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Workshops
Workshops
An outlook for European Equities: reasons to be optimistic
According to the Liontrust GF PanEuropean Dynamic Fund portfolio managers, the next 6-12 months should be a good environment for stock markets, European Equities are at fair value, high cashflow companies in Europe are very cheap and that means that the alpha potential of the strategy is very high
Workshop Objective:
To explain the outlook on European Equities according to the market regime indicators of the Liontrust GF PanEuropean Dynamic Fund portfolio managers.
Company Profile:
Liontrust is a British asset manager of active-managed funds, with 32B€ AUM, launched in 1995, listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1999. We are specialists: we have completely independent management teams (there is no CIO or house view) and fund managers have an average of 30 years-experience with alignment of interest with clients as they are all invested in the funds they manage and along with Liontrust Directors, own 8% of Liontrust free-float.
Strong in UK equities, European Equities, Global Equity (Global Tech and Global Growth Funds) and European Credit
Speakers
Gonzalo Thomé
International Sales Director – Iberia & Latam
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17 years experience in asset management; 11 years as a hedge fund and mutual funds selector and fund of funds manager in Altex, Banc Sabadell and Inversis. Moved to the sell-side with Liontrust in 2019 to cover Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Latam
Thematic Investing in 2025
Thematic Global Equities
Workshop Objective:
Fund Manager Alex Gunz will present his assessment of the thematic investing outlook for 2025 and beyond, looking at lessons from the past as well as implications for the future. The wide ranging presentation will highlight the importance of adopting a multi-thematic approach and that there is more to understanding the future than just AI.
Company Profile:
• Heptagon Capital is a private investment firm, run on partnership principles, founded in July 2005 by three senior former Morgan Stanley Executives; Tarek Mooro, Fredrik Plyhr and Eran Ben-Zour.
• The core of our business is identifying truly exceptional boutique managers who focus on risk-adjusted returns rather than on a benchmark; who are below the radar in our regions and are not currently accessible to our investors.
• We rely on our extensive and unique global network, our experience and our industry knowledge to source such talent. This translates into cutting-edge investment solutions.
• Our vision is to deliver seamless access to the very best investment opportunities, advice, structuring, execution and client service available, across both traditional and alternative asset classes.
• Through a balance of objectivity, innovation, high service and performance, we aim to bridge the gap between sophisticated investor demands and what is generally available in the market today.
• We are driven by a rigorous team ethic; a culture of partnership and shared ideas. 47 experienced and highly motivated individuals from 18 different nationalities make Heptagon what it is today; a powerful mix of expertise and cultural diversity.
• Our services today feature highly differentiated investment strategies across a broad spectrum of asset classes and include a UCITS Fund Platform, an External Manager Platform, and Discretionary Portfolio Management.
Speakers
Alexander Gunz
Manager of the Heptagon Future Trends Equity Fund
Alexander Gunz is a Fund Manager at Heptagon Capital, having joined in January 2011. His primary responsibility is managing the Heptagon Future Trends strategy. Along with regular thematic articles, Alex also produces the Future Trends blog and writes Heptagon’s monthly View From The Top macro commentary. Alex started his finance career in 1997. Prior to joining Heptagon, he held senior roles at J.P. Morgan and Friedman Billings and Ramsey, after earlier positions at Hoare Govett and Credit Suisse, where he became a top-ranked analyst. Alex has a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Worcester College, University of Oxford and a Master’s in English Literature from Queen Mary College, University of London. Alex also has an Honours Diploma in Wine and is a published novelist.
Representatives
João Aranha Martins
Managing Director (part of the Institutional Sales team, Iberia and Latin America)
Joao Aranha Martins is part of the Institutional Sales team, having joined in September 2008. His responsibilities include marketing the firm’s product offering to clients in Southern Europe and Latin America. Joao began his finance career in 2006. Prior to joining Heptagon, Joao spent two years in the Asset Management division of Bear Stearns International in London, servicing corporations, financial institutions and family offices with a focus on hedge fund and equity derivative investments. Before joining Bear Stearns, João spent three years in the Business Development department of Lisbon-based Puravida. Joao has a BA from the New York Institute of Technology and the Business Communications Institute (Lisbon). He also has an MBA from the School of Economics and Management, part of the Catholic University of Lisbon. Registered with the Portuguese Securities Market Commission (“CMVM”) as a tied agent of Heptagon Capital Limited.
EM Debt: an still unexplored asset class with one of the best long-term risk-return ratios
Despite its perception as an asset class with high volatility and greater risks, emerging market debt (in hard currencies) has historically delivered the best long-term, risk-adjusted returns compared to other traditional asset classes. In comparison – while offering a greater return – emerging market debt volatility has been lower than US and global high-yield bonds. On the risk spectrum, emerging market hard-currency debt sits between traditional fixed-income segments and equities, making it a viable performance-generating addition to a well-diversified portfolio.
Workshop Objectives: The investment team will review the outlook for 2025 and explain what we think Trump’s presidency changes, and what remains the same, for EM fixed income going through the following points:
• Lower Financing Costs
• Return of Financial Flows: Lower risk-free rates globally are expected to drive inflows back into EM fixed income assets, supporting tighter spreads and increased demand.
• Winners & losers: not all EM countries will be treated equally
Company Profile: Vontobel is a global asset manager with Swiss roots and a multi-asset approach. Founded in 1924, it has CHF 225 billion of assets under management.
Each of our boutiques is built on dedicated investment talent, a strong performance culture and robust risk management. We offer cutting-edge solutions to both institutional and private clients.
Speakers
Carlos de Sousa
EMD Portfolio Manager
Carlos de Sousa joined Vontobel in January 2021 as Emerging Markets Strategist and Portfolio Manager.
Before joining Vontobel, he was Lead Emerging Markets Economist at Oxford Economics, a leading organization in global forecasting and quantitative analysis. Prior to that, he was a research fellow at Bruegel in Brussels; a think tank specialized in economics, where he authored policy-oriented research with a focus on European economics. Earlier in his career, he worked as Economist at Ecoanalitica in Caracas, where he was responsible for macroeconomic forecasts of Venezuela and several Caribbean and Central American countries.
Carlos holds a Master’s degree in Macroeconomic Policy and Financial Markets from the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics and a Master’s degree in Philosophy of Economics, from Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Representatives
Nabil El Asmar Delgado
Country Sales Head Iberia
Nabil El-Asmar joined Vontobel in October 2018 in the position of Country Head for the Iberian market. He is responsible for managing client relationships for key Spanish, Portuguese and Andorran institutional clients.
Prior to joining Vontobel, Nabil held a number of senior management positions at various asset management firms, including Société Génerale AM, Oddo AM and Candriam Global Investors.