Scaling great heights

10 min read
10 min read

Damian Graham grew up on the outskirts of the Mildura in northwest Victoria. The Chief Investment Officer of the $100 billion industry fund giant First State Super (FSS) says his rural background has helped him develop the equanimity and perspective needed to invest.

“When you’re suffering the slings and arrows of investment markets it’s important to take a balanced approach and not be too volatile in your thinking,” he says. “I think my country background helps me with that.”

But despite his boy-from-the-bush origins, Graham is now at the apex of one of the emerging mega funds that will control vast pools of capital and dominate, not just the super industry, but also corporate Australia.

There is a growing spotlight on how these mega funds will manage and deploy that power.

Graham says to meet the challenge of soaring scale, First State will lend more to corporate Australia, focus on sustainable returns, and manage liquidity. But, above all, the fund will be a responsible investor and use its investments to create a positive impact on the community. “We are making sure we are driving better outcomes from the portfolio for members, but also driving better outcomes from a community perspective,” he says.

Investing in learning, and industry experience

Graham had some false starts in his journey towards his investing career. As a child in Mildura, he loved facts and figures. “I was always a kid very interested in maths and numbers and statistics. That was always my great interest as a child.”

Graham decided to study engineering at university in Melbourne, but soon realised he didn’t have an affinity for the field. He took a year off and worked at one of ANZ’s early investment management businesses.

He found markets incredibly intellectually challenging. “It really sparked my interest in investing. I loved the seeking of knowledge; continually trying to learn and understand things.”

Graham then decided to gain more suitable qualifications and began an Economics degree at La Trobe University which he completed with Honours.

He then took a number of investment jobs, starting with Norwich Investment Management, then spent a year travelling the world before joining JP Morgan (later Citigroup).

In 2001, Macquarie Bank asked him to join its start-up managed account businesses, Macquarie Private Portfolio Management, as Head of Investments, where he stayed for more than a decade.

Graham says he doesn’t actively seek new roles but focuses on doing a good job. “I believe that learning and being patient will pay off over time.”

In 2007, on the eve of the global financial crisis (GFC), he became head of the Private Portfolio business. Graham says it was a formative experience in developing his investment philosophy.

“It was instrumental in helping me learn,” he says. “It underlined that communication and accountability are critical.”

But, more importantly, he learnt to not be overconfident when making predictions about the future, because multiple scenarios could occur. “It’s about being humble and not thinking you know more than you do because the future is an uncertain bunch of outcomes. The GFC was a great teacher of that for a lot of people.”

Graham says he is always interested when he now meets with someone who seems certain about predicting future outcomes. But he says the industry generally has become better at “being humble”.

Damian Graham

Running an investment team, insourcing and outsourcing

In early 2012, State Plus (then State Super Financial Services) approached him to join them as Chief Investment Officer. “I liked the dynamic of it and felt it was a business very close to end clients, the members.” It also gave him an opportunity to manage larger sums and a broader array of investments.

Graham says many people ask him about shifting from Macquarie to the not-for-profit super sector. He says that he always felt Macquarie was a well-managed, risk-focused business “It was entrepreneurial to a degree,” he says. “But State Plus was also entrepreneurial and well managed and allowed you to do things where there was a rationale.”

First State bought State Plus in 2016, and Graham was elevated to CIO, implementing the investment strategy and team of investment specialists for both.

First State has 803,000 clients and members across heath care, police and emergency services, and the public service.

Graham says the fund has a particularly strong focus on its members.

“That’s definitely more elevated here than in any other organisation I have worked for,” he says. “That’s an absolutely genuine focus here. It is easy to have this focus when your members are the nurses, teachers and emergency workers in our community.”

Graham’s investment team has 80 people, including 25 to 30 portfolio managers and a number of analysts. He says he is focused on building a strong team that helps people develop their careers.

Like other funds, First State has been insourcing investment capability. The fund has internal capabilities across most of their asset classes. It invests directly in quantitative Australian and global equities; lends directly in the credit space; and owns some infrastructure and property directly. But most of its money remains externally managed.

Graham says the fund is committed to the hybrid model of both internal and external management of assets. “We will continue the hybrid model,” he says. “We don’t think we can do everything. We think members can benefit from those external relationships.”

Graham says the fund has a clear investment philosophy: to drive a better outcome for members but to generate a more positive impact on society.

Graham says the fund has a clear investment philosophy: to drive a better outcome for members but to generate a more positive impact on society.

The fund, he says, is particularly focused on retirement. It comes amid the Federal Government’s review of Australia’s retirement income system, which is shining a spotlight on the issue. Graham says FSS has a very significant proportion of its members in or approaching retirement, with more than $25 billion in pension assets. He says that allows FSS to invest differently for retirees, particularly when it comes to managing the risks of market volatility for retirees.

Another is education and advice. Graham says members will get better long-term outcomes if they have access to high-quality guidance, education, support and advice. He notes that First State owns and operates the largest profit for member advice offering through State Plus. The fund is also building out its digital advice framework.

With increased scale comes growing responsibility

But one of the biggest issues Graham is grappling with is increasing scale. “We are likely to be a lot larger in the next five years,” he says. “Sustainability is really critical. How do we continue to generate good long-term returns in a competitive market with that growth?”

First State is currently merging with VicSuper, which will create a behemoth with $130 billion of funds under management, and Graham says further mergers can’t be ruled out. “It would be hard to suggest there won’t be more mergers over time, whether us or others.”

It would be hard to suggest there won’t be more mergers over time, whether us or others.

The combined fund will be one of the nine mega funds that Rice Warner, in its Superannuation Market Projections 2019 report, says will dominate the industry in coming decades. Rice Warner estimates First State and VicSuper will have $175 billion of funds by 2024.

Graham says the super industry is
going to be a much larger provider of capital to support the economy in Australia. “How do we invest and build capabilities to support that?”

“That dynamic is going to continue as super becomes a larger and larger proportion of the capital available and starts to become multiples of the size of the Australian economy,” he adds.

Graham says that massive scale and the important role of capital provider to the economy will create several issues.

Funds, firstly, need to increasingly think about how to provide direct lending. In the past two years First State itself has been lending alongside banks. “That’s been a positive process where we’ve been providing direct loans to corporates,” he says. “That’s been a strongly positive activity for us; it brings us closer to the market; it’s a lower fee activity so there are scale benefits to it for members.”

But funds also need to be managing liquidity, Graham says. “We need to be heavily focused on managing liquidity as super becomes a larger part of capital markets,” he says. “Liquidity is a key focus of regulators, that will continue to be the case. But super funds need to continue to think about how they will access liquidity over time as they get larger.”

And scale also means big social responsibility. Graham says that perhaps the biggest focus of the fund is responsible ownership: deploying the funds capital to benefit, not just its members but the broader community.

The fund is currently focused on its role in supporting the economy to transition to a lower carbon position. That includes advocating for change that the listed companies the fund invests in, as well as external providers. First State is also investing in the renewables sector. It has invested in renewable energy projects throughout the world, including investments in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. And it recently made its first direct investment in a renewable energy project in Australia, buying a one-third stake in the Snowtown 2 Wind Farm in South Australia, one of Australia’s largest operational wind farms.

Graham says the fund is also making an impact in another vital social issue: affordable housing for ‘key workers’. The surge in house prices has priced out workers in important service industries such as nursing, teaching and police/emergency services from many areas.

First State has been taking advantage of the oversupply of apartments in Sydney and Melbourne to buy residential stock at a discount, then turn it into affordable housing for key workers. The fund has bought sites in the Sydney suburbs of Miranda, Epping, Waterloo and Hurstville, and Moonee Ponds in Victoria. Together they will make 234 units available to key workers with a 20 per cent discount.

Closer to home, and staying focused

Amidst these complex challenges, Graham manages to be a keen golfer and tennis player. He says it’s important for executives not to get too caught up in work and forget what really matters.

“We need to challenge ourselves a little bit to ensure we’re keeping things fresh and not make it all about work,” he says. “I try to ensure I do some things that push me outside my comfort zone.”

Twelve months ago, Graham agreed that he would leave work early on Monday and cook dinner. “No one is rejoicing about the cooking; but it’s a nice time to speak with my wife and three boys.”

Graham is currently casting an eye over the markets, which have been affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus. In the short term, he sees that markets look fairly fully valued, but he says it is hard to see that central bankers will reduce the liquidity that has been supporting markets in 2019. “Market sentiment has however been pretty positive and that always makes them a little vulnerable to unknown events,” he says. “The recent hit to sentiment from the coronavirus is a good example.”

But Graham primarily remains firmly focused on his mission of First State being a leader in responsible ownership, advice and retirement outcomes. “When we’re creating really strong outcomes for our members in those three areas, I’ll feel we’re achieving strongly. We have got a little bit of time before we get there, but I know our members will be better off when we do.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.