Mulino, Hogan headline 2026 SIAA Conference

The Stockbrokers and Investment Advisers Association (SIAA) Conference will soon unveil several, new key initiatives and research, while the minister for financial services and his counterpart will provide updates on critical reforms at the annual conference.

Conducted over the last 18 months, SIAA will publish new insights that assess the field of stockbroking, how it stacks up as a brand within the financial services industry and how it can be an attractive career choice.

"We're going to also introduce a narrative on the great things that this industry does, and how we can all work together to be a more attractive industry for university students, women, career changers and how we can get more people into the industry, particularly at a time when we have such a large advice gap in Australia, and the number of advisers has gone backwards," SIAA chief executive Maria Lykouras said.

The second piece of research, conducted in conjunction with Praemium and CoreData, provides insights on the current state of the industry, particularly as traditional stockbroking firms move into broader private wealth opportunities.

In another first, SIAA will showcase a new education platform that supports professional year candidates that will go live in July.

"We really believe young professionals are the future of this industry and we want to help them. We want to ensure and help them be in the best place they can be - to be the future advisers, leaders, and drivers of the industry and the marketplace," Lykouras said.

This year's conference, which is themed on investing in growth and resilience, will also delve into hot-topic issues such as regulation, private markets and platforms.

As top headliners, assistant treasurer Daniel Mulino and shadow assistant treasurer Kevin Hogan will present at the conference.

SIAA policy manager Michelle Huckel will interview Hogan to address several key reforms, while Mulino will also address critical issues and provide a Budget update.

HUB24 director of strategic development Jason Entwistle, who will speak at the plenary session The future of platforms, said for decades platforms have been defined by what they hold.

"[This has changed and] HUB24 sees its role as more than a custodian of assets, acting as a custodian of trusted data that brings together custodial and non-custodial assets, client information and professional workflows in a single, connected environment," he said.

"This shift recognises that custody determines where assets sit, but data determines how advice is delivered. By stewarding data across the full advice ecosystem, HUB24 wants to remove fragmentation, reduce manual effort, and support more consistent, engaging client experiences, regardless of where assets are held​."

Lykouras, who took the reins last December, will also present the association's three-year strategy at her first conference, which will take place on May 19-20 at the Park Hyatt Melbourne.

"I was excited for this opportunity at SIAA for a number of reasons. I've seen the great work that Judith Fox has done and the great place she's put SIAA in this marketplace, the great relationships it has established with regulators, the ASX and all the participants. So, to be able to come into an organisation when it already has strong foundations was a real opportunity."

Financial Standard is the official media partner of the 2026 SIAA Conference.