Global Economic Forecasting Conference

It was fantastic to welcome our esteemed clients and guests to our economic forecasting conference in Sydney, Melbourne and online.

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Navigating Economic Trends in 2024

Oxford Economics Australia set the stage for the year ahead, at our bi-annual Global Economic Outlook Conference, in Sydney and Melbourne during the week commencing 18th of March.

Throughout the events our line-up of speakers provided an array of insights focusing on finding opportunities in Australia’s and the global economy. Oxford Economics CEO, Adrian Cooper set the scene as he outlined how potential risks to economic growth appear more balanced than two years prior, with actions from central banks being seen as a likely major economic driver, with geopolitical issues dominating downside risks.

The conference was teeming with unparalleled insight, dynamic discussions, and ground-breaking perspectives on the current economic landscape, with challenges and emerging opportunities in Australis’s property and construction sectors as well as the implications and realities of executing a successful climate transition.

Global Economic Prospects & Risks – Where will we find growth?

Adrian Cooper, CEO of Oxford Economics, highlighted the complex dynamics shaping the global economy. While headline inflation has fallen, challenges persist in returning core inflation to target levels. The US elections and fiscal policy were also discussed, emphasising the potential implications for global economic stability.

Download the presentation deck here.

Australian Economic Outlook – Navigating the economic slowdown

Sean Langcake, head of macroeconomic forecasting for Oxford Economics Australia, outlined the challenges and opportunities facing the Australian economy. Brisk population growth is expected to buffer against a technical recession, but policymakers must navigate persistent inflationary pressures and evolving labor market dynamics.

Download the presentation deck here.

Taking stock of Australia’s journey to net zero. Where are we at, what’s to come, how do we get there?

Kristian Kolding and Ruchira Ray provided insights into Australia’s progress towards net-zero emissions. While emissions are declining, the pace is insufficient to meet 2030 targets. The road to decarbonisation presents technological and policy challenges, with the cost of transition looming large.

Download the presentation deck here.

Australian Construction Outlook | Is the construction sector heading for a hard landing?

Is the Construction Sector Heading for a Hard Landing?

Dr. Nicholas Fearnley, Adrian Hart and Timothy Hibbert addressed challenges in the construction sector. Publicly funded projects continue to support activity, but cost constraints and capacity issues pose challenges. Despite a slowdown in certain segments, opportunities exist in civil and social infrastructure projects.

Download the presentation deck here.

Australian Real Estate Outlook – With interest rates nearing a turning point, where to for Australian real estate?

Maree Kilroy along with Nora Farren and Lee Walker analysed the impact of rising interest rates on the real estate market. Regional discrepancies and varied performance are anticipated for residential and commercial properties. While challenges exist, prospects for medium to long-term returns remain promising.

Download the presentation deck here.

Housing Panel Discussion

Oxford Economics Australia’s conference provided invaluable insights into Australia’s economic outlook for 2024 and beyond. With a focus on understanding global trends and their local implications, attendees gained a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities shaping Australia’s economic landscape with invaluable insights into the property and construction sectors.

For more information about Oxford Economics Australia and our research capabilities, visit our website.

Your Presenters

Adrian Hart

Director, Construction and Infrastructure, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4233

Adrian Hart

Director, Construction and Infrastructure, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Adrian has over 23 years of economic analysis and consulting experience with Oxford Economics Australia, focusing on the infrastructure, building, maintenance and mining industries. Adrian has undertaken a wide range of consultancy projects for the public and private sector based on his detailed understanding of construction, mining and maintenance markets, their drivers and outlooks, the range of organisations operating in this space and the issues they face. This work includes deeper industry liaison, contractor and competitive analysis, pipeline analysis, demand and cost escalation forecasting, and industry capacity and capability projects for the public and private sector. He is the lead author of major reports but also undertakes briefings and workshops for senior management, board members and industry associations, leads in-depth stakeholder consultation, and facilitates and chairs roundtables between government and industry.

Nora Farren

Lead Property Economist

02 8458 4246

Nora Farren

Lead Property Economist

Sydney, Australia

Nora Farren is a Lead Property Economist responsible for the production of both retail market and office sector property forecast reports for Oxford Economics Australia.  She has experience in multiple research methodologies including property economics, market and trading data as well as qualitative and quantitative customer research, with a specialisation in retail property. Nora has worked across a broad range of property organisations including valuation; funds management; agency; listed and consultancy.  She has worked with a broad range of clients including both public and private sector, across multiple asset classes.

Before joining Oxford Economics in 2022, Nora was a Senior Consultant with Macroplan, responsible for providing property market research and strategic advice to clients to support development proposals and project planning.  Prior to that, Nora worked in-house within the research teams at AMP Capital Investors, Mirvac and Lendlease, managing internal data and insights and co-ordinating external market research services. Nora was educated at the University of Western Sydney where she completed her Bachelor of Commerce (Land Economics); and at the Financial Services Institute of Australia where she gained a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.  

Adrian Cooper

Chief Executive Officer

+44 (0) 1865 268 900

Adrian Cooper

Chief Executive Officer

London

Adrian Cooper is responsible for coordinating and managing Oxford Economics’ global economic analysis, forecasting and consultancy activities, and overseeing its global team of over 450 professionals including 300 economists and analysts. He has led Oxford Economics’ work on a wide array of consultancy projects, ranging from policy advice to government departments in Europe, the US, Africa, and Asia to detailed analysis of the economic impact of particular industries and investment proposals.

Adrian spent the first seven years of his career with HM Treasury, England. During this time, he worked on the analysis of tax and other economic policy changes as part of the preparations for the UK Budget. He was also the coordinator of the government’s macroeconomic forecast for two years.

Prior to joining Oxford Economics in 1994, Adrian was UK economist for James Capel & Company, responsible for analysing and forecasting the UK economy for institutional investors, as well as briefing Capel’s own traders. Adrian was educated at the University of Bristol, England, where he gained a first-class degree in Economics; and at the London School of Economics and Political Science, England, where he achieved a distinction in the MSc in Economics and won the Ely Devons prize for outstanding performance in the degree examinations.

Sean Langcake

Head of Macroeconomic Forecasting, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4236

Sean Langcake

Head of Macroeconomic Forecasting, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Maree Kilroy

Senior Economist, Construction & Property Forecasting, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4283

Maree Kilroy

Senior Economist, Construction & Property Forecasting, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Maree is a senior economist in the property and building forecasting team at Oxford Economics Australia, analysing demographic trends, housing markets and policy shifts. Having worked in industry economics for 10 years, Maree’s primary responsibility is residential and renovation construction forecasts which are distributed through our subscription products, most notably the recently released ResRadar.

Timothy Hibbert

Head of Building & Property Forecasting, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4270

Timothy Hibbert

Head of Building & Property Forecasting, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Timothy Hibbert leads the property, building, and demographic forecasting at BIS Oxford Economics. He has over 15 years of experience as an industry economist, working across government, consultancy, and subscription services.

Nicholas Fearnley

Head of Global Construction, Oxford Economics

+61 (0) 2 8458 4262

Nicholas Fearnley

Head of Global Construction, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Dr Nicholas Fearnley is the Head of Global Construction Forecasting, based in Sydney. Nicholas oversees the teams that produce the various construction, mining, and maintenance studies. He works over the full construction spectrum, and regularly presents and provides commentary for both the construction and mining industries.

Nicholas joined Oxford Economics in 2019 after working at Macromontor, where he was responsible for producing regular Australian building construction forecast reports, and bespoke cost escalation and material demand forecasts. |

Prior to joining Macromonitor, Nicholas completed a PhD at the University of Sydney with a thesis titled: “A Critical and Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship between Informal Institutions and Economic Development.” He was awarded the Walter Noel Gillies Prize for best PhD thesis in Economics, and his thesis was accepted without edits.

Nicholas has undergraduate degrees in both Accounting and Applied Finance from Macquarie University, and a first class honours degree in Accounting from the University of Sydney with a thesis titled: “Culture and the Measurement Decision Offered by Investment Property”.

Lee Walker

Principal Property Economist, Commercial & Industrial Property

+61 2 8458 4248

Lee Walker

Principal Property Economist, Commercial & Industrial Property

Sydney

Lee has over 20 years experience in researching and forecasting Australian property markets, particularly in non-residential sectors. He is responsible for managing and producing a number of subscription services across Australia’s commercial property markets.

Lee’s current focus is on the Sydney and Perth office property markets, as well as prospects for the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane industrial property markets. Lee also contributes to consulting work, including the financial evaluation of commercial development, the economic impact of major projects and strategic employment studies.

Geoffrey Snell

​​Principal Property Economist, Residential Property​

+61 3 8679 7302

Geoffrey Snell

​​Principal Property Economist, Residential Property​

Melbourne, Australia

​​Geof is a member of Oxford Economics Australia’s residential property team, analysing housing markets and demographic trends and forecasting capital city house prices and state dwelling commencements. He has a background in property analysis across sectors, including land studies, market commentaries, supply & demand, stakeholder consultation and exploring industrial market issues. Geof has a Bachelor degree in Business, with a specialisation in Property, from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). He was formerly on the Property Council of Australia (Victoria) Industrial Committee and has over fifteen years’ experience in the property industry.​ 

Geof has gained experience working on a diverse range of property-related projects across Australia for a variety of public and private sector clients. He has worked on market assessments for major residential, industrial, commercial, tourism and retail developments and has also provided background property analysis for economic profiles and activity centre planning. Geof has particular expertise in undertaking economic impact studies, examining the effect of a development project on the economy in a specified area. 

Emily Dabbs

Head of Macroeconomics Consulting, Oxford Economics

+61 2 8458 4202

Emily Dabbs

Head of Macroeconomics Consulting, Oxford Economics

Sydney, Australia

Emily leads Oxford Economics Australia’s Macro Consulting team. She has over 10 years of economic analysis and consulting experience, focusing on macroeconomic forecast and analysis. Emily regularly provides strategy support and briefings, and presentations to clients and key stakeholders to support a broader understand of the economic environment and the impact on their business.

Kristian Kolding

Head of Consulting, OE Australia

+61 (4) 1040 9070

Kristian Kolding

Head of Consulting, OE Australia

Sydney, Australia

Kristian leads Oxford Economics Australia’s Consulting team, working with public and private sector leaders to help them prepare for the future by applying relevant economic theory and forecasts to inform effective policy and business strategy development.

Ruchira Ray

Lead Economist, Climate & Sustainability

Ruchira Ray

Lead Economist, Climate & Sustainability

Sydney, Australia

Ruchira joined Oxford Economics Austalia in 2019, in macroeconomic consulting. Ruchira has worked on several buy side and sell side Due Diligence projects for assets spanning energy, transport, and real-estate. Additionally, Ruchira leads our climate change consulting team in Australasia.Ruchira also has experience in the energy sector, working on several gas and electricity outlook reports for the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), leading the development of industrial sector demand forecasts including regularly interviewing energy intensive industrial users of gas and electricity; producing retail gas price forecasts and conducting scenario setting consultation with industry.Ruchira is also well versed with operating our Global Economic Model (GEM) to produce scenario forecasts.