Japan’s market is entering a dynamic new phase, powered by domestic revival, financial reform, and innovative sectors beyond traditional industries. Discover how a focus on resilient, high-growth companies is reshaping investment opportunities and why Japan’s evolving fundamentals offer compelling value for forward-looking investors.

Workshop Objectives: 

•    Understand how Japan’s domestic momentum and financial reforms are creating a self-sustaining growth story
•    Explore leading-edge sectors and innovative companies driving Japan’s economic transformation beyond cyclical industries
•    Learn strategies to capitalize on Japan’s hidden growth drivers while navigating global and cyclical challenges

Company Profile: Baillie Gifford’s sole business is investment management. Since the company was founded in 1908 it has been a partnership. Today it is owned by 59 partners all of whom work in the business.
We believe that the best investment ideas spring from thinking about future possibilities, not short-term probabilities. We set no barriers to the imagination of our investors, encouraging fresh perspectives and the use of diverse sources of information. We term ourselves Actual Investors.
We currently manage or advise some £197bn on behalf of clients worldwide. Whilst we are predominantly an institutional manager (circa 80% of FUM), we offer an extensive range of investment trusts and open-ended funds to UK wealth managers and intermediaries. 

Money decisions stir strong emotions, often more than other life choices. Psychology shows that losses feel about twice as painful as gains, and paying with cash activates the brain’s pain centers. These biases mean many investors overstate risks and avoid opportunities, even when long-term markets reward patience. Neuroscience confirms that financial stress can cloud judgment, leading to impulsive or overly cautious decisions. Understanding these patterns helps investors make calmer, more rational choices. That’s where structured solutions can help. Hilbert Investment Solutions Protect 90 is designed to balance growth potential with security, providing 90% capital protection. This blend reduces emotional stress, helping investors stay invested and aligned with long-term goals while minimizing the fear of short-term market swings.

Workshop Objectives: Enhance understanding of behavioural finance by exploring emotional biases in money decisions, neuroscience insights, and practical strategies, enabling advisers to support clients with informed, balanced, and compliant investment guidance.

Company Profile: Hilbert Investment Solutions is a multi award-winning firm specialising in structured products, protected investments, and pensions. With a team of around 50 professionals operating across the UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Middle East, Hilbert serves professional advisers, institutional clients, and individual investors. Our mission is to design innovative investment solutions that improve the chances of generating positive returns and help reduce the likelihood of losses, while always being transparent about risks. We aim to make complex investments easier to understand, using straightforward language and a client-first approach. Supported by robust governance, compliance, and a high level of adviser support, Hilbert is recognised as a trusted partner for delivering specialist, risk-conscious investment solutions worldwide.

What if the most exciting investment opportunities are not in the blue-chips, listed on the Nasdaq or the S&P, but in a different market entirely - undervalued yet delivering growth at discounted valuations? What if the growth stories are quietly unfolding in agile businesses with strong fundamentals but flying under the radar? At Octopus Investments, we believe this is exactly what’s happening.
 
This presentation will explore the investment potential of UK small and mid-cap equities—a segment often overlooked, despite its strong growth prospects and attractive valuations. As one of the largest investors in the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), the Quoted Companies Team at Octopus Investments is uniquely positioned to uncover hidden opportunities across this dynamic space.
 
We’ll examine the key market drivers and some evolving trends shaping the landscape, offering practical insights into the liquidity within this market, and how this asset class can aid portfolio diversification. Discover how to tap into this underappreciated segment where growth, value, and innovation converge.

Workshop Objectives:

• To equip advisers with insights to uncover value in UK equities beyond the FTSE 100 and deliver
  differentiated outcomes for clients.
• Advisers will gain knowledge into under-researched UK companies within niche growth areas.

Company Profile: Octopus Investments, part of the Octopus Group, is a B Corp-certified investment company for investors who believe their money can be a force for good.
 
Today, we invest the £9.6bn our institutional investors, retail investors and their financial advisers have entrusted to us into the areas where we believe we can have the greatest impact.
 
We focus our efforts on three investment themes – empowering people, revitalising healthcare and building a sustainable planet – and alternative asset classes across venture capital, sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, real estate, healthcare and smaller listed companies. 

Most people know Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: the idea that fulfilment of aspirational wants comes only after foundational needs like food, shelter, and security are met. The same principle applies to countries. After years of prioritising higher order wants, many developed nations are now being forced to shore up the base, as the world shifts from global cooperation to national self-reliance. This reversal may be painful, but it also presents opportunities for investors willing to focus on needs rather than wants. 

Workshop Objectives:

• Explore how national priorities are shifting from aspirational wants to foundational needs
• Examine how past capital abundance in some areas contributed to underinvestment in others
• Understand how market dislocations can create opportunities for investors

Company Profile: Orbis has been creating value for clients for more than 30 years. 

We work to find opportunities others miss, but this means investing in unpopular areas of the market, which takes courage and patience. Our long-term approach is at the core of everything we do, from the way we invest, the company structure, and even the way we charge fees. 

Our team of 60 investment professionals located around the world does comprehensive research evaluating businesses from the bottom up to identify businesses priced at less than they are worth with long-term prospects. Since it can take time for these companies to realise their true value, our business is structured to avoid pressure for short-term performance with no external shareholders. Our independence allows us to prioritise clients, make bold but considered decisions and to stand by them as long as we need to. 

And our unique fee structure ensures we remain driven to deliver long-term returns.

Concentration risk is as high as it has ever been, and a differentiated Income product offers a valuable form of diversification in the current market environment. By focussing on the diversification story within the world of Equity Income and Growth, we will share unique insights into uncovering opportunities across a broad range of sectors and geographies.

Workshop Objectives: 

1. Explain strategy to offset the impact of elevated inflation
2. Analyse quality and valuation metrics to identify attractive investment opportunities.
3. Explore portfolio construction approaches that mitigate concentration risk while maintaining diversification benefits.

Company Profile: River Global Investors are a long only equities investment manager with an emphasis on identifying investment opportunities typically outside of the large cap space. Our in-house investment capabilities focus on high active share, regional specialisms, alpha generation and importantly, are not overly constrained by an index.
River Global Investors LLP (RGI) was founded in 2006 by a group of experienced investment management professionals with an initial focus on UK investment strategies. Since then, RGI has expanded its investment capabilities via a combination of organic growth and a series of acquisitions and now offers a range of UK, Regional and Global strategies all focused on delivering long term investment returns for clients.

The Global Unconstrained Fixed Income team at Schroders employs a scenario-based framework with a dynamic approach to portfolio allocation. The team combines specialist insight with systematic inputs, drawing upon deep global resources and bottom-up proprietary research. This methodology enables informed investment decisions across diverse asset classes, enhance their ability to anticipate market trends and adapt swiftly to regime changes.
 
A robust risk management framework underpins the strategy, ensuring risk-adjusted returns while also seeking consistent and significant alpha generation from stock selection. Their approach is designed to navigate complex financial environments, bolstering investment returns and aligning with client objectives.

Workshop Objectives:

1. Analyse the different drivers of the current macro environment
2. Identify opportunities in the fixed income market
3. Understand what kind of returns bond investors should expect

India is the world’s 4th largest economy and forecasted to be the 3rd largest by 2027; a vibrant nation currently undergoing simultaneous transformation across social, economic, and political spheres, driving unprecedented economic growth. The widespread adoption of digital technologies, embraced by both the government and the Indian populace, plays a pivotal role in fuelling this transformation. 

Youth is the secret sauce! With a median age of just 28 and a behemoth middle class of over 700 million people, vast consumption is inevitable. By 2050, 40% of global middle class consumption will be from India. 

With domestic consumption constituting about two-thirds of GDP, India's bottom-up growth model is set to reshape the nation and offer enduring investment prospects for long-term investors.

Workshop Objective: To get insight into how India can form part of your strategic asset allocation.

Company Profile: UTI Asset Management Company Limited (UTI AMC), founded in 1964, pioneered India’s asset management industry. Today, UTI AMC manages over $260 billion for institutional and retail investors, with a core focus on equity, fixed income, and private markets. Over six decades, it has built one of the largest and most experienced investment teams in India, supported by a strong, scalable platform.

UTI International, the global arm of UTI AMC, represents the group’s offshore interests and serves clients across 45 countries. More than 15 years ago, it became one of the first Indian asset managers to introduce India-focused investment opportunities to UK investors. As a pioneer in this space, UTI International remains committed to connecting global clients with the depth and dynamism of India’s markets.