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Conversations with Institutional Investors

Conversations with Institutional Investors

Investment Innovation Institute [i3] 139 Episodes Aug 2, 2026

Conversations with Institutional Investors is a podcast that features in-depth discussions with the masterminds behind leading global investment firms, including key figures from pension funds, insurance companies, and sovereign wealth funds. It explores the evolving landscape of asset allocation, portfolio construction, and investment strategy, offering firsthand insights from industry experts to inspire smarter and more innovative investment approaches. Further insights can be found at i3-invest.com, and a complimentary newsletter is available via subscription.

Episodes

140: Frontier Advisors' Charles Wu and Elie Saikaly – Launching an ICIO Business
140: Frontier Advisors' Charles Wu and Elie Saikaly – Launching an ICIO Business Aug 2, 2026 35:58 In episode 140 of the [i3] Podcast, Conversations with Institutional Investors, we speak with Charles Wu, Director of Investment, and Elie Saikaly, Head of Liability-driven and Government Investors at Frontier Advisors about the recently launched Independent CIO service, not to be confused with outsourced CIO services. We delve into the background of establishing the new service, the backing by St
139: Neuberger's Steve Meier – Do You Know the Risks You Own? TPA at NYC Retirement Systems
139: Neuberger's Steve Meier – Do You Know the Risks You Own? TPA at NYC Retirement Systems Jul 12, 2026 52:47 In this episode of the [i3] Podcast, Conversations with Institutional Investors, we speak with Steve Meier, who is the Vice Chairman of Neuberger's Institutional Client Group. Before joining Neuberger, Steve was the Chief Investment Officer for the New York City Retirement Systems, the third largest public pension plan in the US, consisting of five different plans. There, he implemented the total
138: From the Archives – JANA's John Coombe
138: From the Archives – JANA's John Coombe Jun 28, 2026 01:23:11 In this episode, we're revisiting a conversation originally published on 6 March 2019, with John Coombe, one of the true veterans of investment consulting in Australia. John joined John A. Nolan and Associates – now known as JANA Investment Advisors – back in 1988, as the firm's very first employee. Over three decades, he helped grow JANA from a single client into a business advising on hundreds
137: Aware Super's Simon Warner – Investment Strategy as a Perspex Box, TPA and the Changing Role of CIO
137: Aware Super's Simon Warner – Investment Strategy as a Perspex Box, TPA and the Changing Role of CIO Jun 14, 2026 52:39 In this episode of the I3 Podcast, Aware Super CIO Simon Warner joins us to discuss how his unusually broad background across fixed income, equities, public and private markets shapes his approach to investing. Simon explains the realities of implementing a total portfolio approach within Australia's DC superannuation system, balancing risk, liquidity and cost while empowering specialist
136: Circle the Square – Environmental Risk and the Repricing of Stability
136: Circle the Square – Environmental Risk and the Repricing of Stability May 31, 2026 01:12:16 In this special episode of the  [i3] Podcast, we're partnering with the University of Technology Sydney for the Circle the Square roundtable discussion. Today's topic focuses on environmental risk and the repricing of stability. For most of financial history, the environment was treated pretty much as a given, stable enough to model around, reliable enough to insure against, and predictable enough
135: Funds SA's Con Michalakis – TPA Lite, The Comic Con of Asset Allocation and my Best & Worst Investment
135: Funds SA's Con Michalakis – TPA Lite, The Comic Con of Asset Allocation and my Best & Worst Investment May 13, 2026 58:39 In this episode of the [i3] Podcast, Conversations with Institutional Investors, we speak with Con Michalakis, Chief Investment Officer of Funds SA, which is a $50 billion investment manager for South Australian public sector superannuation funds and other approved state authorities. Con is well-known in the Australian investment industry, not in the least, for his outspoken views on a variety of
134: JANA's Jo Leaper – Risk as a Source of Alpha
134: JANA's Jo Leaper – Risk as a Source of Alpha May 3, 2026 31:44 In this episode of the [i3] Podcast, I'm speaking with Jo Leaper, who is the Head of Operational Consulting at asset consultant JANA. We talk about the next evolution of risk management, where risk doesn't reside just with a dedicated team, but is addressed by all functions, including the investment team. When implemented well this form of holistic risk management is not simply a cost, but can lea
133: From the Archives – Gus Sauter and the Early Days of ETFs
133: From the Archives – Gus Sauter and the Early Days of ETFs Apr 13, 2026 44:46 In this episode of the From the Archive series, we look at a 2019 interview with Gus Sauter, the former Chief Investment Officer of Vanguard, who worked for more than 25 years at the company. Sauter is also an adviser to the Australian Retirement Trust, then Sunsuper. Index and passive investing have gained momentum in recent years and it is estimated that about 60 per cent of investments follow p
132: Michael Kollo – New Book, Building an AI Equity Analyst and AI as a Review Agent
132: Michael Kollo – New Book, Building an AI Equity Analyst and AI as a Review Agent Mar 29, 2026 47:09 In this episode, I speak with Michael Kollo, a return guest to the [i3] Podcast. Michael has recently published a book on artificial intelligence, called: Future-ready with Generative AI Skills, Mindsets, and Stories in the Age of AI We speak with Michael about how he build an equity analyst AI agent in a weekend, how AI helps review your work and how you can get it to find solutions that are tai
131: From the Archives – Greg Cooper
131: From the Archives – Greg Cooper Mar 15, 2026 30:02 Greg Cooper is Chair of financial services giants Perpetual and Colonial First State, but is perhaps best known for his role as the Chief Executive Officer for Schroder Investment Management in Australia. In this interview from late 2019, only weeks before COVID-19 broke out, we spoke with Greg about whether public markets are broken, the state of active management and his interest in the venture
130: RQI Investors' David Walsh – Is A Quant Winter Coming?
130: RQI Investors' David Walsh – Is A Quant Winter Coming? Mar 1, 2026 46:24 In this episode, I'm speaking with David Walsh, who is the Head of Investments of RQI Investors, a First Sentier fund manager. And we delve into the concept of a Quant Winter.  Some market participants argue a new Quant Winter is in the making, since growth and momentum factors are compounding with limited breadth, driven partly by the promise of AI. This can lead to distortions in the market and
129: From The Archives – Fiona Trafford-Walker
129: From The Archives – Fiona Trafford-Walker Feb 17, 2026 47:31 In this episode, we go into our archive to October 2019, when we interviewed Fiona Trafford-Walker. Fiona was one of the key consultants behind the success of Frontier Advisors and spent 25 years with the asset consultant, advising many of the largest funds in Australia. She has been named several times among the most influential consultants in the world and was a driving force behind the fight fo

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