H&B | INVESTMENT PERSPECTIVES FORUM 2026 | BRISBANE
AGENDA
08:30
REGISTRATION & LIGHT BREAKFAST
The Calile Hotel
09:00
WELCOME – Andrew Weilandt, Chairperson
09:20
FINANCING THE FLOW | RETHINKING GLOBAL CREDIT
Is your private credit allocation overly reliant on mid-market borrowers and local property cycles?
As domestic credit becomes crowded, global Trade Finance offers a distinctly different risk profile. This session explores how financing the global supply chain through top-tier bank counterparties and mission-critical industries provides genuine diversification. We dissect the mechanics of these asset-backed structures, revealing how short-duration, self-liquidating loans deliver superior liquidity and highly defensive yield without the consumer exposure of traditional private debt.
SPEAKER:
KAZ RAHMAN, Portfolio Manager | Senior Investment Analyst, Federated Hermes
10:20
THE VOLATILITY ADVANTAGE | REWIRING THE GLOBAL EQUITY PORTFOLIO
How do you build genuine resilience when market leadership is defined by a narrow sliver of AI winners?
Recent macro volatility has triggered a broad tech rout, sweeping up exceptional businesses in a stark quality sell-off. This session explores how to use current turbulence to your advantage. We examine how moving beyond narrow narratives to build true diversity in holdings is the key to managing volatility, capturing mispriced global equities, and finding robust opportunity in a dislocated market.
11:20
LUNCH
12:20
THE PLATFORM PLAY | OWNING ATTENTION
While many investors focus on picking winners within a sector, a different strategy involves acquiring the sector itself. The evolution of private equity is moving toward the ownership of entire ecosystems, sporting leagues, entertainment rights, and global media platforms.
This session explores the mega cap playbook where acquiring unique, monopolistic assets where scarcity is the ultimate moat. Our speaker discusses the operational reality of commercialising passion of how to apply rigorous operational levers to heritage rights-holders and global leagues to unlock value that public markets cannot access. A deep dive into why owning the platform beats owning the participant.
SPEAKER:
RICHARD BLACKBURN, Partner and Head of CVC Australia, CVC
13:20
THE YIELD ILLUSION | PRICING RISK IN A HIGH-RATE REGIME
Are you being adequately compensated for the liquidity risks hidden inside your credit allocation?
Income demands are surging as inflation persists. Yet as rates move higher, traditional bonds can offer limited capital defence, while some parts of the private lending market face a rising risk of impairments.
This session challenges the assumption that higher returns require locking up capital in pure private credit. Our speaker will explore how a diversified approach across Australia’s ~$2 trillion public and private credit markets can help actively manage downside risk and deliver attractive yields through continuing market volatility.
SPEAKER:
PHIL STRANO, Head of Australian Credit Research, Yarra Capital Management
14:20
AFTERNOON TEA
15:00
THE REPLACEMENT REALITY | PRICING REAL ASSETS IN A SQUEEZED MARKET
How do you capture real returns when soaring build costs and high rates have choked global property supply?
The traditional real estate playbook is being tested with inflation remaining sticky and the consumer heavily challenged, passive rent collection is no longer enough. This session explores how structural supply deficits are creating massive opportunities for existing real assets. Discover how thematic, operational property allocations can exploit these dislocations providing a robust inflation shield while lowering overall portfolio volatility.
SPEAKER:
JULIAN BIGGINS, Joint Chief Executive Officer | Executive Director, MA Financial Group
16:00
MAD MAX MEETS THE MATRIX | THE WEAPONISATION OF TECH AND TERRITORY
What was the point of the war in Iran? And how is AI rewriting global security?
Are we prepared for a world where both territory and technology are actively weaponised? We analyse the harsh realities of the Iran conflict, exploring exactly why it was triggered, the underlying strategic objectives, and its lasting implications for global stability. Alongside this kinetic warfare, we examine the rapid weaponisation of AI, detailing how this digital arms race is fundamentally dictating global supremacy.
SPEAKER:
REBECCA SHRIMPTON, Senior Vice President, The Asia Group
17:00
FORUM TO CONCLUDE
17:15
SUNSET SOIRÉE – The Villa by MAYA