FUTR of Financial Services Melbourne 2026

How operating models are evolving to support automation and more consistent execution across large-scale operations

Simplifying and standardising complex processes while maintaining reliability, control and customer outcomes

Aligning operations, technology and data to deliver at scale in a complex, regulated environment

o   Bhaskar Katta, General Manager, Group Customer Operations, Westpac

Hear an honest, behind-the-scenes look at the architecture and technical decisions that turned AI-powered analytics from ambition into reality at Macquarie Bank

Discover how to tackle the human side of transformation, including the change management, cultural shifts, and stakeholder buy-in needed to move business teams beyond static dashboards

Walk away with practical strategies to drive greater adoption, accessibility, and business value from your data environment

o   Abhi Toraskar, Head of Data and Analytics, Macquarie Bank

o   Michelle Sidhu, Principal Customer Success Manager, Thoughtspot

How institutions are applying AI and analytics to improve decision quality, efficiency, and outcomes across the enterprise

The data foundations required for responsible AI, including quality, governance, transparency, and monitoring  

Leadership, skills, and change practices needed to embed AI confidently and sustainably at scale

PANELISTS:

• Thomas Janssen, Head of Data Architecture & Governance, Judo Bank

• Erin Birch, General Manager, Group Transformation & Ai-Powered Delivery, CBA

• Tim Sparks, Head of Data Science & AI, QBE

• Prithesh Prabhu, Head of Digital Product, Customer Data Refresh & CRS/FATCA, NAB

• Simon Laskaj, ANZ Country Manager, Confluent

Simplifying complex service journeys to improve accessibility and outcomes for diverse member groups

Strengthening governance, consistency and trust as funds evolve service models and digital interactions

Leading operational transformation while maintaining clarity, confidence and support for members

o   Jorden Lam, General Manager / Head of Member Services & Operations, HESTA

Scaling agentic AI beyond pilots, introducing governance, accountability, and control challenges

Managing multi-agent environments through orchestration, conflict resolution, compliance, and runtime visibility

Moving from isolated AI projects to governed, production-ready agent portfolios across the enterprise

o   Paul Arthur, Regional Vice President - ANZ, Outsystems

Making critical decisions when the path forward isn’t clear

Navigating trade-offs in real time across customer outcomes, risk appetite and delivery pace

Maintaining clarity, accountability and pace as systems, expectations and scrutiny continue to increase

PANELISTS

• Georgie Obst, General Manager, Digital, HESTA Super

• Anya Avinash, Head of Cybersecurity, Bank First

How Australia’s payments rails are modernising, and what that means in practice for banks and customers

Balancing speed and convenience with the right level of “good friction”

Why network-wide adoption and coordination matter for resilience and confidence in the ecosystem

o   Jackie Kallman, Head of Payments Industry & Engagement, ANZ

Where financial services brands are already losing visibility and being misrepresented across AI-driven discovery, and why accuracy is a compliance and trust issue, not just a marketing one

How fragmented content, disconnected data and inconsistent brand assets limit how AI understands your organisation, and what’s required to shift to structured, AI-ready content that can be surfaced, reused and trusted

How financial institutions are combining behavioural signals with AI-driven decisioning to deliver personalised experiences across the customer lifecycle, and what to measure as AI begins influencing pipeline, brand perception, retention and growth

• Michael Wingert, Director Solution Engineering, APAC & Japan, Sitecore

How organisations make security and risk decisions when constraints are real, not theoretical

The trade-offs between protection, customer experience and operational impact

What those decisions mean for customer trust in practice

o   John Ellis, Global Head of Security Trust & Influence, QBE

How generative AI is reshaping fraud: From AI-generated payslips and bank statements to synthetic identities and deepfakes, fraud is becoming faster, cheaper, and harder to detect at scale.

Why traditional controls are falling short: Legacy approaches are struggling to keep up with increasingly sophisticated AI-generated documents and organised fraud networks.

What lenders can do today: How AI-driven detection, document forensics, and network intelligence can reduce fraud losses, speed up decisions, and strengthen trust in digital onboarding.

• Sean Quagliani, CEO & Co-Founder, Fortiro

The evolving fraud, scam and identity landscape as speed, connectivity and digital access continue to increase

Approaches to detecting, intervening and preventing fraud without disrupting legitimate customer activity

Balancing protection, customer experience and operational impact in high-volume, always-on environments

PANELISTS:

• Daisy Wong, Head of Security Awareness, Medibank

• Anthony Hope, Executive (General Manager) AML/CTF/Fraud & FCR Innovation, NAB

• Sandeep Taileng, Information Security Leader, Technology & Transformation, State Trustees

How Bendigo Bank broke the cycle of gut-feel leadership and built a data-driven operating model capable of scaling with genuine growth ambition - reducing manual processes and freeing teams to focus on higher-value work

The cultural and capability shift required to make data the default language of operations - from frontline teams to budget-setting at the executive level - and how AI and automation are now accelerating that journey

What a 35% productivity uplift and a 50% improvement in time-to-decision reveals about what happens when people stop guessing and start knowing - and what comes next as intelligence gets embedded deeper into the operation

• Shraddha Potay, Head of Planning, Performance, & Leadership Capability, Bendigo Bank

Designing services that remain simple, accessible, and fair across diverse customer needs and capabilities  

Embedding transparency, suitability, and accountability into digital journeys and service models  

Balancing automation and human support to improve outcomes, confidence, and long-term trust

PANELISTS:

• Kamil Bober, General Manager, Enterprise Technology, Latitude Financial Services

• Chris Luttrell, Head of Process Design & Change, Zurich

• Ingrid Gotz, General Manager, Digital, Compliance and Continuous Improvement, ahm

• Lachlan Davidson, General Manager, Customer Strategy & Performance, Bupa

Using skills intelligence as the critical data layer linking work design, talent strategy and workforce planning

Designing the Workforce of the Future, deliberately by connecting skills, strategic workforce planning and operating model decisions

Considering where AI augments work vs where it drives redesign

o   Meghan O'Sullivan, Head of Workforce of the Future, NAB

Where AI is genuinely helping sustainability practice, and where it falls short

What happens to human judgement and critical thinking as we lean further into AI

Unintended harm in a digital-first world, and what that means for the people organisations are meant to serve.

o   Amanda Barker, Head of Corporate Sustainability & Social Impact, Aware Super