Leading with conviction

10 min read
10 min read

During university Ross Piper spent a lot of time at indigenous work camps in the Top End and western desert, including 18 months living on the tropical and remote Groote Eylandt in Arnhem land.

One of the participants in the western desert was Hollywood star and ‘Wolverine’ Hugh Jackman who said his time in the western desert communities awakened his social awareness.

And for Piper it was a similarly formative experience. “I think for an Australian to simply spend time in one of these remote communities is confronting but equally inspiring,” he says. You are confronted with a reality that is deeply challenging. It stays with you. It changes your world view.”

Piper vowed that his career would combine vocation and purpose.

Ross Piper

As CEO of the $2 billion ethical super fund, Christian Super, he has found the perfect outlet.

However, he now faces a major challenge after regulator the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) forced Christian Super to find a merger partner. The fund is now in talks to transfer members into fellow ethical investment pioneer Australian Ethical and Piper is committed to working hard to deliver a good outcome for Christian Super members.

“Australian Ethical is one of the few pure play values-based investment managers in Australia and the outcomes of their investment approach are well aligned to ours. For Christian Super, the opportunity and prospect of creating a larger fund with like-minded members who want to use investing and ethical stewardship to invest for a better world, is very attractive to us.”

“Australian Ethical is one of the few pure play values-based investment managers in Australia and the outcomes of their investment approach are well aligned to ours. For Christian Super, the opportunity and prospect of creating a larger fund with like-minded members who want to use investing and ethical stewardship to invest for a better world, is very attractive to us.”

Seeking a stronger purpose

Piper was born and bred in Sydney, one of four children. His father worked in technical education and helped indigenous students enter the technical education sector. His parents instilled hard work and an attitude of doing the right thing by others. “The way they treated others with fairness and with respect, it gave me a great ground and informed a world view that has always challenged me to aspire to live in that way.”

After his outback uni experience, Piper realised he wanted a career outdoors and he studied geology and geophysics at Macquarie University. He joined the mining industry, working for Rio Tinto in the Pilbara not long after the Mabo decision, which drove a number of changes in the way companies had to operate. He then moved into aid and development, working with World Vision in the former Yugoslavia.

In 2004, in a surprise move, he joined Macquarie Bank as Head of Corporate Risk, where he led non-financial risk management for the bank. “Macquarie was going through a significant expansion in emerging markets and I led a global team tasked with supporting the business in navigating sovereign, political and other operational risks in these contexts.”

In 2010 Piper turned 40. He had four kids and was living a comfortable life on the northern beaches of Sydney. “There was a growing sense of wanting to return to a place where there was a stronger purpose in what I did.”

He left Macquarie and rejoined World Vision International as Strategic Director of Operations in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. In the role he led 2,500 staff across 13 countries in complex and fragile countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. “It was always with a common theme – how do you implement good relief and development projects and deploy capital in a way that promotes long-term change.

“For myself and my kids, this time we spent over there gave us a real perspective on the relative privilege we have here in Australia. I guess as a parent you hope that your kids will somehow grow up with a sense of appreciation and perspective on that.”

With the children heading into secondary schooling, the family returned in 2015. Piper spent another 18 months working with World Vision Australia in an operations role.

But he had always been intrigued by the opportunity to leverage institutional capital to solve some of the world’s most pressing societal and environmental problems. “Philanthropic giving is critically important, but frankly, it is very small compared to the potential for institutional capital to be deployed. And so the whole idea of impact investing, ethical investing, was intriguing to me.”

“Philanthropic giving is critically important, but frankly, it is very small compared to the potential for institutional capital to be deployed. And so the whole idea of impact investing, ethical investing, was intriguing to me.”

Ethical investing and performance tests

When the role of CEO of Christian Super arrived four years ago, he jumped at the chance to lead a pioneer in ethical and responsible investing. The fund invests ethically based on Christian values.

Piper describes himself as Christian. “My faith has always been important to me. It’s deeply personal, but it does inform all aspects of how I understand the world, who I am, and how I lead and aim to treat others. I guess it’s a bit like a compass for me.”

Faith-based leadership, he says, is about service and humility, and the right blend of conviction and vision balanced with empathy and kindness. “It’s about empowering others to deliver on an organisation’s mission and purpose. Faith-based leadership is about creating an environment where staff can take intelligent risks and not be critical of failures in a way that stifles innovation.”

“It’s about empowering others to deliver on an organisation’s mission and purpose. Faith-based leadership is about creating an environment where staff can take intelligent risks and not be critical of failures in a way that stifles innovation.”

When Piper joined the fund, it had $1.4 billion under management. The mission was to grow the fund and he has succeeded in raising that to $2.1 billion.

Ross Piper

Christian Super is also a leader in impact investing and was named the Global Impact Asset Owner of the Year in 2017, and the Australian Impact Investment Owner of the Year in 2021. The fund has around $150 million in impact investments that aim to deliver a positive social or environmental impact. Impact investments include Casa Capace, which aims to build 1,500 specialist disability homes for NDIS participants over the next few years.

But in August 2021, Christian Super was named by APRA as one of the 13 super funds that failed the performance test, which formed part of the Your Future, Your Super (YFYS) reforms.

Then in December last year, after a review into its investment oversight, governance and strategic decision making, APRA imposed additional license conditions on Christian Super. They were aimed at rectifying Christian Super’s “persistent investment underperformance”.

APRA required Christian Super to implement a strategy to merge with a larger, better-performing fund.

Last month Christian Super announced formal talks to merge into Australian Ethical to create a $9 billion ethical fund manager.

Piper says there has been a “rough justice” element in the application of the performance test and the imposition of licence conditions.

He says Christian Super has always delivered consistently agai
nst its investment targets, which have historically been more conservative because of member demographics and related risk sentiment factors.

Because the performance test is retrospective, he says, it has failed to account for a recent performance turnaround after Christian Super made significant changes to its investment strategy and asset allocation two to three years ago. Core changes included an increase in allocation to growth assets, coupled with actions to address areas of underperformance in the manager lineup.

“In fact, in the 2021 calendar year, the fund’s MySuper product was one of the top three performing growth funds in Australia,” he says. “So there has been a degree of internal frustration. It takes time for those things [changes to investment strategy] to work through in terms of your investment performance, particularly when the performance test is retrospective over an eight-year period.”

Piper notes that through its time of “underperformance” the fund has continued to grow strongly and also delivered consistent fee reductions. “This is not a fund that has been poorly run. We’ve listened closely to what our members have been telling us. We do think the fund has been sometimes unfairly misrepresented in the media narrative around Your Future, Your Super.”

“This is not a fund that has been poorly run. We’ve listened closely to what our members have been telling us. We do think the fund has been sometimes unfairly misrepresented in the media narrative around Your Future, Your Super.”

Christian Super had also been seeking a merger partner for the past 12 months, before APRA’s new conditions. Piper says he recognises that consolidation can be beneficial, “But there is good consolidation and bad consolidation.”

Piper argues that scale is important but in and of itself “is not a direct predictor of strong member outcomes”. While efficient organisations and competitive fee structures are important, equally as important are highly engaged members. “We think there is a correlation between member engagement and financial outcomes,” he says. “A highly engaged member will, in our view, make better choices in terms of investments and products.”

Christian Super is early in the due diligence process with Australian Ethical, but the benefits of the tie up are obvious. Both funds are pioneers in ethical investing, have highly engaged members, and members of the combined group will benefit from scale.

But what will happen to the Christian overlay?

Piper says there is a respectful understanding of differences between the funds but a deep conviction around what is common. “There’s a number of important questions and issues that we will work through as part of due diligence. What we can say with confidence, though, is that there is very strong alignment with core elements of the way we invest and the way that Australian Ethical invests.

“This is not about losing what is important to our members. We understand the differences and those differences are important and we need to be respectful of those.”

Ultimately, Piper says, ethical investing and faith-based investing are highly compatible. “Like Christian Super, Australian Ethical is deeply committed to investing in sectors that create better outcomes for people, and a more sustainable planet, and also avoidance of investing in sectors, industries or companies that are damaging to people or the planet. Impact investing is another area of deep alignment.”

As the merger progresses, Christian Super isn’t resting on its laurels. Piper says it is focused on “relentless improvement” across investment strategy, operational efficiencies and member experience.

Finding the right balance

To manage stress Piper gets outdoors and loves running, cycling and ocean swimming. His four children and his wife, who also has a demanding job, help keep things in perspective. “When you walk in the door at night, the richness and complexity of kids and the extraordinary privilege of parenting creates a very natural balance for what is happening professionally.”

Ross Piper

Photography by Aran Anderson.

Christian Super’s merger plans may have been accelerated by APRA, but its journey takes place within the context of wider consolidation and towards a small number of mega funds. Many, including Piper, are concerned that something is being lost in the merger frenzy if absolute consolidation results in reduced competition and choice for Australians who care deeply about how their retirement savings are invested.

“We have an industry increasingly characterised by scale, but hopefully that will be balanced by funds that have a very clear, distinctive, and if you like niche, highly engaged membership,” he says. “I think for the future health of our sector it is very important that you have both elements.”

 

Picture of By Ben Power

By Ben Power

finance and economics writer

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Sinem Kalenderoglu

Marketing Manager - Brand & Content, Rest

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As a Brand and Content Manager, Sinem has built her career working across brand campaigns, social media strategy and cross-channel storytelling.

Working at the intersection of technology and creative innovation, she’s crafted her skill of turning complex brand concepts into engaging social narratives that connect and resonate with member experiences.

Specialising in superannuation, she’s passionate about exploring how brand storytelling through social media can converge to drive meaningful audience connection.

Gemma Kyle

Chief Risk Officer, Rest

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Gemma was appointed as Chief Risk Officer in November 2018 and leads the Enterprise Risk function which includes investment risk, operational risk, business resilience, financial crime, compliance and regulatory engagement.

Gemma has over 25 years’ experience in risk management and governance across multiple industries including government, engineering and financial services. She is known for her ability to drive organisational change and achieve business objectives in complex and dynamic environments. Prior to joining Rest, Gemma held senior positions at MLC Life Insurance, MLC Wealth, Parsons Brinkerhoff and Federal Treasury. She is a Director on the Board of the Fund Executives Association Limited. Gemma holds a Master of Arts from the Australian National University, a Bachelor of Economics, Social Science (First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Adrian C

Director, Partnership Program, QLD and NT, Australian Signals Directorate (ASD)

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Adrian C works in the Australian Signals Directorate and is the Director of ASD’s Cyber Security Partnership Program.

He has worked in various roles in the National Intelligence Community for the last 16 years including geospatial intelligence, intelligence support to Australian Defence Force Military Operations and writing core components of the Comprehensive Review – legal framework of the National Intelligence Community. 

Adrian transferred to Australian Signals Directorate in 2021 and was responsible for the section that develops and publishes ASD’s technical publications and guidelines.

He moved from Canberra to Brisbane in January 2023 to commence his current role within Australian Signals Directorate.

Kate Farrar

Chief Executive Officer, Brighter Super

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Kate Farrar is the Chief Executive Officer of Brighter Super, where she has led the fund’s transformation from a $10 billion Queensland public-sector fund into a $35 billion success story with more than 280,000 members.

Since her appointment as CEO in April 2018, Kate has overseen the merger of LGIAsuper and Energy Super and the acquisition of Suncorp Super—the first industry fund acquisition of a retail fund. This integration, completed 18 months ahead of schedule, delivered a 40% reduction in administration fees for members while expanding services across Queensland.

Under Kate’s leadership, Brighter Super has become one of the fastest-growing industry funds in Australia, recognised for both its operational sustainability and member-first approach. In acknowledgment of these achievements, she was awarded the Fund Executive of the Year Award by the Fund Executives Association Ltd (FEAL) in 2024.

Kate brings 35 years of leadership experience across finance and energy, including senior roles at Barclays de Zoete Wedd, Suncorp Investment Management, NSW Treasury Corporation, McKinsey & Company, and Ergon Energy.

Beyond her role at Brighter Super, Kate serves as a Non-Executive Director of ASX100-listed Seven Group Holdings and is the President of the Queensland Futures Institute.

She holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) and a Master’s Degree in Econometrics and Finance. Through a scholarship from Chief Executive Women, she is also a graduate of INSEAD’s Advanced Management Programme. In 2025, following her FEAL award education grant, Kate completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business program, People, Culture, and Performance: Strategies from Silicon Valley.

Joseph Mitchell

Assistant Secretary, ACTU

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As ACTU Assistant Secretary, Joseph is passionate about winning a better future for working people and growing the union movement.  

Joseph has a Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Arts from Australian National University and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance from the University of NSW.  

Joseph Mitchell is a trustee director of TelstraSuper.

Vasyl Nair

Group Chief Executive Officer, Team Super

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The Team Superannuation Fund (Team Super) is a profit-to-members, public offer pension fund dedicated to serving the retirement needs of all Australians. Team Super manages over $22 billion in funds for approximately 150,000 members.

Vasyl Nair is the Chief Executive Officer of Team Super (prior to this, Vasyl held the roles of Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Chief Risk Officer and Chief Strategy Officer).

Vasyl is a keen advocate for the ongoing development of the superannuation sector, with active participation in a number of different parts of the industry. He has served as a director of an Australian fintech organisation, specialising in superannuation and investment administration.

Vasyl was appointed to the Board of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) as Director in January 2025, the peak pension fund association in Australia.

Vasyl has a strong background in law, corporate finance and strategy, having held senior roles across at some of Australia’s largest financial services institutions. Vasyl holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hon), Bachelor of Commerce, Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and an Executive Master of Business Administration. He is admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW as a solicitor, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has achieved a Certificate of Business Excellence from the Haas School of Business, U.C.
Berkeley.

Kristian Fok

Chief Executive Officer, Cbus Super

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Kristian Fok is the CEO of Cbus Super, Australia’s leading specialist superannuation fund for the building and construction sector. Cbus was founded 40 years ago and provides superannuation and income streams to more than 925,000 members and manages over $105 billion of members’ money (as of 30 June 2025). He is responsible for all aspects of Cbus and reports directly to the Board.

Prior to his appointment in June 2023, Kristian Fok served as the Fund’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO) for 10 years. Cbus is a significant, long-term investor in the Australian economy and the Fund invests back into our members’ industries both directly and indirectly and via unique vehicles such as our wholly owned entity, Cbus Property.  

As CIO, Kristian was responsible for leading the Cbus investment strategy, this included evaluating opportunities that provide returns to members over the long term, managing investment governance and risk and monitoring the portfolio. Kristian led the development and implementation of Cbus’ hybrid internalisation strategy, which has proven successful in driving strong returns and delivering total cumulative fee and costs savings for members of over $730 million. 

Kristian is Chair of the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) and serves on the Board of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI). Kristian’s qualifications include Bachelor of Commerce, Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries Australia and Fellow of FINSIA.  

Kevin Fernandez

General Manager, Market Strategy & Propositions, Novigi

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Kevin has long played a central role in shaping and driving strategic initiatives across the superannuation and wealth management sectors. With deep expertise in data strategy and a passion for AI, Kevin leads the development of forward-thinking solutions – ranging from strategic partnerships to managed services – that address evolving client needs.  

A recognised thought leader, Kevin is known for leveraging data-driven insights to deliver sustainable value. His leadership is central to Novigi’s market positioning, helping to define the company’s growth strategy in an increasingly complex and dynamic financial landscape.  

Vicki Doyle

Chief Executive Officer, Rest

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Vicki joined Rest as Chief Executive Officer in May 2018, bringing more than 20 years of
senior executive leadership experience in superannuation, life insurance, wealth management and banking.

Vicki’s experience includes executive leadership roles at some of Australia’s largest financial services organisations. She has an extensive background in distribution, strategic marketing, digital, fund operations and contact centres, customer strategy and design and product management.

Vicki is passionate about simplifying and demystifying superannuation to help all Australians achieve their best retirement outcomes.

Vicki holds an Executive MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and a diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Vicki has been a Non-executive Director of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors since 2018 and a Director of The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia since 2022.

Louise Davidson, AM

Chief Executive Officer, Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI)

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Louise Davidson has spent her career with a focus on building long-term value for the millions of beneficiaries of Australian superannuation funds. Most recently this has included elevating the importance of environmental, social and governance factors in managing material financial risk in super fund investment portfolios. 

As CEO of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) since 2015, Louise oversees ACSI’s program of company engagement, research and policy advocacy, backed by 30 years of senior experience in the financial services and ESG sectors. Her tenure as ACSI CEO has seen significant improvements in the way listed companies manage important issues including boardroom diversity, climate risk and human rights.  

Prior to being appointed ACSI CEO, she was Investment Manager, ESG at Cbus superannuation fund 

Louise is the co-founder of the Mother’s Day Classic, which has raised over $50 million for breast and ovarian cancer research since 1998. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019 for her significant service to the superannuation sector and to breast cancer research.  

She is a director of Chief Executive Women, deputy chair of the Federated Hermes Client Advisory Board, and a former director of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the International Integrated Reporting Initiative and former chair and director of the Mother’s Day Classic Foundation. 

Peter Chun

Chief Executive Officer, UniSuper

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Peter Chun joined UniSuper as the Chief Executive Officer in September 2021, bringing more than 30 years’ experience in financial services.

UniSuper is one of Australia’s largest super funds with more than 700,000 members and over $155 billion in funds under management (as at 30 June 2025).

As CEO, Peter is responsible for developing, leading, and implementing corporate strategy and culture. He is also accountable for the overall services and operational management of UniSuper Management nationally.

Prior to joining UniSuper, Peter held senior executive roles at Aware Super, Colonial First State and Credit Suisse.

Peter is a qualified Actuary with a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University. He holds Graduate Diplomas in Applied Finance and Investments and Financial Planning from the Securities Institute of Australia; and has undertaken the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School (Boston, USA).

Peter is a Director of Diversity Council Australia, a Member of the ASFA CEO Advisory Committee and the Australian Chamber Orchestra Finance Audit & Risk Committee.

Eoin Burke

Head of Financial Crimes, MUFG Retirement Solutions

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Eoin Burke is the Head of Financial Crimes, MUFG Retirement Solutions, a division of MUFG Pension & Market Services (MPMS), with over 20 years of experience in financial crime prevention, compliance, and data analytics. 

He has held senior leadership roles across APAC and EMEA, and plays a critical role in protecting the organisation from financial threats, responsible for safeguarding the data and monetary assets of over 20 million accounts. His remit includes fraud and scam prevention, AML/CTF compliance and reporting, regulator and law enforcement engagement, training and awareness, and driving innovation in protective technologies. He also developed ‘ALERT’, MPMS’s internal fraud analytics capability, which now protects over 10.5 million member accounts daily and has prevented more than $150 million in financial crime. 

A recognised industry leader, Eoin regularly speaks at major forums including the Financial Crimes and Cyber Security Forum and the AUSTRAC Symposium, sharing insights on emerging risks and best practices in financial crime prevention. His strategic direction continues to strengthen MPMS’s defences and reinforce its commitment to integrity and security. 

John Livanas

Chief Executive Officer, State Super

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Mr Livanas leads a team of experienced senior executives in managing the provision of member services and the investment of approximately $38 billion of assets (as at 30 June 2025).

Mr Livanas has over 30 years’ industry experience, having worked in organisations including Deloitte South Africa, the South African Government Employees Pension Fund – the precursor to the country’s sovereign fund – and several Australian superannuation funds.

Prior to his appointment in October 2011, Mr Livanas was the Chief Executive Officer of AMIST Super (2008–11) and the General Manager of FuturePlus Financial Services (2002–08). He was a Director of ISPT and ISPT Grosvenor International Property Trust from 2010–12 and in August 2013 was appointed to the Board of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors.

Mr Livanas holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand and a Graduate Diploma of Finance and Investments from the Financial Services Institute of Australia. He is an ASFA-accredited Investment Fiduciary and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Debby Blakey

Chief Executive Officer, HESTA

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Debby Blakey, GAICD, is the CEO of HESTA, Australia’s $96 billion superannuation fund for health and community services workers. With over 30 years’ experience in the superannuation and financial services sectors, she holds qualifications in Mathematics, Computer Science, Financial Advice, Governance, Pension Fund Design and Sustainability.

Debby’s leadership is characterised by a ‘people-first’ approach, focusing on enhancing member experiences and financial outcomes while also ensuring operational rigour and excellence. She is a strong advocate for innovation and transformation within the superannuation industry.

Debby is the President of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI), a Director of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) and is the founding Chair of the 40:40 Vision initiative – promoting gender equality at executive and Board level in ASX300 companies.

Under Debby’s leadership, HESTA has been called the ‘corporate conscience of Australia’ for its commitment to strong governance, environmental management and gender equality.

Cath Bowtell

Chair, IFM Investors

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Cath is the Chair of IFM Investors; Industry Super Holdings (ISH); and the Federal Government’s Jobs & Skills Ministerial Advisory Board.   

She is a Director of Industry Fund Services (IFS) and of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation. 

Cath has worked for many years in senior roles in both the superannuation industry and union movement. She was the Chief Executive of IFS and Chief Executive of the Australian Government Employees Superannuation Trust (AGEST) from 2010 until its merger with AustralianSuper in 2013.

Prior to this, Cath was a Senior Industrial Officer at the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). She has held a number of directorships and committee positions throughout her career, including Director of AustralianSuper, Director of AGEST Super and Director of Ausgrid.

Natalie Previtera

Chief Executive Officer, NGS Super

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Natalie is the Chief Executive Officer of NGS Super.  

With a career grounded in governance, legal, and strategic leadership, Natalie brings a forward-thinking and purpose driven approach to superannuation. She is responsible for steering the fund through a dynamic regulatory landscape, ensuring operational excellence, and delivering long-term value to members.

Natalie also served as Chief Risk and Governance officer having deep institutional knowledge and a strong track record in executive oversight and regulatory engagement.

She is known for her collaborative leadership style and her ability to drive transformation while maintaining a strong member-first ethos.

Prior to joining NGS in 2019 Natalie held senior governance roles at AMP, Suncorp and Perpetual.  

Laura Catterick

Director, Resilience & Cyber, UK Finance

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Laura Catterick is the Director of Resilience & Cyber at UK Finance, which is the collective voice for the UK banking and finance industry, representing over 300 firms and supporting members in their efforts to build more resilient firms and a more resilient financial sector.

Within UK Finance, Laura works closely with industry leaders, government, and regulators, influencing policy on operational resilience and cybersecurity at a national level. UK Finance also co-chairs CMORG (Cross Market Operational Resilience Group) to deliver collaborative resilience initiatives that address systemic risks.

Laura is a Chartered Professional Accountant from Canada with extensive experience in risk, regulatory compliance, cyber security, operational resilience, and large-scale transformation. She has held senior executive roles within highly regulated sectors, including roles across all three lines of defence within Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Lloyds Banking Group, and Mastercard.

Josh Cross

Chief Operating Officer, SS&C Technologies

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Josh Cross brings over 30 years of experience in Technology, Operations, Delivery and Transformation within the Australian Financial Services industry. His expertise spans Trade Finance, Institutional and Corporate Lending, Consumer Lending, Share Trading, Insurance and Superannuation.

Josh joined SS&C in July 2025 through a lift-out from Insignia Financial – one of Australia’s largest Superannuation and Investment providers, known for its growth through large-scale acquisitions and technology separations from major Australian banks.

In his current role, Josh leads the SS&C  Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) function, which delivers technology, operations, and service delivery for more than one million Australian across multiple technology eco-systems, supported by a team of approximately 1300 staff. Over the next three years, Josh will also lead the major transformation of the underlying superannuation platforms and processes, migrating to SS&C’s Bluedoor ecosystem.

Lt Gen Michelle McGuinness, CSC

National Cyber Security Coordinator, National Office of Cyber Security

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Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness, CSC was appointed as Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator (the Coordinator) on 26 February 2024.

As the Coordinator, LTGEN McGuinness leads national cyber security policy, the coordination of responses to major cyber incidents, whole of government cyber incident preparedness efforts, and the strengthening of Commonwealth cyber security capability. 

LTGEN McGuinness has served in the Australian Defence Force for 30 years in a range of tactical, operational, and strategic roles in Australia and internationally.

Prior to this appointment, LTGEN McGuinness most recently served as Deputy Director Commonwealth Integration in the United States Defense Intelligence Agency. In this role, she led policy and cultural reform, and technological integration, including interoperability across information technology, systems and data.

Jamie Bonic

Global Head of FX and Commodity Sales, NAB

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Jamie Bonic is NAB’s Global Head of FX and Commodity Sales, responsible for several FX-related sales businesses including NAB’s Institutional, Corporate, and Government teams.  Prior to joining NAB, Jamie spent 17 years in London working for JPMorgan as a Managing Director in their Global Markets division, leading sales and trading across Interest Rate and FX products. Jamie holds a Bachelor of Economics from The University of Sydney and is currently based in Sydney.

Katie Miller

Deputy CEO, Regulation, AUSTRAC

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Katie Miller is the Deputy CEO, Regulation, AUSTRAC and has strategic responsibility for AUSTRAC’s regulatory, policy and legal functions. 
Katie has extensive experience exercising regulatory functions and advising regulators at state and federal levels. Katie is a published author on issues involving regulation, law and technology and supports connections between government, practitioners, communities of practice and academia. 

Derek Thompson

Via live link

Best Selling Author, Podcast Host of 'Plain English'

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Few speakers can match Derek Thompson‘s ability to synthesize mega-trends in society, labor, economics, technology, and politics. Put another way: Derek trawls the data sets and does the forecasting and deep reporting necessary to help us better understand how we live, how we vote, how we spend, and how we work.

In his paradigm-shifting #1 New York Times bestseller, Abundance (co-written with Ezra Klein), this award-winning journalist reveals how our policies and culture have pushed us into a world of scarcity (not enough housing, workers, or progress)—and offers a radical new path towards a world where housing is affordable, energy is plentiful, and innovation flourishes across industries.

He shares a compelling vision of a future where we have more than enough for everybody, and a practical, actionable roadmap for how to get there. It starts with taking more risks, building more expansively, and recognizing that we all have the power to create a world of abundance. “Everything’s utopian until it’s reality,” he says.

Carmen Beverley-Smith

Executive Director - Superannuation, Life & Private Health Insurance, APRA

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Carmen joined APRA in March 2023 and holds the role of Executive Director, Life and Private Health Insurance and Superannuation.  

She has had an esteemed career in financial services, spanning over 25 years. She has held diverse leadership roles at Westpac and Commonwealth Bank of Australia, including across risk, transformation and change, product and portfolio development, and sales and service. 

Prior to joining APRA, she held the role of General Manager, Risk Transformation Delivery Integration at Westpac. This involved leading the group-wide implementation of a suite of solutions to uplift risk management capability and develop data, analytics and reporting. 

Carmen leads with a values-driven approach and a particular interest in developing and mentoring talent. 

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Accounting, is a certified Chartered Accountant and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Amy C. Edmondson

Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School

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Keynote 8 – Navigating the energy transition: opportunities, investor strategies and policy needs

Amy C. Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society.

Edmondson has been recognized by the biannual Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers since 2011, and most recently was ranked #1 in 2021 and 2023; she also received that organization’s Breakthrough Idea Award in 2019, and Talent Award in 2017.  She studies teaming, psychological safety, and organisational learning, and her articles have been published in numerous academic and management outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review and California Management Review. Her 2019 book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth (Wiley), has been translated into 15 languages. Her prior books – Teaming: How organizations learn, innovate and compete in the knowledge economy (Jossey-Bass, 2012), Teaming to Innovate (Jossey-Bass, 2013) and Extreme Teaming (Emerald, 2017) – explore teamwork in dynamic organisational environments. In Building the future: Big teaming for audacious innovation (Berrett-Koehler, 2016), she examines the challenges and opportunities of teaming across industries to build smart cities. 

Edmondson’s latest book, Right Kind of Wrong (Atria), builds on her prior work on psychological safety and teaming to provide a framework for thinking about, discussing, and practicing the science of failing well. First published in the US and the UK in September, 2023, the book is due to be translated into 24 additional languages, and was selected for the Financial Times and Schroders Best Business Book of the Year award.

Before her academic career, she was Director of Research at Pecos River Learning Centers, where she worked on transformational change in large companies. In the early 1980s, she worked as Chief Engineer for architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller, and her book A Fuller Explanation: The Synergetic Geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller (Birkauser Boston, 1987) clarifies Fuller’s mathematical contributions for a non-technical audience. Edmondson received her PhD in organisational behavior, AM in psychology, and AB in engineering and design from Harvard University.

 

Daniel Mulino MP

Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services

Sessions

Keynote 8 – Navigating the energy transition: opportunities, investor strategies and policy needs

Born in Brindisi, Italy, Daniel was a young child when he moved with his family to Australia. He grew up in Canberra and completed his first degrees – arts and law – at the ANU. He then completed a Master of Economics (University of Sydney) and a PhD in economics from Yale.

He lectured at Monash University, was an economic adviser in the Gillard government and was a Victorian MP from 2014 to 2018. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer of Victoria, Daniel helped deliver major infrastructure projects and developed innovative financing structures for community projects.

In 2018 he was preselected for the new federal seat of Fraser and became its first MP at the 2019 election, re-elected in 2022 and 2025. From 2022 to 2025, Daniel was chair of the House of Representatives’ Standing Economics Committee in which he chaired inquiries; economic dynamism, competition and business formation and insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims.

In 2025, he became the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services.

In August 2022, Daniel published ‘Safety Net: The Future of Welfare in Australia’, which aims to explore the ways in which an insurance approach can improve the effectiveness of government service delivery.