This quarter has seen a perfect storm of challenges to Australian society. The bushfires, the escalating coronavirus pandemic and a global shock to output and the economy have produced unprecedented turmoil in our communities. This session will hold a candid conversation about the role of financial services in holding the nation together.
Speaker: Geoff Lloyd, chief executive, MLC
Moderator: Colin Tate, chief executive officer, Conexus Financial
Length: 38 mins
A concentrated bet on fewer, better GP relationships is paying off for one of Australia's largest superannuation funds. Built on selective manager and deal selection rather than a broad roster, the A$112 billion ($78 billion) Rest Super delivered private equity returns more than double the peer average last financial year, as the fund proactively courts top-tier PE firms instead of waiting to be approached.
Stephen Kotkin, global geopolitical expert and Stanford academic, has warned that there is an “increasing governability challenge in high-income democracies” where government departments face declining capacity to perform core functions due to complex regulatory systems and bureaucratic tasks.
Norges Bank is a lean organisation despite managing a $2.2 trillion portfolio. Across the fund’s four global offices, there are only 700 staff, or $3 billion per person, which is why it has made pursuing AI-driven efficiency a core organisation initiative – and a non-negotiable requirement for its employees.
Funds are operating in an extraordinary environment, with Scott Chan, chief investment officer of CalSTRS, saying he has never witnessed so many “large shifts stacked on top of the other” in his investment career. Amid the change, investors are increasingly shifting to a scenario and regime-based asset allocation.
Mark Horowitz, a leading computer scientist and electrical engineer at Stanford University, has declared that Moore’s Law is “basically over”, which will have significant ramifications for artificial intelligence investors who are counting on more computing power to feed into more complex models.
The size of the current infrastructure investment gap and the speed at which it is widening mean there is both a desire and a need for more public-private partnerships to unlock funding. Investors say that collaboration with local governments and raising public awareness of private investment benefits are crucial.
Stanford president Jonathan Levin said the university’s top priority is maintaining the partnership with the federal government while safeguarding its operational freedom, as the institution balances financial reliance on Washington and political scrutiny from the Trump administration.
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