Push to curb young financial talent brain drain

The Queensland Futures Institute (QFI) will launch a new program in April to help keep young finance talent in the state.

This is one of a series of initiatives the institute will drive this year to bring attention to state issues and policy gaps.

QFI CEO Steve Greenwood said the NextGen Finance Network would deliver a series of learning events for finance students and early career finance professionals.

“The aim of the program is to help stem of the loss of young finance professionals to southern states and overseas,” he said.

“It will do that by deepening the awareness of the breadth of career opportunities that exist and are emerging in Queensland.”

Mr Greenwood said there had been a perception that Queensland had limited opportunity for ambitious finance graduates, but that was increasingly not the case.

“The economy is becoming more diverse in areas like energy transition, natural capital and innovation,” he said.

“This is creating a lot of interesting financial services opportunities here.

“Recent changes around the financial services landscape are also exemplified by several mergers that will lift the scale of opportunities and create new opportunities for talent retention and capital allocation.”

QFI will also host its first Annual Regions Summit in August, 2026 as part of its push to ensure regional opportunities remain high on the policy agenda.

This follows the successful launch of an annual state financial summit four years ago.

“Queensland’s regions are the backbone of the State’s prosperity,” Mr Greenwood said.

“This summit brings together leaders from across sectors to showcase opportunities in regional economies, explore investment priorities, and identify strategies to secure long-term growth.

“With a focus on infrastructure, workforce, and industry diversification, the event highlights how regions can lead Queensland’s future.”

Mr Greenwood said QFI was continuing to grow in 2026 with an emphasis on “premium” activities that support networking and policy discussion aimed at state growth and productivity improvements.

QFI also had a heavy focus on improving understanding of artificial intelligence and building stronger bonds between the public and private sectors.

This included the Executive Public Sector and Industry Program (details here) which is a collaboration between QFI and the University of Queensland (UQ) Business School.

Details on how to join QFI are here.

The following is the calendar of Queensland Futures Institute events in 2026 with links to buy tickets.

QFI Events Calendar