In Person
- Sydney, Australia
Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney
11 Jamison Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
T: +61 2 9696 2500
Event Summary
Agenda at a Glance
Theme: The Adaptive Investment Organization: Building for the Next Wave of Complexity
Investment organizations across Australia are operating in an environment of constant change. New technologies, evolving investment strategies, shifting market conditions, and growing business expectations are challenging firms to rethink how quickly they can adapt and capture value. Many organizations are focused on building the agility, data, and operating model foundations needed to evaluate emerging opportunities, adopt new capabilities, and realize measurable benefits.
Join fellow executives from superannuation funds, public funds, and asset managers for a candid discussion on how leading organizations are building the data, technology, and operating model foundations required to support increasingly complex investment organizations.
Held under the Chatham House Rule and facilitated by Cindy Castellano, CEO at Cutter Associates, the session is designed to foster open sharing of challenges, lessons learned, and future plans in a confidential setting. Cindy will be joined by Nahean Nazmul, Director, Global Head of Asset Owners and Front Offices Practices.
Topics Include:
Evolving the Operating Model for Different Approaches to Total Portfolio and Private Market Investing
As portfolios become more complex and investment teams become more integrated, operating models must evolve alongside them. The discussion will explore TPA and the tools used, private market growth, insourcing versus outsourcing, investment platform optimization, liquidity and treasury management, and the organizational capabilities required to support modern investment organizations.
AI, Data, and the Intelligent Investment Organization
How firms are moving beyond AI experimentation to enterprise adoption, with a focus on trusted data foundations, governance, operational integration, knowledge management, workforce impacts, and measuring business value. Discussion will explore what it takes to build an intelligent investment organization capable of supporting both investment and operational decision-making.
Beyond Transformation: Closing the Gaps and Modernizing with Less Risk
Over the last six to eight years, firms have heavily invested in large-scale, front-to-back transformation programs centered on an integrated enterprise platform. Many proved costly, disruptive, and time-consuming, leaving critical capability and integration gaps. This discussion explores the future path for two groups: for firms that completed a major transformation, how to optimize the investment already made, close remaining gaps, and realize the original vision; for those yet to begin, how to modernize without the costs, change, and risks of a full platform overhaul.
Together, these discussions will examine how investment organizations are balancing innovation, governance, operating model evolution, and technology modernization to remain adaptable, scalable, and effective through the next decade of industry change.
Register for the full Sydney Cutter Connect 2026 event here: Sydney Cutter Connect 2026
Who Should Attend
Our exclusive members-only event brings together industry leaders from the global asset manager and asset owner communities. This event is designed specifically for operations and technology professionals.
- Chief Technology Officers
- Chief Operations Officers
- Chief Information Officers
- Chief Data Officers
- Investment Operations and Technology Senior Managers
Speakers
Cindy Castellano, CFA
CEO
Cindy Castellano is the CEO of Cutter Associates and has over 30 years of experience in the investment management industry. She formerly led Cutter Associates’ Client-Facing and Wealth practices, advising asset and wealth management firms on their sales and distribution, marketing, product development, consultant relations, client service, and client reporting. Cindy has conducted system searches for CRM, marketing automation, portals, pitchbooks/client presentation, content management, client reporting, client onboarding, and RFP systems. Prior to joining Cutter, Cindy served as Vice President and Head of Operations for a division of Guggenheim Investments, where she led mutual fund accounting and administration; institutional accounting, billing, and client reporting; SMA operations, performance reporting (GIPS); and fixed income performance, attribution, and risk reporting. As Vice President and Head of Equities, Cindy led the firm’s investment team and supervised equity trading activities.
Cindy also spent 10 years as a Senior Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst, managing over USD 500 million in AUM for mutual funds and VITs using social awareness (ESG), large cap growth, and mid-cap growth investment strategies. She developed the investment process, directed research analysts’ day-to-day efforts, and created the firm’s social criteria and proxy voting guidelines. Cindy, a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a bachelor’s of business administration from Washburn University.
Stacia Graham
Head of Research
Stacia Graham brings more than 30 years of experience in investment management as Head of Research at Cutter Associates, where she leads a team of analysts that delivers insights and events to Cutter’s global members.
Stacia joined Cutter in 2018 and, as part of the research team, worked closely with members and vendors to author numerous reports and deliver insights at events on many topics, including client reporting, modern compliance in investment management, investment management platforms, portfolio analytics solutions, asset allocation and total portfolio approach, and research management systems. She brings a deep understanding of end-to-end asset management processes and project management, and has also served as a subject matter expert for targeted engagements in enterprise risk and compliance.
Prior to joining Cutter in 2018, Stacia held various senior roles at Wellington Management Company in compliance, investment administration, and operational risk, including leading the global Investment Guideline Compliance team for eight years.
She earned her bachelor of science in business administration from Bryant University and an MBA from Bentley University.
Nahean Nazmul
Head of Front Office Consulting
Nahean is a seasoned professional with a strong foundation in financial consulting and strategic operations. Previously serving as a Director at Alpha FMC in Toronto, Nahean played a pivotal role in shaping the firm's North American Asset Owner practice. His leadership spans go-to-market strategy, talent acquisition, and transformation initiatives for major pension and asset management clients. Prior to Alpha FMC, Nahean worked at KPMG LLP, where he delivered strategic solutions across wealth and asset management, banking, and insurance sectors, including operating model designs and fintech partnerships.