Interactive workshop going under the hood of a leading systematic manager.

Attendees can suggest any company to review. Portfolio Manager JC de Beaulieu will then share a live demo of Acadian forecasts. Through this transparent demonstration he will show how fundamentals drive decision-making.  The workshop will conclude with a brief overview of Acadian’s expanding range of active systematic equity funds.  

Workshop Objective: Gain insight into how systematic investing works.

Company Profile: Established in 1986, Acadian is recognized as a pioneer in the field of systematic investing. We have been at the forefront of systematic research, signal development, and portfolio construction for 35 years. 

As of December 30,2023, we manage $104bn of assets for institutional investors worldwide, across equity, credit, and alternative strategies. 

ACATIS with a value philosophy since 1994, search systematically for undervalued companies with a strong business model, supported by a database. The value approach is consistently implemented and developed into 21st century in a future-oriented manner, where value investing must pay more attention to the future viability of business models (Buffett 2.0).

The ACATIS Value Event Fund is a flexible, global balanced fund with Johannes Hesche as portfolio manager. The fund aims for an equity-like performance with a significantly lower volatility compared to the equity market. This is achieved by the combination of two successful investment styles: value investing and event orientation together with diversification. 

Workshop Objectives: As an example, we present the principle of the straight line with a steady hand using the ACATIS Value Event Fund.

Company Profile: ACATIS Investment KVG mbH, with headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is an independent fund boutique. The company specializes in “value investing” based on the model of Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett. ACATIS was established in Germany in 1994. It has been represented with a branch in Switzerland since 2007. 

The ACATIS approach is calm and well considered, underpinned by in-depth statistical and mathematical analysis based on scientific research. We do not base our stock-picking decisions on gut feeling. Our portfolios are focused and characterised by long holding periods.

ACATIS offers value investing in equity funds, balanced funds, value-sustainability funds and value bond funds. Since October 2016, ACATIS offers equity funds based on artificial intelligence. AuM EUR 12.2 billion (as of 31 March 2024).

We think ‘leaving returns on the table’ is a common misconception in climate equity investing. Our active quant approach delivers both financial and climate outcomes in a core global equity portfolio.                     We’ll discuss how we drive alpha using our quantitative approach to bottom-up stock selection, powered by contextualization to amplify our ability to consistently select winning stocks. Identifying climate transition winners does not necessarily mean low carbon companies today, but companies that will win in a low carbon world of tomorrow. Our goal is to build a resilient all-star portfolio of stocks that play well together, not just a portfolio of all-stars and we will discuss looking beyond traditional models to prevent compromising returns to invest in Climate Transition Global Equity.

Workshop Objectives: Demonstrate how an active quant approach to global equity investing can deliver both attractive excess returns and climate alignment.
Illustrate the use of forward-looking transition pathway assessments to identify climate transition winners to reduce risk and capture opportunities presented by the transition to a decarbonised economy.
Explain the power of looking beyond traditional risk models to identify holes in a portfolio and build resiliency.

Company Profile: Allspring Global Investments™ is an independent asset management firm with more than $580 billion in assets under advisement*, over 20 offices globally​, and investment teams supported by more than 440 investment professionals. Allspring is committed to thoughtful investing, purposeful planning, and inspiring a new era of investing that pursues both financial returns and positive outcomes. For more information, please visit www.allspringglobal.com.​

 *As of December 31, 2023. ​Figures include discretionary and non-discretionary assets.

Provide an introduction to CFM and our two trend following strategies.  The first is our core trend strategy which captures trend effects across all asset classes and seeks to deliver persistent absolute returns at constant risk, and to achieve low correlation to traditional equity and fixed income benchmarks.
The second trend following strategy is our equity capped version which seeks to have less sensitivity to equity downside risk by controlling equity exposure and achieve nil or negative correlation to traditional equity benchmarks.  
We also look at the key strategy differences and performance characteristics. 

Workshop Objectives: Learn about traditional and equity capped trend following at CFM:  What these strategies are and how can they help improve portfolio outcomes.

Company Profile: Capital Fund Management (CFM) is a global asset management company based in Paris with offices in New York and London. CFM takes a scientific and academic approach to finance, using quantitative and systematic techniques to develop alternative investment strategies and products for institutional investors and financial advisers. CFM has over 320 employees worldwide and manages over $14 billion (May 2024).

CIFC’s Multi Strategy Credit Fund seeks to generate income by investing across a diversified portfolio of U.S. and European sub-investment grade credit fund. The fund is managed by Jason Horowitz who has been managing credit strategies since 2008 and has 29 years of industry experience. The fund leverages the expertise and idea generation from CIFC’s lead portfolio managers, averaging 28 years of corporate credit experience. The fund not only invests in High Yield Bonds, but also enables investors to gain exposure to specialist asset classes such as CLO structured credit, senior loans and opportunistic credit within a UCITS Structure. 

Workshop Objective: To provide an introduction to CIFC and our Multi Strategy Sub-Investment Grade Credit

Company Profile: CIFC Asset Management is a global credit manager founded in 2005 with approximately $42 billion in assets under management. CIFC focuses across four disciplines — CLOs, structured credit, corporate credit and opportunistic credit as well as direct lending. Serving over 400 investors globally, we have approximately 200 employees located in New York, Miami, Philadelphia, and London with approximately 95 investment professionals averaging 15 years of credit experience. We are guided by a rigorous investment process with an acute focus on downside risk protection and bottom-up fundamental credit research applied across our disciplines.

Eastspring’s Asian low volatility portfolio has been leading the game in the Asia Pacific ex Japan region over the past three years. Its strong performance has made it a multiple award-winning strategy. While we work to continue its success, we have noticed an alarming trend: that equity market concentration has increased dramatically. We have found that the large cap bias in the region has been less pronounced than in the U.S., indicating that alpha opportunities have been more broadly distributed. To hedge concentration risk and foster robust investment portfolios, it is also worthy to pay attention to our multi-factor strategy that could offer a core Asia equity allocation diversifying alpha opportunities. 

Workshop Objectives: Raise awareness of a recently growing trend and provide possible high-quality solutions to neutralise this threat.
Understanding of a positively functioning deployed systematic strategy from a leading Asian asset manager.  

Company Profile: Eastspring Investments, part of Prudential plc, is a leading Asia-based asset manager that manages USD 237 billion (as of 31 Dec 2023) of assets on behalf of institutional and retail clients globally. Operating since 1994, Eastspring Investments has one of the widest footprints among asset management companies across Asia. We provide investment solutions across a broad range of strategies including equities, fixed income, multi asset, quantitative and alternatives and are committed to delivering high quality investment outcomes for our clients over the long term. 

We incorporate ESG factors into our investment process and are aligned with a number of global sustainability initiatives including the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investments (PRI) and the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC).

Welcome to the world of EQT Nexus, offering  investors access to a well-diversified portfolio of EQT’s global private markets funds and co-investments, via one single investment and with only one layer of fees.
Monthly subscriptions and quarterly redemptions provide semi liquidity.The fund targets net annual returns of 12-15% NAV

Workshop Objectives:

● Introduce EQT
● Role of Evergreen Funds in PE
● Introduce EQT Nexus, EQT’s evergreen Fund

Company Profile: EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organisation focused on active ownership strategies. EQT has a track record of almost three decades of delivering consistent and attractive returns across multiple geographies, sectors and strategies. Uniquely, EQT is the only large private markets firm with investment strategies covering all phases of a
business’ development, from start-up to maturity. EQT has more than EUR 230 billion across 45+ active funds within three business segments – Private Capital, BPEA EQT and Real Assets.

Inflation is declining, prompting expectations of imminent interest rate cuts by central banks. 2024 heralds a normalization of monetary policy and economic cycle development. European government bond yields, not fully reflecting the deflationary trend, remain attractive to investors. As monetary policy shifts, short-term interest rates are poised to decrease, encouraging steepener strategies and restoring positive term premiums. In this macroeconomic backdrop, positioning along the long end of the yield curve could yield favorable risk-reward outcomes, leveraging higher sensitivity to easing and enhancing bond valuation mark-to-market. Epsilon Fund - Euro Bond boasts a 17-year track record of success, consistently generating strong alpha amidst diverse market conditions. Investors stand to benefit from its proven resilience and performance in challenging environments.

Workshop Objectives: Cecilia Barazzetta, Product Specialist at Eurizon Capital, provides insightful Euro bond market analysis, guiding strategic positioning amidst market fluctuations, emphasizing active management and duration control for 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 and total 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.

The US domestic economy is set to benefit from unique tailwinds over the next few years: infrastructure spend, reshoring, pent-up demand for housing and improving labour force productivity. With a clear domestic focus, US small- and mid-cap companies should be outsized beneficiaries of these trends.
2023 and early 2024 have seen a narrow market driven by a combination of excitement around the prospects for large cap tech and fears of an economic slowdown. This has created a uniquely attractive entry point into an overlooked asset class which now appears well positioned from both a cyclical and structural perspective.
Mark will lay out the value he sees in the asset class and the way the strategy is positioned to benefit from some of these attractive dynamics.

• Discover the reasons for a structural allocation to US SMID within your portfolios
• Learn about the particular valuation opportunity we see in US SMID currently.
• Discover which sectors may see the strongest growth potential.

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.

The combination of "value" investment with positive events keeps fundamental risks low and market risks limited. Our objective is to generate returns similar to global equity markets but with a continuity that allows investors to sleep well in all phases of the market. Details on our GANÉ Global Equity Fund and our new GANÉ Value Event Fund and of the investment process will be shared.

Workshop Objectives: We are ready to present the next step in the development of GANÉ: The GANÉ Value Event Fund. 

Company Profile: GANÉ is an owner-operated and independent investment group based in Germany - founded in 2007 by J. Henrik Muhle and Dr. Uwe Rathausky. We are an event-oriented value investor. We invest in winners. It means that we invest in strong companies with sustainable business models, solid balance sheets and high margins, which allows them to create added value for their shareholders. The successful Value-Event-Investment-Process and the Countercyclical Asset-Allocation led to the award for Fund Manager of the Year 2019 and 2024 in Germany. 

The transition to a sustainable world is gathering pace. More electric cars, more wind turbines, more solar panels. All of this means higher demand for metals such as copper, nickel or lithium. Uranium, a controversial raw material, is also very popular thanks to increasing demand for nuclear power, a low-CO2 energy source. And what about gold, the most popular single commodity in traditional portfolios?

We will present a range of ETF and ETC solutions which combine sustainability with direct commodity exposure, aiming to solve some of today’s main issues for investors in Europe.

Workshop Objective: Discuss the reasons why certain commodities might enter a new super cycle and showcase solutions which investors can use to position themselves. 

In this workshop, we will have an interactive discussion about crypto, the key cryptocurrencies, price performance to date and the drivers behind it. We will look at the effects of adding crypto to a balanced portfolio in terms of performance, volatility, key ratios and max drawdown and discuss which products best suits different investment strategies.

Workshop Objectives: Workshop attendees will leave informed about key cryptocurrencies, why they are different and what is driving price performance. They will have a clear picture of crypto in the context of asset allocation.

Company Profile: ETC Group was created to provide investors with the tools to access the investment opportunities available in the digital assets and blockchain ecosystem. Now, with a successful track record of over three years, the company is one of the leading providers of investment solutions within this space.

After underperforming the broader market last year, the healthcare sector may be poised for a bounce-back year in 2024. Attractive valuations, accelerating innovation, stabilizing interest rates and an end to a post-COVID reset should combine to provide a supportive backdrop for the sector going forward. In this session, Portfolio Manager, Dan Lyons, PhD, will highlight recent trends and investment opportunities and explain why now may be an attractive to invest in the healthcare sector.  

Workshop Objectives:

1.    Hear about areas of innovation and current trends within the healthcare and biotech sectors. 
2.    Learn why the sector has historically offered investors a unique combination of idiosyncratic growth opportunities and defensive characteristics. 
3.    Understand how a combination of long-term secular tailwinds, accelerating innovation, and improving fundamentals may make now an attractive to invest.

Company Profile: Janus Henderson’s mission is to help clients define and achieve superior financial outcomes through differentiated insights, disciplined investments, and world-class service. This means being ever mindful of the futures of the millions of lives that our thinking and our investments help shape. Our diverse client base and robust balance sheet allow us to offer financial strength and stability with which to help investors achieve their objectives.  

The human connection matters in all that we do. Teams across Janus Henderson come together every day to deliver outcomes for our clients – and their clients – that make a difference. We are proud of this responsibility as we fulfil our purpose of ‘Investing in a brighter future together’.

Active ETFs had a breakout year in 2023. While the flow momentum for active ETFs is strong, not all investors are yet familiar with the concept. We will briefly explain the active ETF concept and explore the 2 largest active UCITS ETFs: JPM Global Research Enhanced Index Equity (ESG) UCITS ETF und JPM US Research Enhanced Index Equity (ESG) UCITS ETF.

Workshop Objectives: To explain the concept of active ETFs and explore  strategies available in the ETF wrapper

Company Profile: J.P. Morgan ETFs are rigorously designed to push the boundaries of ETF investing so that investors can build diversified, competitively priced portfolios.  Our ETF solutions are backed by the extensive research, trading and technology resources of one of the world’s leading asset managers. It’s this combination of investment expertise and ETF know-how that sets our ETFs apart, allowing us to track indexes more efficiently, and provide competitively priced access to new opportunities through the development of innovative active, strategic beta and index strategies. J.P. Morgan Asset Management is one of the fastest growing UCITS ETF providers with over 25bn US dollar assets under management.

With the implications of an accelerated rate-hiking cycle still playing out as markets prepare for cuts to commence, having dynamic and responsive investment solutions has never been more important. Join Andrew Lake, Head of Fixed Income, to identify the most compelling fixed income opportunities in the market today and how to access them.

Workshop Objectives:

-    Examine the global fixed income universe to identify the most compelling opportunities. 

-    Discuss the strategies most well suited for return generation in today’s environment. 

Company Profile: We are an independent active asset manager that truly believes accountability drives the right outcomes from high-conviction, long-term sustainable investing. Mirabaud Asset Management is part of the Mirabaud Group, an international provider of bespoke financial and advisory services established in 1819 in Geneva, Switzerland. 
We became the independent, pure-play investment arm of the Group in 2012. Since then, we have developed capabilities across fixed income, equities and private assets, offering a range of investment solutions that align with our clients’ objectives and share their principles. Our strong sense of purpose, deep-rooted through seven generations of private ownership, defines our approach to asset management. We invest today to build the world for the generations to come. 

Join David Roberts for a discussion around the opportunities and risks within global bonds as we move past peak interest rates and why David and his co-manager Alex Ralph believe core bonds offer investors a compelling long-term return opportunity.

Workshop Objective: Gain an understanding of the opportunities in global bond investments and how best to take advantage of them

Company Profile: Nedgroup Investments is a global asset manager with over $20 billion AUM. At Nedgroup Investments we believe everyone should benefit from the difference that the best boutiques bring. As an investment-led business, we are dedicated to finding exceptional fund managers and providing the right conditions for them to perform. We foster multi-decade relationships to enable managers and teams to flourish over the long-term offering our clients more choice, better access and deeper alignment with their investments. 
We champion boutiques. We select the exceptional. We partner for decades.

AI data centres and EV charging stations are rapidly becoming the next big growth drivers for electricity demand. Significant investments in the buildout of grid infrastructure are necessary, supplying enough electricity to the very concentrated levels of power demand. Smart clean energy solutions will ensure a reliable and carbon-free supply of power.

Thiemo Lang, Polar Capital’s Head of Sustainable Thematic Equity, and Junwei Hafner-Cai, Senior Analyst, will discuss the strong underlying drivers in the energy transition towards clean electricity. They will explain the current portfolio positioning of the Polar Capital Smart Energy Fund and give an outlook on the opportunities ahead.

Workshop Objectives: To understand how the Polar Capital Sustainable Thematic Equity team invests in companies at the forefront of the global transition towards a cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable energy future.

Company Profile: The company prides itself on its collegiate and meritocratic culture where capacity of investment strategies is managed to enhance and protect performance. Since its foundation in 2001, it has grown steadily and currently has 13 autonomous investment teams managing specialist, active and capacity constrained portfolios.

Sycomore Sustainable Tech invests in Tech companies listed on international stock markets and employs an innovative SRI process, with no regional or market capitalisation constraints. Three key considerations guide our ESG approach:

- Tech for Good: companies offering products or services with a positive social or environmental impact

- Good in Tech: companies that use technology in a responsible way to reduce negative externalities on individuals and the environment

- Improvement enablers: companies that have pledged to improve on the two previous dimensions

Workshop Objectives: Showing how Sycomore Sustainable Tech provides the best positioning on leading tech in a sustainable way and through a innovative SRI process

Company Profile: Founded in 2001, Sycomore AM is a French asset manager specialized on listed equities. Its expertise is based on a hands-on approach and a proprietary model to analyze companies’ fundamentals. This model includes both financial and extra-financial criteria embedded in a dynamic database shared by fund managers and ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) specialists. They assess a company’s overall performance with regard to its stakeholders: shareholders, clients, employees, suppliers, civil society as well as environment. 
Sycomore AM signed a strategic partnership with Generali Investments Holding in February 2019, which aims to create the largest and most innovative multi-boutique platform in Europe. 

Varenne Capital sets itself apart through a distinctive blend of independent and complementary frameworks, developed over years of research and development. Our unique philosophy of solving equations differently and adding value at every stage of the investment lifecycle drives our commitment to delivering superior long-term returns with minimized risk.

Discover how our comprehensive strategy skilfully separates opportunities from risks, employing Tail Risk Hedging for downside mitigation, and maximizing potential through Long Equity, Short Equity, and Merger Arbitrage. Supported by dedicated teams offering unique perspectives, you will see how our expertise, enriched by proprietary databases, empowers us to discern and seize the most promising opportunities on public developed market equities, with reduced expected drawdowns.

Workshop Objectives: Explore synergies between our frameworks: Long Equity drives returns throughout the cycle, Short Equity adds idiosyncratic performance, and Merger Arbitrage funds the Tail Risk Hedging to optimise overall performance.

Company Profile: Varenne Capital is a research and process driven investment manager based in Paris, France, where it was founded by its current management team in 2003.

With 8 nationalities in a team of 44 people, including 19 investment professionals, the team fosters a culture of openness and diversity translating into very low turnover and an average tenure of 9 years in the investment team. All senior associates are shareholders or stock option holders in the firm and co-invest a significant portion of their wealth along our long-standing clients worldwide.

Join fund manager Ingmar Schaefer, who will explore the strategic rationale behind investing in European Small Caps within the context of a global equity portfolio.

Distinct from other regions and market caps, this segment offers investors unique opportunities to tap into the potential for growth and attractive valuations.

To demystify the asset class we will discuss today’s opportunity set within the longer term context. We will also examine the diversification potential within European Small Caps, and how it allows investors to enhance their portfolio's risk-return profile and reduce concentration risks. Using examples, we will share the building blocks that drive performance and how we identify promising companies.

We look forward to meeting you in Montreux.

Workshop Objectives: Discover the strategic rationale for investing in European Small Caps. We will explore the growth potential of the category, diversification, and the alpha generation opportunities available.

Company Profile: Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management NV is part of the Van Lanschot Kempen group, with roots dating back to 1737. We are active managers who bring free thinking, resolve and originality to investment decisions. This helps us to reach hard-to-access asset classes that are often missed by competitors. Placing considerable focus on active engagement we aim to unlock value in a sustainable way, guiding investors through the transition to a sustainable economy. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management NV is licensed to manage UCITS and AIFs and is authorised to provide investment services under the supervision by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets. As of 30/04/2024, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management had a total of €82.6 billion in client assets.