As growth investors have been primarily focused on the US in recent years, it's time to explore growth opportunities closer to home. In this presentation, portfolio manager Marcus Morris-Eyton will outline his investment strategy that seeks to benefit from the compounding power of owning shares in structurally growing, high-quality companies over the long term. With years of experience, the strategy has been relaunched at AllianceBernstein. Marcus will explain how his team looks for visibility in companies’ long-term earnings and cash flow growth, supported by sustainable competitive advantages and high barriers to entry. The presentation will highlight a focused and disciplined approach to investing in high-quality companies for long-term growth.

Workshop Objectives: Delegates will hear about growth opportunities in European (ex-UK) companies. They will learn how this team find and invest in structurally growing, high quality companies, a process honed over many years.

Company Profile: AllianceBernstein is a leading investment-management firm with $792 billion in client assets under management, as of 31 December 2024. With a unique combination of expertise across equities, fixed-income, alternatives and multi-asset strategies, we aim to deliver differentiated insights and distinctive solutions to advance investors’ success. Across our global network, we’re fully invested in delivering better outcomes for our worldwide clients, including institutional, high-net-worth and retail investors. By embracing innovation, we seek to address increasingly complex investing challenges and opportunities. And we pursue responsibility at all levels of the firm—from how we work and act to the solutions we design for clients.

As we enter 2025, the equity market is navigating a landscape shaped by persistent inflation concerns, rising interest rates, and shifting economic growth patterns. In this environment, traditional equity strategies may struggle to deliver consistent returns. That’s where Equity Dispersion Strategies come in. Join us for a deep dive into how these strategies can help you capitalize on sector and stock-level volatility, identify mispricings, and effectively manage risk amidst high interest rates. Learn how to leverage market divergences to enhance your portfolio’s performance in a world where interest rates remain elevated and the market’s direction is anything but certain.

Workshop Objective: To gain a better understanding of the asset class and understand how it can be a good fit for your portfolio objectives

Company Profile: Assenagon is one of the fastest growing, independent asset managers in Europe. The company specialises in the active management of capital market risks, and the provision of investment solutions for institutional investors and distribution partners. In particular, fund management focuses on the need of capital investors to generate income within clearly risk budgets. 
Since its foundation in 2007, investors have entrusted of around EUR 60 billion to the company's management. 
Ever since its inception, Assenagon has become synonymous with successful process and product innovation based on strong mathematical and analytical foundations. A powerful technical infrastructure sets industry standards and enables cost effective and efficient investments. Operating across four locations Assenagon offers its clients access to all key financial markets worldwide.

Eagle Capital Management is a boutique investment management firm based in New York City that manages a predominantly US public equity strategy for both institutional and individual clients. With over $30B under management, Eagle offers a unique investment approach utilizing a long-only, bottoms-up, fundamental, long-term analysis driven strategy that has surpassed the returns of the broad equity market over the 36-year history of the firm. We believe in a concentrated portfolio of 25-35 positions, with an average holding period of over 7 years, and place a heavy emphasis on valuation in constructing our portfolio. The Eagle portfolio may appear to have a unique collection of stocks, representing both value and growth styles, yet our emphasis on long-term IRR’s attempts to provide both downside support and the flexibility to allow us to invest in good to great businesses at attractive valuations without being style constrained. 

Workshop Objective: Provide an introduction to Eagle Capital Management and our unique investment philosophy and approach.

Company Profile: Eagle Capital Management was founded in 1988 and stands for original, thoughtful research and rigorous valuation discipline in making long-term investment decisions in public equities. The same philosophy and approach has been driving our singular approach to investing in the stock market for close to four decades. We use time to our advantage and expand our analysis period well beyond what many market participants consider. Time has served our clients and philosophy well. We have one office, based in New York City, with 44 employees, where the firm is 100% employee owned. 

In Eurizon we are constructive about credit markets, driven by three key factors:
1. Macroeconomic Outlook
The current macroeconomic environment supports a positive outlook for credit. Growth projections remain stable, and inflationary pressures are easing, providing a favourable backdrop for credit performance.
2. Yields
With interest rates stabilizing, bond yields are currently attractive from a historical perspective. This creates opportunities for investors to achieve strong returns while maintaining a balanced risk profile.
3. Technical Indicators
Default rates are low and market technicals further bolster our constructive view. Continued inflows into credit markets reflect sustained investor confidence. Additionally, the prevalence of callable paper and opportunities to refinance at lower rates support ongoing market strength and liquidity.
In summary, the combination of stable macroeconomic fundamentals, attractive yields, and positive technical factors positions credit as an appealing investment opportunity in the current environment.

Workshop Objectives: To equip participants with actionable credit market insights, enabling strategic positioning amid market fluctuations. The workshop will emphasize the importance of active management and robust credit risk control to achieve optimal investment outcomes.

Company Profile: Eurizon is a leading player in the European Asset Management space, of widespread international presence. Eurizon Capital SGR is the Asset Management Division Company of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group. In Europe, Eurizon controls Eurizon Capital S.A. which develops growth in foreign markets, Epsilon SGR, specialized in absolute andtotal return strategies, and the Eastern Europe hub. In the UK, with Eurizon SLJ Capital LTD, a joint venture providing investment and advisory services with a focus on Chinese and emerging market debt, currency management and macroeconomic research. Eurizon operates through its commercial branches in Spain, France, Germany and Switzerland.

A volatile political and geopolitical landscape is likely to be a permanent fixture of global dynamics going forward, bringing uncertainty to the future pathways of interest rates. In this environment, Fixed Income investing has become more complex than ever, making unconstrained bond strategies potentially appealing to investors looking for a one-stop shop solution, or diversification from more traditional Fixed Income funds.

Workshop Objectives: We will cover:
•    How the management team adapts to fast changing market environments
•    How much credit and interest rate risk they believe are relevant at different points in the economic cycle
•    Current positioning and outlook for the strategy

Company Profile: L&G’s asset management division combines deep expertise in asset management and origination with global distribution capabilities to deliver positive outcomes for our clients, which include individual savers, pension scheme members and global institutions, investing alongside L&G’s own balance sheet. As a global investor, we are present where our clients need us – from Hong Kong and Singapore, to major European financial hubs, to Chicago.   

We provide investment solutions across the full spectrum of asset classes. In fixed income, we have a capability set designed to perform in any market environment, with an extensive range encompassing active unconstrained, EMD, HY and index strategies. In the ETF space we are known as pioneers in thematic funds, while also innovating with our commodities range.

Our division is underpinned by our enduring commitment to responsible investment, dedicated to creating long-term, sustainable value for our clients and partners.

'Diversification is the only free lunch in Finance.’ Whether real or fake, H. Markowitz’s quote epitomises the philosophy that underpins the 60/40 portfolio. In his Nobel prize winning work, Markowitz did not just introduce one tool, though, but two: Diversification and Leverage. While his words on the first one have resonated, the second has not been used as well. Leveraging a good portfolio can make an even better portfolio. In 2023, WisdomTree introduced the first “efficient Core” ETF in Europe. This strategy redefines core portfolio allocation by leveraging the historically negative correlation between equities and bonds. By integrating a 90% equity and 60% bond exposure into a single structure, this innovative approach boosts risk-adjusted returns and frees capital for diversifiers or alternatives.

Workshop Objectives:  In this session, we will introduce the “efficient core” concept. We will demonstrate how this strategy is an effective equity replacement but also a capital efficiency tool that free space for alternatives and private assets in portfolios.

Company Profile: WisdomTree was founded in 2006 with a passion for creating better ways to invest, being the first investment manager to weight by dividends. Since 2014, our European business has grown in terms of product set and AUM. In April 2018, we completed the acquisition of ETF Securities' exchange-traded commodities, currencies and short-and-leveraged business, including the world’s first gold ETP. Today we are the biggest independent ETP provider globally and offer one of the most innovative ranges of ETPs, covering commodities, FX, equities, fixed income, cryptocurrency and liquid alternatives.