Fund Executive Forum
Leading with Impact & Influence
The Fund Executive Forum is a one-day discussion-based forum, where leadership challenges currently facing fund executives are addressed and discussed in a roundtable format. The Forum provides fund executives with an opportunity to share experiences and explore issues that impact on their professional lives, with no media present.
The speakers and panels at the Forum unpacked the importance of ‘Leading with Impact & Influence’. Sessions ranged from learning how to increase your impact and influence as an individual to lessons for the future from the pioneers of driving purposeful outcomes for the industry.
We heard stories from individuals who have direct interactions and impact on members as well as how the balance between generating investment returns and investing sustainably is managed. The Forum program concluded with personal reflections on the day and used influence for impact from today’s CEOs.
At the Forum Dinner we will be announcing the winners of the 2025 Scholarship Program and celebrating the achievements of our MBS students. We will also hear from 7 time world champion surfer Layne Beachley AO about her journey, including her role in impacting & influencing women’s surfing.
Fund Executive Forum guest speakers
We opened the day with ‘Lessons in Leadership & Influence’ hearing reflections and stories of how key industry leaders have used impact & influence to steer change, and exploring lessons learnt for the future. Rest CEO Vicki Doyle lead a conversation with former Chair of JANA and Rest, Ken Marshman, and former CEO of ASFA, Martin Fahy.
Vicki Doyle, CEO, Rest
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. She 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.
Ken Marshman, Former Chair of JANA and Rest
Ken began his investment journey as a member of the SECV Superannuation Fund Investment Committee in 1986. He joined JANA Investment Advisers in 1995 and held various positions including CEO and Chair until 2018. He was Chair of the Investment Committee, and Chair of the Board at Rest Industry Super for nine years until 2022. Ken is now a non-executive director for the Perron Group and South Haven Group, as well as involved in a number of community roles. He has a BA in Maths and Economics and a MEc in Econometrics.
Martin Fahy, CEO of The Ramsay Centre
Martin is an experienced academic and business leader. He took up the position of CEO of the Ramsay Centre in June 2024. Prior to this appointment, Martin had an extensive executive career as a Managing Director at Accenture, CEO of ASFA, the peak policy, research, and advocacy body for Australia’s superannuation industry, and as a partner with KPMG. Martin spent over ten years as an academic in Ireland, France, and the United States.
He holds a PhD from the National University of Ireland (NUI), and undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from NUI, Galway.
Martin has held visiting positions at the Faculté des Sciences Économiques, Université d’Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand (France), Instituto Superior Técnico Lisbon (Portugal), and JEPT Pécs (Hungary) and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. He is also a former Senior Fulbright Scholar.
Associate Professor Jody Evans from FEAL’s education partner, the Melbourne Business School, then lead a session exploring how executives can use storytelling to increase their impact & influence on their key stakeholders.
Jody Evans, Faculty Program Facilitator, Melbourne Business School
Jody has over 25 years of experience in marketing, brand strategy, and leadership development. A member of the Melbourne Business School (MBS) faculty since 2002, she specialises in strategic narratives, storytelling, and communication effectiveness.
As Program Director of MBS's Women in Leadership Program and For-Purpose Executive Leadership Program, Jody empowers leaders to drive meaningful impact. Her expertise in psychology and marketing helps leaders craft engaging and impactful stories.
Jody serves on the Board of the Melbourne Recital Centre and holds a Ph.D. in Marketing, a Bachelor of Marketing (Honours), and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and English) from Monash University.
After lunch we delved into the balancing act between sustainable investing and delivering investment return outcomes to members. First Sentier Investors’ Lauren Prendiville facilitated a discussion with co-founder and Managing Director at Pacific Equity Partners and co- founder of HOPE Housing, Tim Sims AM, and unpacked the conversations between fund CIOs and Heads of Sustainable Investments with the Australian Retirement Trust CIO Ian Patrick and JANA’s Head of Sustainability Rachel Halpern.
Tim Sims AM, co-founder HOPE Housing
Tim is a founder of Pacific Equity Partners and is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee. Prior to founding PEP, Tim was the Chairman and Managing Director of Bain & Company’s Australasian and African operations and a member of Bain & Company’s Global Executive Committee. Tim has also served on a number of government committees and led national strategy projects. Tim received a BA/MA from Oxford University where he was a Mitsui European Scholar and an MPA from Harvard where he was a Kennedy Scholar. In 2019, Tim was made a member in the general division of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the community through philanthropic initiatives.
Ian Patrick, CIO, Australian Retirement Trust
Ian is the CIO of Australian Retirement Trust (ART) and is responsible for leading the investment teams that design and implement ART’s investment strategies, including maintaining a strong focus on governance. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the institutional investment industry. Prior to joining Sunsuper in 2015 he held the position of CEO at JANA Investment Advisors. Ian is an actuary, holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours), a Masters of Business Administration and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Rachel Halpern, Head Of Sustainability, JANA
Rachel is Head of Sustainability and responsible for ensuring sustainability continues to be core to everything we do at JANA. She is a member of the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative’s technical advisory group (TAG) on the Australian Taxonomy, which is responsible for undertaking research, analysis, stakeholder consultations and project management activities required to deliver the ASFI Taxonomy Project.
Rachel has an established advisory career covering risk and commercial litigation. Rachel has spent over 10 years in the finance industry developing investment strategies which minimise regulatory and fiduciary risk through the effective integration of ESG into investment and lending decisions. Most recently at Westpac, Rachel was the lead risk advisor on the creation of its sustainable finance framework designed to guide future credit decisions to in line with client transition to a net-zero carbon economy. Prior to that Rachel was regulatory counsel for State Street Bank in Asia Pacific and Europe where she assisted institutional investors in setting up responsible investment frameworks.
Rachel holds a Master of Behavioural Science from The London School of Economics and Political Science and a combined Bachelor of Arts (politics) and Bachelor of Laws from Macquarie University.
Lauren Prendiville, Global Head of Distribution and Marketing, First Sentier Investors
Lauren was appointed Global Head of Distribution and Marketing of First Sentier Investors in January 2025. She is responsible for providing oversight of sales, managing client relationships and overseeing marketing activities globally.
Prior to this role, Lauren was the Regional Managing Director and Head of Distribution, Asia Pacific (APAC) since November 2021. She was responsible for managing the business in APAC (inclusive of Australia and New Zealand), overseeing the business development and the day-to-day functional operations in the region. She is a director on a number of company subsidiary boards.
Lauren has over 25 years of asset management experience. Prior to joining First Sentier Investors in 2014, Lauren was the Executive Director, Institutional Business Development with Goldman Sachs Asset Management based in London and Singapore.
Lauren has also held roles at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Investec Asset Management, working across multiple client segments including pension funds, central banks, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and private clients. Lauren began her career in South Africa and after spending 10 years in London, she transferred to Singapore in 2009. Lauren holds an Investment Management Certificate and a Certificate in Corporate Governance from INSEAD.
The next session ‘From Interaction to Impact - Member Empathy in Action’ attendees heard from frontline staff who interact with fund members – hearing their stories of how they have impacted individual members in their funds.
Helen Crossan, Head of Member Services, Australian Retirement Trust
Helen joined Australian Retirement Trust in January 2024 and is Head of Member Services, responsible for delivering service to 2.3million members, advisors and employers, and accountable for strategic workforce optimisation to a business unit of 350+ individuals. She has over 25 years of experience across a range of disciplines within the Finance industry, implementing practical solutions to deliver outcomes with an agile approach to change, people management and service delivery. Helen holds a Bachelor of Business majoring in Communications from the Queensland University of Technology and loves cats.
Corrine Henville, General Manager Member Services, Rest
Corrine has more than 25 years’ experience in operational and sales functions across the financial services sector, including funds management, superannuation, insurance, pensions and wealth management. She has a wealth of expertise in driving continuous improvement and simplified member services in administration and call centre operations, and in-depth experience with sales execution and support functions. She has overseen service provision for a variety of clients, from industry super fund members and retail investors, through to financial advisers and institutional investors.
Tonya Lunardello, Head of Service Operations, Equip Super
Tonya has over 25 years of experience leading service and operational teams within financial services including general insurance, medical indemnity, and superannuation. She joined Equip Super in 2017 as part of Catholic Super and currently serves as Head of Service Operations and Responsible Manager. She oversees both in-house and outsourced teams handling inbound, outbound and retirement services.
Siobhan Glyde, Senior Manager Customer Support & Claims Operations, CSC
Siobhan has worked at CSC for 15 years in claims, education and leadership roles. Siobhan is also Canberra’s Chair for the Mother’s Day Classic event, a charity fun run or walk for breast and ovarian cancer research. She is passionate about ensuring CSC’s members and families have a smooth and compassionate experience when claiming benefits during significant and often challenging life events.
Emilie Kennedy, Member Services Officer, Super SA
Emilie has over 15 years’ experience in customer specialised roles with just over 5 of those in the financial services industry. Emilie works as a Member Services Officer with Super SA and is at the frontline assisting members with all super related enquires ranging from retirement options, insurance queries, financial hardship, and taxation information. Emilie is passionate about educating and serving members to ensure that they have the best possible experience and that they feel informed and empowered throughout every stage of their pre and post-retirement journey.
Bahar Mcleod, Senior Financial Planner, Hostplus
Bahar has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry (including 13 years at Hostplus) and provides tailored advice and implementation in wealth creation, pre and post retirement planning, Centrelink entitlements, cashflow management, personal insurances and taxation planning.
Moderator - Umberto Mecchi, Chief Member Officer, Hostplus
Umberto is Chief Member Officer at Hostplus, he is a seasoned Marketing and strategy professional with over 30 years’ experience in senior marketing and strategic roles. His simple but effective application of strategic marketing fundamentals has enabled Umberto to create breakthrough marketing programs and brand campaigns for leading brands in Australia.
Prior to joining Hostplus, Umberto worked with the ANZ Bank, National Mutual/AXA and Zurich Financial Services in marketing and strategy roles. In 1999, he joined direct marketing agency – trademarkDM as their Director of Strategy and worked on major campaigns for financial services brands including, AXA Australia, GE Capital, Members Equity Bank, American Insurance Group (AIG), and Australia Unity Funds Management. In May 2024, Umberto was also appointed as Chair of Industry Super Australia.
Umberto also holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from RMIT and a Masters in Organisational Leadership from Melbourne Business School that included module placements at London Business School, INSEAD Singapore and Kellogg University. Umberto has also completed Squared Online (with honours) – a digital marketing leadership course developed with Google. In March 2021, he also completed and became a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course.
We finished the program for the day hearing personal stories of impact & influence and their reflections on the day from CEOs, Robbie Campo from ESSSuper, Peter Chun from UniSuper and Kate Farrar from Brighter Super.
Kate Farrar, CEO, Brighter Super
Kate has been the Chief Executive Officer of Brighter Super since April 2018, and has grown the fund from $10b with 75,000 members to $32b with 228,000 members through the merger of LGIAsuper and Energy Super and the acquisition of Suncorp Super. Completed 18 months early, the integration of the three foundation funds has delivered material fee savings to members whilst increasing services across Queensland. In recognition of this work, Ms Farrar won the FEAL Fund Executive of the Year Award for 2024.
Kate has 35 years’ experience in leadership roles across the finance and energy sectors, including at Barclays de Zoete Wedd, Suncorp Investment Management, NSW Treasury Corporation, McKinsey and Ergon Energy. She is also a Non-Executive Director with ASX100 company Seven Group Holdings, and is the President of the Queensland Futures Institute.
Kate holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours) Degree and a Masters Degree in Econometrics and Finance. Through a scholarship from Chief Executive Women, she is also a graduate of INSEAD’s Advanced Management Programme.
Peter Chun, CEO, UniSuper
Peter joined UniSuper as the Chief Executive Officer in September 2021, bringing almost 30 years’ experience in financial services across the retail and industry fund sectors. UniSuper is one of Australia’s largest super funds with over 647,000 members and approximately $139 billion* in funds under management. (*As at 30 June 2024).
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 and holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University. He also 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 and member of the ASFA Fund Advisory Panel and the Australian Chamber Orchestra Finance Audit & Risk Committee.
Robbie Campo, CEO, Emergency Services and State Super
Robbie is the Chief Executive Officer of Emergency Services and State Super, a profit-to-member fund serving Victorian emergency services and state employees. ESSSuper has 125,000 members and around $38B in DB and accumulation assets. She has worked as an executive in the superannuation industry for over two decades.
Robbie is passionate about the fundamental purpose of superannuation; to maximise the retirement outcomes of Australians and ensure that hard-earned contributions made throughout their working lives create financial security in their post-working years. A key priority for her is to see systemic improvements for women’s economic and retirement outcomes and women’s equal participation in the superannuation system. She is also a Non-Executive Director and member of the Audit and Risk Committee at Victoria Legal Aid, and is the Chair of Women in Super.
Moderator - Brian Delaney, Chair of FEAL
Brian joined the FEAL board as Chair in May 2022. He brings more than 30 years of funds management experience gained during his tenure with QIC, and AMP Capital. Most recently as U.S. Senior Managing Director Brian led QIC’s efforts to foster client relationships and business development opportunities in the U.S, supporting the corporate strategy and investment teams across four offices in New York City, San Francisco, Cleveland and Los Angeles. Brian is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program, a life member of the Association of Superannuation Funds (ASFA), as well as a Fellow of ASFA and AICD.
The MCs for the Forum were Peter Heine from First Sentier Investors and Jessie Pettigrew from Equip Super who was the 2024 winner of the FEAL Robeco Executive Scholarship.
Peter Heine, First Sentier Investors
Peter is the Head of Client Relationships for Australia and New Zealand, at First Sentier Group. He joined the Group in 2013 and through that time has been responsible for both institutional business development and relationship management of First Sentier Group's institutional clients spanning superannuation, insurance, family offices, charities, endowments and foundations.
Peter has 28 years' industry experience working in both investment and distribution roles in Australia and the United Kingdom. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in Applied Finance, both from Macquarie University.
Jessie Pettigrew, Equip Super
Responsible for the delivery of the responsible investment strategy at Equip Super, Jessie’s focus is on the integration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations into the team’s investment process, the asset stewardship program, including company engagement and proxy voting activities as well as sustainable investment advocacy. Jessie has worked in sustainability and ESG risk across financial services for almost a decade, with a focus on investments and superannuation. Jessie has a Bachelor of Commerce / Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Sustainability from Monash University and was awarded the FEAL Robeco Executive Scholarship in 2024.
Forum Dinner Guest Speaker
Layne Beachley AO
Seven-time world champion surfer, author, speaker, co-founder of self-empowerment platform Awake Academy and AIA Vitality Ambassador
Layne is a surfing legend. Claiming a remarkable 7 world titles, the only surfer in the world to win 6 consecutively. Her path to success was filled with challenges: adoption, mental illness, life-threatening injuries, and failures. Embracing setbacks as growth opportunities, Layne’s honest and determined approach to life and success is inspiring. Author, motivational speaker and champion for the environment, she also promotes mental wellness as an ambassador for The Black Dog Institute, RUOK? Day and Gotcha4life. Her journey from adversity to greatness has inspired her guide others to live happier and more purposeful lives through her transformational work at Awake Academy.
FUND EXECUTIVE FORUM
DATE: Wednesday 19th March 2025
VENUE: Park Hyatt Melbourne
ADDRESS: 1 Parliament Square, off Parliament Place, Melbourne
TIME: 10.00 tea & coffee, 10.30am start - 5.30pm (AEDT)
COST: FEAL members $1,040 (inc GST) & sponsors $1,270 (inc GST)
FORUM DINNER
DATE: Wednesday 19th March 2025
VENUE: Park Hyatt Melbourne
ADDRESS: 1 Parliament Square, off Parliament Place, Melbourne
TIME: 5.30pm - 6.30pm pre-drinks, 6.30pm start - 9.30pm (AEDT)
COST: FEAL members $290 (inc GST) & sponsors $360 (inc GST)
ELIGIBILITY: Fund Executive Forum & Forum Dinner - FEAL members and sponsors only.
A discount is available for those attending both events: FEAL members $1,200 (inc GST) & FEAL sponsors $1,460 (inc GST)
Sponsored in partnership with
