Adele Ferguson AM is a Gold Walkley–winning investigative journalist with the ABC’s Investigations Unit, appearing on Four Corners and 7.30. Her work has prompted royal commissions, national inquiries and major legislative reforms.

Most recently, Adele has led a groundbreaking investigation into Australia’s childcare sector, exposing systemic failures, child abuse, corporate profiteering and regulatory breakdowns across a multi-billion-dollar industry caring for the nation’s youngest children. The series has sparked national debate, state and federal reforms, and calls for deeper structural change.

Adele is the author of the bestselling Gina Rinehart: The Richest Woman in the World and the award-winning Banking Bad. Her reporting has uncovered misconduct across banking, franchising, wage theft, workers compensation, cosmetic surgery, the ATO and the engineered-stone crisis. Her 7-Eleven exposé led to more than $150 million in repayments to exploited workers.

She has received nine Walkleys, 21 Quills, including two gold quills, 15 Kennedys, including two gold Kennedys, Graham Perkin Journalist of the year, multiple National Press Club honours, an order of Australia, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Adelaide. She is Chair of the Walkley Foundation.

Dr Mary Manning is the NRFC’s inaugural Chief Investment Officer. Mary joined the NRFC in July 2024 after more than 25 years’ experience in finance, economics and investment in Australia and overseas, including in New York, London and Singapore.

She was previously a Portfolio Manager at Ellerston Capital and Aphinity Investment Management and also held senior investment positions at Oaktree Capital and Soros Funds Management.

Dr Manning has an MBA from Harvard Business School, a PhD in Economics from the University of Sydney and has completed additional courses at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership.

She is a member of 100 Women in Finance and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.