In an Australian first, the Financial Services Council will today launch a five week ‘virtual conference’, as part of its inaugural business Leaders Summit.
The virtual conference will be facilitated by the FSC through LinkedIn and will help set the future direction of the financial services industry, prior to the two-day ‘physical’ summit in Melbourne on 20-21 July.
“The FSC’s virtual conference enables us to bring together those at the top of their field, leaders, strategic thinkers, entrepreneurs and innovators, whose thoughts and debate will influence the direction of our conference discussions in Melbourne,” FSC CEO Sally Loane said today.
The topics that will influence the virtual summit discussions include millennials, superannuation and cultural diversity themes.
There will also be a strong focus on politics and policy given the election campaign is currently in full swing, and the fact that the actual Summit will be held just 18 days after the Federal election.
“The FSC Leaders Summit will be the first large gathering of senior business people in the wake of the Federal election,” Ms Loane said.
“We will have a new Parliament, new cross-benchers and a raft of new policies directly impacting on financial services. It is a critical time to debate the new landscape ahead of us.
“By setting up the virtual summit now, we want delegates to be inspired, challenged and contribute to thought provoking debate, before they even set foot through the door.”
“The inclusion of keynote inspirational leaders in Melbourne helps the FSC move from a technical, procedural and multiple-streamed conference event to a premier summit in business leadership and excellence,” said Ms Loane.
Summit speakers include:
. Kim Beazley, former Australian Ambassador to the US and Leader of the Australian Labor Party
. The Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Shadow Treasurer
. Tim Wilson, Liberal candidate for Goldstein
. Waleed Aly – The Project star and pre-eminent media cultural commentator
. Ben Styles, Head of Banking, Xero
. Dr Tim Soutphommasane, Race Discrimination Commissioner
. Financial services sector leaders including Geoff Lloyd, Greg Cooper, Chris Cuffe, Scott Hartley, Jon Ireland, Lochiel Crafter, Brian Benari, Damien Mu, Colin Kelton, David Bryant and Brett Jollie.
The new approach aligns with the FSC’s strategic direction to redesign its conference program to better align with its members’ professional requirements.
As part of this bold new direction, the FSC has relocated its national three-day conference in Queensland to a more focused two-day event in Victoria.
Financial services is the largest sector in the national economy, employing more than 450,000 people.
Despite having a population of only 24 million people, Australia is the fourth largest superannuation market in the world with assets of more than $2 trillion.
Ms Loane said the 2016 FSC Leaders Summit was designed to take the industry in a new direction.
“The practical sessions will equip delegates with the skills and knowledge required to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing business landscape.”
Summit delegates will have the opportunity to further engage in discussion through the Innovation Hub at the Melbourne Convention Centre on 20-21 July.
The first discussion topic “Millennials and super – there’s no point mandating compulsory super for a generation that doesn’t expect to ever be able to retire.” begins today. To join the debate connect with the FSC on LinkedIn.
