Thursday 19th October, 2023
Pullman Quay Grand, Sydney
9:00 AM Opening Remarks from the Chair
9:05 AM: Re-evaluating geo-political risk in a unstable global environment
- Have investors become complacent in assuming peace?
- Understanding the current Middle Eastern crisis?
- Assessing the threats of China in the Asia Pacific
- Dissecting the risks of European conflict
- What questions should investors be asking when evaluating geo-political risk?
Alexander Downer AC, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia Government
10.05 AM: Macroeconomic trends: Outlook, discount rates, and roles
- Identifying the current landscape of inflation, central bank behaviour, and the likelihood of rates staying elevated for longer
- Considering the regulations around which assets can see revenues climb with inflation, and where investors will receive a decline in real terms
- Debating the extent to which valuations need to evolve to reflect new market conditions
- Exploring the conversation around the roles that infrastructure will play in a portfolio, now and into the future
David Goodman, Portfolio Manager – Investment Strategy, Aware
10.30 AM: Morning Coffee
11:00 AM Energy transition: Working towards a net zero planet
- Inspecting the role of consumers and demand driven change in the push for sustainable infrastructure.
- Discussing the implications for utilities as the transportation network develops its pivot to electrification.
- Identifying the challenges posed by extreme weather events and the methods to negate their impact through climate adaption investment
- Assessing the implications of the renaissance in nuclear energy design, capacity, and hydrogen generation.
Mark Murray, Principal, Mercer
Lianne Buck, Non-Executive Director, AusNet Services
Manish Rastogi, Head of Real Assets, Frontier
Daniel Timms, Managing Director, Igneo
11.45 Identifying growth and opportunities in renewable energy
- Understanding the roll out of renewables in the OECD
- Identifying price trends to support renewables
- Viewing the landscape for growth opportunities
- Assessing the potential for green hydrogen as a key renewables source
Michael Ebner, Managing Director & Head of Renewable Energy, KGAL
12.10 Applying a Risk Adjusted lens to energy transition
- Public policy is supportive for infrastructure generally, but this is not without risk to your medium- and longer-term assumptions
- Are current allocation trends in members best interests?
- Identifying higher risk adjusted returns in infrastructure
Nick Langley, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge
12.30 PM: Lunch
1.30 PM: Collaboration: Boosting productivity, build quality, and completion times
- Outlining the lessons from Project 13 principles and international best practice
- Identifying the legal and regulatory enablers of enhanced design, build, and maintenance
- Analysing the concept of integrated delivery partners across the infrastructure pipeline
Peter Colacino, Principal, Mott Macdonald
2.00 PM: Infrastructure in a changing capital markets environment
- Debating the impact of rates on valuations, revenue resilience, and governance
- Dissecting inflation and its impact on building costs, labour, project maintenance
- Analysing the role of infrastructure in a portfolio and its correlations with other asset classes
- Discussing the opportunity set and how to reconcile risk, crowded trades, and private markets.
Brendan Casey, Senior Manager, Investment Strategy Implementation, TAL
Susan Orr, Head of Infrastructure Research, JANA
James Turner, Senior Investment Manager, CSC
Maria Donnelly, Portfolio Manager, Infrastructure, Aware Super
Kyle Giumelli, Senior Investment Analyst, Private Markets, UniSuper
2.45 PM Afternoon Tea
3.15 PM Tomorrows world: The future for data, sustainable living, & refurbishment
- Outling the capacity for telecommunications infrastructure to enhance social mobility, economic growth, and reducing inequality.
- Identifying investment opportunities in the ongoing urbanisation in the developed world.
- Analysing the opportunity set arising from mineral processing, mining, and Australia’s natural resources.
- Reconciling the role of fiduciary capital in allocating assets for refurbishment, replacement, and decommissioning.
Manish Rastogi, Head of Real Assets, Frontier
Lianne Buck, Non-Executive Director, AusNet Services
Ross Etherington, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Coal LSL
4:00PM Smart cities 2.0: Can technology make us happier and more connected?
- Capturing that by 2050, 80% of the global population will live in cities, with considerable implications for infrastructure
- Analysing the data challenges associated with AI, virtual reality, and quantum computing
- Exploring the opportunities in housing, transport, and digital communications in building a world that helps people stay healthy, happy, and connected.
- Discussing the once in a generation risks associated with emerging technologies, environment, and rapid urbanisation.
Lucinda Hartley, Founder, Neighbourlytics
5.00 PM Closing Remarks from Chair
5.00 PM Post Event Drinks Reception
6:00 PM Conference Close
6:00 PM Conference Close