AGENDA DAY 2
Wealth Symposium
2026 | NSW
08:45
WELCOME BACK
H&B Chairperson
09:00
DATA AND DISCERNMENT | EVOLVING THE GROWTH ALLOCATION
In a market overflowing with data, is alpha generated by superior processing power or deeper human insight?
This session unites two investment philosophies. One relies on fundamental research and experienced judgment to identify mispriced opportunities and understand durable structural drivers, while maintaining a focus on downside resilience. The other deploys an advanced systematic framework, incorporating artificial intelligence to parse complex signals and execute without emotion.
The session will explore how these contrasting approaches navigate market volatility and how allocators can balance algorithmic efficiency with fundamental wisdom to build resilience.
SPEAKERS:
Grace Su, Managing Director Portfolio Manager, ClearBridge Investments
Matt Jones, Portfolio Manager, Fidelity International
David Wilson, Senior Consultant, JANA Investment Advisors
SPEAKERS
WEALTH SYMPOSIUM 2026 | NSW DAY 2
Grace Su
Managing Director Portfolio Manager
ClearBridge Investments
Grace is a portfolio manager and member of the Global Value Equity investment team at ClearBridge Investments. She co-manages numerous global and international value strategies. She is also responsible for covering the media, technology and telecom sectors for international and global value portfolios. She joined the firm in 2005 and the investment industry in 2001. Grace began her tenure as a senior research analyst at Global Currents Investment Management, which became part of ClearBridge in 2013. She joined ClearBridge as a senior portfolio analyst supporting International Value strategies and became a portfolio manager on those same strategies in 2017. Prior to joining the firm she was a research analyst at Brandywine Global, equity research assistant at Bear Stearns and a business analyst at Mitchell Madison Group. Grace received an M.B.A. in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in business administration from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.
Matt Jones
Portfolio Manager
Fidelity International
Matt is a highly experienced portfolio manager with more than two decades in systematic equity investing. He began his career in Sydney as a quantitative analyst at Bankers Trust, before moving to JP Morgan and later joining Fidelity in London, where he spent over a decade managing and developing systematic equity strategies across global markets. Matt specialises in integrating disciplined, rules-based portfolio construction with forward-looking research insights to deliver transparent, repeatable outcomes. Over the course of his career, he has successfully navigated major market dislocations – from the Global Financial Crisis to recent macroeconomic shocks – and brings a deep understanding of how systematic strategies can adapt, scale, and create value for investors through changing market cycles.
David Wilson
Senior Consultant
JANA Investment Advisors
10:00
THE PRIVATE ANTIDOTE | PRIVATE EQUITY IN A HIGH-RATE WORLD
When the era of cheap debt ends, how does private equity actually generate returns?
It has been argued that for a decade falling rates masked private market execution and the question remains whether persistent inflation and a higher cost of capital has killed financial engineering. This session explores the brutal evolution of global private equity. We examine how top tier managers are returning to true operational alpha to drive organic growth & strategic transformation. We explore how accessing fundamentally sound, unlisted global compounders provides essential portfolio resilience in a volatile macro regime.
SPEAKERS:
Gabriel Ng, Managing Director, Neuberger
David Chan, Portfolio Manager | Private Equity, MLC Private Equity
SPEAKERS
WEALTH SYMPOSIUM 2026 | NSW DAY 2
Gabriel Ng
Managing Director
Neuberger
Gabriel Ng is a Managing Director of Neuberger. Prior to joining Neuberger Private Equity in 2018, Gabriel was part of the GIC Private Equity Funds and Co-investments Group, where he focused on global secondary transactions. Previously, he worked at Providence Equity Partners in Hong Kong, where he focused on buyout and growth transactions in the Asia Pacific region. Gabriel also worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Asia M&A group. Gabriel received a BS in Economics, with honors (Magna Cum Laude), from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
David Chan
Portfolio Manager | Private Equity
MLC Private Equity
David joined MLC in 2009 as Head of Asia, MLC Private Equity. His extensive industry experience, spanning over 20 years, includes corporate strategy, strategic due diligence, M&A, IT strategy, operational implementation, product design, financial modelling and process improvement. During his tenure at MLC, David has led coverage of Asian and EM companies and, while currently based in Sydney, he has also worked out of NY and London covering investments in Nth America and the UK.
He has worked closely with the many of the largest banks in Australia and Europe to implement their Asia and China entry strategies, including both M&A and greenfield branch expansion, where he was operationally involved in recruitment, process design and key governance aspects. David started his career as a software engineer and system architect, working several high-profile organisations (e.g. Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, NRMA) on pioneering web applications and search engine technology. David has also gained a particular knowledge of the Asian financial services, being one of the most qualified experts in that sector.
David was placed first in both his Master of Commerce (Finance) and Bachelor of Software Engineering (First Class Honours and University Medal) degrees from the University of New South Wales. He achieved a UAI of 100, ranking first in the State. He is also a CFA charterholder and sits on the Infrastructure Investment Committee for MLC.
10:50
MORNING TEA
11:20
CAPTURING SYSTEMATIC ALPHA
When traditional risk premiums are stretched, how do you generate excess returns without compounding directional market risk?
Navigating elevated market concentration demands unique sources of uncorrelated returns. This session dissects a rigorously systematic framework engineered to exploit relative value and global macro inefficiencies. We explore how quantitative models and dynamic capital allocation isolate structural alpha across global asset classes. A deep dive into building robust, absolute return alternatives designed to withstand severe macroeconomic turbulence.
SPEAKER:
Chia-Wen Teoh, Head of Alternative Sales, Asia, PIMCO
SPEAKERS
WEALTH SYMPOSIUM 2026 | NSW DAY 2
Chia-Wen Teoh
Head of Alternative Sales
Asia, PIMCO
Chia-Wen (CW) Teoh is a Senior Vice President, based in the Hong Kong office. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2022, CW was senior vice president and real estate product specialist at Macquarie Asset Management, responsible for development and distribution of private markets real estate products to Asia-based clients. Previously, he was an executive director in UBS Investment Bank’s real estate, lodging, and leisure team, and vice-president in Macquarie Capital’s real estate investment banking team, focusing on corporate client advisory in Asia. He has 18 years of investment and financial services experience and holds undergraduate degrees in economics and chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.
12:20
DEMOGRAPHICS AS DESTINY
As Australia evolves from a regional outpost to a genuine middle power, the Great Australian Dream seems to be changing. This session examines the demographic forces driving our maturation, from infrastructure booms to shifting global trade. We move beyond macro trends to address two defining anxieties: how your kids can buy their first property in a surging market and whether AI is going to replace all their jobs.
SPEAKER:
Simon Kuestenmacher, Director of Research, The Demographics Group
SPEAKERS
WEALTH SYMPOSIUM 2026 | NSW DAY 2
Simon Kuestenmacher
Director of Research
The Demographics Group
Simon is also Co-founder of The Demographics Group and he presents on demographic and global trends that are shaping Australia today and into the future.
Simon is a columnist for The New Daily newspaper, a monthly columnist for The Australian newspaper; and he is a media commentator on demographic and data matters.
In his spare time Simon has authored three books on maps and runs what is by now the world’s largest Twitter account dedicated to maps and data. His social media posts reach over 25 million people every month. Simon ranks as one of the world’s top 10 influencers in data.