Session
Two generations of Australian Olympic excellence to close Family Office Congress XVII.
Purpose: We close Family Office Congress XVII on lived achievement rather than abstract synthesis — two generations of Australian champions, in conversation about what greatness actually requires and what our shared future is being built on.
Discussion: What Emma's career across three Olympic Games taught her about discipline and continuation, what Arisa has learnt at the top of world skateboarding, and what each generation hopes for.
Outcomes: A close that sends the room out as a community rather than as individuals, two genuine Australian champion voices to carry home, and the energy to take what Family Office Congress XVII has surfaced into the year that follows.
Arisa Trew is an Olympic Gold Medalist and a history-making Australian skateboarder who has redefined the limits of her sport. Catapulted into the global spotlight in June 2023, she achieved what was widely considered the "holy grail" of vert skating by becoming the first female athlete to land a 720 in a competition setting. Executing the demanding, two-rotation trick at the Tony Hawk Vert Alert in Salt Lake City, USA, she received immediate acclaim from the sport's biggest icons and her peers alike.
Her remarkable ascent to the pinnacle of global skateboarding began at age eight, pivoting from surfing to the local skate park simply because the winter water was too cold. Though she initially skated purely for fun without formal lessons, Arisa’s dedication intensified as she found camaraderie and encouragement within a growing community of young female skaters. Supported by her family and coach Trevor Ward, her career reached a new tier when she joined the Gold Coast-based Level Up Australia Academy, allowing her to seamlessly balance elite athletic coaching with her high school education.
Her history-making 720 was the catalyst for a dominant competitive streak. Arisa quickly followed up with a gold medal in the vert competition at the X Games in Ventura, California, and cemented her Olympic berth by winning back-to-back gold medals at the qualification series in Shanghai and Budapest. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at exactly 14 years and 86 days old, Arisa delivered an extraordinary 93.18-scoring final run to claim the Park Skateboarding Gold Medal. This monumental victory shattered a 68-year-old record (previously held by swimmer Sandra Morgan), officially crowning Arisa as Australia's youngest-ever Olympic champion.
Honored as the Emerging Athlete of the Year at the 2024 Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Performance Awards, Arisa remains deeply grounded despite her unprecedented global success. When she is not traveling the world breaking records, she still enjoys surfing multiple times a week at home on the Gold Coast. Known for her vibrant personality and strong bonds within the skating community, she frequently shares the world stage with fellow Australian skateboarding prodigy Ruby Trew—with whom she shares a playful, ongoing joke about being cousins.
Emma is an Australian Olympian and elite triathlete, recognised as one of the nation’s leading performers on the world stage. Transitioning from a surf lifesaving background, she rapidly rose through the international ranks to become a multiple World Cup winner and Australian national champion.
She represented Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in both the individual and mixed relay events, and has since built a reputation for resilience, consistency and composure under pressure at the highest level of competition.
In 2025, Emma played a key role in Australia’s gold medal performance at the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships in Hamburg, delivering a decisive leg to help secure the world title.
Beyond sport, Emma holds a nursing degree from the University of Sydney, reflecting her commitment to purpose, discipline, and service beyond elite performance. Her journey is defined by determination, adaptability, and the courage to perform when it matters most.
Louise is the founder and CEO of Walsh Capital. Louise has extensive capital raising experience across many sectors. Previously, as the CEO of the Future Generation companies, Louise and her team grew these ASX listed funds by $1bn in assets in just six years.
Louise has developed best practice investor and major donor engagement programs throughout her career. Of particular note, Louise has a substantial ultra-high net worth and high net worth network across Australia. This extensive network has been developed and nurtured over three decades, having started her career as a lawyer at Allens then Head of Sponsorships for the Sydney Olympic Games. Louise is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading philanthropic advisers and is a fundraising expert.
Louise has been a champion of impact investing since her time as CEO of Philanthropy Australia and has engaged with PWN over many years. Louise sits on the Boards of the Snow Foundation and the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation.
