Strategies Summit 2025 - Time to make a move?

Strategies Summit 2025 will challenge and refresh your portfolio construction thinking by debating contemporary and emerging portfolio construction strategies to help you build better quality portfolios.

For much of the past four decades, the key to investing success was to stay long (and get longer!) risk assets. Crises became buying opportunities, as investors learned that western policymakers would go to almost any lengths to rescue financial markets. Even in the changed environment of 2020-2024, going with the flow was a good strategy most of the time.

But is that still the case? Central banks and politicians are constrained in their ability to support asset prices, globalisation continues to reverse, trade wars (and actual wars - cold and hot) are intensifying. A toxic brew of low growth and sticky inflation threatens economies, markets and asset prices. It’s crunch time for multi-asset, multi-manager portfolio design. Are the portfolio construction strategies that have served us well in the past still appropriate? Time to make a move?

We’d welcome you joining us - at our live studio in Sydney, at one of our live sites around Australia and NZ, or via our live stream from your desk. Early bird registration is just A$395+GST for Practitioners (ends Tuesday 05 August)  Register now!

Graham Rich
Dean, Portfolio Construction Forum

Overview  Where; When; Aim; Most suited to; CE/CPD; Cost

About the program  Introduction;  Theme;  Program Structure

Register now  Registration options; Terms and conditions

When & where?   AEST 8.00am-5.45pm Wed 20 Aug 2025 & AEST 8.00am-1.00pm Thu 21 Aug 2025

Strategies Summit 2025 is a full live “hybrid” program. i.e. you choose how and where it best suits you to participate. You’ll be part of a community of more than 1,000 senior, influential institutional and investment and wealth management professionals.

1.  at our live studio in Sydney with 200 peers
Attend the program in person, see and mix with the Faculty and your fellow senior delegates anD enjoy the continuing education, camaraderie and networking at our live studio at the University of New South Wales in Sydney including the end of day Networking Reception on day one.

2.  at a Forum live site around Australia and NZ
Attend the program in person, watch the live stream broadcast with your peers, away from the distractions of the office, and enjoy the continuing education, camaraderie and networking without having to travel.

• Australia - Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth
• New Zealand - Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch

3.  via live stream at your desk - this is very popular with many of our members (and the backup for live studio and live site delegates who at the last minute can no longer attend in person).

4.  on demand during and/or after the live program - as a registered delegate you get access to the on demand video within a few hours of each session being live streamed, so you can catch up anytime if you miss a session.

Aim:   Debate portfolio construction strategies

Strategies Summit will challenge and refresh your portfolio construction thinking by debating contemporary and emerging portfolio construction strategies, to help you build better quality portfolios.

Most suited to:   Institutional and investment and wealth management practitioners

Strategies Summit is relevant to all institutional and investment and wealth management practitioners involved in designing, building and/or advising on multi-asset, multi-manager portfolios.

It is essential for portfolio construction Practitioners, by whom we mean those whose primary role is involved in designing, building and/or advising on multi-asset, multi-manager managed portfolios, managed accounts and/or funds, using but not necessarily limited to managed funds from a range of firms, and who work in a financial advisory, fund research, investment consulting, family office, funds management, superannuation, private fund, endowment fund or investment platform business including:

• investment advisers giving investment advice on multi-manager, multi-asset portfolios, managed accounts and/or funds to individual investors;
• fund researchers;
• investment consultants consulting on multi-asset, multi-manager portfolios;
• portfolio managers designing, building and managing multi-manager portfolios; and/or,
• members of investment committees that oversee multi-asset, multi-manager portfolios, managed accounts and/or funds.

We also recognise and respect the invaluable role of Advocates and welcome them attending, too (Advocate delegate registration fees apply).

CE/CPD Accreditation:   12+ hours

By attending the live program in full (at our live studio in Sydney, at a live site or via live stream), you will earn 12 CE hours that can be used to help meet the CE/CPD requirements of 20+ governing bodies (regulators, associations and institutes) - including ASIC, APRA, Legislated (AU)/FAAA, FMA, and CIMA^® CE/CPD requirements, to name just a few.

After the live program, you can earn further CE hours by “attending” (online on demand) the Special Interests Forum (elective) sessions you didn’t get to attend during the live program.

Cost (Practitioners):   Practitioners A$395+GST (Early Bird ends Tuesday 05 August 2025)

Strategies Summit is exceptional value for money for Practitioners, as defined below.

• Live Studio:   Practitioners A$395+GST Early Bird, save A$100+GST  Register below
  Attend the full 1.5 day program in person in Sydney - get together and watch the live program at our live studio and enjoy the continuing education and networking with a very select, experienced and influential group of your peers and the Faculty, away from the distractions of the office, for the same fee as attending via live stream.
• Live Site:   Practitioners A$395+GST Early Bird, save A$100+GST  Register below
  Attend the first day in person at one of our live sites around Australia and NZ - get together in person locally to watch the live stream with your peers, away from the distractions of the office, and enjoy the continuing education, camaraderie and networking. Then, attend the Thursday half-day program via live stream at your desk from wherever you wish.
• Live Stream:   Practitioners A$395+GST Early Bird, save A$100+GST  Register below
  Attend the program via live stream at your desk from wherever you wish.

We also welcome Advocates attending (Advocate delegate fees apply). For more information, please contact us.

Established in 2002, Strategies Summit is THE portfolio construction strategies program of the year.

Held in August each year in association with CIMA Society Asia Pacific, Strategies Summit brings together the investment factors and human factors in portfolio construction, addressing a range of contemporary and emerging portfolio construction issues. It includes a three-part Hypothetical Investment Committee to help delegates establish an asset allocation and implementation plan.

The Strategies Summit program is designed and curated by our specialist, experienced and independent team. It is moderated by our Dean, Graham Rich, and features a Faculty of 40+ carefully selected leading investment thinkers - portfolio managers, CIOs, senior investment analysts, investment strategists, economists, research consultants and practitioners - from around the world, offering their best high conviction ideas on contemporary and emerging portfolio construction strategies.

It is the companion program to Markets Summit in February, focusing on debating the drivers of and outlook for the investment markets, and the implications for portfolios. Together, Strategies Summit and Markets Summit form a two-part annual series for those committed to structured continuing education that contributes to better quality multi-asset, multi-manager investment portfolio construction.

Knowledge Domain:   Strategies

The Forum’s subject matter focus is on five Knowledge Domains – Philosophy, Markets, Strategies, Investing and Finology. As its name implies, Strategies Summit is focused primarily on our “Strategies” Knowledge Domain.

Strategies - Designing quality investment portfolios to meet defined objectives
Robust contemporary strategies are at the heart of designing quality investment portfolios capable of meeting investors’ long-term goals, in both accumulation and decumulation stages of life. Strategies factors encompass investment objectives and constraints, asset allocation, currency management, selecting and blending specific investments, portfolio risk management, the implementation framework and the evaluation framework, all documented in an Investment Policy Statement.

Theme:   Time to make a move?

For much of the past four decades, the key to investing success was to stay long (and get longer!) risk assets. Crises became buying opportunities, as investors learned that western policymakers would go to almost any lengths to rescue financial markets. Even in the changed environment of 2020-2024, going with the flow was a good strategy most of the time.

But is that still the case? Central banks and politicians are constrained in their ability to support asset prices, globalisation continues to reverse, trade wars (and actual wars - cold and hot) are intensifying. A toxic brew of low growth and sticky inflation threatens economies, markets and asset prices. It’s crunch time for multi-asset, multi-manager portfolio design. Are the portfolio construction strategies that have served us well in the past still appropriate? Time to make a move?

Program structure

Like all our continuing education programs, Strategies Summit is an integrated learning program with preparation, participation and review.

Before - Prepare

To maximise learning, you are provided with pre-reading aimed at boosting your knowledge and getting you thinking about the issues to be addressed in the program. The preparation is assumed prior knowledge.

During - Participate

The one and a half day program is designed and curated by our specialist, experienced and independent team. It is comprised of the 9.5-hour Critical Issues Forum (plenary) program and 2-hour Special Interests Forum (elective) program. In these, our Faculty of 40+ leading investment thinkers from around the world - portfolio managers, CIOs, senior investment analysts, investment strategists, economists, independent consultants and practitioners - offer their best high conviction ideas on contemporary and emerging portfolio construction issues and strategies, in the context of the program theme.

And it’s not just a talk-fest! So you have actionable take outs from the program to help you build better quality investor portfolios:

• Throughout the program, you’ll be challenged to decide your key takeouts - whether you agree or disagree with each high conviction thesis presented, which ones you’ll investigate further, and which you’ll put into practice when building investor portfolios. You’ll log those decisions using our program App, “Frankie”, on your device (phone, tablet, laptop or desktop) to refer to after the program (which is also proof of attendance for CE purposes). You’ll also use Frankie to ask questions and chat with delegates online.
• A week later, attend the complimentary, post-program Implementation Zoominar (12.00pm-1.30pm, Thursday 28 August via Zoom) led by consulting firm, InvestSense, to further draw together the key take outs from the program and the practical implications for client portfolios. The Zoominar registration link is included in your Strategies Summit 2025 registration confirmation email, so you can register for the Zoominar right away.

The full program will be available in early August. Meanwhile, watch the highlights and attend sessions from past Strategies Summit programs.

After - Review

After the live program, your learning continues! Videos of all presentations are available on demand within a few hours of them live streaming - so you can revisit the sessions you attended, and “attend” any you didn’t catch at the live program (and earn further CE hours). And using Frankie, you can review your decision about which high conviction ideas you decided you would investigate further and/or put into practice. Plus, a week later, you can attend the Implementation Zoominar to further clarify the key takeouts and practice implications for client portfolios.

By registering for Portfolio Construction Forum Strategies Summit 2025 (the “Program”), you agree you have read, understood and agree to be bound by our Portfolio Construction Forum Program Terms and Conditions and the registration inclusions described below.

Practitioner registration

Before registering using these links, please check whether you meet our Practitioner definition below.

Live studio:   Practitioner Early Bird A$395+GST - save A$100+GST, ends Tuesday 05 August 2025   Register now - Live studio Sydney
Live studio registration includes:  one individual attending the Program on Wednesday 20 August 2025 and Thursday 21 August 2025 in person as part of the main studio audience at UNSW including morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and networking drinks in the Cafe with all delegates on Wednesday 20 August 2025 and morning tea in the Café with all delegates on Thursday 21 August 2025, access to Frankie (the program App), attendance at the Implementation Zoominar (12.00pm-1.30pm, Thursday 28 August 2025) and access to the online on demand Program webcasts published after the program. Any costs related to attending the program including but not limited to travel, accommodation, and parking are not included.

Live site:   Practitioner Early Bird A$395+GST - save A$100+GST, ends Tuesday 05 August 2025
Register now - Brisbane    Register now - Melbourne    Register now - Perth
Register now - Auckland    Register now - Christchurch    Register now - Wellington
Live site registration includes:  one individual attending the Program on Wednesday 20 August 2025 in person at the live site including morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea, and Thursday 21 August 2025 live online via the live stream broadcast, access to Frankie (the program App), attendance at the Implementation Zoominar (12.00pm-1.30pm, Thursday 28 August 2025) and access to the online on demand Program webcasts published after the program. Any other costs related to attending the program including but not limited to travel, accommodation, and parking are not included.

Live stream:   Practitioner Early Bird A$395+GST - save A$100+GST, ends Tuesday 05 August 2025   Register now - live stream
Live stream registration includes one individual attending the Program live online on Wednesday 20 August 2025 and Thursday 21 August 2025 via the live stream broadcast, access to Frankie (the program App), attendance at the Implementation Zoominar (12.00pm-1.30pm, Thursday 28 August 2025) and access to the online on demand Program webcasts published after the program. Any other costs related to attending the Program, including but not limited to an adequate internet connection to watch the live stream, are not included.

Are you a Practitioner or Advocate?

Practitioners

Practitioners are those whose primary day-to-day role is involved in designing, building and/or advising on multi-asset, multi-manager managed portfolios, managed accounts and/or funds, using but not necessarily limited to managed funds from a range of firms, and who work in a financial advisory, fund research, investment consulting, family office, funds management, superannuation, private fund, endowment fund or investment platform business including:

• investment advisers giving investment advice on multi-manager, multi-asset portfolios, managed accounts and/or funds to individual investors;
• fund researchers;
• investment consultants consulting on multi-asset, multi-manager portfolios;
• portfolio managers designing, building and managing multi-manager portfolios; and/or,
• members of investment committees that oversee multi-asset, multi-manager portfolios, managed accounts and/or funds.

Advocates

If your primary day-to-day role is a business, sales, and/or marketing role with any business or an investment role in a non-multi-manager funds management business then you’re an Advocate. We recognise and respect the invaluable role of Advocates and welcome them attending, too however a different registration fee applies. For registration options, please contact us.