17 March 2026
ACSI President and HESTA CEO Debby Blakey's opening address to the 2026 ACSI Conference
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Welcome to the ACSI conference, it’s such a pleasure to see you all here today in this beautiful city in our amazing land of opportunity.
Let me begin by thanking Binowee Bayles for that wonderful welcome to country – and adding my acknowledgment of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people participating in this conference.
ACSI turns 25 this year. That’s a quarter of a century of taking a stand – and engaging with listed companies on governance and sustainability risks and opportunities for long-term results.
Back in 2001, governance controversies and systemic inequalities were dominant issues impacting company value.
Governance failures at HIH insurance where the Board had lost sight of its basic obligations – and the collapse of One.Tel, regarded by many as a textbook case of a board asleep at the wheel while management drove off a cliff.
And it was clear that no single investor could tackle these challenges alone.
What we’ve accomplished at ACSI, by speaking with a collective voice, has been significant – upholding the standards of good governance, improving diversity in the boardroom, and placing climate change as a material financial risk firmly on the corporate agenda.
And now, I invite you to look forward. Imagine the world 25 years from now – the year 2051.
We will have passed the Paris Agreement’s critical target year for achieving global net zero carbon emissions.
ASX300 executive teams will – hopefully – be gender-balanced. As will their boardrooms.
And our cities, workplaces, and communities will have transformed in ways we can only begin to imagine, with new technologies integrated into our everyday lives.
In the future I have imagined, 25 years from now, we will be judged not by the problems we faced, but by the choices we made along the way.
To make this future a reality, we need the same unwavering determination that has driven our collective progress over the past quarter century.
The pursuit of effective governance and purposeful stewardship is not a race to a finish line. It’s a steady, ongoing quest that demands we show up, and push harder for change every single day.
However, the year 2051 is a long way away, and much can change in this time.
So, my question to you is this: what is required of us to deliver the strong investment performance our members want and deserve over the next 25 years?
Our shared history has shown that responsible investment is evolving constantly, with new issues emerging.
Today, global supply chain and technology disruptions are profoundly reshaping markets. And we’re seeing how rapid geopolitical shifts and the rise of AI can impact company value – literally overnight – raising new questions about governance, accountability and global resilience.
In the decades to come, more people will rely on the strength and sustainability of their investments through their super.
Protecting long-term company value and our members’ retirement savings requires constant vigilance and adaptability as we plan for the future.
We may not know exactly what new issues will arise, but I am certain of one thing: the need for robust and effective governance, long term perspective and purposeful stewardship will only grow… and become more critical in this changing and volatile world.
We understand the dynamic nature of governance and leadership. We know that purist governance perspectives from the luxury of an armchair can be so different to what’s happening in the Boardroom, and the challenges of navigating the complex and shifting world we live in.
What we expect of the companies we invest in is for leadership to take accountability, to challenge the status quo, to look upwards and outwards and consider the myriad issues that can erode corporate value – and to show up with diligence and passion, growing and learning from mistakes.
ACSI has been a great catalyst for change. And what we do matters. Our collaborative approach protects and enhances the retirement savings of millions of Australians.
We need to have courage to take a stand and act.
The world we build for tomorrow – the world our members will retire into – is only as strong as the boardrooms we hold accountable today.
As we gather today, we will have the privilege of hearing from an array of experts and leaders.
Knowing as we do that lasting change is never the work of one — it's the efforts and voices of many, driven by an ambition too big to fit inside a single contribution or lifetime.
Together, we can work towards real, lasting change that can protect and build long-term value for our members – for the next 25 years and beyond.
It has been my privilege to support the important work of ACSI as its President since August 2021, and as a director before that.
As I prepare to step down from this role at ACSI in the months ahead given my long tenure, I’ve been reflecting on all that we’ve achieved together.
ACSI represents a diverse membership, yet shared values unite us. And it’s the passion and commitment of this community that gives me great confidence in what lies ahead.
Today’s program exists for one reason: to arm you with practical and useful insights to energise and prepare you to realise that imagined future we all want.
The road to 2051 won't be easy. It never is for those building something worth having. But every challenge on that road is also an invitation — to innovate, to lead, and to prove that the future we imagine is the future we deserve.
We're not here simply to hope for a better world. We're here to build it.
We are the changemakers.
We can turn today’s difficulties into tomorrow’s opportunities, and help shape a better future for the millions of Australians we represent.
Let’s get to work!