Growing portfolios with natural capital
The 6th Agri Investor Australia Forum is returning to the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne on 6 October. Join agri-focused investors, fund managers, strategic partners and more in-person to firmly plant natural capital as a strategy to create a net-zero portfolio.
Analyse crucial trends and discover investor tendencies to help you understand the best way to raise agri funds, use agTech efficiently, and gain a dynamic outlook on investment opportunities.
Secure your place to harness the power of natural capital to future-proof your portfolio this October.
Why Australia Forum?
Meet the influential agri-investing community
Reconnect with 200+ investors and thought-leaders across natural assets.
Gain in-depth insight from investors
Hear from industry titans about the key drivers for natural capital investment.
Supercharge your fundraising
Find the right investor for your fund and start conversations to place your firm at the front of the pack.
Past speakers included:
Year-on-year attendee include:
Meet Australian supers, family offices, fund managers, and more.
Meet the natural capital community
View crucial topics shaping the conference
Key agenda items include:
- Investor appetite for agri funds vs. direct agri investments
- How do family offices transform their capital into sustainable and low carbon portfolios?
- Which strategies are on investor radars?
- Where are the value-added opportunities in Australian ag?
- And more.
What our attendees say?
Stephen Meerwald
Harmony Agriculture and Food
Great opportunity to understand what is needed in Ag investment and how different sectors view the opportunity and risks of Ag investments.
Angus Ingram
Kilter Rural
A Pragmatic discussion about deploying capital into agri investments
Tim Findlay
Westpac Banking Corporation
Fantastic networking event and a chance to hear from experts how to make agri investments work.
Partner with Australia Forum
We help brands to meet the right investors, close communication gaps, and maximise exposures among the influential agriculture investment community. Attendees are exclusively decision-makers at the leading agriculture investors, fund and asset managers across the region and globe.
Sponsorship gives you:
- Early access to networking and meet the right investors
- Opportunity to share your thought-leadership
- High-profile branding opportunities
- And much, much more …
Contact James Baker to discuss your branding and thought-leadership options.
Hot topics our speakers will discuss
View the latest macro and micro market trends shaping our agenda.
Interested in speaking at the conference? Please contact Andrew Wolff.
Speakers include:
Albert Bielinko
Venture Capital, Growth Investor and Principal, Telstra Ventures
Albert has helped founders build businesses that matter at Telstra Ventures for the last six years. In a past life, he co-founded an on-demand food delivery service in Sydney. For his sins, Albert was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs for almost… Read full bio
Ben Craw
Managing Director, Oxley Capital Partners
Specialising in food and agribusiness investment, Ben has for 20+ years been a trusted advisor to clients across the supply chain. Currently, as Managing Director and Co-founder of Oxley Capital Partners, Ben spends his days guiding food & agribu… Read full bio
Bret Harper
Head of Research, RepuTex
Bret Harper is Head of Research at RepuTex, leading RepuTex’s carbon markets research team, and is a specialist in Australian carbon offsets policy. He has a background in carbon farming and industrial greenhouse gas emissions analysis, specialising… Read full bio
Daniel Kemp
APAC Editor, Agri Investor
Daniel Kemp is Superfunds Correspondent for PEI Media’s Infrastructure Investor and Agri Investor. He joined PEI in February 2018 and is based in Sydney. Daniel is an experienced B2B journalist, working for five years prior to joining PEI as Innovati… Read full bio
Ben Krasnostein
Managing Director, Kilara Capital
Ben has over 20 years of experience across corporate advisory, legal advisory, commercial transactions and deal structuring in a variety of industry sectors, including renewable energy, commercial property, sustainable finance and environmental marke… Read full bio
Tom Murphy
Head of Natural Capital, QIC
Tom has over 20 years of experience in public and private institutional investment across the US, UK and Australia. He joined QIC in 2018 to develop QIC’s long-term agriculture, natural capital and regional investment strategy and was appointed a Dir… Read full bio
Sarah Nolet
General Partner, Tenacious Ventures
Sarah Nolet is an internationally recognized food systems innovation expert and co-founder of Tenacious Ventures, a high-support, high conviction, sector-specific venture firm at the intersection of digitally native agriculture and climate solutions.… Read full bio
Nick Ping
Managing Director, Institutional Business Asia Pacific, Manulife Investment Management Timber and Agriculture
Updated bio coming soon.
Adrian Redlich
Founder, Merricks Capital
Adrian is the founder of Merricks Capital and is responsible for investment strategy, investors, and portfolio across all Merricks Capital products. During the last decade Adrian has leveraged his 25+ years of market experience to drive the creation… Read full bio
Naomi Siegel Soderstrom
Professor of Accounting and Deputy Head of Department, The University of Melbourne
Dr. Soderstrom received her Ph.D. in Accounting and Information Systems from Northwestern University. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Her primary research areas are sustainability and management accounting. Dr. Soderst… Read full bio
Bianca Sylvester
Director, Carbon Markets, Clean Energy Finance Corporation
Bianca Sylvester is Director of Carbon Markets at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Bianca has 15 years’ experience in clean energy and climate change, across 20 countries. Prior to joining the CEFC five years ago, she spent six years as a climat… Read full bio
Anne Maree Weston
Head of Agribusiness and Food, Austrade
Anne Maree Weston leads Austrade’s Centre of Excellence for the Agribusiness and Food industry. As such, she drives strategy for Austrade’s promotion and facilitation activities for Australian agrifood export companies and foreign investors seeking t… Read full bio
Discover the industry shifting programme
Gain actionable insights and discuss challenges and opportunities across the Australian agriculture landscape.
Contact our producer Andrew Wolff if you want to hear any specific topics.
View agenda page
Agenda
Agri Australia Forum - Thursday 6th
Times in UTC+11
07:30 - 09:00
Investor Breakfast (Open to institutional investors only)
An intimate, off-the-record, closed-door session for strategic sharing and insight around focused topics. Pre-registration is required.
09:00 - 09:10
Welcome address by PEI & Chair
Ben Craw
09:10 - 10:00
Keynote Panel: The present & future of natural capital
Adrian Redlich,
Tom Murphy
- Understanding the definition of natural capital and its evolution as an asset class
- Geopolitics, food security and its impact on agriculture & natural capital
- What are the best subsectors and strategies for investment in the asset class?
10:00 - 10:45
LP Panel: The real assets investment strategy for domestic investors
Daniel Kemp,
Heechung Sung
- What is the investor appetite for real assets in the current environment?
- How does agriculture and natural capital configure in the real assets portfolio?
- How do you balance long-term investments with customer demand for liquidity?
10:45 - 11:15
Coffee break
11:15 - 12:00
Panel: The emergence of carbon markets
Naomi Siegel Soderstrom,
Bianca Sylvester,
Nick Ping,
Bret Harper
- Is carbon trading an innovative solution or defeating the purpose?
- How can carbon offsetting projects be turned into additional revenue streams?
- Understanding the multiplier effect of carbon value in valuations
12:00 - 12:30
Ministerial Keynote
12:30 - 13:30
Networking Lunch
13:30 - 14:15
Family Office Panel: Families discuss sustainable transformations
Ben Krasnostein,
Paul Slaughter
- Hear from family offices who are setting the example through sustainable transformations of their agri portfolios
- How do you reconcile modern day values with family legacy?
- A sharing of the success stories and the hard lessons
14:15 - 15:00
Panel: Spearheading innovation in agtech
Albert Bielinko,
Sarah Nolet,
Anne Maree Weston
- The role of agtech in helping achieve ESG targets
- Ground-breaking technologies improving food production systems
- How are governmental policies favourable for innovative solutions in 2023?
15:00 - 15:30
Coffee Break
15:30 - 16:15
Investor Panel: Overseas investors’ take on Aussie natural capital
Daniel Kemp
- What are the most rewarding sectors to invest in right now in terms of fiscal performance and positive social / environmental impact?
- Battling the seen and unseen risks of climate change – how do you “climate-proof” your portfolio?
- ESG – how far the Aussie natural capital portfolio has come, and how far it needs to go?
16:15 - 17:00
Panel: Deep dive into the water market
- The balancing act of profit and social impact
- Reducing water usage- did Australia get the pricing structure right or should we be talking about water offsetting markets?
- Challenges and opportunities for 2023
17:00 - 18:00
