Conference Program
Program details are subject to change.
Tuesday, 11 November 2025
1:00pm
Registration open
- 1:00pm – 6:00pm
2:00pm
Super Expo - Exhibitor bump-in
- 2:00pm – 5:30pm
Masterclass one: Spend it wisely: Promoting members’ best financial interests
Allocation Exhausted
- 2:00pm – 5:00pm
With APRA intensifying its focus, trustees must ensure every dollar spent aligns with members’ best financial interests. This session offers practical guidance on building robust expenditure frameworks that meet regulatory expectations and avoid common pitfalls.
Masterclass two: Operational readiness for Payday Super & SuperStream
Allocation Exhausted
- 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Get ahead of the curve on Payday Super and SuperStream v3.0. This session explores the operational, tech, and compliance impacts—plus how these reforms reshape the superannuation data ecosystem.
Masterclass three: Designing and implementing risk scenarios: Lessons from the UK’s CMORG
Allocation Exhausted
- 2:00pm – 5:00pm
An interactive Masterclass with Laura Catterick, Director of Resilience & Cyber at UK Finance, sharing insights from the Cross Market Operational Resilience Group (CMORG). This cross-industry initiative brings together regulators, funds, and service providers to strengthen cyber and third-party risk management, information security, and operational resilience.
5:00pm
Welcome Networking Drinks
- 5:00pm – 6:30pm
Wednesday, 12 November 2025
7:00am
Registration open
- 7:00am – 4:00pm
7:30am
Super Expo open
- 7:30am – 5:00pm
8:25am
Welcome to Country
- 8:25am – 8:30am
8:45am
Keynote 1: Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer’s address
- 8:45am – 9:15am
In this opening keynote, Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers and Assistant Treasurer Dr Daniel Mulino will outline the Government’s fiscal vision and reform agenda for the year ahead.
- Policy
Partnered by
9:15am
Keynote 2: The outlook for financial stability – globally and in Australia
- 9:15am – 9:45am
Session details coming soon!
- Investment
9:45am
Wellness Break
- 9:45am – 9:50am
Partnered by
9:50am
Keynote 3: Creating psychologically safe workplaces
- 9:50am – 10:25am
Psychological safety denotes an organisational culture where team members feel safe to share their ideas, speak up to challenge suggestions and admit to mistakes without fear of negative consequences. In this keynote address, Professor Edmondson will explore how her groundbreaking insights, including those in her bestselling book The Fearless Organization, can be applied to the superannuation industry.
Speakers:
Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School
- Megatrends
10:30am
Morning Tea in the Super Expo
- 10:30am – 10:55am
11:00am
Parallel 1A: Service standards – Data, themes, and friction points
- 11:00am – 11:35am
With Treasury actively drafting new service standards and heightened scrutiny from regulators, government bodies, and the media, member service is under the spotlight like never before. This session will draw on data trends, recurring friction points, and emerging best practices. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the systemic challenges and actionable strategies that can drive meaningful improvements in service delivery across the superannuation sector.
- Member Engagement
Parallel 1B: Responsible investment and stewardship
- 11:00am – 11:35am
As ESG issues continue to evolve in scale and urgency, superannuation funds face growing pressure to demonstrate best practice stewardship. This session explores how prioritising ESG considerations is not just a matter of compliance, but a strategic imperative to unlock opportunities, mitigate material risks, and deliver sustainable long-term outcomes for members.
- Investment
Parallel 1C: Mental health matters: Evolving TPD insurance to meet modern needs
- 11:00am – 11:35am
TPD claims are continuing to rise, particularly for mental health conditions. Super funds and insurers need to address this challenge so TPD can continue delivering value to members, while ensuring that members get the right support when they need it most.
This session will explore:
• factors contributing to the increase in TPD claims
• claim assessment challenges for mental health conditions
• how the industry can work together to develop and implement solutions.
- Insurance
Partnered by
11:40am
Networking Lunch in the Super Expo
- 11:40am – 12:40pm
11:40am - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
Innovation Pavilion Welcome
- 11:40am – 11:55am
Speakers:
Ash Priest, Chief Executive Officer - Novigi
Partnered by
11:55am - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
Investing in Resonance: How Human-Centric Innovation Can Redefine Long-Term Value
- 11:55am – 12:10pm
In a world where innovation moves faster than regulation, Nicole Salisbury, Founder & CEO of MusoLingo, a language learning app that uses singing to popular music to teach language fluency, confidence and pronunciation, she explores how the smartest capital is no longer just financial — it’s human. Discover how music, AI, and neuroscience are redefining learning, connection, and long-term value — and why superannuation funds that invest in resonance, not just returns, will lead the next decade of growth.
Partnered by
12:10pm - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
Novigi Data Archiving
- 12:10pm – 12:25pm
More information to come
Partnered by
12:25pm - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
Lessons from the Ancient World
- 12:25pm
History shows us that as systems grow more sophisticated, they become increasingly specialized and interconnected—bringing both great prosperity and new vulnerabilities. For super funds, the challenge is to balance the efficiencies of connection with the risks of overdependence. Rather than striving for total self-sufficiency—which is often impractical—we believe the answer lies in innovative approaches that give super funds greater control over their most valuable asset: data. By learning from the past, we can design modern safeguards that protect against today’s threats, while still enabling the collaboration and agility the industry needs.
Partnered by
12:45pm
Parallel 2A: From manual to meaningful: Where people, process and automation align
- 12:45pm – 1:20pm
As member expectations rise and operational complexity grows, superannuation funds are rethinking service delivery options. This session explores the evolving landscape of service delivery, where human expertise, streamlined processes, and intelligent automation converge to create meaningful member experiences. Hear from industry leaders who are driving innovation and embedding scalable solutions that enhance efficiency without compromising empathy.
Simone Van Veen, Chief Member Officer, Rest
- Policy
- Member Engagement
- Operations and Technology
Partnered by
Parallel 2B: The AI Showdown
- 12:45pm – 1:20pm
A head-to-head battle between fraudsters exploiting AI for scams, deepfakes and synthetic IDs, and the super industry deploying digital ID, biometrics, and real-time monitoring to fight back. Walk away from this session with real-world examples, practical insights and governance considerations, and see who has gained the upper hand in the AI race for fraud and cyber security.
- Operations and Technology
Parallel 2C: Investments in the retirement phase
- 12:45pm – 1:20pm
As a growing wave of members transition into retirement, superannuation funds face a complex challenge: how to deliver stable, long-term investment returns while meeting the more immediate needs and expectations of retirees. This session explores the evolving investment strategies tailored for the retirement phase, focusing on how funds are managing liquidity, mitigating risk, and aligning portfolios with members’ desired outcomes.
Speakers:
Patrick Clarke, General Manager, Retirement Solutions, Generation Life
- Investment
- Retirement
1:25pm
Parallel 3A: Retirement reimagined: What members really want
- 1:25pm – 2:00pm
With increasing numbers of Australians entering retirement, the superannuation industry faces a pivotal moment: how to define and deliver a truly ‘good’ retirement. This session explores the evolving expectations of retirees and the need for holistic retirement solutions that go beyond income streams to encompass wellbeing, flexibility, and long-term security.
Umberto Mecchi, Chief Member Officer, Hostplus
Shannon O'Shea, General Manager of Retirement, HESTA
- Retirement
Parallel 3B: Operationalising Superstream V3.0 and PayDay Super
- 1:25pm – 2:00pm
As Superstream V3.0 and PayDay Super come online, this session will explore the expected changes ahead and share real-world experiences with implementation, error rates and reconciliation challenges.
- Policy
- Member Engagement
- Operations and Technology
Parallel 3C: Removing barriers brick by brick: The role of superannuation funds in uplifting housing supply
- 1:25pm – 2:00pm
Innovations in social and affordable housing are not new. However, the forthcoming ASIC review of the stamp duty disclosure requirements under RG 97 and the launch of the Housing Australia Future Fund, could lead to increased housing supply. A panel of experts will discuss the current and future landscape for affordable housing developments.
- Investment
- Policy
2:05pm
Afternoon Tea in the Super Expo
- 2:05pm – 2:30pm
2:05pm - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
Building Fit-for-Purpose Applications: Intelligence Locking
- 2:05pm – 2:20pm
In this session, Indradeep Mazumdar explores how organisations can build secure, agentic AI systems that combine intelligence with privacy. Drawing on his background as an engineer and former HR leader at Mercer and Virgin Australia, he demonstrates how to design AI that acts within governance boundaries — not just predicts. He introduces Humello, a live example of an agentic AI system built using RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) and SLM (Secure Local Models) to deliver private, domain-specific intelligence from within an organisation’s own environment. The session highlights the hidden risks of public AI tools, outlines the advantages of building private, secure AI frameworks, and showcases practical use cases for super funds from policy interpretation to member communication and capability frameworks.
Partnered by
2:20pm - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
Enhancing Member Experience through Better Communications
- 2:20pm – 2:35pm
Innovation in member experience starts with communication. Superannuation communications are inherently complex and doing this at scale is something the industry has grappled with. We’ll explore how technology and insight help funds and administrators engage and reassure members.
Partnered by
2:35pm
Future Leaders Lightning Talk: One Super Big Idea
- 2:35pm – 2:45pm
Hear bold ideas from the winners of the ASFA Future Leaders competition - emerging voices in superannuation pitching their vision for the future.
Partnered by
2:45pm
Keynote 4: Overcoming cyber risks: Global and national insights
- 2:45pm – 3:25pm
As cyber threats grow in scale, sophistication, and impact, the stakes for economic stability and national security have never been higher. This keynote dives into the latest global and domestic trends in cyber-attacks and data breaches, revealing how threat actors are evolving and how governments, regulators, and industries are responding.
Explore how international collaboration, regulatory reform, and cutting-edge cybersecurity strategies are shaping a more resilient digital future.
Tony Chapman, National Cyber Security Deputy Coordinator, Department of Home Affairs
- Risk, Compliance and Governance
- Megatrends
- Operations and Technology
3:30pm
Keynote 5: Regulator Address - APRA
- 3:30pm – 3:45pm
Session details to be announced soon
- Policy
3:45pm
Wellness Break
- 3:45pm – 3:50pm
Partnered by
3:50pm
Keynote 6: Global investment trends and challenges: From tariffs to geopolitics
- 3:50pm – 4:25pm
Geopolitical tensions, shifting trade policies, and global economic uncertainty are reshaping investment strategies across the superannuation landscape. This session offers a timely update on emerging global trends and explores how these forces are influencing risk, opportunity, and long-term portfolio decisions.
Speakers:
Anita Costa, Investment Director, Small Caps, IFM Investors
- Investment
7:00pm
ASFA Conference Dinner Event
- 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Join us for a vibrant stand-up dinner designed for effortless mingling, great food and drinks, and valuable connections with industry leaders.
Dress code: Cocktail
Partnered by
Thursday, 13 November 2025
7:00am
Registration open
- 7:00am – 3:00pm
Women in Super Breakfast
- 7:00am – 8:30am
Start your morning with purpose - engaging conversations, industry insights and a shared commitment to improving retirement outcomes for women.
Speakers:
Linda Elkins, Non-Executive Director, AMP
Joan Fitzpatrick, President, ESS Super
Nicole Oborne, Partner, Superannuation & Asset Management Assurance Leader, PwC Australia
Chair: Robbie Campo , Chair, Women in Super
7:30am
Super Expo open
- 7:30am – 2:35pm
8:45am
9:00am
Keynote 7: A view from the opposition: Policy update from the Shadow Treasurer
- 9:00am – 9:15am
An overview of the Opposition's fiscal policies.
- Policy
9:15am
Keynote 8: Community-led outcomes: Lessons from First Nations Leadership in Superannuation
- 9:15am – 9:30am
This keynote session provides an update on the work of the First Nations Foundation in collaboration with the Industry Superannuation Working Group (ISWG) on efforts to identify and address the challenges faced by First Nations peoples in accessing and managing finance and superannuation services. Insights will also be provided into the progress made through this partnership, the key issues uncovered, and the practical steps being taken to create more inclusive, culturally informed financial systems that better support the needs and rights of First Nations communities.
- Policy
- Member Engagement
9:30am
- 9:30am – 10:15am
Abundance, not distribution; growth, not stagnation. In this keynote, Derek Thompson argues that rather than using capital efficiently, increased environmental controls, government regulations and middle-class NIMBY-ism, have led to scarcity rather than abundance of housing, clean energy infrastructure and better living standards for all.
- Investment
- Megatrends
10:15am
Wellness Break
- 10:15am – 10:20am
Partnered by
10:20am
Keynote 10: Panel response: Growth, productivity and allocation of capital in Australia
- 10:20am – 11:00am
In response to the scarcity vs abundance keynote, an esteemed panel will discuss the arguments being advanced to create a better, fairer and more efficient Australia across economic, investment and social parameters.
- Megatrends
11:05am
Morning Tea in the Super Expo
- 11:05am – 11:35am
11:05am - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
Panel Session: ASFA Future Leaders on Innovation
- 11:05am - 11:35am
Hear directly from the two winners and highly commended of the ASFA Super Big Idea Future Leaders competition as they share their thoughts about all things innovation.
This panel will explore:
•How the next generation of leaders is approaching innovation in the industry
•The ideas and initiatives they believe will shape the future of super
•The challenges they’re passionate about solving to better serve members
Howard Lee, Care Super
Partnered by
11:40am
Parallel 4A: The role of governance and culture in the use of AI in member engagement strategies
- 11:40am – 12:15pm
In today's digital world, engaging and interacting with members is increasingly digital and technology enabled. Of increasing importance is understanding how the risks and opportunities associated with the use oof AI are managed. The panel will provide insights into best practice.
Bill Simpson-Young, Chief Executive Officer, Gradient Institute
Simon Quirk, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Graceview
- Risk, Compliance and Governance
- Operations and Technology
- Member Engagement
Parallel 4B: Operational Resilience
- 11:40am – 12:15pm
Our panel of experts will provide insights into global best practices that ensure greater operational resilience both now and in the future. Identifying and prioritising risks and introducing carefully curated scenario testing processes can prevent and reduce risks. However, it is through greater cross-sector collaboration that includes all third parties and service providers that robust sector-wide operational resilience is achieved.
Hanny Hassan, Partner, Financial Services, Ernst & Young
Andrew Major, Strategic Advisor, Investment Operating Model, HESTA
- Risk, Compliance and Governance
Parallel 4C: Transformation at scale: Lessons from a global transformation
- 11:40am – 12:15pm
Large transformations, involving multiple entities, resources and markets, will become increasingly normal as superannuation funds continue their growth trajectories and expand globally. Learnings from one of the largest transformation programs in global fund services will provide insights into how superannuation funds need to prepare for the scale of change such transformations bring to governance, resilience, risk, and culture.
- Operations and Technology
12:20pm
Parallel 5A: Engaging tech-savvy younger generations
- 12:20pm – 13:00pm
Younger members are digital natives, fluent in apps, social media, and emerging tech, yet are often expected to engage with superannuation through outdated, traditional channels. This session explores how funds can rethink communication and engagement strategies to meet younger generations where they are, using technology to build trust, relevance, and long-term connection.
Rebecca Pope, Head of Marketing and Communications, Vanguard Super
- Member Engagement
Parallel 5B: NAB Super Insights
- 12:20pm – 13:00pm
The biannual NAB Super Insights survey provides the most authoritative, industry wide, snapshot of asset allocation trends, currency risk management and how superannuation funds are navigating the liquidity, governance and regulatory landscape. Join NAB experts and guest panelists as they unpack key trends and share perspectives on what’s shaping investment decisions today.
- Investment
Partnered by
Parallel 5C: Retirement product strategies: Navigating diverse paths to member outcomes
- 12:20pm – 13:00pm
Rapid transformation in the retirement phase means innovating to deliver sustainable income solutions for members in a post-Retirement Income Covenant environment. Given Treasury’s best practice principles for retirement income solutions, this panel will explore the strategic drivers, risks, benefits and future directions.
Estelle Liu, Head of Retirement Solutions, AMP Australia
- Retirement
1:05pm
Networking Lunch in the Super Expo
- 1:05pm – 2:05pm
1:05pm - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
Session information coming soon
- 1:05pm – 1:20pm
More information to come
Partnered by
1:20pm - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
AI Hype or Real? Let’s Build a Super Fund in 10 minutes!
- 1:20pm – 1:35pm
In this fast-paced and interactive session, we put AI to the test by building a fully functional super fund website in just 10 minutes. Using an AI-powered web development platform that transforms natural language prompts into live websites and apps, we explore how emerging technologies are reshaping digital experiences. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, this session will challenge your assumptions and showcase the real-world potential of AI.
Partnered by
1:35pm - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
AI-Powered, Expert-Led Business Transformation
- 1:35pm – 1:50pm
AI is everywhere, but organisations are struggling to harness it to practically deliver value across the enterprise. In this session we talk through how we use AI to identify, prioritise and deliver AI-powered solutions for organisations.
Partnered by
1:50pm - Innovation Pavilion, Super Expo
How SuperAnne™ Transforms Member Engagement from Obligation to Action
- 1:50pm
Superannuation members aren't disengaged - they're just not being spoken to in a language they understand. This session demonstrates how InvestStream's SuperAnne™, integrated with APEX's administration platform, turns complex retirement planning into natural conversations that drive measurable engagement. Discover how AI-driven dialogue powered by InvestStream’s proprietary calculators can transform passive accounts into active retirement planning partnerships, addressing the industry's biggest challenge: the engagement gap that costs funds members at the moment they matter most.
Partnered by
2:10pm
Future Leaders Lightning Talk: One Super Big Idea
- 2:10 - 2:20pm
Hear bold ideas from the winners of the ASFA Future Leaders competition - emerging voices in superannuation pitching their vision for the future.
Partnered by
2:20pm
Keynote 11: Shaping the future of group insurance in super
- 2:20pm – 2:55pm
Group insurance in superannuation has provided millions of Australians with access to insurance. Hear how innovations such as data-driven product design coupled with an emphasis on increased member engagement, transparency and value alignment between insurance offerings and member needs, are changing the future of group insurance in super.
- Insurance
2:35pm
Super Expo - Exhibitor bump-out
- 2:35pm – 4:30pm
3:00pm
Wellness Break
- 3:00pm – 3:05pm
Partnered by
3:05pm
Keynote 12: Who are the future superannuants?
- 3:05pm – 3:35pm
From declining home ownership to the rise of AI and economic volatility, young Australians are navigating a vastly different landscape than generations before them. In this keynote, Simon Kuestenmacher unpacks the demographic, social, and technological shifts shaping the next wave of superannuants and what it means for the future of retirement, policy, and member engagement.
- Retirement
- Member Engagement
3:35pm
Keynote 13: Australia’s superannuation system in 2050: Global investor, national anchor
- 3:35pm - 4:25pm
What will Australia’s superannuation system look like in 2050? This keynote session brings together leading voices in the industry to explore themes shaping retirement into the future. As superannuation capital grows, should the system leverage its scale to influence global markets, or take a more passive role? And as we ask members to plan decades ahead for their retirement, can the industry itself rise to the same challenge? Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on how funds must adapt, innovate, and future-proof to deliver meaningful outcomes for members and society.
Deanne Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Aware Super
- Megatrends