Citywire Alternatives & Private Markets Forum 2024
Last year saw good flows into private markets proving that the rationale and hunger for uncorrelated, inflation and recession-proof alternative investments remains strong across the private wealth industry in Asia.
In its third year, these two private dialogues will bring together all the key bankers selecting and distributing alternative offerings to private clients across Asia.
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Conversation Partners
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Networking Partner
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Workshops
Workshops
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The Case for Thematic Investing in Small and Mid-sized Buyouts Amid an Uncertain Macroeconomic Environment
For over 30 years, Federated Hermes Private Equity has specialised in making fund investments and co-investments in mid-market buyouts and growth businesses.
This year, we are raising $500m for PEC VI, the sixth fund in our successful flagship co-investment series that targets 2x / 20% gross returns. PEC VI will back growing companies in sectors set to benefit from long-term trends reshaping global economic activity. In an uncertain and turbulent market environment we believe it is more important than ever to focus on organic growth-driven returns without reliance on leverage. We target businesses that have clear value propositions and resilient business models. The series has committed >$2bn to c.200 co-investments (as of 30 Sep 2023) with the aim to deliver strong, consistent performance.
Workshop Objectives:
• Overview of the PEC VI strategy and USPs
• Discuss the current opportunity in the lower mid-market
• Outline the benefits of a global thematic co-investment strategy
Company Profile: Federated Hermes is guided by the conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create long-term wealth. We provide specialised capabilities across equity, fixed income and private markets, in addition to multi-asset strategies and liquidity-management solutions. Through pioneering stewardship services, we engage companies on strategic and sustainability concerns to promote investors’ long-term performance and fiduciary interests. Our goals are to help people invest and retire better, to help clients achieve better risk-adjusted returns and, where possible, to contribute to positive outcomes that benefit the wider world.
Speakers
Christian Mankiewicz
Principal, Head of Portfolio Management, Federated Hermes Private Equity
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Christian is responsible for investment strategy and research as well as overseeing portfolio management across fund and co-investment portfolios. He is a member of the Federated Hermes GPE Investment Committees. Christian has 13 years of private equity experience.
He joined Federated Hermes GPE in London in 2014 and was previously a portfolio manager at German pension fund BVV, involved in private equity strategy and investments in public equities and commodities. He is a German national and speaks fluent English and Spanish.
Christian holds a BA in Business Administration from the Berlin School of Economics and an MBA from London Business School. He is also a CFA charterholder.
Representatives
Mei Lin Tan
Director, Wholesale Distribution, APAC
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Mei Lin is responsible for the private banking intermediary channels across North & South Asia and is based in Singapore.
With two decades of experience, Mei Lin joins from NN Investment Partners where she spent five years as Senior VP in Singapore. She was previously based in Hong at Investec AM. Mei Lin started her career in the private banking divisions of Merrill Lynch International Bank and Bank Julius Baer.
Jim Roland
Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific
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Jim joined in February 2021 as the Head of International Client Group. In this capacity, he oversaw Institutional Client Management, Client Servicing, Client Reporting, Strategic Client Group, EOS Business Development & Relationship Management and RFP & Consultant Databases. In April 2023, Jim became Head of Business Development, Asia Pacific based Singapore. In this role Jim oversees our regional sales and overall distribution efforts across all of Asia Pacific, including Singapore, Australia and Japan in support of our growth plans in the region.
Jim is a member of the Business Development Executive Committee, Business Development Steering Committee, Management Committee and Governance Committee. Jim joined from Janus Henderson Investors in London where he was Head of the Strategic Account Program focused on the firms largest institutional and wholesale clients globally.
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The Future of Funding: Private Credit in the Spotlight
Private credit has emerged in recent years as an asset class that provides investors diversification to traditional fixed income portfolios, an attractive income profile and better overall risk-adjusted returns. As access to private credit solutions continues to widen, individual investors and their advisors are faced with many choices as they build allocations to this important asset class. What are the growth opportunities for US middle market direct lending and asset-based lending private credit? How do these strategies complement each other in an overall investment portfolio?
Manulife Investment Management (“MIM”) has been allocating to private markets for decades and utilizes a broad investment platform designed to fund middle market sponsors and companies across the capital structure. Hear from MIM, as they unravel the benefits of investing in private credit through a strategy that is focused on generating high income by investing in quality middle market companies that is further diversified with asset-based lending.
Workshop Objectives: Highlight the benefits of sponsor-backed middle market direct lending complemented with the unique nature of asset-based loans, a fast growing segment of the private credit market. Combining these two strategies has the potential to deliver enhanced diversification, potential steady returns and income, and periodic liquidity.
Company Profile: Manulife Investment Management (MIM) is the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. It draws on more than 150 years of financial stewardship to partner with clients across its institutional, retail, and retirement businesses globally. MIM offers a wide range of products including public and private markets offerings to meet the clients’ needs. On its private markets offerings, MIM is uniquely placed with its private assets capabilities across 6 strategies including private equity and private credit, real estate equity, infrastructure equity, timberland and agriculture. Specifically, MIM is the world’s largest timberland investment manager for institutional investors*.
*Source: www.htrg.com
Speakers
Alex Catterick
Senior Managing Director, Head of Alternative Investment Solutions
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Alex heads the alternative investment solutions in the private wealth and global retail channel and has responsibility for the private markets retail strategy and the development & growth of products for high-net-worth investors. He has over two decades of experience in alternative investments, wealth management, asset allocation and capital markets, previously serving as Regional Head of Alternative Investments for the Americas at HSBC. He also worked at Barclays Wealth Management, J.P. Morgan Private Bank and CIBC World Markets.
Alex started his career with KPMG in Toronto and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He is also Series 7 & 63 licensed.
Representatives
Hui-Jian Koh
Chief Executive Officer, Singapore and Head of Retail Distribution and Partnerships, Southeast Asia
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Based in Singapore, Hui-Jian has executive responsibility for the development and execution of the company’s corporate strategy and oversees its overall wealth and asset management business in the Singapore market. She is also responsible for driving the retail distribution strategy across Southeast Asia.
Hui-Jian has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry, previously was Head of Product at Prudential. Prior to Prudential, she was the Head of Retail Distribution at Eastspring Investments and has also held positions in Deutsche Asset Management, DBS Asset Management and HSBC Investments.
Hui-Jian holds a Bachelor of Science (Magna Cum Laude), with a major in Marketing and minor in Sociology, from the Oregon State University, USA.
Casherine Goh
Head of Private Bank Distribution
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Based in Singapore, Casherine is a member of the distribution & partnerships team at Manulife Investment Management Singapore. She is responsible for pursuing opportunities across the private bank channels in Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as expanding the distribution outreach in Thailand and Brunei.
Casherine has a decade of experience in the asset management industry. Prior to Manulife Investment Management, she held similar intermediary business development roles at Lion Global Investors Ltd and BNP Paribas Asset Management Singapore.
Casherine is a graduate of Singapore Management University and holds a Bachelor of Science (Economics) degree, with a second major in Finance.
Caron Ng
Head of Retail Distribution and Partnerships, Singapore
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Caron heads the Retail Partnerships and Distribution team and is responsible for the retail distribution business in Singapore.
Caron has more than two decades of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Manulife Investment Management, Caron was with Eastspring Investments for 12 years, where she was the Head of Retail Distribution for Singapore. Caron had held similar roles in various asset management firms, including Deutsche Asset Management, Allianz Global Investors and HSBC Asset Management. In addition, Caron had also held positions in financial institutions such as DBS, where she was heading the funds product team and UOB where she was one of the pioneer investment specialists at UOB Privilege Banking.
Caron graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Finance and also passed CFA level 1 and level 2 examinations.
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How Gold Can Enhance a Portfolio’s Risk-adjusted Performance
There are many motivating factors for when and why to allocate to gold, with either significant market turmoil spurring investors to seek defensive positions, or extreme market rallies in the gold price attracting interest. However, over the long term, gold stands out as a persevering source of portfolio diversification. Gold’s diverse, global demand among both cyclical and countercyclical sectors can help drive key strategic benefits for portfolios including its persistently low correlations to other asset classes as well as its ability to protect against tail risks and deliver long-term capital appreciation potential. These characteristics may aid in providing efficient portfolio diversification while reducing portfolio drawdowns and volatility resulting in improved risk-adjusted portfolio performance.
Workshop Ojectives:
- Overview of the role of gold in a portfolio
- Understanding of how gold performs during a variety of business cycles
- Characteristics of gold which may aid in efficient portfolio diversification
Company Profile: For four decades, State Street Global Advisors has served the world’s governments, institutions and financial advisors. With a rigorous, risk-aware approach built on research, analysis and market-tested experience, we build from a breadth of index and active strategies to create cost-effective solutions. And, as pioneers in index, ETF, and ESG investing, we are always inventing new ways to invest. As a result, we have become the world’s fourth largest asset manager* with US $3.69 trillion† under our care.
*Pensions & Investments Research Center, as of 12/31/22. †This figure is presented as of September 30, 2023 and includes approximately $58.13 billion USD of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. Please note all AUM is unaudited.
Speakers
Robin Tsui
APAC Gold Strategist
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Mr Robin Tsui (CAIA, CA ANZ, HKICPA) is the APAC Gold Strategist at State Street SPDR ETFs of State Street Global Advisors. In his capacity as APAC Gold Strategist, Robin supports institutional and intermediary sales efforts in APAC to increase investor awareness of SPDR Gold ETFs and to grow their market shares through the development of research, education, product positioning collateral and client engagements. Prior to this role, Robin served as the Interim Head of SPDR ETFs for Hong Kong. Robin holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation (CAIA) and is both a Chartered Accountant in Australia & New Zealand (CA ANZ) and a Certified Public Accountant in Hong Kong (HKICPA).
Representatives
Jermyn Wong
Vice President, Distribution
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Claressa Wong, CFA
Vice President, Distribution
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Before joining State Street Global Advisors, she worked with institutional clients and high net-worth clients in her capacity as a Treasury Specialist at Citibank and at a research consultancy, advising on Fixed Income and Foreign Exchange.
Claressa is a CFA Charterholder and graduated with a double degree and triple major in Bachelor of Business Management (Finance and Marketing) and Bachelor of Science (Economics) from Singapore Management University.