Infrastructure Investment Australia Summit Draft Agenda

10th Annual Infrastructure Investment Australia Summit 

This event has been moved to  Thursday 13 March 2025 .

 

Draft Agenda

Keynote: Unpacking the global macroeconomic outlook and implications for investors

  • Considering perspectives on inflationary pressures, fluctuating interest rates, and supply chain disruptions
  • Reflecting on market volatility and navigating uncertain market conditions
  • Adjusting your investments for enhanced portfolio resilience and stability amid slowing growth
  • Leveraging the resilience of infrastructure investments to preserve capital and maximise returns

Alexander Downer AC, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs

 

Meeting the challenge of the renewable energy transition

  • Securing Australia’s commitment to renewable energy through decisive policy action
  • Promoting energy transition and renewables through policy and regulatory frameworks
  • Exploring Australian investment opportunities which adapt to and protect our environment
  • Unpacking and building resilience to risks and roadblocks in green infrastructure projects

Kiersten Fishburn, Secretary, NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure

 

Leveraging AI to oversee the performance of infrastructure investment portfolios

  • Utilising generative AI to accelerate the identification of critical risks and mitigations across portfolios.
  • Employing machine learning models to predict areas of risk
  • Assessing opportunities and dangers of AI for decision-making
  • Lessons learnt from an AI business transformation

David Dubois, Executive Director – Portfolio Performance and Analytics, Infrastructure NSW

 

Panel: Reflecting on trends in deal flows and valuations in the Australian infrastructure market

  • Identifying the most attractive and opportune investment targets in a competitive environment
  • Leveraging strategic partnerships to negotiate favourable terms and access new deals
  • Reviewing valuations of Australia’s largest infrastructure asset classes and their impact on investments
  • Optimising resources and efficiency through enhanced due diligence in assessing and valuating deals

Kyle Giumelli, Senior Investment Analyst – Private Markets, UniSuper

Sam Habibeh, Associate Portfolio Manager, Aware Super

Emmanuel Diinis, Associate Director, Infrastructure, Cbus Super

Dan Cave, Senior Consultant, Frontier Advisors

 

Identifying opportunities for investing in hydrogen energy infrastructure

  • Scaling up hydrogen infrastructure through timely and strategic investment
  • Identifying opportunities and risks in hydrogen supply chains
  • Improving planning and collaboration between industry and investors
  • Positioning hydrogen industries as globally competitive investments

 

Panel: Moving up the curve of risk/return as infrastructure evolves

  • Exploring innovative and emerging investment solutions to move up the yield curve
  • Reassessing the risk/return profiles of traditional and emerging infrastructure classes for new risks and opportunities
  • Pushing boundaries for investable assets while maintaining adherence to requirements and objectives
  • Employing strategic, creative, and collaborative initiatives to ensure returns are met

Maria Guo, Director Infrastructure and Timberland, Future Fund

Sally Cameron, Senior Manager Infrastructure, NGS Super

Maria Donnelly, Senior Portfolio Manager, Aware Super

Anne Boniface, Senior Investment Strategist, External Investments and Partnerships, NZ Super Fund

 

Accessing Asian infrastructure opportunities to increase yield and diversify portfolios

  • Securing opportune investments in high demand, high growth sectors from energy, to telecommunications, to waste management, to refurbishment of mature assets
  • Exploring investments which enhance health, education, and social outcomes across the Asia-Pacific region
  • Finding and maintaining strong strategic partnerships with Asian investment partners to build understanding of their local laws and regulations
  • Navigating uncertain risks associated with Asian markets through enhanced collaboration with Asian investment partners

 

Panel: Investing in social infrastructure to enhance sustainability and quality of life

  • Assessing the capacity for social infrastructure to enhance economic growth and social mobility through creating healthier, more connected communities
  • Exploring the opportunities and risks in sectors of increasing demand including hospitals, schools, social housing, cultural infrastructure, justice services and more
  • Measuring social impact of investments through initiatives including Closing the Gap and OECD development targets
  • Getting the most out of value-aligned investment partnerships to deliver on returns and ensure long-term growth

Andrew Sneddon, Chief Investment Officer, Brightlight Group

Visakhan Vythilingham, Responsible Investment Analyst, Active Super

Darren Dawson, General Manager Social Infrastructure Funds, Australian Unity

 

Uncovering essential knowledge and opportunities in data centre infrastructure

  • Exploring the growing demand for data centres and locating investment destinations
  • Highlighting how AI and cybersecurity drive demands for modernising data centres
  • Considering ESG in data centre investments, including minimising pollution and optimising energy use
  • Navigating the dynamic environment of intense growth and disruption in data centre investment

 

Turning a new leaf through sustainable and lucrative forestry infrastructure investments

  • Understanding how forestry drives economic growth and mitigates climate change
  • Driving sustainability efforts through protecting native forests, environmental planting, and sustainable plantations
  • Securing investment in forestry to make the most of demands in sustainable land management
  • Highlighting innovative case studies in successful and sustainable forestry investments

 

Panel: Diversifying infrastructure portfolios to enhance resilience and foster growth

  • Understanding how and why a turbulent geopolitical climate demands branching out from traditional infrastructures
  • Balancing risk management and return requirements when looking into diversification opportunities
  • Exploring geographic regions and emerging sectors which deliver stable, long-term returns
  • Building a portfolio diversification strategy which looks to innovative areas to maximise returns while mitigating risks

Peter Colacino, Project Strategy and Delivery Lead, Mott MacDonald

Ken Lee, Senior Manager, Infrastructure, NSW Treasury Corporation

 

Powering the future by investing in the energy transition

  • Exploring the pivotal role of infrastructure investment in facilitating the energy transition
  • Financing the energy transition by investing in innovative and emerging sectors from electrification, to battery storage, to gas
  • Navigating benchmarks and achieving high performance with ESG and net zero goals
  • Looking to the Asia Pacific for energy transition investment opportunities, and perspectives on risk and reward in different markets

 

Leveraging opportunities in digital infrastructure investment for sustainable growth

  • Enhancing liveability and sustainability in smart cities and digital urban infrastructure
  • Enabling seamless communication through investing in the Internet of Things and connectivity infrastructure
  • Investing in the backbone of the digital economy through cloud computing and data centres
  • Managing risks associated with collapse of digital infrastructure and optimising returns through strategic and timely investment