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Lonsec Melbourne Forum 2026
Join Lonsec at the Melbourne Forum on October 20th.
Registrations are now open for the Lonsec Melbourne Forum, a half-day event on Tuesday 20 October for financial advisers who want to cut through the noise and turn their attention to what matters most to their clients and portfolios.
The Melbourne Forum is an exclusive event open to financial advice professionals only and there is no cost to attend. Places are strictly limited, so we encourage you to secure your seat as early as possible to avoid missing out.
CPD Points will be issued for attending this event.
The Lonsec Melbourne Forum is a practical, discussion-led event, built around the opportunities and challenges you’re navigating right now.
Melbourne Forum 2026
Tuesday, 20 October
8:00am – 1:30pm
Le Meridien
20 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Agenda
| 8:00am | Arrival & Networking |
| 8:30am | Markets session – Is the Investment Regime Changing? Markets are adjusting to a more complex backdrop shaped by shifting interest rates, geopolitical risks and structural forces such as AI and changing supply chains. Rising concentration in major equity indices is also increasing benchmark risk and challenging traditional diversification assumptions. This session will explore how these forces are shaping opportunities across equities and fixed income, and what investors should be watching as the cycle evolves. Joshua Cummings, Portfolio Manager – Janus Henderson Investors Sachin Gupta, Lead Portfolio Manager – PIMCO |
| 9:00am | Discussion Panel 1: Beyond the Index: Where Are Tomorrow’s Returns Coming From? Market leadership has become increasingly concentrated, while structural themes such as AI are creating new winners and losers across sectors and regions. This session will explore where active managers are finding opportunities beyond the dominant index exposures, including smaller companies, less crowded parts of the market and emerging beneficiaries of long-term change. Panellists will consider where dispersion is greatest and where active management may be best placed to add value. Sarah Shaw, Global Portfolio Manager & CEO/CIO – 4D Infrastructure Dawn Kanelleas, Head of Australian Small and Mid Cap Companies – First Sentier Ben Fisher, Executive Director – J.P. Morgan Asset Management |
| 9:40am | Discussion Panel 2: Rethinking Diversification Jonathan Armitage, Chief Investment Officer – Colonial First State John Woods, Deputy CIO – Australian Ethical Chad Padowitz Co-Chief Investment Officer – Talaria Capital |
| 10:10am | Fireside Chat Aziz Hamzaogullari Founder, CIO & Portfolio Manager – Growth Equity Strategies Loomis Sayles |
| 10:30am | MORNING TEA |
| 11:00am | Discussion Panel 3: Income, risk and resilience Higher yields have restored the role of fixed income as a meaningful source of return and portfolio ballast, but the opportunity set is increasingly varied. This session will explore where investors are being compensated for taking duration, credit and liquidity risk, and how different income strategies may behave through a changing economic cycle. Panellists will consider how advisers can balance income generation, capital preservation and resilience within client portfolios. Phil Strano, Head of Australian Credit Research – Yarra Capital Management Chris Sinikov Managing Director, Australia Fixed Income – Franklin Templeton Vivek Prabhu, Head of Credit & Fixed Income – Perpetual |
| 11:40am | Discussion Panel 4: Australian Private Credit: Lending through a tougher cycle Australian private credit has grown rapidly, with commercial real estate and property development representing a significant share of market activity. Against a backdrop of softer valuations, higher financing costs and increasing pressure on developers, underwriting discipline and loan structuring are being put to the test. This session will explore how lenders are assessing property risk, the importance of leverage, covenants and borrower support, and where vulnerabilities may emerge as the cycle evolves. Michael Watson, Director Wealth Solutions – La Trobe Andrew Torrington, Managing Director and CIO – Woodbridge Capital Bill Williams, CIO – MaxCap Group |
| 12:20pm | Discussion Panel 5: Systematic equities: finding alpha through the data Quantitative equity strategies use data, signals and systematic portfolio construction to identify opportunities across broad investment universes. This session will explore how quant managers seek to generate alpha, where their approach differs from traditional fundamental investing, and how systematic strategies can navigate increasingly concentrated and fast-moving equity markets. Panellists will also consider the role quant equities can play alongside other active and passive exposures. Ben Leung, Head of Systematic Investments – Macquarie Asset Management |
| 12:50pm | CLOSING FIRESIDE Sophia Rahmani, CEO, Investment Management – Magellan Financial Group Lorraine Robinson, CEO – Lonsec |