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Advisers Big Day Out - Regional

Advisers Big Day Out (ABDO) 2026 - Regional

July 21 - August 7, 2026

The Advisers Big Day Out (ABDO), has been designed to give advisers an insight into the latest topics from a select group of fund managers in a time effective manner. The ABDO program is delivered to regional & capital city locations across Australia.

The program is Financial Standard's professional development roadshow, attended by financial advisers around the country each year.

ABDO gives you the chance to network with your peers and hear from Australia's leading fund managers and be kept up-to-date with the diverse range of investment opportunities while gaining CPD hours.

Dates and Locations

Cairns

Tuesday, 21 July 2026
Crystalbrook Bailey, Room: Aria

Ground Floor A/163 Abbott St, Cairns City QLD 4870

Sunshine Coast

Thursday, 23 July 2026
Altitude Nine, Room: Level 9

Corner First Ave And, South Sea Islander Way, Maroochydore QLD 4558

Gold Coast

Friday, 24 July 2026
RACV Royal Pines Resort Gold Coast, Room: 2 & 3 Norfolk Hall

Ross St, Benowa QLD 4217

Hobart

Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Vibe Hotel, Room: Alonnah & Bruny

36 Argyle St, Hobart TAS 7000

Geelong

Thursday, 30 July 2026
Rydges Geelong, Room: Kardinia

Myers St &, Gheringhap St, Geelong VIC 3220

Frankston

Friday, 31 July 2026
Frankston Arts Centre, Room: Rotary

27-37 Davey St, Frankston VIC 3199

Canberra

Tuesday, 4 August 2026
National Museum of Australia, Room: Peninsula

Lawson Cres, Acton ACT 2601

Wollongong

Wednesday, 5 August 2026
Novotel Wollongong Northbeach, Room: Admirals

2/14 Cliff Rd, North Wollongong NSW 2500

Central Coast

Thursday, 6 August 2026
voco Gosford, Room: Kingfisher & Sandpiper

108 Donnison St, Gosford NSW 2250

Newcastle

Friday, 7 August 2026
Rydges Newcastle, Room: Macquarie/Hannell

Wharf Rd &, Merewether St, Newcastle NSW 2300

ADVISERS BIG DAY OUT (ABDO) - REGIONAL ROADSHOW 2026

Agenda is subject to change.

8:30am

Registrations open
Barista coffee is on us

8:55am

Welcome from Financial Standard

9:00am

Risk, rates & real: Navigating the now

Commercial & residential property markets
Credit markets
REITs
Economy (rates and productivity)

James Waterworth (Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Hobart, Geelong, Frankston, Central Coast, Newcastle)
director - head of distribution, La Trobe Financial

Michael Watson (Cairns, Canberra, Wollongong)
director - wealth solutions, La Trobe Financial

Find out more about James and Michael

James has over 20 years' experience in distribution across multiple asset classes and markets. A recognised industry thought leader, James leads the national distribution of La Trobe Financial's investment products. James is known for his unwavering commitment to client outcomes, deep market insight, and extensive network across Australia and internationally.

Michael is a well-respected distribution executive and a regular commentator in the asset management industry. With over 32 years' experience across markets, Michael plays a key role in the distribution of the firm's retirement-focused investment solutions.

9:40am

Using model portfolios to navigate volatility

BlackRock's market outlook
Translating macro views into client portfolio positioning
How BlackRock can support you and your business

Uwe Helmes (Cairns)
lead strategist - model portfolio solutions, BlackRock Australia

Tim Diemer (Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast)
investment strategist - model portfolio solutions, BlackRock Australia

Beatrice Yeo (Hobart, Geelong, Frankston, Canberra)
senior investment strategist - model portfolio solutions, BlackRock Australia

Tatiana Bernard (Wollongong, Central Coast, Newcastle)
lead portfolio manager - model portfolio solutions, BlackRock Australia

Find out more about Uwe, Tim, Beatrice and Tatiana

Uwe Helmes, Director, CFA, is the Lead Strategist for BlackRock's Model Portfolio Solutions business in Australia and a member of BlackRock's Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions Group.

Uwe's team is at the heart of BlackRock's portfolio construction, asset allocation, and active management ecosystem. The team draws on the full toolkit of BlackRock's index, factor, and alpha-seeking investment capabilities to deliver precise investment outcomes and cutting-edge trading insights. The team constructs whole portfolio solutions in the form of managed accounts, commingled funds and model portfolios across the wealth and institutional channels.

Uwe joined BlackRock in August 2016. Prior to joining BlackRock he worked as a senior market researcher at Investment Trends. He holds a Bachelor of Economics (Econometrics and Finance) and an Honours in Finance (First Class) from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He is a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Institute.

Tim Diemer, Associate, is an Investment Strategist for BlackRock's Model Portfolio Solutions business in Australia and a member of BlackRock's Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions Group.

The multi-asset team is at the heart of BlackRock's portfolio construction, asset allocation, and active management ecosystem. The team draws on the full toolkit of BlackRock's index, factor, and alpha-seeking investment capabilities to deliver precise investment outcomes and cutting-edge alpha insights. The team constructs active asset allocation strategies and whole portfolio solutions across a wide spectrum of managed accounts, commingled funds, and model portfolios across the wealth and institutional channels.

Tim joined BlackRock in September 2022. Prior to joining BlackRock, he worked for Square Peg, a leading Australian venture capital manager and was previously employed at PIMCO within Institutional Account Management. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies), majoring in Finance and Marketing, from the University of Sydney and a Master of Finance, specializing in Funds Management, from the University of New South Wales. He has also passed his CFA Level 2 exam.

Beatrice Yeo, CFA, Vice President, is a Senior Investment Strategist for BlackRock's Model Portfolio Solutions business in Australia and a member of BlackRock's Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions Group.

Beatrice's team is at the heart of BlackRock's portfolio construction, asset allocation, and active management ecosystem. The team draws on the full toolkit of BlackRock's index, factor, and alpha-seeking investment capabilities to deliver precise investment outcomes and cutting-edge trading insights. The team constructs whole portfolio solutions in the form of managed accounts, commingled funds and model portfolios across the wealth and institutional channels.

Prior to this, Beatrice has held roles as an economist and investment strategist across Australia and Hong Kong, focusing on delivering thought leadership on markets and asset allocation. Her research has been published in top-tier academic journals including the Journal of Financial Data Science. Beatrice holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Finance) from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute.

Tatiana Bernard, CFA, is the lead Portfolio Manager for BlackRock's Model Portfolio Solutions (MPS) models in Australia and a member of BlackRock's Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions Group (MASS).

The MPS team is responsible for the research, development, and management of tactical and strategic asset-allocation models for application in model portfolio solutions (e.g., SMAs). The Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions (MASS) team is the investment group at the heart of BlackRock's portfolio construction, asset allocation, and active management ecosystem. The team constructs whole portfolio solutions in the form of managed accounts, commingled funds and model portfolios across the wealth and institutional channels.

Tatiana joined BlackRock in February 2017. Prior to joining BlackRock she worked as Quantitative Analyst at the ASX. Ms. Bernard has a Bachelors degree in Economics and a Masters degree in Econometrics, both from the University of Sydney. She is a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Institute.

10:20am

The world of opportunities within active ETFs

Active ETF trends
Building blocks for improved portfolio solutions
The opportunity for income

Stefania Vivarini
ETF specialist, J.P Morgan Asset Management

Find out more about Stefania

Stefania Vivarini is the ETF Specialist for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, based in Australia. She joined the business in 2025 to promote the full range of active ETF solutions and working closely with clients to deliver tailored investment strategies. Prior to this role, Stefania most recently served as a National Key Account Manager at Vanguard Investments Australia, looking after National Dealer Groups and Platform clients. Collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders, she successfully launched ETF based SMAs in her platform role. She has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, with a strong focus on investment product distribution and client relationship management.

11:00am

Morning Tea

11:30am

Optimising retirement income

Why guaranteed lifestyle income solutions matter in today's market
Comparing traditional vs modern annuity structures using real client scenarios
How product design can materially improve retirement solutions

Lauren Matthews (Hobart, Frankston)
senior retirement income specialist VIC/TAS, Allianz Retire+

Bernadette Circosta (Geelong)
business development manager VIC, Allianz Retire+

Chris Borg (Canberra, Wollongong)
state Manager NSW, Allianz Retire+

Kiru Anantharaj (Central Coast, Newcastle)
senior manager retirement solutions, Allianz Retire+

Justine Marquet (Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast)
head of technical services, Allianz Retire+

Find out more about Lauren, Bernadette, Chris, Kiru and Justine

Lauren Matthews started out studying archaeology and somehow ended up obsessed with retirement income. Turns out both are about the same thing: working out what people did, and why. A Senior Retirement Income Specialist at Allianz Retire+ and 2026 Women Empowering Wealth BDM of the Year, Lauren has spent more than twenty years helping advisers across Victoria and Tasmania make complex retirement income simple enough for clients to actually use. She is most interested in the human side of it all: why so many women retire with less than they deserve, and why so many retirees are too frightened to spend the money they spent a lifetime saving.

Bernadette is a Business Development Manager within the VIC/TAS Distribution team at Allianz Retire+, bringing over a decade of specialised expertise in wealth management, financial services, and retirement planning.

Throughout her career, including a nine-year stint at Challenger, she has focused on investment strategies, annuities, aged care solutions, and relationship management.

Bernadette holds a Bachelor of Business Management and is deeply dedicated to helping clients optimise their wealth and build secure, sustainable retirement income portfolio's.

Chris joined Allianz Retire+ as the State Manager for NSW/ACT in June 2024, bringing a decade of experience in the financial services industry. His career began in boutique wealth management practices, where he developed and maintained strategies to help clients achieve their financial goals. In more recent times, Chris has held distribution roles, supporting, and educating financial advisers and providing insights into superannuation, retirement income, and aged care strategies.

Kiru has over 20 years' experience across insurance, advice, retirement, and superannuation, with a demonstrated track record of building trusted relationships and delivering high-impact adviser education. Kiru joins from AMP, where she held the role of Retirement Specialist (MyNorth Lifetime BDM), driving adviser engagement and growth in lifetime product uptake. Prior to AMP, Kiru was at Care Super, having previously held roles at Insignia Financial, MLC Life Insurance, BT Advice and ANZ Bank, among others.

Justine helps financial advisers and superfunds navigate retirement planning. She also shares game-changing longevity strategies - because who doesn't want their money to last as long as they do?

With over two decades in financial services, Justine has witnessed the industry's evolution from dial-up to data-driven, worked on product launches to platforms, and more spreadsheets than she cares to remember. Her diverse background in super, wealth, insurance, and advice means she deeply understands the financial challenges facing Australians and how to help solve them. Justine holds an M.Comm. (Fin. Planning) and Dip. Super. Management.

12:10pm

The new 60/40 portfolio: A modern playbook for retirement income

The shifting risk picture for retirees
Why the traditional 60/40 portfolio need recalibrating
The role of private credit in modern retirement portfolios

Rhys Leitch (Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong, Central Coast)
distribution director, Real Asset Management

Marcus Huynh (Hobart, Geelong, Canberra, Newcastle)
distribution director, Real Asset Management

Scott Kelly (Gold Coast, Frankston)
group chief executive officer, Real Asset Management

Find out more about Rhys, Marcus and Scott

Rhys holds the position of Distribution Director. Rhys has over 8, years of experience in Financial Services. Prior to joining Real Asset Management Group, he worked for FIIG Securities as an Associate Director for Fixed Income. Rhys holds a bachelor's degree in commerce from Macquarie University.

Marcus holds the position of Distribution Director. Marcus has over 7 years of experience in the Wealth and Financial Services Industry. Prior to joining Real Asset Management Group, he worked for Morningstar Investment Management as a Business Development Manager. Previously, he worked for AMP and AMP Capital. Marcus holds a Bachelor of Business from University of Technology, Sydney.

Scott has over 30 years' experience in global wealth and asset management, working with leading financial institutions in Australia and the UK. Before joining Real Asset Management Group, he was Managing Director and Head of Investment Products and Services at UBS Wealth Management Australia, overseeing a $24bn platform. He previously served as National Sales Director at Macquarie Private Wealth and co-founded Corazon Capital in Jersey. Scott was also Joint Head of Private Clients at Kleinwort Benson and began his career at Mercury Asset Management in London. He holds a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the University of Leeds and is a Chartered Member of the CISI.

12:50pm

End of event. Lunch and post networking drinks

CPD Information

ABDO is accredited by the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) for CPD hours alighted to Legislated learning areas. The Advisers Big Day Out Regional is accredited in 2026 for 3.75 learning hours, divided into the following categories:

Legislated CPD: 3.75	Knowledge Areas: 3.75
Technical Competence: 3.00 hours Client Care and Practice: 0.75 hours	Asset Allocation: 1.00 hours Credit: 0.25 hours Economics: 0.50 hours Managed Investments: 0.75 hours Super & Retirement: 1.25 hours