The 15th Annual AVCJ Australia and New Zealand Private Equity & Venture Forum gathered 280 of the industry’s leading figures in Sydney, including over 115 LPs, for two days of thought-provoking discussions, presentations and networking.
Attendees came from 15 different countries around the world and heard from 55 of the most experienced and successful private market investors, as well as the leading super funds and domestic and foreign institutional investors.
The forum featured expert analysis and market predictions with sessions covering topics including how geo-politics are affecting the investment landscape and what private market managers can do to prevail in these conditions, how Australian GPs can become more institutionalised, the rise of multi-product offerings among domestic GPs, how PE can help Australian companies expand overseas, the strategies VCs are employing to quickly scale companies and take them global and the outlook for succession in Australia given the maturity of funds and make-up of senior management.
280+
Attendees
174+
Organisations
115+
Limited Partners
54
Expert Speakers
15
Countries
The premier private equity & venture forum in Australia & New Zealand
- Highlights of the Forum included::
- • More than 170 leading companies in attendance, including institutional investors from the USA, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Germany, China, Singapore and UK
- • An LP-only session to kick-off the forum featuring an interactive discussion with MLC, QIC, Future Fund and Sunsuper
- • An In-depth discussion on succession planning and execution in Australian private equity with HESTA, Next capital and Quadrant Private Equity
- • An investors panel on the LPs’ views on Australasia and beyond featuring First State Super, Future Fund, Pantheon and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
- • A gala dinner in partnership with AVCAL attended by 400 industry professionals and featuring an informative and entertaining interviewing with Former NSW Premier Mike Baird
- • A keynote address from Raphael Arndt, CIO of Future Fund on how the Future Fund invests in disruption and utilises private equity and venture capital globally to access the next generation of opportunities
Lead Sponsor
Asia Series Sponsor
Co-Sponsors
Exhibitor
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Raphael Arndt
Chief Investment Officer
FUTURE FUND
Raphael Arndt was appointed as the Chief Investment Officer of the Future Fund in 2014.
He leads a multi-disciplinary investment team, managing A$160 billion, making investments across all asset classes and geographies.
In particular he focusses on the Fund’s “joined up” investment process, bringing together top down macro views and bottom up sector opportunities to construct the best overall portfolio.
This involves managing investments for Australia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, and four additional funds, including the Medical Research Future Fund, which will be one of the largest medical research funds in the world when fully funded.
Raphael was previously the Fund's Head of Infrastructure and Timberland where he was responsible for establishing both the Timberland and Infrastructure investment programs.
Raphael is also Chairman of the Investment Committee and a Board Member of the Melbourne Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Australia’s largest community foundation.
Raphael started his career as an Engineer working with Ove Arup & Partners in Melbourne and London.
He holds Engineering and Economics degrees and a PhD from the University of Melbourne which focused on risk allocation in Public Private Partnerships.
Mike Baird
Former NSW Premier
Mike Baird was appointed to the role of Chief Customer Officer – Corporate and Institutional Banking at National Australia Bank (NAB) in April 2017.
Prior to joining NAB, Mr. Baird was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, representing the electoral district of Manly in the NSW Legislative Assembly.
In 1989, Mr. Baird started his career as a NAB graduate in Sydney. He went on to hold senior roles in NAB’s Corporate and Institutional Banking team in Australia and London, including Global Relationship Manager and Head of Debt Capital Markets Originations based in London.
He was a Senior Corporate Finance Manager at Deutsche Bank and Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking at HSBC in Australia and New Zealand.
Mr. Baird entered NSW state politics in 2007. He held a number of shadow ministries before serving as Treasurer from 2011 to 2014 and then Premier from 2014 to January 2017, when he retired from politics.
Mr. Baird holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Sydney and has completed executive management courses at Harvard and Duke University.
Will MacAulay
Investment Manager - Unlisted Assets
HESTA
Will MacAulay is an Investment Manager – Unlisted Assets with HESTA, and is responsible for HESTA’s Infrastructure, Private Equity, and Opportunistic Growth portfolios. Prior to HESTA Will has held similar roles with Wilshire Private Markets and MLC Private Equity. Will holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Alicia Gregory
Head of Private Equity
MLC
Alicia Gregory has worked within the PE program for the last 11 years and brings with her significant experience as an investor and leader. Alicia returned to Australia in January this year having spent three years in London as Head of European PE.
Alicia has over 17 years' experience in the financial services sector. This career includes investment research with the ThreeSixty Investment Strategy & Research team and prior to that she worked at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in various research and credit related roles. Alicia holds a Bachelor of Business from University of Technology, Sydney, is a CFA charterholder and has completed the General Management Programme at INSEAD.
Steve Byrom
Head of Private Equity
FUTURE FUND
Steve Byrom is Head of Private Equity at Future Fund, the $105 billion sovereign wealth fund of Australia. Mr. Byrom is responsible for managing $15 billion of capital that has been committed to private equity funds, co-investments and other direct investment opportunities globally.
He has over 20 years' of private equity and corporate finance experience across Europe, Australia and New Zealand. His previous experience includes establishing a private equity program at the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, Co-Head of ANZ Private Equity, financial sponsors with SG Hambros in London and corporate finance at Ernst & Young in London and Auckland.
Mr. Byrom holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) and a Masters of Commerce (Finance) from the University of Auckland.
Marcus Simpson
Global Head of Private Equity
QIC
Marcus Simpson founded and manages QIC's private equity program of $5.0bn AUM globally in funds, co-investments, directs and direct secondary fund interests. He is at the forefront of a new private equity investment model reflected in a 2015 paper co-authored by Josh Lerner and Hugh MacArthur: The Next Generation Private Equity Investor.
Prior to founding QIC's program in 2005, Marcus was Chief Executive, North America, Altius Associates Ltd, with US$27 billion (as of Q2 2015) under management or advice. He established Altius' US operation in 2000 and participated in the global management, investment strategy and execution, and client acquisition.
From 1996 to 2000 Marcus worked for the Virginia Retirement System ("VRS"), a US public pension plan with assets of US$62 billion. Marcus founded its non-US portfolio and then became Head of Private Equity.
From 1990 to 1995 he worked in the London office of the Bankers Trust Company where he structured a number of buy-out financings and worked on corporate restructurings.
Marcus is Chairman Emeritus of the Institutional Investors Roundtable, an international community of large, long-term institutional investors seeking to collaborate on private market investment.
James Lilico
Investment Manager - Private Markets
SUNSUPER
James Lilico is an Investment Manager in the Private Markets team at Sunsuper, a $34 billion profit-for-members superannuation fund. His role encompasses portfolio construction, investment research, selection and execution and ongoing review and reporting across the private capital and property asset classes.
The private capital portfolio is a programme of over $2 billion, which consists of primary and secondary fund investments and co-investments across the buyout, venture, distressed, natural resources and real estate areas. James represents Sunsuper on various advisory boards in Australia and overseas.
James has been with Sunsuper for 5 years. Prior to this, he was at RMB Capital Partners and Grant Samuel. James has a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master of Science in Decision and Information Sciences from the University of Florida.
Hemal Mirani
Managing Director
HARBOURVEST PARTNERS (ASIA)
Hemal Mirani rejoined HarbourVest's senior management team in Asia in 2015 to focus on investments and investor relations across the Asia Pacific region.
Hemal first joined HarbourVest in 1997 and spent eleven years developing relationships with leading Asian private equity managers and working with our investors and consultants across the region to advance and optimize their private market investment programs. She rejoined HarbourVest after six years with CVC Capital Partners in Hong Kong, where she was head of investor relations in Asia and Chief Administrative Officer.
Hemal received a BA in Commerce from Sydenham College (Bombay) in 1989, an MA in International Studies with a Japanese language concentration from the Joseph H. Lauder Institute, and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School in 1997. The latter two were part of a joint degree program at the University of Pennsylvania. Hemal speaks fluent Japanese.