9:30am Opening and conference welcome

• Conference MC: Wayne Sullivan, Director Marketing and Business Development, Frontier Advisors
• Conference welcome: Andrew Polson, Chief Executive Officer, Frontier Advisors

9:45am Geopolitics

We will open our conference with a review of the current geopolitical climate in play around the globe from the perspective of someone who has been directly involved at the highest level in the fields of international diplomacy and intelligence. How do the seemingly insurmountable array of challenges facing the world connect and interact, what near and medium term factors will add to or calm the temperature and, importantly for our discussions during the conference, what should investors be monitoring and thinking about.

Chair:

• Alice Berriman, Senior Consultant, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret), Partner KKR and former Director of the CIA

10:30am Strategic implications

This session will explore how changing global dynamics are intertwined in investment strategy. Specifically, how commodity markets are intrinsically interconnected with global geopolitical developments, the decarbonisation energy transition, inflation and currency dynamics and other asset allocation considerations.

Chair

• Shahana Mukherjee, Senior Consultant, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Hussein Allidina, Managing Director, Head of Commodities, TD Asset Management
• Jennifer Wu, Managing Director – Global Head of Sustainable Investing, JP Morgan Asset Management
• Chris Trevillyan, Director Investment Strategy, Frontier Advisors

11:40am Australian investment portfolio implications

In this session, our speakers will reflect on the opening sessions of the conference and provide an update on how current global market developments, the challenges of inflation and interest rates, and domestic economic settings are each flowing through to implications for Australian investors and their approaches to portfolio management.

Chair:

• Nathan Bode, Principal Consultant, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Paul Newfield, Director Research and Specialist Services, Frontier Advisors
• Sonya Sawtell-Rickson, CIO, HESTA
• Andrew Fisher, Head of Investment Strategy, Australian Retirement Trust

Breakout Session Stream A – 1:15pm – 1:55pm

Session A1 – Implementing ex-fossil fuels in debt portfolios

On the eve of the Australian government’s first sovereign green bond issue, we consider the progress made in debt markets around responsible investments. Are fossil fuel exclusions an easy starting point or should investors use a mix of strategies and products to achieve their objectives?. In this session our panel will explore approaches to ESG, development of new products, and importantly consider the risks investors face as we transition. This is especially important for insurers who not only hold large allocations to bonds, but likely also have exposure to climate risks on both sides of the balance sheet.

Chair:

• Iain McMahon, Head of Defensives and Alternatives, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Henrietta Pacquement, Head of Global Fixed Income and Sustainability, Allspring Global Investments.
• Artee Khiatani, Credit and ESG Analyst, Janus Henderson

Session A2 – Real estate: Dragon’s Den – take my money

Wei Ji 危机. Wei means crisis while Ji means opportunity. In the ancient Chinese philosophy, opportunities often arise from crisis. In this year of the Dragon the real estate industry sees enormous opportunity on the horizon. We have two veterans of the industry who hope to persuade our “dragons” to invest with them in what promises to be attractive ‘vintage’ ahead. Will it be real estate private credit (debt), secondary portfolios at deep discounts, or something else?

Chair:

• Jennifer Johnstone-Kaiser, Head of Property, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Kilian Toms, Managing Director and Global Fund Manager, CBRE Investment Management
• Jolly Singh, Principal – Portfolio Oversight Group, CIM

Dragons:

• John Longo, Head of Property, Cbus
• Kate Misic, Head of Alternative Investments and Real Assets, TelstraSuper

Session A3 – The focus on unlisted asset valuations continues to grow

Investors continue to grow their unlisted asset allocations (not surprising). Given the focus on beneficiary equity along with increases in regulation and focus on valuations from APRA, plus new regulation coming around the Financial Accountability Regime (in 2025) – all investors need to focus and lift on the challenges of unlisted valuations.

Chair:

• Tom Frederick, Principal Consultant, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Alexandra Campbell, Deputy CIO, Cbus
• Helen Lagis, Principal – Valuations, AustralianSuper

Session A4 – Impact investing – dispelling myths and unlocking opportunity

Asset owners do not need impact investments to achieve their headline financial objectives. So why are an increasing number intentionally allocating to impact investment opportunities? What does it really mean to invest with purpose? Our expert panel will unpack the fundamentals of impact investing to reveal why investors are essential in achieving a healthier, fairer, and greener global economy. We will examine and debunk key myths (and misconceptions) and consider the practical steps asset owners should take when considering impact investments. Finally, we discuss the current opportunities and industry trends in the impact investing space, and how these can generate attractive financial and positive social/environmental outcomes for asset owners.

Chair:

• Marie Cardaci, Deputy Head of Responsible Investment, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Fiona Reynolds, Director, Frontier Advisors
• Joey Alcock, Head of Responsible Investment, Frontier Advisors
• Uwe Fuehrer, Chief Executive Officer, Wealth of Nations

Breakout Session Steam B – 1:45pm – 2:25pm

Session B1 – Navigating geopolitical risks and opportunities in EM equities – a spotlight on China and India

The performance of Chinese and Indian equities has diverged materially in recent years, along with a narrowing of their respective index weights. What might these shifts foretell of the potential for more discretionary EM allocations, heightened sensitivity to geopolitical considerations and the return prospects for long-suffering EM investors. Drawing on the perspectives of both asset owners and managers, along with Frontier’s lens, we will explore the elevated consideration of sovereign risk factors in dimensioning EM opportunities. Does EM simply have a China problem and can India take the reins? Will the large, emerging middle classes of both countries (home to more than one-third of the world’s population) prove to be powerful, twin engines of superior, multi-decade EM growth? Or do geopolitical implications infer that superior opportunities lie elsewhere within EM domiciles.

Chair:

• James Gunn, Head of Equities, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Patrick Russel, Director, Portfolio Manager/Analyst, Northcape
• Dominique D’avrincourt, Head of Equities, TelstraSuper

Session B2 – Private debt in a slowing economy

Private debt has become a sought-after investment for allocators looking for strong and stable returns. But what risks are investors really taking, how is private debt likely to withstand a slowing economy or even a recession, and is now the time to commit additional capital? Join us as we unveil Frontier’s latest senior direct lending market survey results and interact with a panel of private markets industry practitioners to unpack this important topic.

Chair:

• Nam Tran, Senior Consultant, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Brett Lauber, Managing Director, Northleaf
• Brianne Ptacek, Managing Director, North Amercia Private Credit, Barings

Session B3 – Tackling social license and other challenges in Australia’s green transition

The transition of Australia’s energy system requires industry, governments, communities and investors to play a pivotal role in meeting our ambitious targets. The enormity of the task poses both opportunities and risks for infrastructure investors. In this session, we explore the opportunities and current market challenges, particularly the social license to meet our green energy obligations, with prominent investors.

Chair:

• Dan Cave, Senior Consultant, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Sam Reynolds, Chief Executive Officer, Octopus Australia
• Chloé Brayne, Investment Director – Infrastructure, CDPQ Australia
• Rebecca Sherlock, Portfolio Manager – Global Listed Infrastructure, First Sentier Investors

3:00pm Meeting net zero and portfolio return targets at the same time

Institutional investors the world over have committed to addressing climate change in their portfolios as part of global efforts to achieve net zero by 2050. Now, it is time to make good on those commitments, but this is easier said than done. Enabling this critical transition will involve investing in and supporting companies that need to evolve their strategies to reduce their greenhouse gas emission levels as soon as possible. While investing in these stocks can have adverse, short-term impacts on a portfolio’s carbon “footprint” it will be critical for meaningful, real-world decarbonisation. Investors sit at the intersection of building net-zero aligned portfolios that drive positive change and generating strong risk-adjusted returns for beneficiaries. Our panel will discuss the practicalities of implementing a net zero portfolio strategy while also meeting their financial and fiduciary objectives.

Chair:

• Claire Casucci, Principal Consultant, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Deirdre Cooper, Head of Sustainable Equity, Ninety One (United Kingdom)

3:40pm Investing in SE Asia

Australia’s prosperity and security is intimately linked to our neighbours in South East Asia – a region we are a part of. While there is huge diversity amongst ASEAN economies, Australia could do more to boost trade and investment and recent Government-led delegations to the region have included participation from our largest institutional investors, including Frontier. What opportunities exist for asset owners and what risks and challenges need to be considered before allocating capital.

Chair:

• Manish Rastogi, Head of Real Assets, Frontier Advisors

Presenters:

• Nicholas Moore, Special Envoy for Southeast Asia and former CEO Macquarie Group
• Nicola Yeomans, Partner – Co-Head Private Capital, King & Wood Mallesons

4:20pm Perspectives

In a comprehensive conversation with the newly appointed Chair of Australia’s Future Fund, we will delve into Greg’s career insights and perspectives as a business leader. We will discuss various topics including negotiating, superannuation, politics, leadership and governance, the economic transformation required to reduce emissions, and taking on his latest role with the Future Fund.

Chair:

• Kim Bowater, Director of Consulting, Frontier Advisors

Presenter:

• The Hon Greg Combet AM, Chair Designate, Future Fund

5:00pm Conclusion