The 2025 National Conference will be held at Pier One in Sydney on Thursday 7 August under the theme ‘Learn, Earn and Return’. The global bestselling book “The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity” by London Business School’s Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott, explored the societal and personal implications of increasing lifespans and suggests strategies for thriving in a world where living to 100 is becoming the norm.
Inspired by The 100-Year Life, which has been translated into over 15 languages and has been discussed at events like the World Economic Forum and the G20, this year’s FEAL Conference theme explores the need to adapt traditional life stages (learning, working, retiring) to accommodate longer lives, multiple career paths and the changing concept of retirement. We’ll examine how superannuation leaders can respond to their members’ longer life spans and their distinctive needs and requirements across these evolving life stages.
Keynote speaker
In the opening keynote social researcher and futurist, Mark McCrindle, will introduce the concept of a 100-year life and the implications, challenges and opportunities such increasing longevity presents for funds and society.
Mark McCrindle, Social researcher, demographer and principal of the advisory firm, McCrindle
Mark is a social researcher, best-selling author, influential thought leader and TEDx speaker. He is recognised globally as coining the name for the emerging generation, Generation Alpha. Mark's advisory, communications and research company, McCrindle, counts among its clients more than 100 of the nation's largest companies and leading international brands.
Mark's highly valued social commentary is presented through his engaging keynotes, research, reports, infographics, videos and media input. He is a trusted advisor and sits on the board of a number of different organisations, after having developed his reputation as an expert demographer, futurist and social commentator.
Mark McCrindle, BSc (Psychology), MA, is the author of five books on emerging trends and social change. Generation Alpha, Work Wellbeing: Leading Thriving Teams in Rapidly Changing Times, The ABC of XYZ: Understanding the Global Generations, Word Up: A Lexicon and Guide to Communication in the 21st Century and The Power of Good.
Guest speakers
Starting in early childhood, learning doesn’t end in early adulthood—it becomes a lifelong pursuit. Under the theme of ‘Lifelong learning for the 100-year journey’ we’ll explore the critical role of continuous education, learning and personal development throughout every life stage. Anne Lester, author of ‘Your Best Financial Life’, will lead a session on how supporting members’ learning journeys means engaging with their evolving needs, work pathways, life transitions and the role and need financial literacy plays in an evolving economy and society. Anne will be joined by Caroline Stewart, CEO of the Ecstra Foundation, Rose Kerlin, Chief Member Officer of AustralianSuper and Maurizio Lombardi, Executive Manager – Advice Strategy, Hostplus. Carden Calder, Managing Director & Founder of BlueChip Communication will facilitate the session.
Anne Lester, author of ‘Your Best Financial Life’
Anne is the Money Mentor for Gen Z and Millennials. She is helping a generation of young adults, and those who serve and employ them, turn money shame into money power – so they can live their best life and do their best work now.
Her research for the award-winning Your Best Financial Life: Save Smart Now for the Future You Want revealed only 17% of adults are confident in their money plan. The difference? They had a money mentor growing up.
Anne earned the 2020 Lillywhite Award for lifetime contributions to Americans’ economic security. During three decades at J.P. Morgan Chase, she launched and ran the SmartRetirement Target Date funds and Income Builder fund, and was named Morningstar’s Asset Allocator of the Year in 2014.
She’s a trusted keynote speaker, emcee, and media guest for audiences ranging from employees and professionals to Bloomberg TV, Barron’s, CNBC, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
Caroline Stewart, CEO of the Ecstra Foundation
Caroline is the CEO of Ecstra, and a philanthropic leader with over 25 years of corporate, legal, financial services, governance and not-for-profit experience.
Caroline works to improve genuine collaboration across sectors, to address the widening financial literacy gap and improve the financial wellbeing of Australians across all life stages. This includes engaging with communities, educators, consumer organisations, corporate, government and charity sectors.
She led the UBS Australia Foundation and is a board member of charities including WAGEC (Women and Girls Emergency Centre, Redfern) and The Achieve Foundation. Previously she was a board member of Philanthropy Australia, chair of the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee and on the board of Lenity Australia. She is a member of the ACNC Sector Forum and works on a pro bono basis with a range of community organisations. She started her professional career as a banking and finance lawyer.
Rose Kerlin, Chief Member Officer, AustralianSuper
Rose is the CMO at the 16th largest pension fund globally, focussed on understanding and meeting members needs across all life stages. She is accountable for ensuring that all members enjoy best-in-class member engagement and experience, and access to leading products and services. She is passionate about financial literacy and engaging members in trustworthy guidance to uplift their financial confidence and retirement outcomes.
Rose joined AustralianSuper in 2010 and was appointed to the Group Executive in 2016. She has held several member growth roles and managed multiple industry fund mergers and corporate transitions for the Fund. Rose is a Director of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI). She holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney, a Diploma of Financial Planning and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Maurizio Lombardi, Executive Manager – Advice Strategy, Hostplus
Having joined Hostplus in July 2015, Maurizio has played a pivotal role in developing and delivering the company's financial advice strategy across all personal advice channels, including Hostplus’ digital advice and education platform “SuperSmart”.
His passion for the positive impact that financial advice and education can have on member retirement outcomes drives his commitment to helping Australians approach their retirement with confidence.
Maurizio holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School and was part of FEAL’s first cohort of its Emerging Leaders Program in 2023.
Carden Calder, BlueChip Communication
After lunch we’ll pivot to the topic of super as a life-long investment and helping members make the right decisions throughout life. Although 70% of member accounts are invested in the default option before retirement, there is no equivalent ‘default’ once members retire. At this stage, personal circumstances vary widely, making sound individual decision-making crucial to achieving positive retirement outcomes. Yet, this need for informed choices often arises just as many experience a decline in their capacity to make complex financial decisions.
The University of Sydney’s Susan Thorp will present her research on how the way people make investment decisions changes as they move through life and, joined in conversation by Philip Moffit, Director and Investment Committee Chair of Aware Super, will talk to the need for funds to adapt to these changes as well as to manage and support the huge variation in skills, interests and ability among older investors. Judy Wilson, Head of Relationship Management at Funds SA, will facilitate the conversation.
Susan Thorp, University of Sydney
Susan is Professor of Finance at the University of Sydney Business School. She studies consumer financial decision making, focusing on retirement finance. Her research has been published in leading international academic journals including Management Science, the Review of Finance, and the Economic Journal. She has won nationally competitive research grants amounting to over four million dollars in public and industry funding. Susan’s has served on the Research Committee of the OECD/International Network on Financial Education, the Steering Committee of the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pensions Index, and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Consultative Panel. She was a founding director of Super Consumers Australia, the first independent consumer advocacy organisation for Australian retirement fund members.
Philip Moffitt, Director and Chair of the Investment Committee, Aware Super
Philip’s experience is in financial markets. His career began as a Cadet Economist in the Reserve Bank of Australia. Philip spent more than 35 years working as a fund manager in Australia, Asia and the UK. Prior to joining the Aware Super board, Philip was a Partner at Goldman Sachs in London and Sydney for 10 years. He was also Chair of Goldman Sachs Australia Managed Fund Board. And he was a member of the Goldman Sachs Australia and New Zealand Operating Committee.
Philip is passionate about helping people make better financial decisions. In 2018, Philip completed a Psychology degree focussed on behavioural finance decision making. Philip is currently completing a PhD on Decision making with uncertainty at the University of Sydney. Outside of Aware Super, Philip holds many leadership roles. He is a Director for Green Road Consulting – helping businesses with decision-making science. Philip is also a patrol member of the South Narrabeen Surf Lifesaving club in NSW.
Judy Wilson, Head of Relationship Management, Funds SA
Judy Wilson was appointed as the Head of Relationship Management in September 2024. In this role she is responsible for leading all of Funds SA’s client and stakeholder relationships, industry and peer relationships, brand, profile and corporate communications.
Judy commenced with Funds SA in January 2019, as Manager, Corporate Engagement, with responsibility for the relationship with the Corporation’s non-superannuation clients. She draws on more than 20 years of experience within the Asset Management sector, across both retail and institutional client roles. Prior to joining Funds SA, Judy held roles at Yarra Capital Management, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Morgan Stanley.
Judy holds a Bachelor of International Business from Flinders University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance from Kaplan.
The ‘Return’ component of the Conference theme will address ‘Longevity, lifestyle and legacy – meeting member expectations in retirement’. Retirement is a distinctly personal journey. As members live longer, healthier lives, they’re seeking more from retirement than just a stable income—they want flexibility, purpose, and control. The ‘Return’ phase reflects this shift, where retirement becomes a time of reinvention, contribution, and continued engagement.
Super funds must now support members with income solutions that not only last the distance, but also adapt to changing needs, lifestyle goals, and personal values across potentially 30+ years of retirement. Longevity of income, meaningful choice, and personalised support will define the member experience in this new era.
Researcher Susan Bell will present her research and stories around the new lives of older Australians and the reality of transitioning between work and retirement. Susan will be joined by retirement coach, Jon Glass, to talk to how he guides retirees in making this transition as well as Sarah Foreman, Chief Retirement Officer at Team Super to bring her experience to the conversation.
Paul Watson will facilitate the session.
Susan Bell, Susan Bell Research
Susan Bell runs the boutique research and insights agency Susan Bell Research, specialising in communications research, with a particular focus on the older market, especially for the financial services and aged care industries.
Her recent clients have included Aware Super, REST, Mercer Super and Benetas.
Susan Bell Research has also conducted many research projects for ASIC including research with super fund members on insurance in super and IDR.
She is a Fellow of The Research Society in Australia, past Research Society Board member, and past Conference Chair, and has presented papers at conferences in Australia and Asia.
Susan’s academic qualifications are: BA (Hons) English Literature and Linguistics (University of Reading), Graduate Diploma Psychology (Monash University), occasional courses in anthropology (Macquarie University) and the Advanced Certificate in Semiotics from the MRS UK.
Jon Glass, Retirement Coach
Jon is the founder of 64 PLUS where he guides his clients to retire with purpose and passion. Starting life with a PhD in Pure Mathematics from Cambridge University, Jon worked in leadership roles at Media Super, AMP and BT before making the transition from full-time work to semi-retirement a decade ago. He has since studied counselling and coaching at both the Australian College of Applied Psychology and the IECL Academy, and his personal experience has provided deep insights into how to make a successful retirement transition.
Jon’s views on how to make an effective retirement transition have featured in a range of media outlets including ABC Radio, SBS Insights, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian Financial Review. Jon has dedicated this last phase of his career to helping others navigate the complexities of the retirement transition by helping them identify sources of meaning and purpose in post-work life. Jon’s mission is to empower individuals to embrace retirement with confidence and joy.
Sarah Forman, Chief Retirement Officer, Team Super
Sarah is a senior executive with over 25 years’ experience in financial services across the superannuation and wealth management sectors, have led strategy, product, sales, member experience and operational teams. Sarah has extensive experience in the management and delivery of advice services, having successfully led the financial advice functions at some of Australia’s largest superannuation and wealth management providers, and wants to see all Australian’s gain access to the help, guidance and advice they need to feel confident and have a great retirement.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics and Government) from Sydney University, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has a range of professional KAPLAN accreditations related to financial services as well as a Professional Certificate in Management from the Graduate School of Management, University of Adelaide.
Paul Watson, Principal, PDW Advisory
In a successful executive career spanning three decades, Paul has gained extensive experience in, and an in-depth understanding of, the dynamics of successful organisations, and particularly in Australian and international superannuation and allied financial services sectors and industries.
His financial services career has included CEO, C-suite, non-executive director and advisory board roles in both the public and private sectors, including in several of Australia’s best-known and well-performed superannuation and pension funds and peak industry bodies.
Prior to that Paul enjoyed a 13-year career in the Australian Public Service, including senior officer roles that contributed to the development and delivery of retirement income policy, multi-agency programs and national superannuation information and education campaigns.
Paul is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Leadership Development Program, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Australian Superannuation Funds Association and holds formal qualifications in financial planning and management.
The final session of the day ‘Leading for the long life – superannuation’s evolving and broadening role in a 100-Year society’ will hear from three CEOs – John Livanas from State Super NSW, Natalie Previtera from NGS Super and Chris Davies from TelstraSuper.
As the phases between formal education, work and retirement continues to blur, be disrupted and reinvented, superannuation funds will need to lead, more than ever before with foresight, innovation and empathy. The challenge is not just to help members retire, but to help them thrive across their ‘learn’, ‘earn’ and ‘return’ phases - making quality choices with confidence and living a dignified and fulfilling longer life.
FEAL CEO, Katrina Bacon, will facilitate the conversation with John, Natalie and Chris.
John Livanas, CEO of State Super
John leads a team of experienced senior executives in managing the provision of member services and the investment of approximately $37 billion of assets (as at 30 June 2024). John has over 30 years’ industry experience, having worked in organisations including Deloitte South Africa, the South African Government Employees Pension Fund – the precursor to the country’s sovereign fund – and several Australian superannuation funds.
Prior to his appointment in October 2011, John was the Chief Executive Officer of AMIST Super (2008–11) and the General Manager of FuturePlus Financial Services (2002–08). He was a Director of ISPT and ISPT Grosvenor International Property Trust from 2010–12 and in August 2013 was appointed to the Board of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand and a Graduate Diploma of Finance and Investments from the Financial Services Institute of Australia. He is an ASFA-accredited Investment Fiduciary and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Natalie Previtera, CEO of NGS Super
Natalie is the Chief Executive Officer of NGS Super. With a career grounded in governance, legal, and strategic leadership, Natalie brings a forward-thinking and purpose driven approach to superannuation. She is responsible for steering the fund through a dynamic regulatory landscape, ensuring operational excellence, and delivering long-term value to members. Natalie also served as Chief Risk and Governance officer having deep institutional knowledge and a strong track record in executive oversight and regulatory engagement. She is known for her collaborative leadership style and her ability to drive transformation while maintaining a strong member-first ethos. Prior to joining NGS in 2019 Natalie held senior governance roles at AMP, Suncorp and Perpetual.
Chris Davies, CEO of TelstraSuper
Chris has served as CEO of TelstraSuper since 2013, leading the fund's transformation from a Telstra-only offering into a leading profit-to-member fund open to all. With over 30 years' experience in financial services—including senior roles in superannuation and banking—he champions better retirement outcomes for members.
Chris has demonstrated a strong commitment to equality and driving change, actively engaging in the Workplace Gender Equality Agency's Pay Equity Ambassador program during its tenure. Named FEAL Fund Executive of the Year in 2019, Chris was recognised for his leadership in digital innovation, strategic growth, and industry advancement. He is a passionate advocate for putting members first, sustainable investing, insurance in super, and building a fairer, more inclusive super system.
Katrina Bacon, CEO of FEAL
Katrina has over 25 years of experience working in the superannuation industry, including as a consulting actuary with Towers Perrin and, prior to joining FEAL in January 2023, as a director in KPMG’s Superannuation Advisory practice. She has worked with funds and providers across the industry on all aspects of superannuation, and has a detailed understanding and broad experience of the operational and strategic challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Katrina is also President of the Kuringai Youth Orchestra, a community youth orchestra for high school and university students.
Katrina values and promotes the unique role that FEAL plays in the not-for-profit sector, to support its current and emerging leaders in achieving the retirement outcomes of working Australians.
Our co-MCs for the Conference will be Nathan Buttigieg, Executive Manager – Strategy & Product at NGS Super and Belinda Ray, Chief Audit Executive at AustralianSuper.
Nathan Buttigieg, Executive Manager of Strategy and Product, NGS Super
Nathan has spent more than 15 years serving in various leadership roles within the super industry, including roles managing the Operations, Member Experience and Growth functions at different funds.
With completed studies in Business, Organisational Leadership and as a CPA Accountant, Nathan is passionate about Funds working to tailor their produces to the distinct needs of their memberships and having the right channels and messages to get the individual connected to these product solutions.
Belinda Ray, Chief Audit Executive, AustralianSuper
Belinda is Chief Audit Executive at AustralianSuper and has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry including auditing, accounting, risk management, consulting, governance, compliance and company secretarial. Belinda is a Chartered Accountant and has a Graduate Diploma in Organisational Leadership through the FEAL/MBS Masters Program. Belinda is Chair of the FEAL Finance Committee.
Our dinner speaker, Adam Spencer is Australia’s favourite maths geek and one of our most respected commentators on AI and the future of work. Building on sessions delivered during the day, Adam a lifelong data nerd himself will challenge the leaders in the room to comprehend the AI revolution that is taking place around us. How will it affect the way we work, learn and lead in 2025 and beyond.
Adam Spencer, Comedian, author and maths geek
Adam has hosted award-winning breakfast radio shows in Australia’s toughest markets and live current affairs TV. He has won improvised theatre competitions and once interviewed John Travolta in front of 75,000 people. Whether it’s a technically demanding event with dozens of moving parts, or flying by the seat of your pants, Adam prides himself on the high level of energy, engagement and entertainment that he provides whenever on stage.
With 25 years experience in television, radio and events, Adam loves curating challenging and thought-provoking conversations. He has interviewed prime ministers, Hollywood stars, Fortune 500 CEOs, Nobel Prize-winning scientists and Australians of the Year… and he was also the first person in the world to ever interview our legendary Thai cave rescuers.
CONFERENCE (open to all)
DATE: Thursday 7th August
VENUE: Pier one Sydney harbour
ADDRESS: 11 Hickson Rd, Dawes Point, Sydney
TIME: 9.30am (tea & coffee) for a 10.00am start - 6.00pm (AEST)
COST: FEAL Members $1,180, FEAL Sponsors & Non-members $1,470
MEMBERS' DINNER (FEAL Members & sponsors only)
DATE: Thursday 7th August
VENUE: Pier one Sydney harbour
ADDRESS: 11 Hickson Rd, Dawes Point, Sydney
TIME: 6.00pm (pre-dinner drinks) for a 7.00pm start - 9.30pm (AEST)
COST: FEAL Members $320 & FEAL Sponsors $400
A discount is available for members & sponsors attending both events as set out below:
FEAL Members - Conference & Dinner: $1,360
FEAL Sponsors - Conference & Dinner: $1,690
*Prices above are GST inclusive
**Please note only FEAL members & sponsors are eligible to attend the dinner, the conference is open to all
Dress code for conference & dinner: business attire
Sponsored in partnership with
