IFS Copperleaf ANZ Community Forum 2026
From 27 to 29 October 2026, the IFS Copperleaf APJ Community Forum brought together more than 50 participants in Brisbane, Australia, for three days of knowledge sharing, collaboration and innovation.
Hosted by Ergon Energy Network and Energex, this year’s Forum welcomed representatives from 11 utility organisations and two partners, including Endeavour Energy, Kansai Transmission & Distribution, Powerco, Powercor, Powerlink, SA Power Networks, SA Water, TasNetworks, United Energy, WEL Networks, Deloitte and Synergise Consulting Limited.
Building on the success of previous editions, the 2026 Forum marked an exciting milestone with the participation of customers from Japan, reflecting our ambition to expand the community beyond Australia and New Zealand and create stronger connections across Asia Pacific.
Together, participants shared experiences, explored new approaches and discussed how innovation is shaping the future of Asset Investment Planning.
Starting the Forum with Ergon Energy Network and Energex
The Forum began with a site visit hosted by Ergon Energy Network and Energex, giving attendees an opportunity to gain insights into their operations and the challenges of managing critical electricity infrastructure. The visit set the stage for the following two days of customer presentations, interactive discussions and product innovation sessions.
Sharing Knowledge and Learning from Each Other
One of the greatest strengths of the IFS Copperleaf Community is the willingness of customers to openly share their experiences, challenges and successes.
Throughout the Forum, customers from across Australia, New Zealand and Japan shared how they are evolving their asset investment planning practices to improve decision-making and deliver greater value from their investments. Presentations covered a wide range of topics, from integrated grid planning and investment optimisation to regulatory challenges, digital transformation and innovative approaches to asset management.
Beyond the presentations, interactive workshops and networking sessions encouraged open discussions, allowing participants to exchange ideas, challenge existing approaches and learn from each other’s experiences.
As Jeths Lacson, Lifecycle Engineering Manager at WEL Networks, shared:
“What we value most is the opportunity to connect and collaborate with peers across the ANZ and wider APJ region. The community provides a valuable forum for openly discussing common challenges, pain points, lessons learned, and different approaches to using Copperleaf.”
These conversations are at the heart of the Community Forum. By sharing both successes and challenges, customers can learn from one another and continue improving their investment planning practices.
Exploring the Future of Asset Investment Planning and AI
Innovation was another key theme of this year’s Forum, with the IFS Copperleaf product team sharing the latest developments and future direction of the platform. Building on the AI-native vision introduced at last year’s Forum, the team demonstrated how new capabilities are helping organisations simplify complex processes, improve efficiency and make more informed investment decisions.
Attendees explored innovations including Foresight, Accelerate 2.0 and Regulatory Intelligence, alongside a preview of the product roadmap for 2027 and beyond.
A particular focus was the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in Asset Investment Planning, from reducing manual data preparation to supporting scenario analysis, investment optimisation and more transparent decision-making. The discussions highlighted how AI can support asset management professionals by simplifying complex tasks while keeping engineering expertise and human judgement at the centre of investment decisions.
The Forum also featured an interactive maturity assessment workshop, helping customers evaluate their current practices, identify opportunities for improvement and explore how to get even more value from their IFS Copperleaf investment.
Celebrating Innovation: WEL Networks Named Innovator of the Year!
One of the highlights of the Forum was the IFS Copperleaf Innovation Award 2026, celebrating customers who are pushing the boundaries of innovation in Asset Investment Planning. Following the customer presentations, attendees voted in real time to recognise the organisation they felt best demonstrated innovation in practice.
Congratulations to WEL Networks, our 2026 Innovator of the Year!
This marks the second time WEL Networks has received an IFS Copperleaf Community Award, following its joint win with Powerco in the Collaboration Excellence category in 2025.
WEL Networks stood out for the way it has embedded Copperleaf into its investment planning operating model, establishing a more consistent and transparent approach to decision-making while keeping engineering judgement central to the process. By standardising investment decisions and making the rationale, risks, trade-offs and value of different options more visible, the team is improving its ability to make informed and defensible investment decisions.
As Jeths Lacson, Lifecycle Engineering Manager at WEL Networks, explained:
“For me, the award really belongs to the wider team. It reflects their willingness to challenge the way we do things, innovate, and continually improve how we make investment decisions.”
The recognition is especially meaningful as the winner was selected by fellow IFS Copperleaf customers, celebrating innovations that can inspire and benefit the wider community.
Congratulations again to the entire WEL Networks team on this well-deserved achievement!
Looking Ahead to 2027
As our community continues to grow, so does our ambition to bring together even more customers from across Asia Pacific. Building on the success of this year’s Forum, we look forward to creating more opportunities to share experiences, inspire innovation and strengthen connections across the region.
We can’t wait to see what the 2027 edition will bring!
Interested in joining the IFS Copperleaf Community? Connect with industry peers, exchange best practices and discover opportunities to participate in future events.