Keynotes, Hosts & Speakers

Pete Evans is one of Australia’s most recognisable examples of a technically accomplished professional who transformed his craft into a much broader entrepreneurial career.

He entered professional kitchens as a teenager, became a restaurateur at 19 and went on to build businesses, restaurants, publishing, television and other ventures around his expertise in food. His career has included 11 seasons of My Kitchen Rules and an extensive catalogue of books and media projects.

At Ascend26, Pete joins Hamish for a candid conversation about the transition from technician to entrepreneur and manager — and then takes that technical expertise somewhere considerably more chaotic in our live cooking challenge.

Few Australians have a stronger practical claim to understanding sustained high performance and leadership than Joel Selwood.

Across 355 games for Geelong, Joel won four premierships, earned six All-Australian selections and captained the club for 245 games — the longest captaincy tenure in VFL/AFL history.

Today he remains involved in elite sport and is part of Seven’s AFL commentary team.

Joel joins Hamish for a candid conversation about leadership, culture, people, change, high performance and navigating difficult periods — and will remain with us across the week as Ascend26’s unofficial captain of the conference.

Lachlan Reardon is a Partner with NMG Consulting in Sydney, working across the asset management and wealth sectors on strategy, product development, market opportunities and transactions.

What makes his Ascend26 session particularly compelling is the data. Lachlan will bring research examining the tangible difference quality financial advice can make to consumers across wealth creation and personal risk protection.

For advisers, the implications are powerful: evidence that helps demonstrate not simply what advisers do, but the value their work creates.

Expect a direct, data-rich session designed to leave advisers better informed — and more confident in articulating why quality advice matters and why it is worth paying for.

Hamish McLachlan

Host | Ascend26

Hamish McLachlan returns to Hamilton Island as host of Ascend26 — but his role extends well beyond traditional MC duties.

One of Australia’s leading broadcasters and interviewers, Hamish has covered many of the country’s biggest sporting occasions and remains a central part of Seven’s AFL coverage in 2026.

Across Ascend26 he will guide our major conversations, challenge speakers, connect the themes of the week and inject his trademark humour into proceedings.

From Pete Evans and Joel Selwood on the main stage to some decidedly less predictable activities away from it, Hamish will once again be the person holding the whole week together.

Keith Cullen

Founder & Managing Director | WT Financial Group

Keith Cullen is the Founder and Managing Director of ASX-listed WT Financial Group and has spent more than three decades building businesses across media, technology and financial services.

Under Keith’s leadership, WT Financial Group has developed into one of Australia’s largest financial advice networks, supporting hundreds of privately owned advice practices around the country.

At Ascend26, Keith will explore the central business-building theme of the Congress: how excellent advisers make the transition from technician to entrepreneur and manager, starting with clarity around their Primary Aim and continually improving across Pricing Confidence, Capacity Building, Lead Flow, and Enterprise Value & Succession.

PJ Byrne brings nearly three decades of experience in life insurance advice and has helped clients access more than $50 million in life insurance benefits.

What makes PJ’s perspective especially powerful is that he has seen, firsthand, what happens when the right insurance strategy is in place before life changes unexpectedly — and what an adviser’s role really looks like when a claim needs to be made.

His approach starts with the client’s story: listening first, understanding what matters most and helping people make clear, informed decisions about protection.

At Ascend26, PJ will take delegates inside the real-world impact of quality insurance advice and explore why an adviser’s value is often demonstrated most clearly at claim time — when technical expertise, empathy and practical support all need to come together.

Richard Leal is Managing Director of LINK Wealth and an experienced financial planner who has spent decades helping families, professionals and business owners navigate major financial decisions.

His work brings together superannuation, investments, tax, property and long-term planning into a clear and coordinated wealth strategy, with a strong focus on building lasting financial security for clients and their families.

At Ascend26, Richard will join PJ Byrne and Keith Cullen on stage to explore the critical interplay between wealth management and personal insurance — particularly when a claim occurs.

Anthony Doyle

Chief Investment Strategist | Pinnacle

Anthony Doyle is Chief Investment Strategist at Pinnacle Investment Management, a global multi-affiliate firm overseeing more than $200 billion in assets. A trained economist with over 23 years in financial markets, he has worked across equities, multi-asset and fixed income at firms including Fidelity, Schroders and Macquarie, and is a regular commentator on Bloomberg, CNBC and the ABC.

Adam Crabbe

Risk Strategy Specialist | Zurich

Adam Crabbe has spent more than three decades working across financial planning, life insurance and adviser education. The author of Zurich’s Cost of Care whitepapers, Adam specialises in translating complex health, longevity and insurance issues into practical conversations advisers can have with clients.

Benjamin Martin

National Technical and Distribution Capability Manager | AIA Australia

Benjamin Martin leads technical and distribution capability at AIA and is a regular presenter to advisers around Australia. He combines deep technical expertise with a practical understanding of how regulatory, tax and product complexity translates into real client advice.

Benjamin holds a Master of Taxation, a Bachelor of Applied Finance and an Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning, and contributes regularly to industry working groups and trade publications.

Scott Hoger

National Manager, Education and Partnerships | TAL

Scott Hoger has spent 25 years in life insurance and adviser education and now leads education and licensee partnerships at TAL. His focus is helping advisers turn technical insurance knowledge into better client conversations and more durable advice relationships.

Marshall Ross

Strategy & Risk Advice Manager | Acenda

Marshall Ross works with advisers across the Acenda network on risk strategy, pricing and the practical delivery of quality advice. His background spans underwriting, new business and business development, giving him a broad perspective on how successful risk practices turn technical expertise into a proposition clients understand and value.