SHAPING ADVICE IN A TIME OF CHANGE
EVENT WRAP-UP
The Financial Services Council’s Shaping Advice in a Time of Change was a sell-out event, drawing 275 attendees from across the financial advice ecosystem in Sydney on 30 July. With major sponsors Challenger and QIC supporting the day, the conference brought together regulators, policymakers, and industry leaders from advice businesses, superannuation funds, platform providers for a sharp, action-focused agenda. The message was clear, the time for action is now and reform is already underway. Read more.
Sponsors
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SPEAKERS
Alexis George
CEO, AMP and deputy chair, financial services council
Alexis George was appointed CEO of AMP Limited in August 2021. She is responsible for leading the AMP business. In addition, Alexis was appointed to the AMP Limited Board and AMP Bank Limited Board in August 2021. Alexis has more than 25 years' experience in the financial services industry in Australia and overseas.
She spent seven years at ANZ, including most recently as Deputy Chief Executive Officer, working with the CEO to drive group-wide strategic initiatives in addition to having responsibility for its shared service centres and banking services. As the Group Executive Wealth Australia, Alexis led ANZ's ~$4 billion wealth divestment program, including the separation and sale of its life insurance and superannuation businesses to Zurich and IOOF. She has continued to oversee the complex process of separating and migrating systems and data that support these businesses so they operate independently of ANZ.
Prior to ANZ, Alexis spent ten years with ING Group in a number of senior roles including CEO Czech Republic and Slovakia, responsible for banking, insurance and funds management, and regional COO Asia, responsible for product, marketing, technology and operations.
Alexis is a Co-Chair of the Superannuation Board Committee, a member of the FSC Administration & Risk Board Committee and Nominations Board Committee. She is also a member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is an active member of Chief Executive Women, where she advocates for women in leadership roles.
Andrew Alcock
CEO, hub24
Andrew joined HUB24 as CEO in 2013, leading its transformation from a platform newcomer to a market-leading provider of platform, data, and technology solutions for the wealth industry. Under his leadership, HUB24 now administers over $100 billion in client assets and includes HUBconnect, Class, and myprosperity.
With nearly 30 years in wealth management, Andrew’s experience spans advice, platforms, superannuation, insurance, and IT. Before HUB24, he held executive roles at Genesys Wealth Advisers, Tyndall, and Asteron, working closely with advisers and serving on the boards of 20+ advice practices.
He was also CEO of Australian Administration Services (Link Group, now MUFG), delivering administration and technical services to major superannuation funds.
Andrew baker
global head of strategy & corporate services, ignition advice
Andrew has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry including founding industry consulting firm Tria Investment Partners, and subsequently senior roles with AustralianSuper, QSuper, and NMG Consulting’s London practice. Andrew develops and executes Ignition’s business and financial strategy and acts as Ignition’s policy subject matter expert.
Andrew Inwood
Founder & principal, COREDATA
Andrew Inwood is the founder and principal of CoreData and has more than 30 years’ experience in the Australian financial services industry. He started his career at Rothschild Australia Asset Management where he headed the marketing team, before moving to AMP Investments where he spent more than a decade. During his time at AMP, he was seconded to Virgin Direct in the UK to help establish the finance and investment arm of the group.
Andrew returned to Australia to be marketing director of Wizard Home Loans. From Wizard he moved to Telstra where he spent three years as general manager of applications and hosted services, before leaving to start CoreData. In the past 20 years, CoreData has expanded out of Sydney to have offices in Perth, London, Boston and Manila.
Andrew is the author of more than 50 pieces of significant research into clients and their behaviour and has a particular focus on the value of the client experience in financial services. He is a highly regarded speaker and has delivered keynote speeches in every Australian capital city, London, Edinburgh, New York, Tokyo, Queenstown, Monaco and Berlin.
Andrew has served on a number of charity and sporting club boards and been a seed investor in and director of a number of start-up businesses, particularly in the online sector, a practice which he continues to this day. He has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney ASIA.
Blake Briggs
CEO, Financial Services Council
Blake Briggs is the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Council. Blake became CEO of the Financial Services Council in January 2022 after joining the FSC as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 2020, where he was responsible for policy and advocacy on behalf of FSC members.
Blake has extensive experience as an advocate for the financial services industry. Blake has previously worked for Westpac Group, as Head of Government Affairs for Wealth, and at the FSC as Senior Policy Manager for Superannuation. Blake has also worked as a policy adviser and industrial advocate for the Commonwealth Government and the NSW Business Chamber.
Blake is also a member of the Board of Advice for the University of Sydney Business School's Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies. Blake holds a Juris Doctor from the University of New South Wales and a Bachelor in Commerce (liberal studies) from the University of Sydney.
Daniel Shrimski
MANAGING DIRECTOR, VANGUARD AUSTRALIA
Daniel Shrimski is the Managing Director of Vanguard Australia. In this role, Daniel is responsible for all aspects of the management, distribution, and operation of Vanguard’s Australian business.
Daniel joined Vanguard Australia in 2011 as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. He moved to the U.S. in January 2017 to become the divisional CFO of the U.S. Retail Investor Group, which comprises over $US2 trillion in AUM and more than 7 million retail investors. Most recently, he was CFO of Vanguard’s International business and a member of the International Leadership Team.
Daniel has a wealth of financial services experience in both Australia and the U.S. Prior to Vanguard, he spent 11 years at GE across Australia, the U.S. and the Netherlands where, amongst other roles, he was a Finance Director within GE Capital Australia’s consumer finance division.
Daniel has a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Darren Pettiona
Executive Director of Strategy, DASH Technology
Darren has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry and has been at the forefront of financial services technology. He currently serves as Executive Director of Strategy at DASH Technology Group, where he continues to drive innovation in the financial advice sector.
Darren was the founder and CEO of Advent Software Australia Pty Ltd (SS&C Technologies, USA), he was co-founder and CEO of Coin Software, a leading financial planning system that was acquired by Macquarie Bank. Following this, he played a pivotal role in the early development of HUB24 as co-founder and CEO, guiding the platform's emergence as a significant player in managed accounts. He has also held non-executive directorships in various financial service and government entities including Charles Schwab Australia, Investorfirst Ltd, Allied Funds Management, van Eyk Research and TOTE Tasmania.
Under his strategic leadership, DASH has developed an integrated platform that streamlines the entire financial advice process – from client onboarding and fact-finding to scenario modelling, Statement of Advice (SOA) generation, and investment execution. This end-to-end solution enables advisers to deliver cost-effective, scalable advice, improving operational efficiency and client engagement.
Hon Dr Daniel Mulino MP
Assistant Treasurer & Minister for Financial Services
Born in Brindisi, Italy, Daniel was a young child when he moved with his family to Australia. He grew up in Canberra and completed his first degrees – arts and law – at the ANU. He then completed a Master of Economics (University of Sydney) and a PhD in economics from Yale.
He lectured at Monash University, was an economic adviser in the Gillard government and was a Victorian MP from 2014 to 2018. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer of Victoria, Daniel helped deliver major infrastructure projects and developed innovative financing structures for community projects.
In 2018 he was preselected for the new federal seat of Fraser and became its first MP at the 2019 election, re-elected in 2022 and 2025. From 2022 to 2025, Daniel was chair of the House of Representatives’ Standing Economics Committee in which he chaired inquiries; economic dynamism, competition and business formation and insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims.
In 2025, he became the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services. In August 2022, Daniel published ‘Safety Net: The Future of Welfare in Australia’, which aims to explore the ways in which an insurance approach can improve the effectiveness of government service delivery.
EDWINA Maloney
Group Executive - Platforms, NORTH
Edwina was appointed Group Executive Platforms in July 2023. The Platforms business provides superannuation, retirement and investment solutions to advisers and their clients.
Edwina is a seasoned executive, board director, consultant, and transformational leader having held senior executive roles across wealth management; superannuation and funds management businesses. In June 2021, Edwina was appointed Director, Platforms at AMP, with end-to-end accountability for AMP’s Wealth Superannuation Fund, Wrap Platforms and SuperConcepts SMSF business (which was sold on30 June 2023).
Previously, Edwina led AMP Capital’s Global Product function, responsible for its Managed Investment Schemes, offshore domiciled funds and separate accounts. Before AMP, Edwina held various senior leadership roles at Perpetual Investments responsible for strategy; business development; product innovation and management functions. She was also a management consultant with Accenture specialising in wealth management and began her career as a lawyer with DLA Piper (then Phillips Fox).
Edwina holds a Bachelor of Laws (QUT) and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance & Investment (FINSIA). She is a Director of ASFA.
JASON NYILAS
Executive adviser, Moneygps
Jason has a wealth management and pensions background from his time in Australia and overseas over the course of 30 years. He has worked in industry and in professional services firms focusing on strategy, marketing, operations, M&A and digital transformations for wealth and retirement firms in the US, the UK, Malaysia and Australia.
He is Executive Adviser to two fintechs, MoneyGPS and HeirWealth.
Hugh Humphrey
CEO & MD, Count
Hugh is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Count, a $35 billion funds under advice, ASX-listed professional services firm. Count is one of the largest wealth management advice firms in Australia, and a top 20 accounting (AFR, 2024).
In his professional career he has worked for PwC, Vodafone, AMP and CBA. In addition to executive roles, Hugh was a non-executive of Vodafone Fiji, the Future2 Foundation and The Infants’ Home for nine years.
Passionate about learning, he has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney, a MBA from Henley Business School, has taken the Australian Institute of Company Directors course (AICD) and is a Chartered Banker (FINSIA).
Jo brennan
Group Executive, Member Engagement, Education & Advice, Aware Super
Jo joined Aware Super in 2019 as Chief Operating Officer where she had accountability for Technology and Operations. In addition, she led the Fund Transformation program called Catalyst. This program was about making super simple; member administration was successfully moved in-house and leading edge technology was harnessed to deliver simple, industry leading rates digital member experiences.
Appointed as Group Executive, Member Engagement, Education and Advice in April 2024, Jo now leads all Member facing teams for the Fund.
Jo is passionate about leading with purpose and the development of her people. Jo brings over 25 years of leadership experience.
Jo has previously held General Manager roles with CBA, QBE and Macquarie, and was CEO for Habitat for Humanity Australia. Jo is an experienced board director and is currently on the board of Adara Development.
Joe Longo
CHair, asic
Joe Longo commenced as ASIC Chair on 1 June 2021.
He has held senior leadership roles over four decades in corporate law, financial services, regulation and law enforcement, in Australia and some of the world’s most important financial markets.
He was the general counsel for Deutsche Bank in London and Hong Kong for 17 years, providing leadership across regulatory issues, governance, corporate law and non-financial risk.
Before that, Joe was the national director of enforcement at ASIC between 1996 and 2001, and responsible for the coordination and direction of all enforcement and litigation activities.
He has also been a senior adviser at Herbert Smith Freehills and earlier, a partner at Parker and Parker (now Herbert Smith Freehills).
Joe represents ASIC in key national economic and law enforcement forums including the Council of Financial Regulators, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Board, the Criminal Justice Law Enforcement Forum and the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce.
He is also a member of the Board of the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the Asia Pacific Regional Committee of IOSCO, the Trans-Tasman Business Committee and the EU Asia-Pacific Forum.
Joe holds a Bachelor of Jurisprudence (Hons) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Laws from Yale Law School.
Keith Cullen
Founder & MD, WT Financial Group Limited
Keith has more than 35yrs experience as a corporate executive and entrepreneur across the financial services, broadcast media, and technology sectors. He is the founder and CEO, and largest (non-institutional) shareholder, of ASX-listed WT Financial Group Limited (ASX: WTL).
Established in 2010, WT Financial Group is one of largest financial adviser networks in Australia. Its wealth management, retirement planning, and personal risk insurance advice services are delivered primarily through a group of more than 400 privately-owned advice practices whose advisers operate as authorised representatives under the group’s Wealth Today, Sentry Advice, Synchron Advice, and Millennium3 subsidiaries.
WT Financial Group’s network of advice practices collectively deals with more than 100,000 clients – and have more than $23Bn of assets under advice; annual in-force personal insurance premiums of more than $400M; and new insurance premium sales for circa $25M annually.
Keith is a strong advocate for the advice profession, and for consumer-eccentric regulatory reform to improve access to financial advice for more Australians. He is also a member of the FSC Advice Board Committee.
Kelly Power
CEO, Colonial First State Investments
Kelly Power was appointed CEO Colonial First State Superannuation in July 2021 and is also an Executive Director of the Trustee Board. Kelly oversees the superannuation business including investments and product. She is also a Director of the CFS Superannuation Trustee board.
Previous roles in CFS include General Manager Product in 2018, with responsibility for marketing, strategy and for the Wrap business in October 2020. Prior to Colonial First State, Kelly was Head of Platforms at BT Financial Group and also held several other executive management roles at BT and Asgard.
Kelly holds a Bachelor in Communications from UTS, a Diploma of Management from the Australian Institute of Management, a Diploma of Financial Services from Integratec and has also completed the Company Directors course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Kelly is a Co-Chair of the FSC Superannuation Board Committee. She is a former Director of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA).
Linda Elkins
National Sector Leader, Asset & Wealth Management, KPMG
Linda is National Sector Leader for Asset & Wealth Management and a senior Financial Services Partner at KPMG Australia.
Linda’s expertise lies in navigating complex regulatory environments, driving strategic initiatives, and fostering strong relationships with key stakeholders. She is passionate about delivering exceptional outcomes and contributing to the growth and success of the asset and wealth management sector.
Her dedication to the industry has been recognised through awards such as the Superannuation Professional of the Year and Woman of the Year at the Financial Newswire Women in Wealth Awards in 2024.
Liz Mccarthy
CEO, mlc wrap
Liz has over 20 years of experience leading large-scale projects in data, automation, artificial intelligence and analytics across the financial services, payments and aviation industries.
As CEO of MLC Expand, Liz has end-to-end accountability for Insignia Financial’s wrap platforms and advisory solutions and is responsible for product strategy, management and development, client operations and sales.
Liz has held various roles at Humm, Jetstar, Macquarie, Westpac and AMP. Most recently, Liz was the Chief Executive Officer at OneTwo Home Loans.
Matthew lawler
CEO, akumin
Matt is a seasoned senior executive with over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector, renowned for driving industry-first strategic and operational innovations. His leadership style emphasizes simplicity in strategy, relationship-building, and staying attuned to industry trends to enhance commercial performance, build brands, and increase market share through customer-centric approaches. He has a proven track record of managing significant change initiatives, including M&A activities, diversification, brand evolution, and turning around underperforming divisions, always focusing on creating value and preparing businesses for future challenges.
A strategic thinker with a collaborative leadership approach, Matt fosters open team environments and emphasizes stakeholder engagement to secure buy-in on key issues. He is passionate about staying ahead of industry disruptions by leveraging intuition and conceptual thinking, ensuring organizations are not only optimized for current success but also resilient for future growth. His career reflects a commitment to transforming businesses, driving growth, and creating sustainable competitive advantages in a dynamic financial landscape.
Michael Vrisakis
Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
Michael is a leading expert in financial services regulation, with over 30 years’ experience. Michael’s primary area of focus and expertise is on the regulation of retail financial services, including financial advice and distribution, insurance, superannuation, platforms, products, strategic regulatory advice and investigations.
Michael is widely recognised as a thought leader in his field. He is at the forefront of debating and developing new law and quoted in the financial press. His advice is routinely sought in relation to strategic management of regulatory matters by Australia’s largest institutions, including liaising with APRA and ASIC.
In the 2021 edition of Chambers Asia Pacific Guide, Michael was named as a Band 1 partner in Financial Services Regulation and Superannuation. Clients noted that he is 'very frank, unafraid to take strong positions, and a very creative thinker who is well connected across the industry’ and ‘his key strengths include his in-depth knowledge of the law and his ability to apply the law in a creative way to provide simple solutions to complex problems.’
Michael is recognised as a Leading Individual in the Financial Services Regulatory category of Legal 500 Guide 2022. In 2018 and 2020, Michael was awarded the Financial Services Partner of the Year Award, as well as the Partner of the Year Excellence Award in 2018, by Lawyers Weekly. In 2017 and 2018, Acritas Stars – an independent report commissioned by a global panel of General Counsels – listed Michael as one of 23 ‘stand-out’ lawyers globally.
NICK HAMILTON
Managing Director & CEO, Challenger Limited
Nick is the Managing Director and CEO of Challenger Limited.
He held a number of other senior executive roles at Challenger, since commencing in 2015, including Chief Executive, Funds Management.
Nick has also held senior leadership roles at Colonial First State and Invesco.
Nick has more than 20 years industry experience gained across Australian and international markets and has successfully led top tier global equity and multi-asset businesses both in Australia and the UK.
Nicky Boustred
Adviser & Partner, Koda Capital
Nicky is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Certified Financial Planner with a strong track record of guiding clients through the complexities of wealth management. She successfully ran her own self-licensed practice, which she later merged into a larger wealth management firm. In 2025, she brought her expertise to Koda Capital.
Nicky is known for her ability to navigate complex financial structures and investment strategies. Her approach is highly personalised, with a deep focus on understanding each client’s unique goals and life circumstances. This commitment to tailored advice and long-term relationships makes Nicky a trusted partner in her clients’ financial journeys, through all of life’s transitions.
Penny collicoat
Advice Delivery Lead, mercer
Penny has worked in the Financial Service sector since 1998, after attaining her degree in Commerce, majoring in Economics and Marketing from the University of Melbourne. Penny has also completed a Post Graduate Degree in Finance and Diploma of Financial Planning.
She joined Mercer Financial Advice in September 2023 as Advice Delivery Lead after owning a Financial Planning business for eleven years. Penny has previously been awarded ‘Adviser of the Year’ for exceptional client experience.
Penny’s passion lies in the financial education of all Australians and ensuring that clients truly understand not only what they have, but also what they can create. She believes that with knowledge comes power to create change.
Peter Chun
CEO, UniSuper
Peter Chun joined UniSuper as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in September 2021, bringing more than 30 years’ experience in financial services. UniSuper is one of Australia’s largest super funds with more than 650,000 members and over $149 billion in funds under management (as at 31 December 2024).
As CEO, Peter is responsible for developing, leading, and implementing corporate strategy and culture. He is also accountable for the overall services and operational management of UniSuper Management nationally.
Prior to joining UniSuper, Peter held senior executive roles at Aware Super, Colonial First State and Credit Suisse.
Peter is a qualified Actuary with a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University. He holds Graduate Diplomas in Applied Finance and Investments and Financial Planning from the Securities Institute of Australia; and has undertaken the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School (Boston, USA). Peter is a Director of Diversity Council Australia, a Member of the ASFA CEO Advisory Committee and the Australian Chamber Orchestra Finance Audit & Risk Committee.
Renee howie
Chief customer officer, insignia financial
Renee has more than 20 years’ experience growing some of Asia Pacific’s strongest businesses in the financial and professional services industries including Macquarie, BlackRock, CBA, and AMP.
As Chief Customer Officer, Renee is responsible for Advice and Marketing at Insignia Financial, creating a continuum of brand awareness, customer engagement, and guidance, through to comprehensive advice.
Prior to her current role, she was Chief Marketing Officer at AMP Limited where she was responsible for leading the brand, marketing, data and digital capabilities.
The Hon christopher pyne
former australian defence minister
The Hon Christopher Pyne served for twenty six years in the Australian House of Representatives. He was a Minister across the Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments serving as Minister for Ageing; Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Industry Innovation and Science, and as Minister for Defence was responsible for delivering a $200 billion build-up of Australia’s military capability, the largest in Australia’s peacetime history.
Now chair of Pyne and Partners and the Australia-UAE Business Council, he is a strategic adviser, author, media commentator, advising on defence and geopolitics while speaking globally.