Speakers
Walter Pasquerelli
Walter Pasquarelli is considered one of the most eminent global generative AI experts, having profoundly shaped society's understanding of how the technological revolution is restructuring economic, financial, and political structures. Having served as a trusted advisor to political and technology leaders, Walter is a pivotal voice in dissecting, analysing, and forecasting the strategic opportunities of AI. If you are looking to understand how generative AI will revolutionise society.
Minette Batters
Minette is the Former President of the National Farmers’ Union, a position that she held between 2018 and 2024, where she was the first woman to hold the post. During her tenure, she was responsible for representing 47,000 members of the farming community through a period of change and instability. The issues Minette faced ranged from political turbulence, the after effects of Brexit, and sustainability challenges.
Raised on her father’s tenant farm in Wiltshire, Minette was dissuaded by him from following in his footsteps. Instead, she took a Cordon Bleu course and launched and ran her own catering business for 20 years. However, upon her father’s retirement, she made the decision to take on the tenancy. Upon her election to the NFU (first as Vice-President in 2014, and then as President), she juggled running the farm with her responsibilities at the Union.
Working closely with four different Prime Ministers and six different Environment Secretaries during her period at the helm of the Union, Minette has unique insights into the political landscape and leadership. She was responsible for representing the views of the entire farming community during Brexit negotiations and during the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused unprecedented food shortages. Subsequent challenges she tackled while she was leader included the spillover effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which involved price increases for both fuel and produce, and labour shortages. She has been an active campaigner for a thriving rural economy and food standards - notably bringing together a range of chefs, environmentalists, consumer groups and animal welfare experts in a 2020 campaign, which led to over 1 million people signing the NFU Food Standards Petition. She has been included in BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour Power List, and in 2021 was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant to Wiltshire.
Nigel Owens
Nigel Owens is widely acknowledged as the best referee in rugby union. His decision-making, approach to dealing with players, knowledge and interpretation of the rules is acclaimed by players, coaches and commentators. He is also the sport’s only openly-gay official.
Nigel gained a reputation for being able to implement the rules in such a way as to be fair, and also to allow the flow of the game. He won the respect of all involved in the game and mixed judicious rulings with humour and authority on the pitch.
Privately, Nigel struggled with conflicts between his sexuality and some of the attitudes in the world of rugby. Despite considering extreme courses of action, he eventually made his personal life public, and with the exception of some ignorant comments from the stands and on social media, was widely supported by figures within and outside of rugby.
Away from the pitch Nigel has gone on to host chat shows and quiz programmes for the Welsh-language broadcaster S4C, and is arguably rugby’s most famous referee. When he was given charge of the 2015 World Cup final, approval of his appointment was almost universal and after the Australia/New Zealand game his role was praised by all.
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Workshops
Workshops
The Power of Blue Sky Thinking
The purpose of Scottish Mortgage is to identify own and support the world’s most exceptional growth companies whether public or private. The returns from the Scottish Mortgage portfolio over the past 10years reveal a clear pattern. Yes - we have made some mistakes that have resulted in losses in individual holdings; however we have also made some very successful investments. Thankfully the maximum we have been able to lose is 100% but the returns from winners has been many multiples of the initial investment – NVIDIA, Tesla, Amazon to name a few. It is this asymmetry which has been crucial for us. To deliver these large multiple returns at scale, companies either need to be tapping into or driving a significant structural change in the economy. Our philosophy is designed around the concept that in today’s digitalised and interconnected world, the only thing you can count on is change. Profit pools are clearly shifting - this has led to a major redistribution of winners and losers across the economy and so our process is firmly geared to what are the profit pools of the future and making sure Scottish Mortgage is well positioned to capture those next generation of winners.
Workshop Objectives: The objective of the workshop is to show the power and benefits of ‘blue sky thinking’. In a world where limiting volatility and avoiding downside is the dominant investor mentality, we focus unashamedly on the upside. We think this is what makes Scottish Mortgage unique.
Speakers
Claire Shaw
Portfolio Director
Claire joined Baillie Gifford in 2019 as an investment specialist for the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. Prior to this since 2014, she was a Portfolio Manager of European Small and Mid Caps at SYZ Asset Management and previously spent six years at Franklin Templeton on the European Equities Team. Claire holds a First Class MA (Honours) degree in Geography from the University of Aberdeen and a Masters (MSc) in Research from the University of Edinburgh
Representatives
Laura Ingleby
Client Relationship Director
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Laura joined Baillie Gifford in 2010 and is a client relationship director responsible for the North and Midlands. Prior to Baillie Gifford she worked at Norwich Union in Leeds as a business development manager before moving to Close Fund Management as a regional sales manager for the North and Scotland. Laura graduated in German from the University of St Andrews in 1998.
Kevin Mitchell
Client Relationship Director
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Kevin is a client relationship director with a focus on intermediaries in Scotland, Ireland and North East England. He initially joined Baillie Gifford in 2006 to support the Intermediary Client Team. After achieving the IMC in 2010, Kevin took up his current role at the beginning of 2011. Before joining Baillie Gifford, he worked in a marketing role for the Edinburgh-based pensions provider, Scottish Equitable, for six years.
Rhona Geddes
Client Relationship Manager
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Rhona is a client relationship manager in our Clients Department. She joined Baillie Gifford in 2019, initially working as a client service associate in the Institutional Sales Team. Prior to joining the firm, Rhona was a Client Relations Manager at Nucleus Financial. She graduated MA (Hons) in Business Management from Heriot-Watt University in 2015.
Global Small and Mid-Caps: A next-gen opportunity
Like the proverbial middle child, global small and mid-caps are often overlooked, but occupy a ‘sweet spot’ - offering potentially more scope for growth than large-caps and less volatility than micro-caps. Seeking out future leaders in the small and mid-cap universe can allow investors to take advantage of growth opportunities before companies graduate to the large-cap space. With the mid and small-cap universe seeing less research coverage than large-caps, there is an opportunity to identify these future leaders through deep research and analysis. We believe these stocks can then provide excellent complementary exposure to a broader global large-cap equity portfolio given the attractive return profile and diversification benefits the asset class can offer.
Workshop Objectives:
- Learn what makes up the small and mid-cap universe and how it differentiates from the large-cap universe
- Discover the benefits of global small and mid-caps and see how they can fit into a broader portfolio
- Identify drivers and opportunities available in the global small and mid-cap space and how they can complement a large-cap exposure and broader portfolio construction
Speakers
Maroun Younes
Co-Portfolio Manager of the Fidelity Global Future Leaders Fund
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Maroun has co-managed the Fidelity Global Future Leaders Fund from Sydney since 2020. Maroun joined Fidelity in 2012 as an investment analyst and has over 16 years’ investment experience in a broad range of sectors, which have included Internet & Technology, Media, Telecommunications, Building & Construction Materials, Packaging, Transport, Infrastructure, Chemical and Steel. He was promoted to portfolio manager in 2020. Prior to Fidelity, Maroun worked at Willis Towers Watson from 2006 to 2012, advising institutional investors, superannuation funds and endowments on asset allocation, risk control and effective investment decision making. Maroun graduated from Macquarie University with a Bachelor in Business Administration (Finance and Management) and a Bachelor of Economics (Econometrics). Maroun is also a CFA Charterholder.
Representatives
Andrew McNulty
Discretionary Sales Director - Wholesale Sales, Fidelity International
Andy is responsible for DFM relationships in the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. He joined Fidelity in November 2019 after serving ten years at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where he headed up the Wealth Manager sales team. Prior to that Andy had been Head of UK Sales at Legg Mason. Andy started his career in 1989 as a graduate trainee at Save and Prosper before a 5 year stint at Invesco Perpetual. He holds a BA Honours in History from Sheffield University and has the IMC.
Nick Dougal
Head of Sales Desk
Nick Dougal is Head of Sales Desk within the UK Wholesale Channel. Leading a team of Regional Account Managers, Nick is responsible for driving the engagement strategy with key accounts across the UK & Ireland, primarily on the investment side of the business. As part of the senior management team Nick also contributes to strategy and ensuring Fidelity provides for the needs of the financial planning community and their clients. Having worked at Fidelity since 2014, Nick has enjoyed a variety of roles across the wholesale channel, previously working with firms in the Southwest of England and Central regions as a Key Account Manager.
Investing in next generation property
Workshop objective: To uncover future-focused investment strategies by unveiling pivotal trends for long-term income growth.
Speakers
Matthew Norris
Director of Real Estate Securities
Matthew is responsible for the oversight of the VT Gravis UK Listed Property Fund and the VT Gravis Digital Infrastructure Income Fund.
Matthew has more than two decades investment management experience and has a specialist focus on real estate securities and digital infrastructure investments. He served as an Executive Director of Grosvenor Europe where he was responsible for global real estate securities strategies. He joined Grosvenor following roles managing equity funds at Fulcrum Asset Management and Buttonwood Capital Partners.
Representatives
Jonathan Feely
Sales Director, North and Midlands
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Jonathan is a sales director with responsibility for the Midlands, North of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
For over 25 years he has worked in Financial Services, the last 16 years at Columbia Threadneedle covering the intermediary market in the North of the UK. He also has experience in the Middle East market having undertaken a hybrid role for several years covering the North of the UK & Middle East. He has vast experience working with independent financial advisors, wealth managers, banks and platforms.
He holds Certificate in ESG Investing, CFA Diploma in ESG Investing. CFA Level 4 Certificate in Investment Management, (IMC). CII Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning (DipPFS) and the CII Level 4 Certificate in Discretionary Investment Management (DM).
Jacob Kett
Distribution Associate
Jacob is a distribution associate at Gravis, working across all open-ended funds.
Jacob previously worked for Burlingtons Private Office, a professional services group covering foreign exchange, insurance, and real estate acquisitions.
Jacob graduated with a degree in Law from Keele University. Jacob holds Unit 1 of the Investment Management Certificate and is working towards Unit 2.
Finding your Focus in global equity markets
Markets continue to evolve this year, following a period of unprecedented market concentration driven by AI-fueled US mega caps. Now more than ever, it’s important for investors to find the right balance between accessing powerful structural tailwinds, but not overpaying for growth. In this session, James Cook, Portfolio Manager (JPM Global Focus, International Equity Group) will discuss his outlook and positioning against the current market backdrop as well as the process driving stock selection in the portfolio. The JPM Global Focus Fund is a high conviction, core portfolio of fifty stocks leveraging the insights from our of 80+ experienced in-house fundamental research analysts located around the world to capitalize and benefit from these structural tail winds.
Workshop Objective: Assess the outlook, positioning against the current market backdrop and the process driving stock selection in the global equity portfolio as investors seek to find the right balance between accessing powerful structural tailwinds and overpaying for growth.
Speakers
James Cook
Portfolio Manager
James Cook, Executive Director, is a portfolio manager within the J.P. Morgan Asset Management International Equity Group, based in London. He is a member of the Global Core Portfolio Management Team. An employee since 2007, James joined the firm as a graduate trainee. He was previously a portfolio manager of sector and long-short global mandates, having been a research analyst prior to that. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Economics from University College, London and is a CFA charterholder.
Representatives
Rob Maltby
Executive Director
Rob Maltby, Executive Director, is a Head of Regions for UK Funds at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. He joined J.P. Morgan Asset Management in 2014 from M&G Investments. Rob has been in the Financial Services industry since 1999 in Life & Pensions and Asset Management. He is a Chartered Financial Planner and is Chartered MCSI.
Michael Dinwoodie
Executive Director
Michael Dinwoodie, Executive Director, is a Client Advisor for Scotland, Northern Ireland & N.E. England. He has over 20 years' experience in asset management holding a number of roles across distribution at Standard Life Investments/Aberdeen Standard Investments. He joined J.P. Morgan in August 2019. Michael lives in Edinburgh, is a keen follower of most sports, in particular Rugby and has a new found obsession for Padel. He also has a passion for gastronomy.
UK Equities: This Is Just The Beginning!
What a year it has been for UK equity investors! The market is finally beginning to wake up to the UK’s economic resilience. Yet, despite a sterling start to the year, this is just the beginning. Conditions are aligning for a remarkable multi-year period for the UK equity market.
In this workshop, Will Bradwell, UK Equity Portfolio Manager, will outline the attractive long-term prospects for UK equities. He will also discuss how the Martin Currie Rising Dividend Fund provides exposure to businesses well placed to benefit from a better picture at home as well as quality global companies listed in the UK.
Workshop Objectives: Attendees will discuss the merits of the undervalued UK market and how the catalysts for improvements are aligning making the current environment perfect for UK equity investors.
Company Profile: Martin Currie is a global active equity specialist headquartered in Scotland and part of the Franklin Templeton group. They are a modern, vibrant investment firm with a truly global presence.
Martin Currie creates concentrated, best idea investment portfolios that retain conviction in fast-changing markets. These are delivered through innovative strategies, powerful conversations and high stewardship philosophy.
In everything we do we are investing to improve lives.
Martin Currie provides the environment and infrastructure for talented investors and teams to success, removing them from all distractions and to focus on generating investment returns.
Investing to Improve Lives lies at the heart of their purpose as an investment firm.
Speakers
Will Bradwell
CFA Portfolio Manager & Research Analyst Martin Currie UK Equity Leeds, United Kingdom
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Will Bradwell is a portfolio manager and research analyst in the Martin Currie UK Equity team, focusing on large cap UK equities.
Will has been a member of the UK equity team since September 2018.
Before joining the team, he worked for a FTSE 250 investment management firm and prior to this held various front office roles.
Will graduated with a BSc in accounting and finance from the University of Wales, Swansea. He holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.
Representatives
Jessie Wilson
CFA, FIA – Client Porfolio Manager, UK Equities
Jessie is a Client Portfolio Manager dedicated to the UK Equities team. She bridges the gap between our investors and clients, enabling the investment team to focus on what they do best. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the financial services industry with the majority of her career in client focused roles at investment managers.
Before joining the firm in 2024, Jessie worked at Border to Coast where she supported UK Local Government Pension Schemes. She also spent over a decade at Baillie Gifford where she worked with US based clients. Along the way Jessie, qualified as an Actuary and worked as a UK Pensions Trustee, giving her a holistic view of the industry.
Mark Elliot
Head of UK Business Development
Mark is responsible for building Martin Currie’s UK Intermediary and retail business, across the firm’s equity platform, working in partnership with Franklin Templeton’s UK sales team. Before Mark joined Martin Currie, he worked for Franklin Templeton, most recently as Head of Strategic Partnerships and prior to this, he held a number of roles at Blackrock including European Strategy and Head of UK Sales during his decade with them. His 35+ years in UK Financial Services also include 5 years with Lazard Asset Management and 12 years with National IFA, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes in various Advisory and Management roles.
Dan Williams
Business Development Director
Dan Williams is a business development director at Franklin Templeton Investments, responsible for relationships and investment fund distribution in the North of England and Scotland. He joined the Franklin Templeton Leeds office in 2013 as a Sales Support Executive. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, he worked at RBS Global Banking & Markets in roles within Interest Rate Derivatives Operations and FX Prime Brokerage. Dan studied Virtual Reality Design at the University of Huddersfield and holds the CFA Level 4 Investment Management Certificate and the CISI Level 3 Certificate in Investments.
Independent Thinking: The Opportunity for High Quality Compounders
For many investors, opting to invest in an index has been an easy decision over recent years. However, the timing of passive investment is important. Three consensus trades have dominated markets: being invested in the US economy, positioning for a soft or no landing and owning the obvious artificial intelligence plays. Recent market volatility has exposed the risk of being on ‘autopilot’, as money pours into the largest companies irrespective of considerations such as price, volatility or fundamental conviction. Knowing what you own matters. Against this backdrop, a bottom-up, high quality strategy focusing on steady, resilient compounding can serve as a useful complement – particularly should the market take further knocks – and offers investors a way to differentiate from the crowd.
Workshop Objectives: Illustrate how a portfolio of high quality, steady compounders at reasonable valuations may be the best insurance against a slowdown or easing of the AI hype and offer long-term resilience.
Company Profile: The International Equity team at Morgan Stanley Investment Management has more than 25 years’ heritage in Quality equity investing and manages $51.2bn (as at 30 June 2024).
The team’s flagship fund, Global Brands, seeks to invest bottom-up in a concentrated portfolio of 20-40 high quality, well managed companies at a reasonable price. Characterised by their powerful intangible assets, notably brands and networks, these companies have sustainably high returns on operating capital. Analysis of potentially financially material ESG risks and opportunities, and active, investment team-led engagement, are core parts of the investment process.
The fund seeks attractive long-term absolute returns and earnings resilience across market cycles.
For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/im/whyqualitymatters
Speakers
Candida de Silva
Portfolio Specialist
Candida de Silva, Managing Director, is a senior portfolio specialist on the International Equity team, based in London. She joined Morgan Stanley in August 2019 and has 24 years of industry experience. Prior to joining the firm, she spent 11 years at BlackRock, most recently as Head of the UK Charities & Endowments business, having previously served as Head of EMEA Retail Marketing. This was preceded by roles at Goldman Sachs Asset Management as well as Mellon and its subsidiary Newton Investment Management. Candida holds an M.A. in Modern Languages from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She was highly commended in the category of Fund Saleswoman of the Year in the Investment Week Women in Investment Awards 2021 and selected as one of Brummell’s Inspirational Women 2023 for pioneering positive change in their workplace. Candida leads retention efforts for MSIM EMEA’s Diversity Focus Committee and is a trustee for a girls’ educational foundation.
Representatives
Daniel Hawkes
Executive Director, UK Sales
Daniel is a member of the UK Intermediary Distribution team at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. He joined Morgan Stanley in 2015 and has 24 years of related industry experience. Prior to joining MSIM, Daniel worked at Columbia Threadneedle Investments for 11 years and both Cofunds and Fidelity before that. Daniel holds a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Wales, Bangor and holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) Level 6.
Harvey Lewis
Vice President, UK Sales
Harvey is a member of the UK Intermediary Distribution team at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. He joined Morgan Stanley full time in 2015, having interned in 2014, and has nine years of industry related experience. Harvey received a B.A in Economics and Politics from the University of Nottingham and holds the Investment Management Certificate (Level 6).
US Equities: Thinking beyond the mega-caps
A purist quality approach to US equities
The US stock market outperformance in recent years has been deserved based on its underlying fundamentals. In essence, it is the highest quality market in the world. However, much of this outperformance has been driven by a small number of companies, masking several long-term secular growth opportunities throughout the US that remain relatively underappreciated. Ninety One’s Joseph Knight explains why a differentiated quality approach - selecting niche leaders with dominant market positions and more resilient revenue streams - has helped American Franchise deliver significantly greater profits growth than the S&P 500, in addition to offering protection in more challenging times.
Workshop objectives:
1. To inform delegates that a differentiated approach to quality investing in the US market can help investors navigate this “noisy” market – in both up and down times.
2. Showcasing the importance of looking at resilient revenue streams in the quality equities space.
3. To inform delegates of the importance of downside protection in more challenging market conditions
Company profile: Investing for a world of change Ninety One is an active, global investment manager managing £128.6 billion in assets (as at 30.06.24). Our goal is to provide long-term investment returns for our clients while making a positive difference to people and the planet.
Established in South Africa in 1991, as Investec Asset Management, the firm began as a small start-up offering domestic investments in an emerging market. In 2020, as a global firm proud of our emerging market roots, we demerged to become Ninety One.
We are committed to developing specialist investment teams organically. Our heritage and approach let us bring a different perspective to active and sustainable investing across equities, fixed income, multi-asset and alternatives to our clients - institutions, advisors and individual investors around the world.
Speakers
Joseph Knight
Portfolio Specialist
Joseph is a portfolio specialist in Ninety One’s Quality investment team, based in London. He represents the views and capabilities of the Quality investment team with clients.
Prior to joining the firm, Joseph worked as a Principal at Oxford Metrica in a strategic advisory role, offering evidence based research and advisory services to asset managers, financial institutions, and foundations. Previously, Joseph worked at Schroders in the multi-asset team and started his career at Janus Henderson as part of their fixed income team.
Joseph graduated from Oxford University with a Master of Business Administration and Bristol University with a BSc in Economics and Finance. Joseph holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) and is a CFA® Charterholder.
Representatives
Jon Robinson
Sales Director
Jon is the sales director for the North of England, Scotland, Ireland and Isle of Man within the UK Client Group at Ninety One. He is responsible for supporting discretionary wealth managers and stock brokers as well as regional IFA clients.
Prior to joining Ninety One in 2015, Jon worked at MetLife as business development manager supporting IFAs in North West of England. Jon has also worked for Living Time as regional account director for the North specialising in the fixed term drawdown market.
Matthew Barton
Sales Associate
Matthew is a sales associate in Ninety One’s UK Client Group. He provides support to sales managers, working with both prospective and existing retail clients. His focus is in the North of England, Ireland and Scotland.
Prior to joining the firm, Matthew was business development support at AJ Bell, and before that he was a senior corporate actions administrator.
Matthew holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree and Master of Science in Management from University of York. He has also completed the MIFID qualification from Fitch.
Income Investing is Evergreen
Investing in income producing bond funds remains an evergreen strategy due to its ability to provide investors with a steady stream of income regardless of the market environment. This makes it an attractive option for those seeking stability and predictability in their investment portfolios.
The PIMCO GIS Income Fund is an actively managed portfolio that utilizes a broad range of fixed income securities that seek to produce an attractive level of income while maintaining a relatively low risk profile, with a secondary goal of capital appreciation.
This makes the fund appealing during all market conditions, particularly for investors seeking income and capital preservation.
Workshop Objective: To provide an overview of PIMCO’s macro views and why we think our GIS Income is differentiated in the UK fixed Income market and should be an Evergreen Strategy for your portfolios.
Company Profile: PIMCO is a global leader in active fixed income. With our launch in 1971 in Newport Beach, California, PIMCO introduced investors to a total return approach to fixed income investing. In the 50+ years since, we have worked relentlessly to help millions of investors pursue their objectives – regardless of shifting market conditions. As active investors, our goal is not just to find opportunities, but to create them. To this end, we remain firmly committed to the pursuit of our mission: delivering superior investment returns, solutions and service to our clients.
Speakers
Gordon Harding
Fixed Income Strategist
Mr. Harding is a vice president and fixed income strategist in PIMCO, focusing on multi-sector fixed income strategies. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2019, he was a fixed income specialist at UBS Asset Management, covering global rates, global credit, and unconstrained strategies. Prior to that, he spent more than 12 years on M&G Investments' fixed income team, most recently as an investment director, communicating the team's fixed income strategies to a wide range of clients and prospects.
Representatives
Joseph McCurdy
Vice President, Account Manager – UK Wealth Management
Mr. McCurdy is a vice president in global wealth management based in the London office. He is responsible for overseeing the development of PIMCO's business across the U.K. and Ireland, focusing on wealth managers, multi-managers and financial advisers. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2018, he was an investment director at Standard Life Investments. He has 21 years of investment experience and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Dundee.
Fadel Adegoke
Analyst - EMEA GWM
Mr. Adegoke is an analyst in the global wealth management group based in the London office supporting account managers covering U.K. wealth managers, multimanagers, banks, and financial advisers. He joined PIMCO in 2023 and previously was a Portfolio Manager assistant at AXA IM. He has 3 years of experience of investment and financial services experience and holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Toulouse School of Economics and a master degree in Finance from Paris Dauphine University.
To be truly market neutral you also need to be factor neutral
We believe that to be truly market neutral, an investment strategy must be factor neutral as well. We will explain how we construct a long short UK equity fund that cuts out as much of the “factor noise” as possible, concentrating purely on the idiosyncratic risk of share price returns.
Workshop Objective: We aim to provide an introduction to factor neutral investing within a long short market neutral fund.
Speakers
John Warren
Fund Manager
John Warren joined Premier Miton in June 2024. With Paul Marriage, John founded Tellworth Investments in October 2017. He joined Cazenove Capital in 2010, moving to Schroders in 2013 after the acquisition of Cazenove. Prior to this, John worked at UBS, Investec Bank and HSBC in UK equities and before this PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Capturing the outperformance and diversification potential of private equity
Workshop Objective: Attendees will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to navigate the various private equity segments and make an informed decision on where they want to invest. They will also get an overview of semi-liquid structures, particularly the first private client focused UK LTAF, which offers access to buyout private equity investments, in an innovative new structure, providing differentiated and complementary characteristics to listed private equity investment trusts, which are more commonly seen in private client portfolios.
Speakers
Vahit Alili
Senior Investment Director
Responsibilities at Schroders Capital
Vahit Alili is a senior member of Schroders Capital’s European investment team and spearheads the firm’s relationships and investment projects in the Healthcare industry.
Background
Before joining Schroders Capital in 2019, Vahit Alili worked for 10 years in investment banking, most recently at Lazard and Deutsche Bank. In his role as a Vice President in the European Healthcare coverage team, he was leading sell- and buyside M&A projects for large and mid-sized corporations and private equity clients.
Education
Vahit Alili holds a Bachelor degree in Banking and Finance from University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Representatives
Jamie Fowler
Head of Regional and Advisory
Jamie Fowler is Head of Regional and Advisory at Schroders. He joined Schroders in 2002. Jamie was a Regional Sales Manager at HSBC Asset Management from 1999 to 2002.
Long-term investing in Asia: why quality of people is vital
Join us for an interactive discussion on investing capital in Asia, touching on why the ability to think and act differently to the crowd is vital, especially when it comes to assessing the people managing the businesses you are invested in. Portfolio Manager Douglas Ledingham will share why people matter so much to us, and how we assess them alongside company examples.
Workshop Objectives:
• Why a bottom-up approach is vital when investing in Asia
• Overview of Stewart Investors’ philosophy and process, and the outcomes generated
Company Profile:
Founded in 1988, Stewart Investors run Worldwide, Emerging Markets, Asia-Pacific, European and Indian Subcontinent equity investment strategies. Pioneers of sustainable investing, the team launched their first sustainability fund in 2005, and to this day sustainability remains integral to their investment process. They believe companies that deliver benefits to society and the environment face fewer risks over the long term and are therefore better placed to deliver positive returns to shareholders. Their investment philosophy centres around the principle of good stewardship - careful, considered and responsible management of clients’ funds - with sustainability at the heart of this process.
Speakers
Douglas Ledingham
Analyst & Portfolio Manager
Founded in 1988, Stewart Investors run Worldwide, Emerging Markets, Asia-Pacific, European and Indian Subcontinent equity investment strategies. Pioneers of sustainable investing, the team launched their first sustainability fund in 2005, and to this day sustainability remains integral to their investment process. They believe companies that deliver benefits to society and the environment face fewer risks over the long term and are therefore better placed to deliver positive returns to shareholders. Their investment philosophy centres around the principle of good stewardship - careful, considered and responsible management of clients’ funds - with sustainability at the heart of this process.
Representatives
Ross Stewart
Sales Director: North, Scotland & Ireland
Ross joined the business in 2013 as part of the UK Wholesale Distribution team. Prior to joining First Sentier Investors, which includes Stewart Investors, he worked at the Royal Bank of Canada in the Wealth Management business. Ross is a CFA Charterholder and has a BSc in Public Policy, Government and Management from the University of Birmingham.
Shab Niaz
Business Development Manager: London & South East
Structured Research Equity: Introducing our Low Tracking Error Solutions
Uncertainty and change in today’s investment environment appear to have widened the range of expected market and economic outcomes, potentially enhancing the appeal of low tracking error strategies. Our low tracking error Structured Research Equity capabilities, launched 25 years ago, utilise an analyst-driven approach that draws on our industry-leading fundamental research expertise.
These solutions aim to offer a compelling alternative to passive allocations, providing the opportunity for alpha generation with benchmark-like risk characteristics. They can also serve as core, stand-alone allocations for those seeking risk control and consistent excess return as a complement to other active solutions.
Workshop Objective: In this session, our team will introduce our US and Global Equity solutions, and discuss how they seek to deliver above benchmark returns with low tracking error across a wide variety of market conditions, driven primarily by our analysts’ stock selection skills.
Company Profile: T. Rowe Price was founded in 1937 by Thomas Rowe Price, Jr. and is an independent, listed asset manager. Our focus is on delivering long-term performance for our global clients across a broad range of active equity, bond and multi-asset strategies including customised model portfolio solutions for UK clients.
Our long-term success is due to a strong research-oriented culture, which helps us to identify the most promising investments around the world. We are a global company with offices in 17 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. Our assets under management of GBP 1,133.2 (as at 31.12.23) billion are spread across a wide range of investment strategies.
We employ 7,906 people worldwide, including 935 investment professionals including 380 research professionals. Our business strategy focuses on delivering strong long-term performance. This is
assisted by our considerable organisational and financial stability and experience in all types of market conditions.
Speakers
Eric Papesh
Portfolio Specialist
Eric Papesh is a portfolio specialist in the U.S. Equity Division. Eric is based in London and represents several U.S. equity strategies offered in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.
Eric's investment experience began in 1994, and he has been with T. Rowe Price since 2014, beginning in the ISG division as a portfolio specialist. Prior to this, Eric was employed by Russell Investments as an analyst focusing on U.S. equities within the firm's Investment Management and Research division.
Eric earned a B.A. in business administration, with concentrations in finance and information systems, and an M.B.A. from the University of Washington. Eric has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.
Representatives
Stephen McCall
Relationship Manager
Stephen McCall is a relationship manager for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and North East on the UK Intermediary Sales department. He also is a vice president of T. Rowe Price International Ltd.
Stephen’s investment experience began in 1999, and he has been with T. Rowe Price since 2019, beginning in the UK Intermediary Sales department. Prior to this, Stephen was employed by J.P. Morgan Asset Management in the area of UK sales. Stephen also worked in sales roles with BMO Global Asset Management and Ignis Asset Management.
Elizabeth Perry
Relationship Manager
Elizabeth Perry is a relationship manager in the UK Sales department of EMEA Distribution. Elizabeth’s investment experience began in 2017 when she joined T. Rowe Price, beginning in the EMEA Marketing Group. Elizabeth earned a B.A., with first-class honors, in business studies and management from the University of Chichester.