FORECAST LUNCH 2020

We are pleased to invite you to our annual shindig; this year a luncheon.

This is a great event, that many in the finance industry have come to look forward to. Please join us by registering now to secure your place at a table, or gather a group and attend together.

Enjoy:

• Bubbly, beer and networking on arrival
• Forecaster of the year competition A light-hearted review of the past year presented by CFA Society NZ Directors Christina Leung, CFA, Principal Economist NZIER and David Kandziora, CFA, Senior Investment Consultant, Russell Investments. The 2020 Forecaster of the Year will be celebrated and attendees will make their predications for 2021. It's blind luck, but fun!
• Plated lunch - delicious hospitability at the Northern Club
• Keynote speakers (below)

Key topic & speakers: Sustainability at a tipping point; why it’s now fundamental in finance

From the wide range of issues on the minds of investment professionals today, Bridget Coates, CFA, highlights sustainability as a topic of major importance. As a global leader, Independent Director, and Chair of Fonterra’s Sustainability Advisory Panel, she is at the forefront of changes being demanded by customers and regulators in New Zealand and around the world.

Bridget will be joined by Karen Silk, GM Experience Hub, Westpac and Chair of the Sustainable Business Council NZ. They will discuss pending changes across sustainable finance and the impacts on the wider industry.

Key takeaways for the audience will include:

• How sustainable organisations are outperforming their peers, and the opportunities for investors
• The role of reducing risk and adjusted returns for risk
• Why looking at pure returns is out-of-date, or soon will be
• What sustainability really means for businesses and in the broader context

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Bridget Coates

Bridget Coates is an experienced global leader who has built and led businesses in both the United States and New Zealand in recent years. She has held Chairperson, Director and CEO roles across a range of public and private sector entities.

She is currently Chairperson of the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand, Director of Tegel Group Holdings Ltd., Chair of the Tegel Audit Committee, Chair of Koi Tu (a think tank based at the University of Auckland) and Chair of Fonterra’s Sustainability Advisory Panel to the Board. Until recently, she was a Director of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

Bridget founded White Cloud Dairy Innovation Ltd., a company exporting dairy products to the United States. Bridget was also the inaugural Chair of THE ICEHOUSE business accelerator and the inaugural Chair of ArcAngels in New Zealand, an angel group focusing on women-led growth companies. She retains a portfolio of early and growth stage investments in the US and in New Zealand.

Bridget has been a Director of the New Zealand Superannuation Fund as well as public companies, Sky City Limited and Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings Limited. She was formerly CEO of Carter Holt Harvey Plastic Products and Director of Research for CS First Boston NZ Ltd as well as being a Member of the University of Auckland Council.

Bridget has also held Board governance roles with Industry New Zealand / NZTE, a national economic development agency; Competitive Auckland Ltd, a regional economic development organisation; NZ Apple and Pear Marketing Board and Auckland Uniservices Ltd, a technology transfer company. She holds degrees in arts, economics and finance from the University of Auckland and also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst qualification: she is a Chartered Member of Institute of Directors. Bridget was a judge for the CFO of the Year Awards in 2020.

Karen Silk

Karen is a highly experienced financial services executive with a strong track record of building and transforming businesses across both Australia and New Zealand.

Karen currently heads up Westpac New Zealand’s Experience Hub, which is comprised of cross functional teams – including marketing, analytics, products and engineering – working to deliver better outcomes for customers. In addition, Karen leads both the Westpac Life and BT Funds Management businesses, chairs Westpac NZ’s Climate Change Action working group.

Sustainability is a key focus of Karen’s work. She’s helps drive Westpac’s commitment to lending $2bn towards climate change solutions by 2020 and oversaw the issuance of New Zealand’s first green bond in June 2019. A board member of the NZ Sustainable Business Council since 2017, she was appointed Chair in 2019. Karen is also co-chair of the Sustainable Finance Forum, a work stream of the Aotearoa Circle – a joint business and Government initiative started in 2018 – and was a mentor of the Reference Panel for the Green Investment Fund.

Before taking up her current role, Karen led Westpac NZ’s commercial, corporate and institutional banking for seven years. Prior to returning to New Zealand in 2012, she held a range of senior positions within Westpac Australia, including Managing Director and Global Head of Debt Capital Markets, where she led the Institutional Bank cleantech lending and social and affordable housing programs. She has also led Westpac Australia’s Corporate and Institutional Property teams and was the inaugural chair of the Westpac Group Property Risk Council.

Karen is a graduate of Canterbury University and INSEAD Alumni.