H&B

AGENDA DAY 1

Wealth Symposium
2026 | NSW

28-29 October 2026
The Gibraltar, Bowral, NSW

WEDNESDAY 28 OCTOBER | 08:30

REGISTRATION

09:00

WELCOME

CHRIS FORREST, Chairperson

Chris is a highly experienced financial and investment adviser.

Chris has a Bachelor of Economics and Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning and he is a Certified Financial Planner. He has specialist accreditations in the areas of self-managed super funds and derivatives. He has been involved in financial planning and wealth management since 1997.

Chris began his career in banking whilst studying full time gaining experience in lending followed by foreign exchange with one of the world’s leading banks. A career in financial planning ensued with roles in a leading boutique and some of Australia’s leading financial services and investment banks. Chris was one of the founding partners of Sovereign Wealth Partners prior to merging to form Esencia Wealth.

A deep understanding of capital markets enables Chris to provide insights and structure portfolios to meet client objectives. Skills encompass investment management, financial planning, trusts, estates and philanthropy.

With strong industry background, Chris’ role is primarily to look after a select group of clients as well as support and advise Team members.

09:20

WHAT ARE THEY PAYING YOU FOR? GROWTH, VALUE AND THE CLIENT WHO DID THE WORK

If demand exceeds supply and your pipeline is full, why would you spend any time on the sales engine? But is hope a strategy? Clients can generate their own SOAs and can create their own plans, so what are they paying you for?

A session about growth, value proposition and how the adviser conversation changes when the client walks in having already done the work.

SPEAKERS:

Mark Zaglas,  Principal, Encore

Cameron Spittle,  Managing Partner, Trellia Wealth Partners

Matt Englund,  Chief Operating Officer & Partner, Kearney Group

Mark Zaglas
Cameron Spittle
Matt Englund

10:20

MORNING TEA

10:50

THE VALUATION RESET | CAPITALISING ON PROPERTY DISLOCATION

Who benefits when a higher cost of capital fractures the property market?

Rising interest rates have ruthlessly repriced Australian commercial real estate, punishing overleveraged portfolios while creating generational opportunities for those with liquidity.

This session unpacks the realities of the current market as we explore how stabilising cap rates and distressed sellers provide exceptional entry points into premium assets. A session on how to leverage this dislocation, capturing robust, inflation protected yield by acquiring high quality property at fundamentally reset valuations.

SPEAKER:

Jonathan Williams,  Fund Manager, Charter Hall Direct

GUEST MODERATOR:

Chris Ogilvie,  Chief Investment Officer, Ironbark Financial Group

Jonathan Williams

11:50

BEYOND THE BARBELL | THE NEW CREDIT FRONTIER

With aggregate spreads heavily compressed, how do allocators source risk-adjusted yield beyond traditional portfolio structures?

This session explores the efficient credit frontier, highlighting active sector rotation as the primary engine for uncovering mispriced anomalies and navigating geopolitical volatility. Our speaker covers the tactical shift away from expensive developed market high yield, rotating capital into opportunistic leveraged loans and emerging market corporates. We examine how this dynamic liquidity captures elevated income without the illiquidity traps of private credit, while repositioning duration as a portfolio stabiliser.

SPEAKER:

Rob Burn,  Partner | Fixed Income Portfolio Manager, Wellington Management

Rob Burn

12:45

LUNCH

13:45

ESCAPING THE INDEX | TWO PATHS TO GLOBAL ALPHA

How do you capture broad economic growth without blindly buying a top heavy benchmark?

This session contrasts two approaches to global equities. One with a patient, contrarian lens to exploit mispriced market anomalies while the other deploys a highly dynamic, forward looking strategy to capture durable earnings compounding.

We examine how both managers navigate supply chain reconfigurations, persistent inflation, and extreme valuation dispersion to ultimately see how these divergent philosophies both build critical portfolio resilience.

SPEAKERS:

David Jenkins,  Client Portfolio Manager, GQG Partners

Andrew Russell,  Portfolio Manager, PM Capital

GUEST MODERATOR:

Lydia Kav,  Non-executive Director, BilaEmpower

David Jenkins
Andrew Russell

14:50

AFTERNOON TEA

15:20

BOND VOYAGE | NAVIGATING GLOBAL CREDIT

Credit spreads are near record tights even as rates rise again. Is credit expensive or is today’s market no longer comparable to past cycles?

This session covers the risks and opportunities in income portfolios today with our speakers looking at liquidity, duration, concentration and AI related issuance. If rates keep rising and spreads widen, which income portfolios hold up?

SPEAKERS:

Haran Karunakaran,  Fixed Income Investment Director, Capital Group

Jason Petras,  Director, Resonant Asset Management

Haran Karunakaran
Jason Petras

16:20

GODS, GUNS & GOLD | THE NEW MACRO TRINITY

How do you allocate when the sovereign bid for gold, energy-driven geopolitics, and artificial intelligence collide?

Stepping beyond standard asset classes to dissect these macro forces as discretionary opportunities. We unpack these structural shifts to understand how to allocate in a rapidly changing global landscape.

SPEAKER:

Chris Watling,  CEO, Chief Market Strategist & Founder, Longview Economics

Chris Watling

17:30

SYMPOSIUM DAY 1 CONCLUDES

17:45

DRINKS AND LIVE MUSIC COMMENCE

19:00

DINNER IS SERVED