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About the event

As macroeconomic factors and market volatility intensifies – driven by sticky inflation, rate cuts, falling demand, and geopolitical tensions – uncertainty has become a defining feature in today’s investment landscape. How can investors effectively position and protect their portfolios and navigate when the timing of an inflection point is difficult? 

This invitation-only morning briefing is designed as an educational and interactive opportunity for investors to explore strategies for aligning global trends with local market realities, enabling them to optimise asset allocation in the face of heightened uncertainty. 

Join FTSE Russell and our partners across the investment industry as we touch upon key topics ranging from equity investment prospects, emerging opportunities in global real estate and infrastructure, T+1 Settlement and country classification, fixed income, and sustainable investing. Don’t miss the CEO’s Corner, where CEOs from FTSE Russell and leading asset managers will share their reflections and five-year outlook of this new market environment. 
Event information
Date:  6 November 2024
Time:  08:30am - 12:30pm, followed by lunch
Location:  QT Sydney, The Screening Room
Address:  49 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
Event Agenda

8:30am – 9:00am           
Registration and Networking Breakfast 


9:00am – 9:05am          
Welcome remarks
  • David Ho, Head of Pacific, Index Investments Group, FTSE Russell


9:05am – 9:20am  
Opening remarks  
  • Fiona Bassett, CEO, FTSE Russell 


9:20am – 9:50am        
CEO’s Corner 
The CEO’s Corner offers an inside look at market strategies and capital allocation decisions over the next five years, with insights into key asset classes and their potential impact on returns in the years ahead. 
  • Fiona Bassett, CEO, FTSE Russell 
  • Alison Telfer, Country Head Australasia, UBS Asset Management (Australia) 
  • Emma Quinn, President, CBOE Australia
  • Jason Collins, Head of Australia, BlackRock


9:50am – 10:15am 
T+1 settlement and Vietnam/Korea/India Country classification and its impact on indices and investors 
  • Explore why the change in settlement cycles impact indices 
  • Understand the potential benefits and operational challenges for investors 
  • Unpack the Vietnam/Korea/India country classification story  
  • Tim Batho, Chief Strategist, Index Policy, FTSE Russell
  • David Rabinowitz, Managing Director, UBS AG (Australia) 


10:15am – 10:40am 
Equity opportunities: How to tread amidst an uneven growth outlook
  • Explore the change in equity investment strategy amidst an uneven global economic and policy outlook  
  • Uncover the importance of international equity opportunities  
  • The role of infrastructure assets in today’s economy
  • Emerald Yau, Head of Equity Index Product Management, APAC, FTSE Russell 
  • Tamara Haban-Beer Stats, Lead ETF and Index Investments Specialist, BlackRock


10:40am – 11:00am 
Networking Break  


11:00am – 11:10am 
How are investors navigating the energy transition: Introducing the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI)
  • What is TPI? 
  • Why it was formed 
  • How it helps the transition to a low carbon economy 
  • David Russell, Chair of TPI 


11:10am – 11:40am       
Benchmarking the climate transition: measurement and integration into passive portfolios   
  • Portfolio implementation: balancing risk/return, asset allocation, and transition readiness
  • Identifying the “winners” in the transition: classifying, measuring, and incorporating “green” exposures 
  • FTSE Russell’s partnership with the Transition Pathway Initiative to provide a clear picture of company alignment with the climate transition 
  • Tony Campos, Head of Sustainable Investment, Index Investments Group, FTSE Russell 
  • David Russell, Chair of TPI 
  • Tim Chesterfield, CIO, Perpetual Guardian Investments


11:40am – 12:10pm       
Global Real Estate trends and opportunities: Evolving use cases for income and diversification
  • Explore recent trends in global real estate and implications of the economic and sectoral outlook for future performance 
  • Uncovering risks and opportunities in Australia’s property and infrastructure Markets 
  • Delve into how real estate can play a long-term diversifying role for institutional investors. 
  • The FTSE EPRA Nareit Global Real Estate Index Series: A benchmarking tool that can be used to construct portfolios of different segments of the globally listed real estate market.  
  • Julia Lee, Head of Client Solutions, Pacific, FTSE Russell
  • Dominique Moerenhout, CEO, European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA)
  • John Worth, Executive Vice President, Nareit
  • Mike Zorbas, CEO, Property Council of Australia


12:10pm – 12:30pm     
Modernising Fixed Income Markets: The future of indexing, pricing, and market infrastructure
  • The latest developments on Fixed Income trading infrastructure, the significance of pricing capabilities for passive investment products, and the future roadmap for executing Index portfolios. 
  • Tools for formulating optimal Fixed Income investment strategies, minimising risk and tracking errors, and building a golden-source of Fixed Income investments data. 
  • David Ho, Head of Pacific, Index Investments Group, FTSE Russell
  • Emily Turner, APAC Product Manager, Data & Analytics, Tradeweb


12:30pm – 12:35pm 
Closing remarks
  • David Ho, Head of Pacific, Index Investments Group, FTSE Russell


12:35pm – 2:30pm  
Lunch


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Speakers

Alison Telfer
Country Head Australasia, UBS Asset Management 

Alison was appointed Country Head Australasia for UBS Asset Management in January 2022. 

Alison has over 20 years of experience working in Australian and global asset management with roles spanning product development, strategy, client distribution, legal, compliance, regulatory and government affairs as well as the COO function. Alison brings these skills to her leadership of UBS Asset Management and its goal of partnering with clients and industry to reimagine the power of investing and connect people for a better world.

Prior to joining UBS Alison was General Counsel and Head of Compliance at BlackRock before being appointed Head of Public Policy in 2016, Chair of the Australian Board in 2019 and COO Australasia in 2020.  She was also the Executive Sponsor for BlackRock Women’s Initiative Australasia and for the firm’s Philanthropic Committee and held seats on BlackRock’s Asia Pacific Stewardship Committee.

Prior to BlackRock, Alison worked at Challenger as director of specialised product development and institutional co-investments and at law firms King Wood Mallesons and Ashurst.

In addition to holding a seat on the FSC board, Alison is a member of the Financial Services Council Fund Management Board Committee.

In June 2024, Alison has been nominated as a recipient of the AFR Women in Leadership Awards for 2024.

Alison holds a BA (communications)/LLB.


Fiona Bassett
CEO, FTSE Russell

Fiona Bassett is a dynamic senior executive with a proven track record of building and transforming businesses in financial markets. With strategic and operational expertise spanning multiple geographies, asset classes and functions, Fiona is known for her energetic and values driven leadership style consistently driving innovation and excellence.

Throughout her career, Fiona has demonstrated a passion for cultivating talent and building diverse, high-performance teams that deliver exceptional results. Her leadership impact has been acknowledged with prestigious industry awards, including the American Banker, Mutual Fund Industry, and Institute of International Finance accolades.

Prior to joining LSEG as CEO for FTSE Russell, Fiona was a long-standing Deutsche Bank veteran, most recently serving as the Global Head of Systematic Investment Solutions and Implementation (trading) at DWS where she also was CEO of DWS UK.


David Russell
Chair of the Board of Directors, Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI)

David Russell is the Chair of the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI), which assesses companies’ preparedness for the transition to a low carbon future, supporting the efforts of investors in addressing climate change. 

Prior to this, David was the Head of Responsible Investment at the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), the largest UK pension, where he worked from 2001 to 2023. He had responsibility for all aspects of RI strategy development and implementation across all asset classes.  This included its development of policy and strategy, stewardship, and integration across both public and private asset classes and from an asset manager and an asset owner perspective.  He has also led on the scheme’s formal ESG related reporting, including the UNPRI, the UK Stewardship Code and TCFD reporting. 

David is a former Board member of the UN PRI, was involved in the governance of the IIGCC from its inception, and until June 2023 was on the Board of the International Centre for Pensions Management.  More broadly, David is a member of the FTSE Russell Sustainable Investment Advisory Committee, and whilst at USS was also a member of the PLSA Sustainability Committee and the UK Investment Associations’ Sustainability and Responsible Investment Committee.

Prior to joining USS, David worked as an Environmental Manager for a UK retail company, and was for five years a University lecturer in Environmental Management.  He has a Masters Degree in Environmental Impact Assessment.



Emma Quinn
President, CBOE Australia

Emma Quinn is President, Cboe Australia at Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe). A proven leader with significant experience in global capital markets, she is responsible for defining and executing the company's strategy and increasing adoption of its products and services.

In 2023, Quinn joined Cboe from AllianceBernstein, where she was Global Co-Head of Equity Trading. Previously, she served as head of Asia-Pacific Trading, head of Asia-Pacific Fixed Income and Australia Equities Trading, and head of Trading for Australia and New Zealand for the firm. Prior to joining AllianceBernstein in 2001, she worked as an equity trader at AMP Henderson Global Investors.

Quinn also provides strategic leadership and participation on a number of boards and committees to help drive innovation and influence industry development. She is currently a Director and Chairperson of FIX Protocol Limited and FIX Protocol Trading Limited boards.

She was previously an advisory board member of Quorum 15; a member of the Markets Advisory Panel for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission; a member of Asia Trader Forum; and a member of various Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association committees.

Quinn holds a Bachelor of Business in finance and business law from the University of Technology, Sydney.


Emily Turner
APAC Product Manager, Data & Analytics, Tradeweb

Emily has extensive experience in Financial Markets and over 15 years working on developing Electronic Trading & Data Solutions.

In her previous role, Emily was Head of Market Data and part of the senior leadership team at Yieldbroker before its acquisition by Tradeweb in 2023. Now in an expanded role, Emily is responsible for the development and enhancement of data-driven products for APAC clients, as well as driving the growth for the Australia Market Data business.

Aligning to Tradeweb's ethos, Emily is focused on customer and market-centric product development, which will see the delivery of enhancements to Tradeweb's suite of pricing solutions and content from the APAC region.


Emerald Yau
Head of Equity Index Product Management, APAC, FTSE Russell

Emerald Yau is Head of Equity Index Product Management, APAC at FTSE Russell, an LSEG business.

Based in Hong Kong, Emerald is a seasoned international investment professional. Prior to joining FTSE Russell in 2020, she was an Investment Director at Capital Group, promoting global equity strategies. Before that, was a product strategist at BlackRock, covering Asian fixed income and Asian equities. Earlier in her career, Emerald covered structured alternatives at Shinsei Bank in Tokyo and asset-backed securities at Lehman Brothers in New York.

Emerald is a CFA charter holder.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University.


Jason Collins
Head of Australia, BlackRock

Jason Collins is the Head of BlackRock Australia, an executive director of the board of BlackRock Australia and BlackRock New Zealand, and is a member of the BlackRock Asia Pacific Operating Committee. In his role, Jason has responsibility for the commercial and operational performance of BlackRock's Australian operations, and the oversight of team members across the business. Jason previously served as the Deputy Head of BlackRock Australasia; the Head of ETF and Index Investing; and the Head of Client Business in the region.

Mr. Collins joined BlackRock in April 2013 from private equity firm Ascalon Capital Manager, a former subsidiary of BT Financial Group, where he last served as Head of Australia. Ascalon specialised in incubating boutique fund managers with a focus on alternatives. Prior to that, Mr. Collins spent five years with Deutsche Bank in Singapore, working mainly with Global Markets. Mr. Collins started his funds management career with Bankers Trust Australia in 1998. Before joining BT, Mr. Collins worked as a financial markets journalist.

Mr. Collins earned a Bachelor of Business and a Graduate Diploma in Communications from the University of Technology, Sydney. He has also studied languages at universities in Spain and Sweden. Outside of BlackRock, Mr. Collins is a volunteer lifesaver registered with Surf Life Saving Australia, and served as a non-executive director of SurfAid International.


Dominique Moerenhout 
CEO, European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA)

Dominique Moerenhout is the CEO of EPRA (European Public Real Estate Association), the voice of the publicly traded European real estate sector. He has been active in the Pan-European real estate investment management sector for 25 years.

Dominique joined EPRA in 2017, moving from BNP Paribas REIM where he held the CEO position for the BeNeLux. After working as a Portfolio Manager in a private bank followed by five years as an investment management consultant for KPMG Consulting, he joined Fortis Private Real Estate from 2004 until 2011 as the COO before becoming the COO of BNP Paribas Real Estate UK in 2011-2014.


John Worth
Executive Vice President, Nareit

John D. Worth is the Executive Vice President for Research and Investor Outreach at Nareit. Nareit’s research focuses on the role of REITs and real estate in diversified portfolios and commercial real estate market dynamics.

Prior to joining Nareit, John founded the Office of the Chief Economist of the National Credit Union Administration. Before NCUA, John spent nearly a decade at the U.S. Treasury where he served as the Director of the Office of Microeconomic Analysis. At Treasury, John was deeply engaged in housing and financial crisis response.
 
John is a graduate of George Washington University and holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California.  


Mike Zorbas
CEO, Property Council of Australia

Mike Zorbas is the Chief Executive of the Property Council of Australia and a Property Champion of Change. The Property Council represents the leading organisations that invest in and shape our cities. Property Council members are the stewards of every kind of commercial, industrial, educational, health, retail, retirement, student accommodation, build to rent and residential precinct. 

Previously Mike held leadership roles at Lendlease and Stockland and was Deputy Head of Media for the Liberal Democrats in the UK. He is currently on the Boards of ASBEC, the Sydney Institute and Green Peak Energy. He is a former Deputy Chair of the Committee for Sydney and served two terms on the SBS Community Advisory Committee.


David Rabinowitz 
Global Head of Index Analytics, UBS AG

David started his career at SBC Warburg in 1997, where he assisted in designing and implementing Warburg's European Equity Research database. After a brief stint at Paribas, he moved to Hong Kong to rejoin UBS Warburg Dillon Read in 2000, as a member of the award-winning Asian Quantitative Analysis team. David then moved on to the Asian Portfolio Trading team between 2004 and 2008 before leading the Asian electronic trading desk over the decade to 2018, managing the rollout and expansion of UBS' DMA and Algorithmic strategy platform throughout Asia.

David relocated in 2018 to Sydney where he continues to oversee regional market structure and emerging market access, driving exchange and regulatory trading initiatives whilst concentrating on building benchmark and bespoke beta solutions as the Global Head of Index Analytics.


David Ho
Head of Pacific, Index Investments Group, FTSE Russell

David is currently the Head of FTSE Russell’s Index Investments Group for Australia and New Zealand and primarily looks to catalyse asset management flows into sustainable finance options through indices. David sits on the APAC leadership team and has a deep understanding of the asset management industry having held critical and senior roles throughout the asset management value chain.

With over 20 years’ experience working in the Financial Services sector. David has previously worked with ETF issuers tasked with establishing the business onshore ensuring regulatory compliance and prior to that David worked with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) managing the cash equity trading platform as well as building out ASX’ Investment Products business.

David is passionate about giving back and dedicates a large proportion of his spare time on philanthropic activities being the Head of APAC for the London Stock Exchange Foundation – LSEG’s philanthropic arm, donating over a million dollars each year to much needed charities in the region. Is also a guest lecturer and program sponsor at UNSW and University of Melbourne looking to improve financial literacy particularly in the future female leaders and promoting sustainable finance throughout the education system.


Julia Lee
Head of Pacific Client Coverage, Index Investments Group, FTSE Russell

Julia Lee one of Australia’s best known financial experts providing commentary to Bloomberg, CNBC, ABC, BCC, Sunrise and on radio, podcast and in newspapers. She is currently the Head of Client Coverage – Pacific at FTSE Russell’s Index Investment Group and focuses on asset owners in Australia and New Zealand.

She is a seasoned financial professional with extensive experience in the equities and ETF markets. She has held key positions such as the ETF Equities Strategist Asia-Pacific Region at State Street Global Advisors, Chief Investment Officer at Burman Invest, and Equities Strategist at Bell Direct.

With over 20 years experience, Julia has demonstrated expertise in investment insights, financial product development and portfolio strategy, making her a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events.

Julia is on the board of directors for the Australian Stockbrokers Foundation. She has her Master of Business in Finance and is an accredited Derivatives Advisor (ADA2(ASX)).

Tamara Haban-Beer Stats
Lead ETF and Index Investments Specialist, BlackRock

Tamara Haban-Beer Stats joined BlackRock in November 2021 and is a Director within the Institutional Client Business. Ms Haban-Beer Stats has responsibilities leading our Official Institutions Group client engagement, as well as working with exposure management and overlay desks at superannuation funds and asset managers. Secondarily Ms Haban-Beer Stats draws upon her prior experience in the ETF and Index Investing business, to be a spokesperson for the iShares ETF brand in market. Prior to leading the ETF Specialist team, Ms Haban-Beer Stats worked in the Whole Portfolio Solutions business delivering all of BlackRock to the firm's OCIO clients.

Ms Haban-Beer Stats started her career in investment banking. Most recently Ms Haban-Beer Stats led JPMorgan Sydney's private side interest rate and commodities solutions businesses. Previous to that, Ms Haban-Beer Stats worked at Deutsche Bank AG Sydney on the rates derivative sales desk and Capital Markets and Treasury solutions team. Ms Haban-Beer Stats has a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry & molecular biology) from the University of Melbourne earned in 2006. Ms Stats has more recently developed an interest in Sustainability, completing a certificate in Sustainable Finance from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership in 2021.

Tim Batho
Chief Strategist, Index Policy, FTSE Russell

Tim joined FTSE Russell, a division of LSEG, as Chief Strategist, Index Policy in October 2018. He focuses primarily on Country Classification for both equities and fixed income. In his role, he spends significant time interacting with the market authorities, regulators, and stock exchanges, particularly within the Asia Pacific region.

Previously, Tim has held senior positions at a number of investment management, asset owner and broking businesses in the UK and Australia, although his roles have typically been regional or global in nature. He has extensive technical knowledge focused on implemented consulting, quantitative investment management, active and passive strategies and derivatives. 

Tim Chesterfield
Chief Investment Officer, Perpetual Guardian Investments

Tim brings nearly 35 years of experience as a global equity investor, focusing on global asset allocation and investment. His extensive career has seen him manage assets across New Zealand, Australia, Europe, the UK, and the US, with a particular emphasis on US equities over the past 15 years.

Before his current role, Tim gained invaluable experience at companies such as QBE Insurance, AMP Capital, Deutsche Bank and NatWest Markets, where he meaningfully contributed to asset allocation committees, setting country and asset class targets for capital allocation in diverse market conditions.

As the Chief Investment Officer of PG Investments, Tim leads a dedicated team of investment professionals committed to achieving optimal client outcomes. His leadership is underpinned by a wealth of experience, including over five years as Head of Equities for QBE Insurance, where he managed a US$1.5 billion portfolio of US equities and led a global equity team overseeing more than A$5 billion. At AMP Capital, Tim focused on making institutional-quality investment management accessible to individual investors.

Tim advocates for a consistent, long-term, and disciplined approach to asset allocation and investment, firmly believing that there are no shortcuts to successful investing. His passion for investment and client outcomes is evident in his mantra, “All New Zealanders deserve access to investment management done well.”


Tony Campos
Head of Sustainable Investment, Index Investments Group, FTSE Russell 

Tony works closely with asset managers and asset owners around the world to help implement SI objectives into index-based investment solutions. Tony has worked in SI since he joined FTSE in 2004 and has held previous roles including leading product management in the Americas and overseeing global ESG research and company engagement.