2025 Chair Forum

Chairs of large face myriad challenges from hiring senior management and holding them to account, alongside escalating regulatory, commercial and community pressures. This interview with a high-profile national business leader will range across key business, social and political issues, providing a masterclass in effective and responsible leadership.

As the combined assets under management in Australia’s superannuation pool heads towards $4 trillion, a number of systemic risks are emerging as potential threats to the stewardship of those retirement savings. This session will present cutting-edge new research from The Conexus Institute on risks and vulnerabilities including privatisation of portfolios, reliance on third-party suppliers and interplay with Australia’s macroeconomic conditions.

This session will hear from leading members of the chair community on the big issues facing superannuation as a federal election looms, including the politicisation of preservation, board composition and governance models and claims of systemic and organisational risks, such as internalisation of investments and reliance on third-party suppliers and administrators. It will showcase how individual funds and trustee boards are responding to real risks, while also interrogating key narratives about super being promoted by politicians and the press.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has for the first time warned of the risks posed by an ever-growing pool of superannuation assets to the broader financial system. This session will provide more context and insight into the central bank’s current thinking and outlook around financial stability and payments, the future of money and geopolitical risk, including the interaction between super and the banking system.

The government, regulators and consumer groups are calling on super funds to enhance user experience and treat their members as “customers”. But in a default and heavily regulated system, innovation and experimentation can be difficult. This session will equip chairs with the right questions to ask management about their technology stack, digital member experience and ai integration, providing some practical solutions from unbundling administration to democratising financial advice.

Senior representatives of ASIC and APRA will separately outline their enforcement priorities in the superannuation sector for the 2025 calendar year, including compliance with the Retirement Income Covenant, privatisation of markets and member and customer engagement.

A representative of the Albanese Labor Government will outline the top policy priorities relating to the Treasury portfolio and financial services industry for 2025 and a second term if re-elected. Followed by an audience Q&A.

The private breakfast is attended by chair delegates only (no sponsors or staff) and affords those in attendance the opportunity to speak directly, and in-confidence, about issues of common concern and interest. Ahead of the breakfast, delegates will be invited to submit questions and issues on-notice for discussion.

This session will present an expert hypothesis on the geopolitical landscape, with a focus on investment and business risk under a second Trump administration. It will examine how “national security” risks have  an overview of key trends including de-globalisation, US-China relations and influence in the Asia-Pacific and increasing conflict in the Middle East.

As government, regulators and the national press increase scrutiny of superannuation funds’ member service standards, Andrew Inwood of CoreData will present the latest research from the joint venture project with Conexus providing member sentiment evidence, and the progress (or lack thereof) made by individual funds and sub-sectors.

Includes table discussion

This session will delve into a large super fund’s response to a technology crisis, sharing learnings and posing questions about third-party supplier and other technological risks faced by super funds. Followed by an interactive session testing delegates’ preparedness for an IT or cyber disaster.

Australia’s first climate-related financial disclosure regime (and related sustainability standard AASB S2), introduced in September 2024, were described by ASIC as the “biggest changes to financial reporting and disclosure standards in a generation”. This framework aligns with global efforts to integrate climate risks into financial decision-making and will see most super funds first reporting on the 2027 financial year. This session will explore Australia's sustainable finance roadmap in the context of global climate action efforts and the coming federal election and question the appropriate role for fiduciary investors to play.

In this session, IFM Investors CEO David Neal will present an overview of key risks and opportunities stemming from the global trend towards private assets, with a focus on key secular trends including the energy transition and specific investment case studies supported by pension and fiduciary capital around the world.

This closing session will examine some of the key risks associated with the decumulation phase of superannuation as funds refine their retirement income strategies and service a growing number of members in pension phase, including financial fraud and crime, liquidity and investment issues and organisational structure. It will also examine board competence and oversight of retirement.