09:00
WELCOME – PAUL CHAPMAN, H&B Chairperson
09:20
BUILDING BRIDGES | WHEN THE FOUNDATION MEETS THE FUTURE
As interest rates decline, infrastructure investments are evolving beyond their historically defensive posture to showcase a blend of stability and growth. Traditional infrastructure assets like regulated utilities and monopolistic providers continue to offer dependable, low-volatility options, while newer opportunities in user-pays sectors, such as transport and communications, introduce growth potential. Geographic flexibility also plays a role, with some strategies emphasizing established markets and others exploring emerging regions.
In this session, our speaker will unpack the nuanced asset class infrastructure has become, capable of delivering both stability and strategic growth where an opportunity lies in discerning which assets align with your preference for stability or expansion within a shifting monetary environment.
SPEAKERS:
JASON PETRAS, Director, Resonant Asset Management
SHANE HURST, Managing Director | Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Investments
10:25
MORNING TEA
10:55
WINNING BY NOT LOSING
When we talk about investing success, we’re often focused on finding the next big winner. But what if the most powerful driver of long-term returns is not about picking the winners, but about strategically avoiding the losers?
This session goes beyond the headlines to reveal a different, more sustainable path to compounding wealth. Our speaker explores the critical financial signals that can help in identifying and steering clear of companies poised for trouble, making a compelling case for why avoiding mistakes is as powerful as owning high quality businesses. A session to truly define a "quality" business and how it provides the durable foundation you need to build a portfolio that thrives over decades.
SPEAKER:
STEPHEN ARNOLD, Managing Director and CIO, Aoris Investment Management
11:40
BRICK BY BRICK | HIDDEN VALUE IN REAL ASSETS
In a dynamic real estate landscape, where can investors uncover true value and capitalize on opportunities that others overlook?
This session explores how current market dynamics, including strategic divestitures and assets trading significantly below their replacement costs, are creating compelling entry points for discerning investors. We examine how certain mispriced assets within this landscape offer significant unrealized performance potential, presenting unique opportunities for substantial value creation and asymmetric outcomes.
This discussion will test the idea of current property allocations and highlight how an underutilised asset class can act as a crucial diversifier, particularly relevant as we enter a rate-cutting cycle.
GUEST MODERATOR:
CRAIG EMANUEL, Managing Partner, Emanuel Whybourne & Loehr
SPEAKERS:
GREG MILES, Director | Retail, MA Financial Group
JULIAN BIGGINS, Joint Chief Executive Officer, MA Financial Group
12:40
LUNCH
13:40
RETHINKING RETURNS | THE PATH TO HIGHER INCOME
With the landscape of interest rates and credit markets changing, how can investors move beyond traditional fixed income allocations to enhance portfolio yield and resilience?
This session delves into the current sweet spot for income-focused investors, examining how to capture robust returns without simply taking on outsized risk. We will explore the art of flexing credit exposure across the spectrum, from undervalued Investment Grade and High Yield public markets to the compelling opportunities found within Private Credit.
Understand how to position between these distinct asset classes to build a diversified fixed income portfolio designed for resilient outcomes.
SPEAKERS:
JORAN LAIRD, Portfolio Specialist, T. Rowe Price
AADITYA THAKUR, Portfolio Manager, PIMCO
ANDREW YAP, Deputy Head of Portfolio Solutions, Zenith Investment Partners
15:00
AFTERNOON TEA
15:25
FUNDAMENTAL MEETS SYSTEMATIC | BLENDING INSIGHT AND ALGORITHM
In the complex world of global equities, what is the optimal path to consistent outperformance and robust portfolio construction? This session brings together two distinct yet powerful philosophies for navigating global equities: fundamental analysis and systematic strategies, the qualitative and quantitative approach.
Our speakers will examine today's market concentration, valuation extremes and opportunities. What themes drive markets today and how to distinguish between structural growth that can justify higher valuations & shorter-term narratives where expectations may be stretched. The discussion also considers the current market concentration and the implications for diversification.
The session will provide practical perspectives on where risks and opportunities lie in global equities today.
SPEAKERS:
JONATHAN RAMSAY, Partner | Portfolio Manager, InvestSense
MATT REYNOLDS, Investment Director, Capital Group
KURT LIVERMORE, Director & Portfolio Manager I Analyst, Lazard Asset Management
16:35
POWER PLAY | EQUITY, TRADE, AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER
Australian investors have significantly increased their allocations to global equities in the past decade, which inevitably means 70 cents in each dollar is allocated to the US. Given that the US may no longer exhibit the same level of reliability it has since the GFC, what does that mean for global markets and Australians alike?
Specifically, we will examine how the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and trade is reshaping power dynamics and whether this could lead to a shift in the global economic centre away from the US towards other regions, such as Japan and the EU.
The session will take a geopolitical perspective, rather than a purely market-driven one, to analyse the key themes influencing the investment landscape. It will cover the current global climate and emphasize the crucial role of both financial and human capital in fostering robust economic relationships, particularly for service-based economies like Australia.
SPEAKER:
REBECCA SHRIMPTON, Australian Country Executive, The Asia Group
17:35
DRINKS & CANAPÉS - Rose Garden
18:30
SYMPOSIUM DINNER – Rose Garden