational risk
- How do recent regulatory changes compel RSE licensees to enhance their risk management frameworks to better address operational risks?
- How can technological advancements be utilized to improve practices in operational risk management, especially in the collection, analysis, and reporting of risk data?
- What measures should RSE licensees implement to ensure the continuity of critical operations amidst significant threats such as cyber-attacks and technological failures?
- What future trends are anticipated in the management of operational risks within the superannuation sector, especially concerning digital currencies and blockchain?
Madeleine has over 30 years experience in financial services, advising banks, insurance companies, superannuation funds, asset managers, brokers & fintechs.
She is a Chartered Accountant and a Governance & Risk & Compliance adviser. She has consulted to regulators including APRA & ASIC and is a trusted advisor to Boards & management.
Madeleine has been a Partner in Big 4 accounting firms and was the National Head of Financial Services for Grant Thornton Australia. She is also an experienced Non Executive Director and Chair of Audit Committee.
14:00 – 14:30
Strategies unveiled: portfolio risk management panel session
- Elevating portfolio performance through risk management and hedging
- How illiquid and alternative investments can offer higher returns and diversify superannuation portfolios to mitigate the risks of conventional investments
- Unlisted asset valuation practices in the superannuation sector
Ben is a Senior Manager in the Portfolio Risk & Solutions team at VFMC, which is responsible for whole-of-portfolio modelling, analytics and implemented solutions in addition to being a key input into the investment decision making process at the organisation. With a career spanning over 20 years in financial services, both in Australia and the UK, Ben has worked across a range of financial institutions including asset consulting, banking and funds management.
Prior to joining VFMC in 2018, Ben worked at JANA Investment Advisers, providing consulting advice to some of Australia's largest superannuation funds. Before this Ben worked in London at Royal Bank of Canada in market risk, having oversight of their rates & FX exotics / structured notes book in Europe, Asia and the US.
Ben is a CFA Charterholder in addition to a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from the University of Melbourne.
14:30 – 15:00
Networking break
15:00 – 15:30
Roundtable
This roundtable session is designed for interactive and equal participation, where all delegates have an equal opportunity to contribute to exchanging ideas, collaborative problem-solving and collective expertise sharing on a focused topic in an engaging and inclusive atmosphere.
15:30 – 16:00
Roundtable insights
16:00 – 16:30
Future gazing: superannuation technology leadership panel
- Exploring new technology that can aid in boosting business performance
- How identifying critical operations and tolerance levels can improve business continuity management
- Technological evolution: modern data architectures for superior data quality and linkage
16:30 – 16:35