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Dan McCrum
Dan McCrum is a highly respected journalist and author with a long and successful career at the Financial Times.
His numerous awards include prizes in Europe, the US and Asia, and a special award from the Helmut Schmidt prize jury for investigative journalism. His first book, 'Money Men: A Hot Startup, A Billion Dollar Fraud, A Fight for the Truth', tells the true story of the rise and fall of Wirecard and the newspaper investigation that exposed the company’s multi-billion dollar fraud. In 2020, he was named Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards.
Workshops
Workshops
Elevating alpha in emerging market debt: greater than the sum of its parts
Join us to discover how our strategic approach and cohesive structures can unlock the key to consistent alpha in emerging market debt.
This presentation will explore the structures, frameworks, and strategies for identifying and capturing opportunities in diverse and rapidly evolving emerging markets. Firstly, we will examine the optimal team structure that strikes the fine balance of regional expertise, sector specialisation, and collaborative decision-making to maximise efficiency of idea generation. Next, focus will be given to the prominence of a robust research framework that integrates top-down macro insight with bottom-up fundamental analysis, enabling informed decision-making in complex environments. Finally, we will provide our insights into building resilient portfolios that align with evolving market dynamics while generating alpha.
Workshop Objective: We’ll demonstrate how we generate alpha in emerging market debt, through robust research frameworks, dedicated resources, and active management techniques that can uncover a world of unique investment opportunities.
Speakers
Alaa Bushehri
Head of Emerging Market Debt
Alaa has been a portfolio manager for the Emerging Markets Fixed Income team at BNP Paribas Asset Management since 2013. She is responsible for alpha decisions related to hard and local currency emerging market quasi-sovereign and corporate risk.
Alaa joined BNP Paribas Group in 2004 in Bahrain where she worked in the BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment Banking group in relationship management, credit analysis and risk management. She joined FFTW in London in 2007 as a portfolio analyst, progressing to her current role in 2013.
She holds a BSc in Finance from Drake University and an MBA from Imperial College London. Alaa is based in London.
Fund Group Workshop - Real Assets
Fund Group Workshop - American Smaller Companies
Speakers
Andrew Smith
Client Portfolio Manager
Andrew Smith is a Client Portfolio Manager within the US Equities team. In this role, he is responsible for providing detailed information on the company’s US equity capabilities and investment views to existing and prospective clients as well as to consultants and other intermediaries.
Before joining the US Equities team in 2018, Andrew worked as a Product Manager where he was involved in a number of product change initiatives across the fund range. Prior to this, he worked as a Market Intelligence Analyst in Distribution and as a graduate Business Analyst in the Technology department.
Andrew has an MA in Geography from the University of Cambridge. He also holds the Investment Management Certificate.
Representatives
Eva Maria Hintner
Country Head Switzerland
Eva Maria Hintner, Country Head Switzerland, is responsible for maintaining and developing business relationships with distribution partners, as well as for offering investment solutions and products to both institutional and wholesale clients. Hintner joined Columbia Threadneedle from Aviva Investors, where she was Head of Wholesale also for Switzerland, managing key client relationships and development. Prior to that, she worked at Amundi Asset Management as Senior Client Relationship Manager in Zurich.
Fund Group Workshop
Speakers
Stephan Bongartz
Portfolio Manager
Stephan Bongartz is a Portfolio Manager within the Volatility Strategies department at FERI, where he is responsible for the day-to-day management of the EuroEquityFlex fund, as well as trading, cash, and collateral management in the Hedge Funds and Volatility Strategies divisions. Stephan joined FERI in 2015 and previously worked as an Analyst in the Hedge Fund department, focusing on Credit Long/Short and Event-Driven strategies.
Horst Gerstner
Lead Portfolio Manager Volatility Strategies
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As the Lead Portfolio Manager of the Volatility Strategies department at FERI, Horst Gerstner is responsible for trading decisions and the development and refinement of quantitative investment strategies across FERI’s volatility funds: OptoFlex, US EquityFlex, and EuroEquityFlex. He has been trading derivatives for various client mandates since 2001.
Investing in the US: A diversified portfolio for a broadening market
Over the past decade, US equity markets have been dominated by a few mega-cap growth companies whose recent share price performance has been further bolstered by the expectation that they will benefit from AI advancements. This trend may not persist over the coming decade due to elevated valuations, limited AI-driven revenue, increasing competition, and a narrowing growth premium versus the rest of the market. Moreover, the investment backdrop - consisting of low interest rates and subdued inflation - that supported the outperformance of these companies has now transpired. A diversified portfolio of small and mid-cap companies may fare better in an environment characterized by higher interest rates, inflation and geopolitical tensions. This would align with historical trends showing that the performance of the S&P 500 index mirrors that of its equal-weighted counterpart over the long term.
Workshop Objective: We will explore the extraordinary concentration in the US market and the importance of finding high quality companies that will help build a portfolio that can weather all market environments.
Company Profile: Findlay Park Partners LLP, is an independent investment partnership based in London, specialising in US equities for over 25 years.
From our Investment Philosophy to our culture and team, we believe in a simple and consistent approach to everything we do. Our founder’s philosophy has guided our team for over 25 years, and is aligned to our purpose; to deliver compelling compound returns for our investors, measured over decades.
The American Fund is our only fund and our sole focus. As an active manager, we aim to invest in a diversified portfolio of high quality, durable companies. Our starting point when considering any company for investment is not ‘how much can we make if we get it right’? but rather ‘how much could we lose if we get it wrong?’ We aim to control the downside risk in each investment, to keep compounding at an attractive rate for our investors.
Speakers
Jonathan Tredgett
Portfolio Manager
Representatives
James Weston
Head of International Investor Relations
Meike Müntinga
Senior Client Relationship Manager
Fund Group Workshop
Speakers
Colin Fleury
Head of Secured Credit and Portfolio Manager on Secured Credit Team
Colin Fleury is Head of Secured Credit and a portfolio manager on the Secured Credit Team at Janus Henderson Investors. Prior to joining Henderson in 2007, Colin held secured credit portfolio management roles at Deutsche Bank AG and Abbey National Treasury Services plc. He also has secured debt structuring, underwriting, and advisory expertise from roles at Shell International, where he was a senior advisor on the M&A and financing team, and at Credit Suisse, where he was a vice president in the global project finance group. Colin’s early career also includes experience in secured UK real estate and SME corporate lending and spans multiple jurisdictions in Europe and worldwide.
Colin is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and a graduate of the Credit Suisse Corporate Finance and Capital Markets Programme. He has 38 years of financial industry experience.
Fund Group Workshop
Speakers
Sven Anders
Investment Specialist US Equity Team
Sven Anders is an investment specialist in J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s US Equity Group. An employee since 2016, Sven covers non-US domestic funds clients as a product specialist for US Equities. In that capacity, he is responsible for communicating investment performance, outlook and strategy positioning on behalf of the US Equity portfolio management team. Previously, he worked as an Investment Specialist covering private clients at Hamburger Sparkasse before joining the J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Sven holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the FOM University for Economics and Management and a Master of Science in Investment Management from the Cranfield School of Management.
Fund Group Workshop - Emerging Market Debt
Fund Group Workshop
Fund Group Workshop
Corporate Hybrids – A walk down the capital structure of high quality credits
Corporate Hybrids, subordinated bonds issued by IG non-financial companies, offer HY-like returns for investment grade default risk. The Corporate Hybrids market has grown tenfold since 2010 and has developed into a diversified and standardised asset class with a broad investor base. With its advantageous characteristics for both issuers (rating preservation) and investors (high coupons) it is one of the sweet spots in Fixed Income. In 2024 Corporate Hybrids have delivered again with a YTD performance of 12%, more than double the 5% of European Senior Corporate bonds.
Workshop Objective: A walk down the capital structure of high quality credits
Company Profile: Proven specialists develop high-quality investment and pension solutions for private investors, companies and institutions under the Swisscanto brand. With its sustainability research, which has existed since 1996, Asset Management still plays a pioneering role in the field of sustainability today. These many years of experience combined with our established, systematic investment approach form a unique symbiosis of two successful core competencies.
Speakers
Daniele Paglia
Senior Portfolio Manager, Member of Senior Management
Daniele Paglia is a Portfolio Manager responsible for global investment grade credit portfolios. Before joining Zürcher Kantonalbank in 2015, he was Head of the Quant Team and responsible for Inflation Linked products and derivatives overlays at Credit Suisse Asset Management. Previously to that he worked for UBS Investment Bank as an investment analyst in Zurich and as Debt Market Strategist in London. He received his master's degree from the University of Zurich with specialization in Finance and Operations Research.
Representatives
Ramon Vogt
Member of Senior Management, Head Wholesale Switzerland Asset Management
Ramon heads-up the Swiss Wholesale Distribution at Zürcher Kantonalbank Asset Management since February 2024.Before joining Zürcher Kantonalbank, he was responsible for the wholesale distribution with Vanguard for the German-speaking part of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Ramon started his career at Credit Suisse, holding different investment functions across Switzerland, UK, and the US, since 2014 as Head Structured Asset Solutions. He holds a Bachelor in Banking and Finance and has obtained the CFA Charterholder®.
Maurus Cavelti
Senior Sales Manager Wholesale Switzerland
He has more than 20 years of experience in the area of wholesale Switzerland & Liechtenstein and has been Senior Sales Manager and Deputy Head of Wholesale at Swisscanto Invest since 2014. Prior to that, he worked at Allianz Global Investors and at Pioneer Investments. He holds a degree in business administration from the University of Applied Sciences and is a certified Environmental, Social and Governance Analyst.
Building resilient active Emerging Market Fixed Income portfolios and performance
How to get alpha while keeping the main sources of risk in the emerging market bond markets under control? This is one of the questions that Mauro Favini, Senior Portfolio Manager of the Vanguard Emerging Markets fund, will answer during his presentation.
It will also explore how the team identifies and avoids over-exposure to correlated risks, instead seeking relative value opportunities through a thorough bond selection process.
Finally, he will guide us through his view on risks and performance in emerging markets for the coming year.
Workshop Objective: The objective of the workshop is to present Vanguard capabilities in managing Emerging Market (EM) bonds and how we see EM risk and performance evolving over the next year.
Speakers
Mauro Favini
Senior Portfolio Manager
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Mauro Favini is a senior portfolio manager in the Emerging Markets and Sovereign Debt team in Vanguard Fixed Income Group.
His focus is in sovereign and corporate credit, local markets, and currencies across global emerging markets for Vanguard’s actively managed fixed income portfolios.
Mr. Favini joined Vanguard in June 2017. With more than 10 years of experience in emerging markets, he contributes to the company’s solid investing and trading skills and key relationships. Prior to joining Vanguard, he was a portfolio manager at Marathon Asset Management, where he focused on both absolute return and long only strategies.
Mr. Favini earned a BA in economics from Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Representatives
Manon Duez
Senior Sales Executive
Manon joined Vanguard in April 2021 as a Senior Sales Executive for the Romandie, covering private banks, family offices and independent wealth managers. She spent the seven prior years at CdR Capital SA as an Investment Director, responsible for discretionary portfolio management, fund selection and implementation. Manon started her career with Morgan Stanley in London and Geneva. Manon graduated in 2010 with a joint Masters degree from Sciences-Po Paris and the LSE. She is a CFA Charterholder since June 2014 and a member of the CFA Society Switzerland.
Jonathan Decurtins
Senior Sales Executive
Jonathan Decurtins is a Senior Sales Executive and responsible for wholesale distribution in the German- and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland. He joined Vanguard in 2022. Prior to that, he worked as an ETF Sales Manager at Invesco, as a relationship manager at RobecoSAM and as an investment consultant at Zürcher Kantonalbank. Jonathan holds a Master degree in Applied History from UZH as well a Bachelor degree in Banking and Finance from HFBF in Zurich.