Dr Michael Spence AC
University of Sydney
BA LLB Sydney DPhil PG Dip Theol Oxford

Dr Michael Spence is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sydney – the first to open its doors in Australia in 1850.

Under his leadership, the University is forging a distinctive strategy focused on the transformation of the undergraduate education; interdisciplinary research; improving the culture of the institution; simplifying organisational design; campus redevelopment; investment in research and teaching infrastructure and securing financial sustainability. He was instrumental in leading the University’s unprecedented $1 billion INSPIRED philanthropic campaign, and promoting greater academic partnerships with industry, government and community organisations.

An alumnus of the University of Sydney, Dr Spence graduated with first-class honours in English, Italian and law. His other languages include Chinese and Korean. He lectured in law at the University and worked for the Australian Copyright Council prior to undertaking doctoral studies at the University of Oxford. There, he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy, a Postgraduate Diploma in Theology and became a Fellow of St Catherine’s College at Oxford. During his 20 years at the College he headed Oxford’s law faculty and its Social Sciences division.

In 2017, he was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours for service to leadership of the tertiary education sector, to the advancement of equitable access to educational opportunities, to developing programs focused on multidisciplinary research, and to the Anglican Church of Australia.

After 12 years as Vice Chancellor, Dr Spence is leaving in December to become Principal & Provost of Imperial College London.  We are honoured that he has made time in his extremely hectic final week on campus to speak with us.

Dr John Hewson AM

After growing up in Sydney and graduating from Sydney University, then University of Regina (Canada), John Hewson obtained a doctorate in economics at John Hopkins University, along the way to a remarkably wide distinguished career in academia, bureaucracy, business, politics, and the media.

He is currently a Professor in the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU, and an Adjunct Professor at Curtin, UTS, Canberra and Griffith Universities.  Previous senior posts include Professor and Head of the School of Economics at UNSW, and Professor of Management and Dean Macquarie Graduate School of Management at Macquarie University.

He has worked for The Australian Treasury (Census and Statistics), the IMF, the Reserve Bank, the United Nations Economic & Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific, as well as the Asia Development Bank.  He often advises senior public servants.

In Business, he was one of the founders of Macquarie Bank, and has been Chair/Director of several public and private companies, including Chairman ABN Amro Australia.  Current non-executive positions cover insurance broking, renewable energy, funds management and investment banking. He is Chair, Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia, Chair, BioEnergy Australia, and a Patron of the Smart Energy Council and the Ocean Nourishment Foundation.

In politics he has served as Advisor/Chief of Staff to two Federal Treasurers and a Prime Minister, before entering parliament where his roles included Shadow Finance Minister, Shadow Treasurer, Shadow Minister for Industry and Commerce, then Leader of the Liberal Party, and of the Federal Coalition in Opposition.

In the media, he has been a regular columnist for a range of domestic and international newspapers (presently Nine Media and Fairfax Regionals) and publications, and comments widely on economics and politics on TV (including Sky News), radio, in print, plus on-line, here and overseas.

Dr Hewson has also been active in charities and not-for-profits, including currently, Chair of Osteoporosis Australia and KidsXpress, member of the Investment Advisory Committee of the Australian Olympic Foundation, Northern Metropolitan Cemeteries Land Manager, SteerCo for Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap, plus National Standing Committee for Energy and the Environment.  He is also an ambassador at Women for Election Australia.

Charles Aitken
CEO Aitken Investment Management

Charles has more than 23 years of equity and futures market experience. He was the author of the “Ringing the Bell” and the “Under the Southern Cross” newsletters. He is an expert contributor to the Switzer Super Report and, previously, Alan Kohler’s Eureka Report.

Charlie’s experience includes being a Director and Head of Sydney Sales Trading for Citigroup, Executive Director and Partner of Southern Cross Equities and Executive Director and Board Member of the ASX listed Bell Financial Group.

He is best known for his high conviction, top down and bottom up investment ideas formulated from consistently meeting with listed and unlisted companies, policymakers and regulators.