Asia Society Australia is pleased to invite you to an Executive Briefing with Su-Lin Ong, Chief Economist and Senior Relationship Manager at RBC Capital Markets and Gavin Gunning, Managing Director and Asia Pacific Sector Lead for Financial Institutions Ratings at S&P Global Ratings.

Escalated trade tensions, rising economic protectionism, increased market volatility and heightened investor uncertainty are felt across the globe. Australia and Asia will not escape unscathed.

At this briefing, Su-Lin Ong and Gavin Gunning will draw on their accomplished careers in international banking and finance to discuss the macro-economic outlook in Australia and key Asian markets and the state of play in the global economy.

Following their remarks, participants will be invited to ask questions and share their own perspectives.

Date: Tuesday 13 May 2025

Time: 12:15 pm arrival for a 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm briefing over lunch

Location: Sydney CBD

Please note that this event is invitation-only. Registration is essential as places are limited. For any enquiries, please contact [email protected].

About our speaker

Su-Lin Ong, Chief Economist and Senior Relationship Manager, RBC Capital Markets

Su-Lin Ong is a Chief Economist & Senior Relationship Manager at RBC Capital Markets. She has led the Economics & Fixed Income Strategy team for AU/NZ since 2010 and was Head of AU Research, including oversight for equity research, from 2015 to 2019. In August 2019, she began a newly created role to help foster senior relationships with RBC’s key clients. 

Su-Lin is part of the global strategy team with primary responsibility for formulating and presenting RBC’s AU/NZ macroeconomic outlook, cash rate view and bond yield forecasts. Based in RBC’s Sydney office, she works closely with sales and trading across fixed income, currencies, and equities in Australia as well as key RBC offices across the globe. Prior to joining RBC in 1998, Su-Lin was a fixed income economist for Hambros Bank and before that worked as an economist at the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet in Canberra. 

She is a former Director of Business Spectator, Executive of NSW/ACT FINSIA Regional Council and CEDA’s Economic Policy Committee. Su-Lin is currently an Executive Member of The Australian Business Economists, sits on the Women in Banking and Finance Board and was recently appointed to the Parliamentary Budget Office’s Panel of Expert Advisors. She is also a founding member of RBC’s Diversity Council, RWomen Committee and actively involved in their mentoring and charity programs including Lou’s Place and Ronald McDonald House, Randwick.  

Su-Lin is an ambassador for the RBA’s Women in Economics initiative and supports a number of initiatives aimed at building pipeline economic talent, especially female. She regularly represents RBC at various industry, policy and education forums. Su-Lin holds a BEc from the University of Sydney, Post Graduate in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia, is a Fellow, FINSIA, and scholarship recipient and recent graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Gavin Gunning, Managing Director, Asia-Pacific Sector Lead , S&P Global Ratings

 Gavin Gunning is Managing Director, and Asia-Pacific Sector Lead for Financial Institutions Ratings at S&P Global Ratings. Gavin is Chair of the Asia-Pacific S&P Global Ratings council for analytical oversight and consistency for financial institutions ratings; and the Asia-Pacific research council for financial institutions. Gavin represents Asia-Pacific on the same and other forums globally. Gavin’s coverage currently is principally banks, NBFIs, and alternative investment funds. 

Gavin has extensive experience and has held many prior senior analytical roles within S&P Global’s financial institutions, NBFI, funds, insurance, corporate, and infrastructure ratings teams; and short-term secondments as head of Asia-Pacific credit research, and in S&P Global’s risk consulting practice. Before joining S&P Global, Gavin spent nine years in the Australian banking sector, in treasury and financial markets, group strategy, and commercial banking roles. 

Gavin holds a Master of Applied Finance degree from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from The University of Queensland; and is an Australian Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) and a Fellow of FINSIA. Gavin is a licensed representative of S&P Global Ratings in Hong Kong and Singapore.