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Workshops
Workshops
U.S. Growth Equity Strategies
Join AGF Investments for a discussion on growth equities and an overview of AGF U.S. Large Cap Growth Equity Strategy – a high-conviction mandate that focuses on capturing leading growth companies which exhibit exceptional innovation and corporate leadership in every investment cycle. The discussion will include the team’s dynamic investment approach, how they adapt to regime changes, as well as the sectors and themes that they are viewing as long-term growth opportunities.
Workshop Objective: You will learn about AGF U.S. Large Cap Growth Equity Strategy and the team’s distinct investment approach to capture leading, innovative large-cap companies to achieve growth through all market cycles.
Speakers
Auritro Kundu, MBA
Co-Portfolio Manager, AGF Investments America Inc.
Auritro Kundu serves as Co-Portfolio Manager of the AGF U.S. Large Cap Growth Equity Strategy, including its related Funds, SMAs and Separate Accounts. A staunch believer that innovation can be found in every industry, his investment philosophy is rooted in identifying innovative companies who boast strong earnings growth, free cash flow and return on equity.
Auritro joined AGF in 2015 and previously served as an Analyst responsible for fundamental research and analysis of the Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary sectors. Prior to joining AGF, he was an Equity Research Associate Analyst at National Bank Financial, where he was responsible for coverage of Canadian Information Technology equipment companies. Prior to that, he worked at Rogers Communications in corporate development and at Research in Motion in product management.
Auritro has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto and earned an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Representatives
Jonathan Crocker
Vice President, Institutional Business Development AGF Investments LLC
Jonathan Crocker is Vice-President, Institutional Business Development at AGF Investments LLC. In this role, he is responsible for the distribution of key investment capabilities to further support the growth of AGF’s footprint in the U.S.
Damion Hendrickson
Managing Director, U.S. Business AGF Investments LLC
Landing in Flyover Territory: Why We Love Mid Cap Stocks
Why you should have mid-cap stocks in your asset allocation and how Argent Capital invests in the asset class.
Through a proprietary blend of quantitative and fundamental analysis, the Argent Mid Cap strategy seeks to build a portfolio of enduring businesses that reflects alignment between a positive quantitative score and strong company fundamentals. To Argent, an enduring business is growing cash flows, has a durable competitive advantage and allocates capital wisely.
Argent’s Mid Cap strategy is a high conviction portfolio of enduring businesses designed to outperform the Russell Midcap Index over a full market cycle. We believe that Argent Selectivity, our long-term investment horizon and our focus on our organizational culture are competitive advantages of our Mid Cap strategy.
Workshop Objective: In this workshop, you will gain a greater understanding of the numerous advantages of mid-cap stocks through the lens of the Argent Mid Cap strategy.
Company Profile: Since 1998, Argent Capital Management has been helping institutional investors, investment advisors and high net worth individuals meet their investment goals. We are a boutique investment management firm specializing in U.S. equities. Our focus is on seeking attractively valued, enduring businesses that have the potential for superior investment results over the long term.
Argent Capital Management offers five actively managed domestic equity portfolios: Mid Cap, Large Cap, Dividend Select, SMID Cap, and Focused Small Cap.
Speakers
Kirk McDonald, CFA
Portfolio Manager
As Portfolio Manager of the Argent Mid Cap and SMID Cap strategies, Kirk McDonald, CFA, manages client portfolios and plays a key role in investment decisions. Kirk developed the Mid Cap strategy and began investing in it as of March 2014. Additionally, Kirk leverages his expertise in quantitative research to lead Argent’s quantitative screening and risk management efforts across all our strategies.
Representatives
Tom Moody
Director of Intermediary Sales
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As Director of Intermediary Sales, Tom leads Argent’s intermediary sales initiative with over 25 years of financial industry experience. Previously, he was Head of Distribution at Wakefield Asset Management and Managing Director of National Accounts for Victory Capital Management. He received his B.S. in Accounting from Iowa State University, M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Denver-Daniels College of Business, and is Series 7, Series 66, and Series 24 licensed.
Denise Pearman
Managing Director of Distribution
As Managing Director of Distribution, Denise leads Argent’s institutional sales initiatives and has 29 years of financial industry experience. Prior to joining Argent, she worked as Managing Director of Institutional Distribution for Victory Capital Management, managing relationships with Tier 1 and 2 consulting firms. Denise attended Syracuse University and graduated cum laude with degrees in Public Relations and Economics. She is Series 7 and Series 63 licensed.
Has Factor-Building Been Overdone? Assessing Tradeoffs in Systematic Strategies
Financial science and our understanding of what drives asset prices have evolved considerably. The implications on the financial services industry have also been significant, including the introduction of passive index funds, single-factor and multi-factor strategies. But has factor-building been overdone, and are there risks to becoming too factor focused?
Recent studies have highlighted that the rise in indexing has been driven by asset class segment, or non-total market index funds. While index-based strategies offer transparency in exposures, any non-total market index involves active decision making in both design and ongoing execution.
Workshop Objectives:
- Examine similarities and differences in how indices define asset classes and manage reconstitution
- Review the rise of strategic-beta ETP offerings and provide context for how allocators can navigate this ecosystem
- Highlight some of the constraints portfolio design decisions can place on index trackers
- Propose how a systematic approach can deliver benefits commonly associated with indexing while removing artificial constraints
Company Profile: The innovations of Avantis Investors® rest on the established foundation of American Century Investments, an asset manager known for industry-leading client care, stewardship and stability. Founded over 60 years ago, American Century Investments boasts an institutional-quality investment management platform with more than $200 billion* in assets under management.
Speakers
Phil McInnis
Chief Investment Strategist (Avantis Investors)
Phil is chief investment strategist at Avantis Investors®. In this role, Phil
oversees all marketing content development surrounding Avantis'
investment approach and meets regularly with advisors and institutions to discuss various investment topics and explain Avantis' investment
capabilities.
Pack it up, pack it in
Many asset allocators have given up on their Emerging Markets allocation, or they have decided to ‘pack it in’. We understand, investing in Emerging Markets is meant to give you better returns to compensate for higher risk. With high levels of volatility, it has tended to be viewed negatively. And it has significantly underperformed Developed Markets for over a decade. Volatility needn’t always be a bad thing though when it comes to active management. EM has done its job for investors before, and we believe now is the time it can outperform developed markets again. This is about the worst time to pack it in.
Workshop Objective: To provide reasons to be positive on Emerging Markets. A comparison to developed markets, a discussion on why active and where we believe there is growth.
Company Profile: Baillie Gifford & Co, headquartered in Edinburgh is one of the UK’s oldest independent fund management firms founded in 1908. We are, we believe, unique for a company of our size in being an independent partnership with no outside shareholders and unlimited liability to our clients, for whom nowadays we invest US$247bn as at the end of October 2023. Our single focus is on providing outstanding investment returns and service for those clients.
Baillie Gifford International LLC is wholly owned by Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited which is the legal entity that provides client service and marketing functions in North America. Baillie Gifford Overseas is wholly owned by Baillie Gifford & Co.
Speakers
Andrew Keiller
Investment Specialist Director, Partner
Andrew is an investment specialist in the Emerging Markets Client Team. He joined Baillie Gifford in 2011 as a graduate trainee and became a partner of the firm in 2023. Prior to joining the team in 2016, he spent time in various teams across the firm. Andrew is a CFA Charterholder and graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics and Business Studies from the University of Edinburgh in 2011.
Representatives
Martina Hodges
Client Relationship Director
Kristen Ross
Client Relationship Director
Kristen is a client relationship director for intermediary clients in the United States. She’s responsible for driving the relationship with banks, registered investment advisors (RIA’s) & family offices. Before joining the firm, Kristen was responsible for similar partnerships at OppenheimerFunds. She began her career as an advisor for a Boston based RIA. Kristen graduated BS in Finance from The University of Rhode Island and holds CAIA & QPFC designations.
The Active Advantage of ETFs within Fixed Income
In this presentation, Capital Group’s Fixed Income Investment Directors Anmol Sinha and Ingrid Parl will share an overview of the growth of the ETF market, the background on what ETFs CG brought to market & why and then a deeper dive on ETFs in the fixed income space. They will cover the reasons why ETFs offer a number of benefits to investors, particularly in the fixed income space.
Workshop Objective: An opportunity to examine the active advantages and overall benefits of ETFs within the fixed income space.
Company Profile: Capital Group has been singularly focused on delivering superior long-term results for investors using high-conviction portfolios, rigorous research, and individual accountability. Known for our American Funds® mutual funds, we’ve brought the same time-tested active management to ETFs. We offer a growing lineup of active transparent ETFs that are distinct strategies yet steeped in our more than 90-year history of active management. As of December 31, 2023, Capital Group manages $2.5 trillion in equity and fixed income assets for millions of individual and institutional investors around the world. American Funds Distributors, Inc
Speakers
Ingrid Parl
Investment Specialist
Ingrid Parl is an investment specialist at Capital Group, home of American Funds. She has 13 years of investment industry experience, all with Capital Group. Ingrid began her career at the company as a participant in The Associates Program, a two-year series of work assignments in various areas of the organization. Prior to her current role at Capital, Ingrid worked in multi-asset product development, she managed the fixed income investment product management team and worked as a wealth management consultant in Southern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science and psychology from Wesleyan University. Ingrid is based in New York.
Representatives
Paul Santoro
Head of ETF Sales
Shirley Ecklund
Senior Relationship Manager
Mastering Bonds: Strategic Insights for Navigating a Dynamic Fixed Income Landscape
Navigate the ever-evolving world of fixed income and gain insights into the bond markets with institutional portfolio manager, Beau Coash. In this session, we will seek to unravel why investors looking to strategically craft a well-balanced portfolio might look to bond funds to deliver income, diversification, and liquidity as well as discuss potential strategies to help investors make astute investment decisions and ensure their portfolio thrives in today’s dynamic environment.
Workshop Objective: Review opportunities in the fixed income bond markets and how the Fidelity Advisor Total Bond Fund leverages research to seek consistent, competitive, and risk-adjusted returns.
Company Profile: Fidelity Institutional® offers investment insights, strategies, and solutions, as well as trading and prime brokerage services, to a wide range of wealth management firms, asset managers, and institutional investors.
Speakers
Beau Coash
Institutional Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income
Beau Coash is an institutional portfolio manager and fixed income team lead at Fidelity Investments.Beau is an active part of the portfolio management team and represents the team’s capabilities, thought processes, and views to clients and consultants. He is also the fixed income relationship partner for the Asset Allocation, Strategic Advisers, and Global Asset Allocation divisions within Fidelity.
Prior to joining Fidelity as global head of syndicate and primary trading in Fidelity’s Equity Trading division in 2005, Beau served as senior vice president in corporate bond sales at Lehman Brothers.
He has been in the financial industry since 1993.
Representatives
Tom Abare
Senior Vice President, Head of Financial Planning and Investments
Tom Abare is senior vice president and head of financial planning and investments at Fidelity Institutional, the Fidelity Investments business dedicated to serving financial professionals and institutions. He is responsible for managing all aspects of account management for institutional client relationships in the intermediary marketplace for the FI Financial Institutions group.
Why Quality Matters – balancing equity market returns with steady income
Gateway’s investment philosophy holds that the equity market is the most reliable source of long-term real returns and consistency is the key to investment success over time. Seeking high-quality, durable companies paired with steady income enables broad market participation while maintaining the potential for defence and may benefit from rising markets or provide protection during times of uncertainty. Options-based strategies, like those managed by Gateway since the 1970’s, have the potential to enhance risk-adjusted returns by accessing the implied volatility risk premium, generating robust and consistent cash flow for investors, and reducing the risks associated with equity market exposure. This combination, prevalent in today’s challenging environment, provides investors potential to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns, with attractive yields, over the long-term.
Workshop Objective: Gateway’s strategies seek to provide equity market-driven capital appreciation combined with positive cash flow generation through derivative trading. Gateway can help investors improve their risk-adjusted return profile and generate income.
Company Profile: Gateway is a pioneer in options-based investing. Since 1977, shortly after the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (Cboe®) first began trading modern option contracts, Gateway has provided quantitatively driven equity strategies paired with options-based investing to meet the needs of risk-conscious investors. Gateway has maintained a focus on reducing the risk of equity investing with strategies seeking to capture the majority of the returns associated with equity market investments while accessing a persistent implied volatility risk premium and generating consistent cash flow.
Speakers
Michael T. Buckius, CFA
President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer, Portfolio Manager, Gateway Investment Advisers, LLC
Michael Buckius is President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Investment Officer, and Portfolio Manager of Gateway Investment Advisers and a member of the firm's Board of Managers. He joined the firm in 1999. As CIO, Michael oversees the firm's investment management and trading functions, as well as product development and servicing individual client relationships. He also serves as a co-portfolio manager for several mutual funds
advised or sub-advised by the firm, in addition to the firm's separate account strategies. Prior to joining Gateway, Michael was an equity derivative sales professional at Bear Stearns & Co. and Bankers Trust Company, where he specialized in the design and implementation of hedging and monetization strategies for corporations and high net worth individuals. He served previously in a variety of options-related research and trading positions at Alex,
Brown & Sons Inc.
Michael holds a BA and MBA in finance from Loyola University Maryland. He is also a CFA® charterholder.
Building sustainable fixed income portfolios
Impax has nearly five decades of experience in sustainable fixed income and has an investment team that’s helped shape market innovations first-hand. Join our presentation where we will describe a multi-sector investment grade bond strategy focused on quality, sustainability and impact in a diversified portfolio.
In this discussion, we will share why we believe the economy is in a transition from a depletive model to a more sustainable model and what this means for fixed income investing. The presentation will highlight our approach to managing disruptive change, mitigating fundamental risks through proprietary ESG research, including the Impax Sustainability Lens, and how we derive positive impact as a natural outcome of our approach to structured products and government securities.
Workshop Objective: Understand how material sustainability risks and opportunities can be integrated into US investment grade fixed income portfolios.
Company Profile: Impax is a specialist asset manager investing in the opportunities arising from the transition to a more sustainable global economy. Impax believes that capital markets will be shaped profoundly by global sustainability challenges, including climate change, pollution and essential investments in human capital, infrastructure and resource efficiency. These trends will drive growth for well-positioned companies and create risks for those unable or unwilling to adapt. The company seeks to invest in higher quality companies with strong business models that demonstrate sound management of risk. Impax offers a well-rounded suite of investment solutions spanning multiple asset classes seeking strong risk-adjusted returns over the medium to long term.
Speakers
Anthony Trzcinka, CFA
Senior Portfolio Manager, North America
Tony’s experience running impact bond strategies for almost two decade makes him a pioneer in the space and he has been responsible for overseeing multiple strategies since joining Impax Asset Management in 2003.
Prior to working at Impax, Tony spent three years as an Assistant Vice President at AEW Capital Management, a $90 billion Boston-based asset manager where he focused on analysis of public and private debt.
Tony is a CFA® charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Boston. He has an MBA from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Greg Hasevlat
Senior Sustainability & Stewardship Analyst
Greg is a senior member of the Impax Asset Management research team tasked with evaluating the ESG performance of companies for potential inclusion in the firm’s portfolios. He is involved in shareholder and public policy engagement and is also a member of our Gender Analytics team.
Prior to joining Impax in 2009, Greg was a government affairs representative at a New Hampshire-based consulting firm, where he represented clients from various industries before the New Hampshire legislature.
Greg has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.
The Great Embrace: Multifactor ETFs Come of Age
In the face of volatile and uncertain market conditions, investors turned to multifactor ETFs, seeking outperformance across cycles. In 2023, Invesco’s flagship multifactor ETF (OMFL) surpassed a 5-year track record, and interest soared as investors pursue the more active exposure offered by the strategy. Join Invesco to explore the range of multifactor ETFs offered and how to best position dynamic strategies to optimize portfolio outcomes.
Workshop Objective: This session will offer a deep dive on multifactor ETFs, examining market adoption, advantages of the strategy, and an overview of Invesco’s Dynamic Multifactor methodology.
Company Profile: Invesco Ltd. (Ticker NYSE: IVZ) is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. Our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive, and alternative investment capabilities. With offices in more than 20 countries, Invesco manages US$1.6 trillion1 in assets on behalf of clients worldwide.
1 Invesco Ltd. AUM of $1,585.3 billion USD as of December 31, 2023.
Speakers
Nick Kalivas
Head of Factor and Core Equity Product Strategy
Nick Kalivas is Head of Factor and Core Equity Product Strategy for the Invesco ETFs and Indexed Strategies team. In this role, he and his team are charged with working on researching and developing product-specific strategies, as well as creating thought leadership to help position and promote the smart beta and factor-based ETF and index lineup. Nick joined Invesco in 2014 and, prior to his current role, was a senior equity ETF strategist. Nick earned a BBA degree in accounting and finance from the University of Wisconsin — Madison and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business with concentrations in economics, finance, and statistics.
Representatives
Donna Wilson
Managing Director and Head of Investment Due Diligence, US Wealth Management Platforms
Donna leads a team that brings Invesco's investment capabilities to research teams at wealth management clients. Prior to this role, she was a client portfolio manager with Invesco Quantitative Strategies. Donna has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and a BA from Hampton University.
Caitlin Kiel
Director, ETF Due Diligence
Caitlin is responsible for providing exchange-traded product support across an array of channels, working primarily with ETF investment research analysts, product managers, model builders, and due diligence groups. Prior to this role, she served as a senior ETF strategist. Caitlin earned a BS from the University of Florida and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) professional.
NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NO BANK GUARANTEE
There are risks involved with investing in ETFs, including possible loss of money. ETFs are subject to risks similar to those of stocks.
Factor investing is an investment strategy in which securities are chosen based on certain characteristics and attributes that may explain differences in returns. Factor investing represents an alternative and selection index based methodology that seeks to outperform a benchmark or reduce portfolio risk, both in active or passive vehicles. Factor investing may underperform cap-weighted benchmarks and increase portfolio risk.
Before investing carefully read and consider fund investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and more in prospectus at invesco.com.
Invesco Distributors, Inc.
Quality Long-Term Investing with PineStone (Global Public Equity Specialist)
PineStone’s investment philosophy is rooted in the belief that one can achieve sustainable, above-market returns by investing in a concentrated portfolio of remarkably high-quality companies and holding them for as long as possible, often decades.
These are companies that as a result of unique competitive advantages can:
• Generate a strong return on invested capital (ROIC)
• Provide ample long-term growth potential at incrementally higher ROIC
• Generate strong and predictable free cash flow
• Consistently compound shareholder wealth
• Preserve capital
One key ingredient to generating high return on capital is pricing power, and companies with pricing power may be able to combat inflation and macroeconomic volatilities.
In this presentation, you will have an opportunity to learn about PineStone and several case studies that help bring their investment approach to life.
Workshop Objective: Introduce the group to PineStone, educate them on our approach to investing, and provide several case studies that help illustrate the merits of long-term, quality-focused global equity investing.
Company Profile: spinning out of Fiera Capital. The firm is private and 100% employee-owned. PineStone serves its clients by investing in what we believe to be the highest quality companies worldwide and owning them for as long as possible, often decades.
We stand by the following principles:
•Our vision: To be the gold standard for fundamental research, portfolio construction, and dedicated long-term quality investing.
•Our mission: To create excess value for our clients and their beneficiaries over the long run.
•Our values: We foster a culture of commitment, integrity, drive, diligence, and patience.
Speakers
Samuel Weiss, CFA
Investment Specialist, PineStone Asset Management Inc.
Samuel (Sam) Weiss serves as an Investment Specialist at PineStone Asset Management. He works closely with the Investment Team, and he is responsible for maintaining and developing the firm’s relationships with clients and consultants. Prior to joining PineStone, Sam was a Vice President at Fiera Capital. Prior to joining Fiera, Sam spent nearly 6 years at BlackRock. Sam began his career at Jefferies LLC in Equity Sales & Trading.
Representatives
Matthew Scheer, CFA
Director, Global Relationship Management, New York Life Investments
Matt Scheer is a Director on NYLIM's Global Relationship Management group. His coverage includes, but is not limited to RIA aggregators, wires, private banks, and bank trusts. Matt joined NYLIM from Guggenheim Investments, where he spent six years working in a key account function with a focus on gatekeeper and due diligence relationships, as well as serving as an Investment Specialist/Client Portfolio Manager. He also spent over 8 years as a due diligence analyst across the institutional consulting and RIA/Private Wealth channels. Matt has earned the right to use the CFA designation, graduated from The George Washington University with a double major in International Business and Finance.
Kris Tatlonghari, CFA, CAIA
Director, Global Relationship Management
Kris Tatlonghari, CFA, CAIA is a Senior Relationship Manager for NYLIM. Prior to joining New York Life Investments in 2014, Mr. Tatlonghari held various distribution roles at Cohen & Steers, PGIM and Northwestern Mutual. He graduated from the State University of New York at Albany with a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance. Mr. Tatlonghari holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation, the NASD Series 7 and Series 63 license.
Redefining the ‘Cash’ in “Cash is King”
While cash and cash alternatives remain an attractive place to be, don’t let the allure of ‘risk-free’ returns distract you from the benefits of thinking strategically about optimizing and sizing your cash allocation. Growing dispersion in cash investment options has increased the potential opportunity cost of not optimizing its full potential. Given the current yield environment and stage in the monetary cycle, we believe that reinvestment risk, often underestimated, should be near the top of investor’s minds. Strategically sizing and tiering cash allocations can help manage this risk by better aligning investment horizons with expected liquidity needs and locking in current yield levels.
Workshop Objective: Explore and discuss different approaches to short-term investment solutions to optimize portfolio outcomes given the current market environment.
Speakers
Adam Congdon
Director
Adam Congdon is a Director and a member of the Low Duration Strategy leadership team at Payden & Rygel. He is responsible for developing and implementing multi-sector and tax-sensitive strategies in short and intermediate maturity portfolios. Adam is a member of the CFA Society of Los Angeles and the CFA Institute and holds Financial Industry Regulatory Authority series 7, 24, 53, and 66 licenses.
Representatives
Charlie Donovan
Senior Vice President
Stephanie Walker
Senior Vice President
Why Securitized Credit and Why Now
With the fed funds rate at its highest level in decades and wide market dispersion across sectors investors have the opportunity to participate in the high-quality securitized credit space at historically attractive yield levels without taking unnecessary risk.
PGIM Fixed Income co-head of securitized products Edwin Wilches will discuss the reasons why this often-overlooked segment of the market is a strong compliment to traditional Core bond portfolios with their attractive spread levels, diversifying characteristics and ability to customize exposures.
Workshop Objective:
· To build awareness for PGIM's securitized credit capability
· To establish PGIM Investments team as the Professional Buyer window to PGIM investment offerings
Company Profile: At PGIM Investments, we provide access to active investment strategies across the global markets in the pursuit of consistent outperformance for investors. We’re part of PGIM, the global investment management business of Prudential Financial, Inc.— the world’s 14th-largest investment manager with more than $1.3 trillion in assets under management (AUM) and a company that individuals and businesses have trusted for over 140 years. Our scale and investment experience allow us to deliver a diversified suite of actively managed solutions across a broad spectrum of asset classes and investment styles.
Speakers
Edwin Wilches, CFA
Co-Head of Securitized Products, PGIM Fixed Income
Edwin Wilches, CFA, is a Managing Director and Co-Head of PGIM Fixed Income’s Securitized Products team. Mr. Wilches is also a portfolio manager for dedicated CLO Tranche portfolios as well other dedicated securitized products funds. Mr. Wilches oversees securitized product security selection across the firm’s multi-sector, investment grade, high yield, LDI, money market and general account strategies.
Representatives
Eric Kim
S.V.P., Senior Account Manager, PGIM Investments
Eric Kim is a Senior Vice President and Senior Account Manager on the National Accounts team at PGIM Investments. Prior to joining PGIM Investments, Eric was the Head of Intermediary Business Development at Varde Partners, an alternative credit manager with a specialization in distressed and relative value investments. Eric has also held positions at Neuberger Berman in National Accounts and at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Alternative Investment Research.
Thematic Equities from the Pioneers – Investing for Performance and Impact
Can investors allocate to environmental thematic equities for the betterment of portfolio performance and positive impact? We think the answer is yes, as shown by Pictet’s flagship Global Environmental Opportunities (GEO) strategy, which has helped investors around the world achieve both goals since its inception in 2014. Based on a scientific framework, “The Planetary Boundaries”, we construct a portfolio of the companies set to win in a future where new environmental technologies will be necessary, such as those that will drive the energy transition. Not only does this approach improve risk return prospects for clients, but it also offers measurable impact metrics that improve the environmental performance of a portfolio. Active engagement with companies is core to an approach that focuses on long term investing based on bottom-up research.
Workshop Objective: Learn about Pictet Asset Management’s flagship active thematic Global Environmental Opportunities strategy, and the scientific framework that has been adopted for the accurate and robust construction of an environmental equity universe with high purity based on a full lifecycle analysis of firms’ impact.
Company Profile: For almost 30 years Pictet Asset Management has pioneered a megatrends-based thematic investment approach that has captured the imagination of investors across the world. Today we manage over USD 68bn across 17 thematic equity strategies across Environment, Technology and Health.
Pictet Asset Management is part of the Pictet Group, founded in Geneva in 1805. Privately owned and managed by 8 Partners, the Pictet Group has more than 5,300 employees in 30 offices around the world and USD 752bn in assets.
Speakers
Jennifer Boscardin-Ching
Client Portfolio Manager
Jennifer Boscardin Ching joined Pictet Asset Management in 2020 as Client Portfolio Manager in the Thematic Equities team.
Prior to joining Pictet, Jennifer worked as a Strategy Manager at RWE Renewables, headquartered in Germany. In this capacity she supported the company Board and CEO in making strategic decisions on how to steer the business within the global clean energy markets, as well as analysed the clean energy landscape for regulatory, technology and competitor movements and trends. Prior to RWE Jennifer worked as a sustainability consultant in the international events and tourism industry, focusing on supply chain sustainability, waste management, and ESG reporting.
Jennifer holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California Los Angeles, and a dual Master’s degree in Environment and Energy Management from Sciences Po Paris and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.
Representatives
Chungmin Yoo
Senior Business Development
Chungmin Yoo joined Pictet Asset Management in 2011 and is a Senior Sales Manager in the US Intermediaries team where she is responsible for the sales relationship of top-tier financial institutions based in the US. She is a specialist in the distribution of sustainable investment strategies.Chungmin holds a Bsc in Economics and a MSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.
Sean McDonald
Associate Director, Platform Distribution – John Hancock
Sean McDonald is an Associate Director supporting the John Hancock Investment Management distribution across the United States, as well as the public and private distribution for both John Hancock and Manulife Investment Management. His primary responsibilities include supporting the investment research and due diligence efforts of our gatekeeper and professional buyer clientele within broker-dealer platforms, private banks, trusts, and other financial institutions. Prior to joining the firm, he worked at Putnam Investments working with financial advisors in NYC. Sean holds the Series 6, 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses. He also earned his CFP® certification in 2022.Education: M.B.A., Providence College School of Business (2015). B.S., Management, Providence College (2014)
Joined the company: 2021
Began career: 2016
The renaissance of emerging markets
With emerging markets trading at multi-decade lows compared with global counterparts, Portfolio Manager Naomi Waistell will assess why tailwinds are gathering for the asset class in 2024, as interest rate policy pivots and China plays a different global role. She will discuss the emergence of a ‘multi-polar’ world and explain why this presents a new paradigm for investing in this ever-dynamic region, and provides a constructive backdrop for the Polar Capital Emerging Market Stars Fund – an investment approach which marries analysis of macroeconomic shifts with select, bottom-up exposure to the world’s fastest-growing sustainable companies.
Workshop Objective: The objective is for delegates to understand how the funds’ integrated ESG process helps to generate responsible and sustainable alpha as well as explaining the most exciting themes/opportunities they are seeing in emerging markets.
Company Profile: Polar Capital is an experienced, investment-led, active fund manager with a collegiate and meritocratic culture. Since its foundation in 2001, it has grown steadily and currently has 13 autonomous investment teams managing specialist, active and capacity constrained portfolios, with combined AUM of $24.9billion (as at December 29, 2023).
Speakers
Naomi Waistell
Fund Manager
Naomi joined Polar Capital in August 2020 as a Fund Manager on the Polar Capital Emerging Market Stars Fund, launched in July 2018.
From February 2010, she worked at Newton Investment Management where, since September 2014, she was an investment manager on the emerging markets and Asian equity team. Before this, she was an investment manager on their European and global equity teams. Naomi began her career as an associate at Praefinium Partners Investment Management in 2007 before moving to the financial consultancy arm of the Capita Group in 2009.
Representatives
Alastair Barrie
Managing Director, North America
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Alastair joined Polar Capital in June 2019 to lead the company’s business development in North America. He has over 25 years of experience in asset management distribution in both wholesale and institutional markets. For the previous 10 years he worked with Martin Currie and has been based in New York since 2014. Prior to Martin Currie, he had a year as Director of Institutional Distribution at RBS Asset Management and spent the previous 13 years at Henderson Global Investors where he originally worked with the founders of Polar Capital. He started his career in 1992 working for Friends Provident, a UK-based life assurer.
David Smithwick
Director, Business Development
The opportunity in listed infrastructure
We will discuss the current opportunity in listed infrastructure and what makes it a good fit for investors looking to achieve compelling financial returns and positive sustainability outcomes. Today, the asset class offers attractive valuations, resilient fundamentals that offer defense in light of market volatility, and complements existing investor allocations. We believe GLI will outperform equities in 2024 and will continue to deliver comparable long term returns to equities at meaningfully lower volatility.
Workshop Objective: Explore listed infrastructure’s compelling financial returns, positive sustainability impact, and investment potential. Understand GLI’s resilience amid market volatility, current attractive valuations, and potential outperformance compared to equities in 2024.
Speakers
Emily Foshag, CFA
Portfolio Manager, Listed Infrastructure
Emily is a portfolio manager at Principal Real Estate, the dedicated real estate unit of Principal Asset Management. She is responsible for the firm’s global listed infrastructure capability and is also a member of Principal Asset Management’s Sustainable Investment Council. Emily joined the firm in 2019. Prior to her current role, Emily served as a portfolio manager and research analyst for the listed infrastructure strategy at Franklin Templeton, where she was a member of the investment team since the strategy’s inception. At Franklin Templeton, she held primary responsibility for the research and analysis of listed infrastructure securities in Europe, Asia and Latin America in addition to global portfolio management and risk management responsibilities. Emily led the integration of ESG factors in listed infrastructure and REITs investment processes and co-led the Alternatives Sustainable Investing Platform. She also oversaw the research of private infrastructure strategy investments on behalf of institutional clients globally. Emily received a bachelor's degree in accounting from New York University and an MS degree with distinction from New York University with a concentration in global energy and environmental policy. Her master’s thesis research focused on Germany’s renewable energy transition and as part of her degree requirements she conducted sustainability-related fieldwork in the UAE, Chile, Russia, California. Emily is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts.
Representatives
Alex Mottershead, CFA
Senior Analyst, Listed Infrastructure
Samantha Kintzle
Associate Director, Global Banks and Subadvisory
What’s in store for ‘24?
Join George Milling-Stanley, Chief Gold Strategist at State Street Global Advisors, to discuss gold’s:
Economic outlook - Soft landing, “extended period of below trend growth”, or recession?
Geopolitics - Actual: Ukraine, Israel and broader middle East. Possible: Increasing China aggression, ugly US election.
How will gold react? Demand outlook, especially jewelry, investment, and central banks. Supply outlook, including mine production and recycling.
Gold’s role in a portfolio.
Outlook for the gold price.
Company Profile: For four decades, State Street Global Advisors has served the world’s governments, institutions and financial advisors. With a rigorous, risk-aware approach built on research, analysis and market-tested experience, we build from a breadth of index and active strategies to create cost-effective solutions. As stewards, we help portfolio companies see that what is fair for people and sustainable for the planet can deliver long-term performance. And, as pioneers in index, ETF, and ESG investing, we are always inventing new ways to invest. As a result, we have become the world’s fourth-largest asset manager* with US $3.48 trillion† under our care. *Pensions & Investments Research Center, as of 12/31/21. †This figure is presented as June 30, 2022 and includes approximately $66.43 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. *Pensions & Investments Research Center, as of 12/31/21.
Speakers
George Milling-Stanley
Chief Gold Strategist, State Street Global Advisors SPDR
George Milling-Stanley is Chief Gold Strategist with State Street Global Advisors SPDR. He joined SPDR as a Vice President and Head of Gold Strategy in November 2014. Before joining SPDR, George ran the independent consultancy George Milling-Stanley on Gold, LLC. He retired from the World Gold Council in 2011 after a 15-year career there. Most recently he had been responsible for all programs involving central banks, governments, and regulatory authorities. Before that, he was a key member of the small team that pioneered the development of gold-backed Exchange Traded Funds. His earlier career included six years on the precious metals trading desk of Lehman Brothers. Previously he worked for Consolidated Gold Fields in London, and before that spent 10 years as a reporter and columnist with the Financial Times.
Representatives
John Faron
Vice President, Regional Consultant, State Street Global Advisors
John is a Vice President at State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs and a Senior Regional Consultant in the Americas Wealth Business. He is responsible for supporting the Broker Dealer Channel for ETFs and relationship management in New York City. John has worked in the New York market for over 15 years and has extensive experience partnering with sophisticated financial advisors in developing portfolio construction and wealth management solutions. Previously, he held senior distribution roles at Invesco PowerShares ETFs and FlexShares ETFs/Northern Trust Asset Management. John graduated from Boston University and holds the FINRA Series 7 & 66 licenses.
James Budd
Senior ETF Analyst
James is an Assistant Vice President at State Street Global Advisors within the Client Coverage Group and Global SPDR business. As a Research Strategist on the National Accounts Team, he is responsible for curating market and product related research content and generating tactical and strategic investment themes on behalf of SPDR ETF products. The National Accounts Team provides in-depth ETF product expertise and due diligence support for key account relationships.Prior to State Street Global Advisors, James was a Director of Business Development at ETF Global LLC, a leading, independent ETF research solution and a provider of ETF data and analytics throughout the institutional asset management industry.
James graduated from SUNY Binghamton with a BA in Mathematics and Economics and holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses.
Balancing Income Needs and Downside Protection in a Volatile Fixed Income Environment
Fixed income investors are grappling with a potential Fed pivot, macro uncertainty, and geopolitical instability. We believe this environment presents an opportunity to take advantage of volatility and periodic price dislocations to drive attractive returns in an uncertain environment. We discuss areas of the fixed income market where we see fundamental relative value. And we discuss how the siloed nature of fixed income analysis allows us to exploit opportunities in a way that is unique in the marketplace.
Workshop Objectives: Discuss the Thornburg Strategic Income Fund as a solution to provide notably higher return than core bond portfolios while providing sufficient downside protection when markets dislocate.
Company Profile: Thornburg is a global investment firm delivering on strategy for institutions, financial professionals, and investors worldwide. The privately held firm, founded in 1982, is an active, high-conviction manager of equities, fixed income and multi-asset solutions. With $42 billion in client assets ($41 billion in assets under management and $1 billion in assets under advisement) as of November 30, 2023, the firm offers mutual funds, closed-end funds, institutional accounts, separate accounts for high-net-worth investors and UCITS funds for non-U.S. investors.
Thornburg’s U.S. headquarters is in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai. For more information, visit www.thornburg.com.
Speakers
Jeff Klingelhofer, CFA
Co-Head of Investments and Managing Director
Jeff Klingelhofer is co-head of investments for Thornburg Investment Management. He is responsible for driving the investment process at the firm level. Jeff is also a portfolio manager on multiple strategies. He joined the firm in 2010, then was promoted to associate portfolio manager in 2012. In 2015, Jeff was made portfolio manager and managing director.
Jeff earned a BA in economics with a minor in business from the University of California at Irvine, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2010. He is also a CFA charterholder. Prior to joining Thornburg Investment Management, Jeff spent four years with PIMCO, where he was responsible for monitoring portfolio leverage and risk tolerances.
Representatives
Copeland Filoon, CFA, CAIA
Director of Platform Development
Copeland Filoon is director of platform development at Thornburg Investment Management. He joined the firm in 2017. Prior to Thornburg, Copeland held senior level positions at Symphony Asset Management, Franklin Templeton Investments, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, New England Pension Consultants, mPower Advisors, and Standard & Poor’s.
Copeland received a BA in economics from Vanderbilt University and is registered with FINRA with a Series 7 and 63. He is a CFA and CAIA charterholder.
Johnathan Burnham, CFA
Director of Platform Development
Johnathan Burnham is a managing director and director of platform development for Thornburg Investment Management. He is responsible for working with teams performing due diligence on Thornburg’s investment products.Prior to joining Thornburg, Johnathan was the manager of investment strategy & research for Advised Assets Group, LLC, a registered investment advisor providing services to defined contribution plans. Johnathan has completed the Series 7 and 63 exams and is a CFA charterholder. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in finance and was awarded an MBA from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Johnathan chairs the investment committee for National Dance Institute New Mexico, a non-profit providing programming to almost 10,000 children in the state. He also served as the vice president of CFA Society, New Mexico.
High Yield Credit - What’s the Outlook for Sub-Investment Grade Fixed Income in 2024?
Ares Portfolio Manager will discuss the fund’s team, objective and investment style.
The fund seeks total return, primarily from income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in global debt securities.
• Employs flexibility by allocating assets among core investments and opportunistic investments as market conditions change
• Identifies companies and securities that are believed to offer attractive relative values when compared to their fundamental credit risk
• Actively hedges portfolio risks, including credit, interest rate, and currency, in an effort to preserve capital
• Consists of several broad investment categories, including high yield bonds, bank loans, special situations, structured credit and hedges
Workshop Objective: Touchstone Investments believes in being Distinctively Active. To us this means delivering active investment management via institutional assets managers recognized for their particular expertise, delivering our industry leading practice management tools to help you actively manage your practice and offering unique perspectives on the economy and markets via our in-house thought leadership.
Company Profile: Touchstone Investments is a Distinctively Active fund company committed to providing investors with access to strategies sub-advised by institutional asset managers. Touchstone’s diverse but focused product offering gives investors a full breadth of investment options across styles and asset classes, includes U.S. equity, international equity, income and multi-asset funds.
Speakers
Chris Mathewson
Partner & Portfolio Manager, Ares Capital Management II LLC
Chris Mathewson is a Partner and Portfolio Manager of U.S. Liquid Credit in the Ares Credit Group, where he is primarily responsible for managing Ares' U.S. high yield credit strategies. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group's U.S. Liquid Credit Investment Committee
Erik M. Aarts, CIMA
Vice President and Senior Fixed Income Strategist
Erik Aarts is Vice President and Senior Fixed Income Strategist for Touchstone Investments. In this role he is responsible for advocating for the firm’s bond solutions and supporting financial professional’s fixed income needs. Additionally, Mr. Aarts is a member of the Touchstone Asset Allocation Committee which provides thought leadership on capital markets and portfolio construction. Prior to joining Touchstone Investments, he was a senior executive at
PIMCO focused on delivering fixed income expertise and solutions to a broad array of wealth management clients and Allianz Global Investors where he was head of product management. He has more than 30 years of financial services experience and holds both an MBA and a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Aarts is a Certified Investment Management Analyst® professional.
Representatives
Michael Orr, CFA
Vice President of Institutional Business Development
Michael Orr is Vice President of Institutional Business Development for Touchstone Investments and has experience in the investments industry since 2006. In his current role, he is responsible for the distribution of Touchstone investment strategies to the institutional markets, with a focus on Platform and Consultant Relations. He is a CFA charterholder and is a member of the CFA Society Boston.
Rob Moody
Vice President of Institutional Business Development
Rob Moody is Vice President of Institutional Business Development for Touchstone Investments and has over 20 years of experience in the investment industry. In his current role, Mr. Moody is responsible for the distribution of Touchstone Investments strategies to the institutional markets, with a focus on Platform and Consultant Relations.
Income is Back
Income is back. After a couple of barren years, yields in high-quality bonds that were not too long ago returning just 2% or 3% are now set to bring in 7% to 8%. And this jump in yields looks to be a game changer for investors.
The ability for investors to get the outcomes they want from fixed income, in a stable and reliable fashion, has returned. Our presentation will focus on why we believe the time is right for fixed income and where we see particular value for investors.
Workshop Objectives: To help the audience understand why now is the right time to allocate to fixed income, which parts of the market we see value and why staying in cash will cost you.
Company Profile: TwentyFour Asset Management is a specialist fixed income fund manager, headquartered in the city of London and a boutique of the Swiss based Vontobel Group. Since inception in 2008, TwentyFour has built an enviable reputation for performance, expertise, and innovation in its chosen sector.
We specialize in fixed income, nothing else. This focus means that all our resources and people are managing one asset class with no distractions. This allows us to concentrate on delivering the best outcomes for our clients. We currently have $23.27bn in assets under management (as at 1/31/2024). Our product offerings are for both professional and institutional clients, and our portfolio management teams cover three distinct business areas with a high degree of collaboration.
Speakers
Ben Hayward
CEO and Partner
Ben is one of the founding partners of TwentyFour Asset Management (TwentyFour) and currently serves as its CEO.
Since 2015, he has been a member of TwentyFour’s Executive Committee, which has the overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the firm, and also sits on the Board of Directors which sets the overall direction, strategy and management of TwentyFour. He is also a member of the Asset Allocation & ESG Committees.
Prior to becoming CEO, Ben’s main responsibility was managing TwentyFour’s Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) business, having launched various funds and managed several institutional mandates.
Ben has over 25 years of fixed income portfolio management experience, including 9 years at Citigroup Alternative Investments, where he was responsible for managing four vehicles that invested $100bn across ABS and credit.
Representatives
Alistair Wilson
Partner, Head of Institutional Business
Alistair manages the accounts of the firm’s growing institutional client base, including pension schemes, banks and insurance companies, reporting on a range of portfolios from higher grade Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) to illiquid credit. A regular attendee at industry conferences, he has a direct relationship with many larger UK pension schemes and has sat on several industry awards judging panels. In 2015 he was voted Institutional Marketer of the Year in the Financial News Awards for the second year in succession.
Alistair joined TwentyFour from Neptune Investment Management, where he had led their institutional business from its inception in 2005, growing it to around £2 billion and running monies for over 80 institutional clients, including UK and European pension schemes. Alistair led relationships with all Global and European consultancies and managed relationships with key clients. Alistair also spent 7 years at Legal & General Investment Management as a Business Development Manager responsible for promoting LGIM’s funds to corporate pension schemes through various investment consultants.
Holly Anhut
Vice President, National Accounts
Opportunities in Emerging Trends, High Yield and International Value
DWS Research Institute and the Xtrackers Sales Team will discuss thematic investing as it relates to how an economy will evolve in the future, and how investing in long term trends plays in to portfolio construction and diversification. We’ll also discuss trends in High Yield Bond Investing along side the Xtrackers High Yield suite of ETFs as well as non US companies and dividend growth strategies such as the Xtrackers MSCI High Dividend Yield Equity ETF.
Company Profile: Xtrackers by DWS provides investors with innovation, access and value through its established range of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) across FX-hedged equities, dividends and factors, China, ESG across equities and fixed income, high-yield, and now thematics. Xtrackers recently launched its first three US-listed Thematic ETFs focused on innovative growth trends of the future: UPGR (US Green Infrastructure), (CHPS) Semiconductors, and (PSWD) Cybersecurity.
Speakers
Robert Bush
Senior Research Analyst Thought Leadership
Robert joined DWS in 2015 and has over 19 years of experience in the industry. He specializes in investment research focusing on Quant, SAA, FX and discusses industry trends and firm strategies with clients, sales teams, and wider industry. Prior to DWS, Robert served as a Teaching Assistant at Columbia Business School and has greater experience as an Economic Analyst and Commodity Arbitrager at HM treasury and New York Board of Trade, respectively. Robert begun his career at J.P. Morgan as a Bond Trader. He is a graduate of LSE and has achieved an MBA from Columbia Business School as well as a Master of Science from Oxford.
Amanda Rebello
Head of Xtrackers Sales, US Onshore
Amanda Rebello, CFA®, CESGA®, is the head of Xtrackers sales for US Onshore, at DWS. She is based in New York. Prior to her current role, she headed the Xtrackers and wholesale sales teams at DWS for the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands, and was based in London. She joined the firm in 2015, from BlackRock where she was a senior salesperson, working with UK and European institutional investors in the iShares business. She previously worked in the structured derivatives business within global markets at HSBC, primarily out of London, with secondments in New York, Toronto and Paris. Here, she was a salesperson, with additional structuring duties.
Miss Rebello is a chartered financial analyst and a certified ESG analyst. She graduated from the University of Oxford with an MA (Hons) in Mathematics.
Representatives
Shawna Macnamara
Head of Xtrackers Sales, US Onshore, Advisory
Shawna joined DWS in 2023 with 23 years of industry experience. Prior to her current role, Shawna was the Head of National Accounts, ETFs for Janus Henderson Investors and Head of National Accounts, First Investors Funds at Foresters Financial Services. Shawna has previously served as Executive Director, Head of National Accounts at UBS Asset Management where she drove expansion of a new distribution strategy for a diverse product suite. She also has experience at Schroders and U.S. Trust Company.
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Workshops
Workshops
Unlocking Growth Through Market Leadership
Join AGF Investments for an insightful discussion on long term growth opportunities in key sectors such as power and electricity, generative AI, robotics, future mobility, generational wealth transfer, and more. Additionally we will delve into our active investment process and strategic pivots to capture market leadership, resulting in high-conviction portfolios and a macro-resilient investment experience for AGF’s growth strategies.
Workshop Objectives: You will learn how AGF’s growth equity strategies employ a distinct investment approach to take advantage of long-term growth opportunities in every investment cycle.
Company Profile: Founded in 1957, AGF Management Limited (AGF) is an independent and globally diverse asset management firm delivering excellence in investing in the public and private markets through its three distinct business lines: AGF Investments, AGF Private Capital and AGF Private Wealth.
AGF brings a disciplined approach focused on providing an exceptional client experience and incorporating sound responsible and sustainable practices. The firm’s investment solutions, driven by its fundamental, quantitative and private investing capabilities, extends globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and their clients to high-net worth and institutional investors including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations.
Speakers
Auritro Kundu
Portfolio Manager
Auritro Kundu serves as a portfolio manager of AGF Investments' U.S., Global and Canadian Growth Equity strategies. A staunch believer that innovation can be found in every industry, his investment philosophy is rooted in identifying innovative companies who boast strong earnings growth, free cash flow and return on equity.
Auritro joined AGF Investments in 2015 and previously served as an Analyst responsible for fundamental research and analysis of the Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary sectors. Prior to joining AGF Investments, he was an Equity Research Associate Analyst at National Bank Financial, where he was responsible for coverage of Canadian Information Technology equipment companies. Prior to that, he worked at Rogers Communications in corporate development and at Research in Motion in product management.
Auritro has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto and earned an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
Representatives
Damion Hendrickson
Managing Director, U.S. Business AGF Investments LLC
Damion Hendrickson is Managing Director, U.S. Business at AGF Investments LLC and is responsible for accelerating the strategic growth of AGF's U.S. operations. Damion is also accountable for managing AGF’s institutional and strategic partnerships as well as enhancing distribution across key intermediary channels such as the Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) channel.
Jonathan Crocker
Vice President, Institutional Business Development AGF Investments LLC
Jonathan Crocker is Vice-President, Institutional Business Development at AGF Investments LLC. In this role, he is responsible for the distribution of key investment capabilities to further support the growth of AGF’s footprint in the U.S.
Super-Sized: Considerations for Small Caps
Much has been written about the disappointing returns of small cap companies. A decrease in the number IPOs and the percentage of small cap companies with negative profits are among the top reasons cited for small caps’ “inevitable” demise.
We will explore whether these concerns have merit and what allocators should contemplate as they construct equity allocations.
Workshop Objectives:
• Discuss the decrease in number of public small cap names, the small cap “premium” post 1981, and number of US small cap companies with negative earnings
• Examine small cap valuations and earnings growth versus other market segments and the recent impact of the Magnificent 7
• Propose ways to improve expected returns within small cap allocations
Company Profile: Founded in 1958, American Century Investments® became a leading global asset manager by focusing on serving clients and putting them first. Our commitment to finding innovative solutions to deliver superior client outcomes led to the launch of Avantis Investors® in 2019, an evolutionary step forward in active and passive investing. The suite of broadly diversified and cost-effective equity and fixed income solutions is powered by financial science and harnesses a time-tested, academically supported approach to increase expected returns. By delivering investment results and making clients successful, American Century and its clients also make an impact on global health. American Century distributes over 40% of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, nonprofit basic biomedical research organization. As the single largest owner of American Century, the Stowers Institute has received dividend payments of more than $2 billion since 2000. Our commitment to making an impact doesn’t stop with the Stowers Institute; our structure shapes everything we do as an asset manager, employer and corporate citizen. Together we can become a powerful force for good.
Speakers
Daniel Ong, CFA
Senior Portfolio Manager, Avantis Investors
Representatives
Thomas Horning, CFA
Vice President, Platform Development
Tom is a member of American Century’s Platform Development team. In this capacity, he is responsible for providing access to American Century’s full suite of investment solutions to home office intermediary clients and institutional buyers. Tom joined American Century in 2017. Prior to American Century, Tom worked at BNY Mellon Investment Management for 12 years and held roles including Senior Investment Specialist, Product Specialist, and Institutional Investment Sales.
Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Delaware. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute.
Nicholas J. D’Alessandro
Vice President, Private Banks
Nicholas is part of the Professional Buyers team, representing American Century Investments® dedicated to developing and deepening partnerships at Private Banks and Trust firms across the United States. Nicholas has been in the financial services industry for more than 10 years and started with American Century in 2020. Prior to joining American Century Investments, Nicholas served on the National Accounts Team and Financial Institutions Groups focusing on Private Banks and Global Financial Institutions at BNY Mellon Investment Management. He also spent time working at J.H. Cohn in their Real Estate Advisory Group and at New England Financial as a Financial Advisor. Nicholas earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from College of the Holy Cross and Ramapo College of New Jersey. He currently holds Series 7 and 66 licenses.
Fund Group Workshop
Constitution Capital Access Fund: Institutional-Quality Private Equity Portfolio, Through a Single Allocation
Constitution Capital Access Fund (“CCAF” of the “Fund”) seeks to provide shareholders with access to a broad range of high-quality private market assets typically only available to large institutional investors. CCAF has >$650 million in AUM and was seeded with seasoned private equity assets in a fully invested portfolio, focused on the middle-market, diversified by strategy, vintage, sector, and geography. The Fund has generated realizations of $187 million since inception and has actively deployed capital across 25 new direct investments and 4 new seasoned primaries.
Company Profile: Constitution Capital Partners (“CCP” or the “Firm”), with offices in Boston, MA, and New York, NY, is an alternative asset management firm focused on middle-market private equity fund of funds, co-investment, and private credit. CCP’s primary focus across all three strategies is within the consumer, healthcare, and industrial and business services sectors, where the Firm has established expertise. The Firm manages ~$6.7 billion of assets under management.
The leadership team has worked together for 23 years, completing 345+ transactions. The team includes 7 Partners and an experienced bench of investment, marketing & operation professionals
Speakers
Brendan Finn
Managing Director - Platform Sales & National Accounts
Mr. Finn is responsible for sales and marketing of the Firm’s registered funds, including the Constitution Capital Access Fund (CCAF) and growing the Firm’s overall relationships with the financial advisor and wealth management communities.
Representatives
Chris Faucher
Principal
Mr. Faucher oversees the screening, evaluation, negotiation, and monitoring of private equity and credit investments. He is also responsible for portfolio management of the Constitution Capital Access Fund.
Eric Donovan
Vice President
Mr. Donovan oversees the screening, evaluation, negotiation, and monitoring of private equity and credit investments. He is also responsible for portfolio management of the Constitution Capital Access Fund.
Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. An investment in the Fund involves a high degree of risk and therefore should only be undertaken by qualified investors whose financial resources are sufficient to enable them to assume these risks and to bear the loss of all or part of their investment. The Fund and Constitution Capital do not guarantee any level of return or risk on investments and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objective will be achieved.
An investment in the Fund should be considered illiquid. An investment in the Fund is not suitable for investors who need access to the money they invest. Although the Fund may offer to repurchase a limited amount of its shares via quarterly tender offers, the Fund’s shares will not be redeemable, transferrable, or otherwise exchangeable at an investor’s option. As a result, an investor may not be able to sell or otherwise liquidate its shares. There can be no assurance that the Fund will conduct tender offers in any particular period and investors may be unable to tender their shares for repurchase for an indefinite period of time. Additional Fund risks include, but are not limited to: the fund has no operating history, shares are subject to substantial restrictions on transferability and may not be transferred or resold except as summarized in the Prospectus and permitted under the Fund’s agreement and declaration of trust, dependence on the Adviser and key personnel that could impact the Fund if changes occur, restrictions on transfers, non-diversification of investments, valuation risks, strategy-specific risks, and portfolio investment risks.
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus with this and other information about the Fund, please call (978) 749-9600. Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing. The fund is distributed by Foreside Financial Services, LLC.
Navigating Twists and Turns in Global Fixed Income
Global fixed income markets provide access to diverse investment opportunities. Given varying economic conditions worldwide, investors can generate attractive risk-adjusted returns by investing selectively in global credit, currency, and interest rate markets.
Join us as we share our global fixed income market insights and discuss why we believe it’s crucial to adopt a flexible investment approach. We’ll also explain where we are identifying global fixed income opportunities and how we integrate macroeconomic factors into our bottom-up research process. Our distinctive approach allows us to assess opportunities within the broader global fixed income market while staying focused on the underlying fundamentals and valuation of each investment.
Workshop Objectives: We will discuss:
- Why it’s important to have a flexible approach;
- Where we’re finding global fixed income opportunities;
- How to incorporate macroeconomic factors into a bottom-up process.
Company Profile: At Dodge & Cox, we focus on what matters most—helping people realize their investment goals by mastering the complexity of investing. From our founding in San Francisco in 1930, we’ve become one of the world's largest independently owned investment firms. We pour our energy and intellect into pursuing investment excellence for our clients.
Speakers
Jose Ursua
Investment Committee Member and Macro Analyst
Mr. Ursua received a Law School and B.A. degree in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from Harvard University. Prior to graduate school, he worked as an economist at Mexico’s Central Bank and Finance Ministry and the Global Economics and Markets research group at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Ursua joined Dodge & Cox in 2014 and is a shareholder of the firm.
Representatives
Tara Shamia
Client Portfolio Manager
Ms. Shamia received her B.S. degree in Finance and Human Resource Management from Syracuse University in 1998. Prior to joining Dodge & Cox in 2001, Ms. Shamia was in the Client Service and Performance Attribution department of Seneca Capital Management. Ms. Shamia is a shareholder of the firm.
Deirdre Curry
Client Portfolio Manager
Ms. Curry graduated from Fordham University with a B.A. degree in Economics. Prior to joining Dodge & Cox in 2010, her experience includes nine years at BlackRock, Inc. as a director and senior relationship manager responsible for new business development and client service for institutional clients. She also previously held positions in marketing and consultant relations with Lazard, UBS, and Salomon Brothers. Ms. Curry is a shareholder of the firm.
How Active ETFs are accelerating ETF Industry Growth and Reinvigorating Active Management
Speakers
Dominic Maister
SVP of ETF Product Management
Dominic Maister is a senior vice president of ETF Product Management at Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals.
In this role, Mr. Maister is responsible for driving ETF product educations and adoption. In addition, he strategically reviews the product lineup, messaging, and positioning to refine the client experience.
Michael Hagopian
Institutional Portfolio Manager for Systematic Equity Strategies
Michael Hagopian is an institutional portfolio manager for Systematic Equity Strategies, within in the Quantitative Research and Investments (QRI) division at Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Investments is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing, and other financial products and services to institutions, financial intermediaries, and individuals.
Representatives
Tom Abare
Residential Real Estate Debt: Untapped Opportunities in Alternative Credit
Join us to hear how to best access private and public investment opportunities in the residential real estate debt markets, that may offer elevated income, and the potential to benefit from strong fundamental and technical tailwinds compared to commercial real estate.
Workshop Objectives:
• Understanding today's opportunities in US residential real estate.
• The pros and cons of real estate debt vs. equity.
• How to diversify your alternative credit allocations.
• Addressing both private and public asset classes within real estate debt.
Company Profile: First Eagle Investments is an independent, privately owned investment management firm headquartered in New York with approximately $144 billion in assets under management (as of 12/31/24). With a focus on active, fundamental, benchmark-agnostic investing and downside mitigation, First Eagle has helped its clients avoid the permanent impairment of capital and earn attractive returns across economic cycles. The firm offers a range of differentiated strategies featuring equities, fixed income and currencies, alternative credit and real assets.
* The total AUM represents the combined AUM of (i) First Eagle Investment Management, LLC, (ii) its subsidiary investment advisers, First Eagle Separate Account Management, LLC, First Eagle Alternative Credit (“FEAC”) and Napier Park Global Capital (“Napier Park”), and (iii) Regatta Loan Management LLC, an advisory affiliate of Napier Park as of December 31, 2024. It includes $0.6 billion of committed and other non-feepaying capital from First Eagle Alternative Credit, LLC and $3.4 billion of committed and other non-fee-paying capital from Napier Park Global Capital, inclusive of assets managed by Regatta Loan Management LLC.
Speakers
Tim Ruberti
Managing Director, Mortgage and Consumer Strategies
Tim Ruberti is a Managing Director on the Mortgage and Consumer Strategies team of Napier Park Global Capital. He primarily focuses on expanding the team’s private debt exposure by working closely with existing originators, while developing new channels within the residential, commercial and consumer loan markets. Over 10 loan origination partners have been onboarded to date across various loan strategies. He also manages legal and financing relationships for the team, and the extensive documentation process that governs our various strategies. Additionally, Tim works closely with the Napier Park sales and marketing teams on calls and meetings in order to cultivate institutional investor relationships, provide portfolio investment updates and hone strategy and messaging. Tim joined Napier Park in May 2013, after covering the ABS and MBS Strategies team for a decade, first as a Vice President in Mortgage Sales at Goldman Sachs and finally as a Director at UBS. Prior to Goldman Sachs, he co-founded and operated a data services provider, serving small business customers throughout the Northeast corridor. Tim graduated with a BS in Accounting from Villanova University and resides in New York City with his wife and two children.
Representatives
Briana Fisher
Head of National Accounts
Dan McGee
Alternative Investments National Accounts Director
Fund Group Workshop
Speakers
Scott Conlon, CFA
Investment Director, Quantitative Strategist Vice President
As an investment director for MDT Advisers, a Federated Advisory Company, Scott Conlon is responsible for interaction with institutional clients and consultants, articulating the strategy, process, positioning and performance of MDT’s quantitative equity strategies. He has more than 20 years of investment experience.
Prior to joining Federated Hermes in 2023, Scott was a Senior Equity Investment
Specialist at abrdn, where he was responsible for advancing the growth of the firm’s equity investment capabilities. He also worked at State Street Global Advisors as Vice President and Portfolio Strategist, where he was responsible for driving all
aspects of strategy positioning and market penetration for the firm’s quantitative
equity strategies.
Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance from Bentley College and master’s
degree in Finance from Boston College. He is a CFA® charterholder.
Evergreen Opportunities in Small Cap Core
Join us to hear about our investment process, its potential benefits during rapidly changing market environments, and how we are viewing the current landscape for small cap investing. We will share how we use an all-cap research platform to identify opportunities and risks in the small-cap universe and provide an update on recent performance and current portfolio positioning.
Company Profile: Invesco Ltd. (Ticker NYSE: IVZ) is a global independent investment management firm dedicated to delivering an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. Our distinctive investment teams deliver a comprehensive range of active, passive, and alternative investment capabilities. With offices in more than 20 countries, Invesco manages US$1.8 trillion1 in assets on behalf of clients worldwide.
1 Invesco Ltd. AUM of $1,846.0 billion as of Dec. 31, 2024
Speakers
Matthew Ziehl, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Matthew Ziehl is a Portfolio Manager for the Invesco Main Street team. He is Co-Lead Manager for the small- and mid-cap strategies and provides research coverage to the team for real estate, business services, auto retail, and lodging.
Mr. Ziehl joined Invesco when the firm combined with OppenheimerFunds in 2019. Prior to joining OppenheimerFunds in 2009, Mr. Ziehl managed small-cap portfolios for RS Investments. In connection with Guardian Life Insurance Company’s acquisition of RS, he also served as managing director at Guardian Life. Mr. Ziehl has also held positions with Salomon Brothers Asset Management, including team leader for small growth portfolios beginning in
2001 and co-portfolio manager of a small-cap growth fund starting in 1999.
Mr. Ziehl earned a BA degree in political science from Yale University and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) charterholder.
Adam Weiner
Portfolio Manager
Adam Weiner is a Portfolio Manager for the Invesco Main Street team. He is Co-Lead Manager for the small- and mid-cap strategies and provides research coverage to the team for the industrial sector.
Mr. Weiner joined Invesco when the firm combined with OppenheimerFunds in 2019. Before joining OppenheimerFunds in 2009, he was a sector manager at RS Investments for industrials
and materials. Prior to joining RS in 2007, he was a director and senior equity analyst at Credit Suisse Asset Management (CSAM) for over two years, responsible for covering the capital goods sector. Before CSAM, Mr. Weiner worked as a sell-side equity analyst for over eight years at Credit Suisse First Boston and Morgan Stanley, covering the aerospace and defense sectors. Earlier in his career, he worked on the internal audit team at the Dun and Bradstreet Corporation and, before that, served as a budget manager for the information resources division of the White House.
Mr. Weiner earned a BA degree in finance from George Washington University and an MBA
Representatives
Danielle Singer
Head of Platforms Due Diligence
Danielle Singer is Head of Platforms Due Diligence at Invesco. In this role, her team is responsible for delivering the firm's investment capabilities, including SMAs, mutual funds, models and alternatives, to the research teams of wealth management firms across North America. Additionally, Ms. Singer is responsible for elevating the platform relevance of private markets offerings and provides direction on the overall private markets strategy.
Ms. Singer joined Invesco in 2014. Prior to her current role, she served as head of North America and EMEA client solutions and alternatives strategy with Invesco Solutions and held various roles with the Multi Asset team, including portfolio manager. Before joining the firm, Ms. Singer was a strategist with UBS’s Global Investment Solutions group. She is a frequent industry speaker and subject matter contributor to global financial associations. Ms. Singer entered the financial services industry in 2002.
Ms. Singer earned a BA degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst® (CAIA) charterholder. Ms. Singer holds the Series 7 and 66 registrations.
Not a Deposit | Not FDIC-Insured | Not Guaranteed by the Bank | May Lose Value | Not Insured by any Federal Government Agency
In general, stock values fluctuate, sometimes widely, in response to activities specific to the company as well as general market, economic and political conditions.
Stocks of small sized companies tend to be more vulnerable to adverse developments, may be more volatile, and may be illiquid or restricted as to resale.
This does not constitute a recommendation of any investment strategy or product for a particular investor. Investors should consult a financial professional before making any investment decisions.
Before investing carefully read and consider fund investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and more in prospectus at invesco.com.
Invesco Distributors, Inc.
NA4212137
Manulife CQS - Diversified, Stable Income with Asset Backed Securities
Credit spreads are tight across most areas of fixed income. While credit quality is good valuations are stretched. We will focus on how we identify opportunities across asset backed securities markets on a global basis and how Manulife CQS seeks to generate high income while mitigating downside risk.
Workshop Objectives: Asset backed securities are critical to credit markets. We will discuss the size and breadth of this market and how ABS diversifies and may add to returns in credit portfolios.
Company Profile: Manulife | CQS Investment Management has been managing research-driven credit strategies for over 25 years, across multiple market cycles. Today we offer investors a multi-sector alternative credit platform, focused on what our teams know best: global credit.
Our core capabilities span corporate credit (loans and bonds), asset backed securities (ABS), regulatory capital, collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), and convertible bonds. Our teams are committed to building enduring partnerships with investors, seeking to generate long-term, attractive risk-adjusted returns and delivering high levels of service, tailoring mandates across a range of return objectives and risk appetites. To achieve this, our culture is rooted in teamwork and an open and collegial working environment.
Speakers
Jeff Lindenbaum
Head of Intermediary Distribution for Manulife CQS
Jim Fitzpatrick
Manulife CQS CIO-North America and Global Head of Loans
Empowering the Future of Energy & Infrastructure
Key thematics driving the surge in energy demand and potential new energy infrastructure opportunities to meet the needs of our increasingly digital future
Workshop Objective:
1) Understanding what is driving the need for more power given changing demographics, widespread electrification and rapid digitalization.
2) Exploring potential solutions to meet the demand imbalance using cost effective sources of energy
3) how Macquarie can help investors benefit from the opportunities within the energy infrastructure landscape
Company Profile: 1. As of 30 September 2024, MAM Private Markets Assets under Management (AUM)
includes equity yet to deploy and equity committed to assets but not yet deployed.
Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) is a global asset manager, integrated across public and private markets. Trusted by institutions, governments, foundations and individuals to manage approximately $634 billion1 in assets, we provide a diverse range of investment solutions including real assets, real estate, credit and equities & multi-asset.
MAM is part of Macquarie Group, a diversified financial group providing clients with asset management, finance, banking, advisory, and risk and capital solutions across debt, equity and commodities. Founded in 1969, Macquarie Group employs approximately 20,000+ in 34 markets.2
MAM’s Real Assets division manages approximately $208 billion across its infrastructure, green investments, and natural assets platforms. As the world’s largest infrastructure investment manager2, MAM leverages the strength of a global platform, track record and strategic relationships to create value for its clients. With a portfolio that spans more than 175 companies4, MAM investments underpin economies, communities and households, and are relied on by more than 290 million people every day.
As of September 30, 2024. 1. MAM Private Markets AUM includes equity yet to deploy and equity committed to assets but not yet deployed. 2. Includes staff employed in certain operationally segregated subsidiaries. 3.The ranking presented herein is awarded in July 2024 and is the opinion of IPE Real Assets and not of Macquarie. No such person creating the ranking is affiliated with Macquarie or is an investor in Macquarie-sponsored vehicles. IPE Real Assets surveyed and ranked global infrastructure investment managers. The ranking is based on infrastructure AUM as of 31 March 2024. AUM is defined by IPE Real Assets as the total gross asset value of all assets managed and committed capital (including uncalled). There can be no assurance that other providers or surveys would reach the same conclusions as the foregoing. No compensation was provided directly or indirectly to IPE in connection with this ranking. 4. As of September 30, 2024.
Speakers
Chris Leslie
Executive Chairman – Real Assets, Americas & Senior Managing Director – MAM Green Investments
Chris is Executive Chairman of Macquarie Asset Management’s (MAM’s) Real Assets business in the Americas. He is also a Senior Managing Director for MAM Green Investments.
From 2005 to 2016, Chris served as Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (MIP), where he oversaw three vintages of the fund. Following this, Chris was the Global Head of Sustainability for MAM, during which time he was instrumental in expanding MAM’s activities and commitments to sustainability, including MAM’s commitment to Net Zero by 2040
Representatives
Milissa Hutchinson
Managing Director, Head of US Wealth Distribution
Milissa is Head of US Wealth Distribution for Macquarie Asset Management (MAM). She and her team are responsible for the distribution of MAM’s investment strategies across the private and public markets to our US Wealth clients. Previously, she was Head of the Strategic Relationship Group, where she was responsible for partnering with strategic US Wealth partners to identify growth opportunities across the firm’s private and public business, while effectively communicating the firm’s capabilities and strategies to its key distribution partners.
Monroe Capital – Direct Lending and Asset Backed Finance
Where do the opportunities lay in private market income producing Assets? Learn about alpha driven strategies with the Monroe Capital Team in Lower Middle Market Direct Lending, Asset Backed Finance, and Real Estate Debt.
Workshop Objectives: Our goal is to understand what’s top of mind for attendees with respect to opportunities in private credit and showcase current offerings and upcoming fund launches as well as what differentiates Monroe’s strategies for Wealth Management clients
Company Profile: Monroe Capital LLC is a premier asset management firm specializing in private credit markets across various strategies, including direct lending, technology finance, venture debt, alternative credit, structured credit, real estate and equity. Since 2004, the firm has been successfully providing capital solutions to clients in the U.S. and Canada. Monroe prides itself on being a value-added and user-friendly partner to business owners, management, and both private equity and independent sponsors. Monroe’s platform offers a wide variety of investment products for both institutional and high net worth investors with a focus on generating high quality “alpha” returns irrespective of business or economic cycles.
Speakers
Aaron Peck
Managing Director, Co-Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of Monroe Capital’s Alternative Credit Solutions
Mr. Peck is the Co-Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of Monroe’s Alternative Credit Solutions (ACS). He is responsible for deal origination, structuring, and portfolio management, as well as overseeing the ACS business and its team. As part of the ACS business, he co-leads the firms’ investments in real estate, specialty finance and corporate special situations. He joined the firm in 2012 and is a member of Monroe’s Investment Committee. Mr. Peck has over 30 years of experience in credit, lending, alternative credit, high yield and distressed credit.
Representatives
Cooper Rey
Managing Director, Head of Strategy – Wealth Management Solutions
Cooper is a Managing Director where he is responsible for the distribution strategy and new product development across the Wealth Management client channel at Monroe. He has over 18 years of experience in product sales and distribution to a variety of wealth management clients. Prior to Monroe, Cooper was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs where he most recently lead sales for the RIA client segment across the Global Banking & Markets division, and previously lead sales efforts for Private Banks and other Wealth Management client segments. Cooper earned his B.A. in Economics from Columbia College.
Anton Marinchik
Product Strategy & Key Accounts – Wealth Management Solutions
Anton Marinchik (Director) is responsible for investment product strategy and key account management at Monroe Capital. He has experience working with wealth management clients, constructing customized investments and educating advisors on investment strategy. Prior to Monroe Capital, Anton ran a capital markets desk at Goldman Sachs, where he oversaw the distribution of public securities, private investments, and lending capabilities within the Global Banking & Markets Division. He began his career at Goldman Sachs in derivative sales after graduating from Holy Cross where he earned his B.A. in economics.
US Large Cap Value: Out of Favor or Underrated?
2025 is likely to be another year of “known unknowns,” which will require investors to be agile in order to capitalize on opportunities while avoiding sudden pitfalls from unforeseen outcomes. These known unknowns include how the new US administration may pivot its policies, how its pro-business agenda may influence the Fed, and whether corporate earnings growth can support lofty valuations. Join BNY Investments and its equity investment specialist Newton Investment Management for a discussion on why an allocation to US Large Cap Value makes sense today for navigating the changing market environment.
Workshop Objective: In this workshop, we will:
• Discuss why the next 10 years will be different from the last 10 years for US Large Cap Value investing and where we see pockets of opportunity
• Discuss how US Large Cap Value investing can complement Growth allocations and provide portfolio diversification
• Reveal how we uncover investment opportunities and where we see them now, relying upon a consistent, repeatable approach that leverages our unique multi-dimensional research process.
Speakers
Chris Hazelton
Global Investment Strategist, Newton Investment Management
Chris is a global investment strategist guiding the messaging and positioning of the value equity, equity income, infrastructure income and global natural resources investment disciplines.
Chris joined Newton in December 2022. Before joining Newton, Chris was the senior equity product strategist for BNY Investments’ North America Distribution team, where he was responsible for the product positioning and industry and competitive intelligence for BNY Investments’ equity and multi-asset alternative strategies.
Chris started his career at UBS Investment Bank, where he held numerous positions across global equity and credit research, institutional sales and global product management.
Chris earned a BSBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and an MBA in Finance from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University.
Redefining the Cash in Cash is King
We will share our view on the short part of the yield curve, and how we think you should view cash as a strategic asset within portfolios and asset allocation choices.
Workshop Objectives: To familiarize the audience with Payden and Rygel broadly, as well as to promote our expertise and experience with short duration portfolios, and enhanced cash management capabilities.
Company Profile: Payden & Rygel is one of the largest privately-owned global investment advisers. Founded in 1983, we manage fixed income and equity portfolios through domestic and international solutions. Advising the world's leading institutions and individual investors, we provide customized solutions and real-world strategies on the global economy and capital markets. Payden currently has $159.0 Billion in AUM as of December 31st, 2024
Speakers
Kerry G. Rapanot, CFA
Director
Kerry Gawne Rapanot is a Director and a member of the Low Duration Strategy leadership team at Payden & Rygel. She is responsible for the development and implementation of investment strategies within the firm’s liquidity-oriented and ultra short portfolios. In this capacity she is responsible for oversight of idea generation, strategy implementation and risk management. Prior to her role in strategy, she was the Manager of the Cash Trading desk active in trading government, money market and corporate bonds.
Before joining Payden & Rygel, Kerry was part of the Institutional Fixed-Income Group at Salomon Smith Barney where she sold bonds to institutional clients such as local governments and bank trust departments. Previously, she was with TD Waterhouse assisting retail clients with financial planning.
Kerry holds the FINRA series 7 and 63 licenses. Kerry is chair of the investment committee at the California Council on Economic Education, a 501c3 organization. She is past President of the CFA Society of Los Angeles and member of the CFA Institute.
She earned a BBA degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Canada, with an emphasis in finance and a minor in economics.
Representatives
Stephanie Walker
Sr. Vice President Business Development
Stephanie Walker is a Senior Vice President at Payden & Rygel. She serves as a Business Development Manager for private wealth clients including platforms, registered investment advisors, and national account services.
Prior to joining Payden & Rygel, Stephanie was a Vice President in BlackRock’s investment consultant group, responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with various clients. Previously, she was a relationship manager with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, responsible for relationships with broker dealers concerning engagement, communication and overall partnership.
Stephanie holds the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority series 7 and 66 licenses.
Stephanie earned a BA, in journalism from Boston University, where she played 4 years of varsity lacrosse.
Small companies, big opportunities
As the technology landscape shifts and interest rates start to ease, now is a good time to diversify away from what has historically been the most concentrated market in history in Large US tech companies. Polar Capital has launched a new International Small Company fund to capitalize on an overlooked segment of the market. Against this backdrop, Dan Boston who recently joined Polar Capital to lead a new Global Small Company investment team will discuss how he believes, this, alongside the fact that trading valuations are historically low compared to large caps, could be a compelling opportunity for small-cap investors abroad.
Workshop Objective: The objective is for delegates to understand why now could be a compelling opportunity for small-cap investors abroad.
Company Profile: Polar Capital is an experienced, investment-led, active fund manager
The company prides itself on its collegiate and meritocratic culture. Since incorporation in 2001, we have steadily grown our range of autonomous investment teams. The business is structured to allow teams to focus on their portfolios while a best-in-class operational structure works on everything else. Headquartered in London and listed on the UK stock market, Polar Capital has a global presence, including offices in New York, Connecticut and Georgia.
Speakers
Dan Boston
Lead Manager, Researcher
Dan joined Polar Capital in September 2024 as Head of the Global Small Company team and Lead Manager on the Polar Capital International Small Company Fund.
Prior to joining Polar Capital, Dan worked at Brown Capital Management, where he led the International Small Company strategy, which managed $3.5bn across a mutual fund and various managed accounts.
Representatives
Alastair Barrie
Managing Director, North America
Alastair joined Polar Capital in June 2019 to lead the company’s business development in North America. He has over 25 years of experience in asset management distribution in both wholesale and institutional markets. For the previous 10 years he worked with Martin Currie and has been based in New York since 2014. Prior to Martin Currie, he had a year as Director of Institutional Distribution at RBS Asset Management and spent the previous 13 years at Henderson Global Investors where he originally worked with the founders of Polar Capital. He started his career in 1992 working for Friends Provident, a UK-based life assurer.
Iain Evans
Global Head of Distribution
Iain joined Polar Capital in November 2004 and has over 30 years' sales and marketing experience in wholesale financial services. He leads the sales, marketing and client services teams. Prior to joining Polar Capital, he was an Associate Director at Henderson Global Investors where he worked with Tim Woolley and Brian Ashford-Russell, Polar Capital’s co-founders.
Has Ignoring the Core Cost Investors?
Style-based investing has increased in popularity in the past few decades, with many investors choosing to go active in their large value and large growth allocations while choosing to index in the large core space. Today, most of the core universe is passive while active managers in both growth and value have struggled to outperform vs. indexes. Additionally, the spectacular rise of the Mag 7 has been challenging for growth managers to manage the portfolio construction and risk management aspects of such large companies. With questions about the valuations and growth prospects for these companies, this session will address how investors should be approaching their U.S. equity allocation and current opportunities in the U.S.
Workshop Objectives: This session will focus on the implementation of U.S. equity allocations, the outperformance of competitively advantaged, cash flow rich companies and current opportunities in the U.S. equity landscape
Company Profile: With public and private market capabilities across all asset classes, Principal Asset ManagementSM and its specialist investment teams are focused on harnessing the potential of every opportunity to secure an advantage for its clients.
The 28th largest manager of worldwide institutional assets under management of 411 managers profile, Principal Asset Management applies local insights with global perspectives to identify compelling investment opportunities and deliver distinctive solutions aligned with client objectives.1
Principal Asset Management is the global investment management business for Principal Financial Group® (Nasdaq: PFG), managing $559.1 billion in assets and recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Money Management” for 13 consecutive years.2,3
Learn more at PrincipalAM.com.
1 Managers ranked by total worldwide institutional assets as of December 31, 2023. Pensions & Investments, “Largest Money Managers,” June 2024.
2 Principal Asset Management AUM as of December 31, 2024.
3 Pensions & Investments, “The Best Places to Work in Money Management” among companies with 1,000 or more employees, December 2024.
Speakers
Jaime Kiehn
Client Portfolio Manager
Jaime is a Managing Director and Client Portfolio Manager at Principal Edge, an investment team within Principal Asset Management. She joined Edge in 2010 as a Client Portfolio Manager. Previously, she was a Team Leader of Investment Product Management at Putnam Investments. She received an MBA from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University. Jaime has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
Representatives
Samantha Kintzle
Associate Director – Global Banks and Subadvisory, US Client Group
Samantha Kintzle – Associate Director – Global Banks and Subadvisory – US Client Group
Samantha is an Associate Director for Principal Asset Management, focused on key accounts teams for the largest global banking and sub-advisory relationships. Samantha joined the firm in 2014. Prior to her current role, Samantha was a product manager who partnered with product development to build out Principal’s ETF platform. She also was an analyst focusing on structured credit for Principal Fixed Income. Samantha received a bachelor's degree in Finance with a certificate in Risk Management and Insurance from the University of Iowa. Samantha is a Registered Representative of Principal Funds Distributor and holds the FINRA Series 66 and 7 licenses.
Steve Cusato
Senior Director, Strategic Client Group
Steve is a Senior Director, Strategic Client Group. He works with analysts and home office personnel to secure platform space for Principal's various investment capabilities. Steve joined the firm in 2006. Previously, he was a vice president, sales and marketing at Overture Asset Managers. His background also includes a position as senior account manager for Avatar Associates. Steve received a bachelor's degree in finance from Villanova University and has FINRA Series 7 and 63 license.
Fund Group Workshop
management. In addition to broad-based capabilities in equities, liquidity management and alternatives, our BlueBay fixed income platform seeks to embody the best aspects of alternative and traditional fixed income investing. We manage more than $130 billion* across a full spectrum of active fixed income strategies—all of which are designed to generate alpha within a capital preservation context. Our platform spans multiple investment dimensions and leverages our collective skill set to create differentiated portfolios. Through this approach, we seek to meet our clients’ risk/return objectives for a specific asset class while providing additional diversification across their overall portfolio.
*as of December 31, 2024
Speakers
Andrzej Skiba, CFA
Managing Director, Head of BlueBay U.S. Fixed Income
Andrzej is a managing director and the head of U.S. Fixed Income on the BlueBay Fixed Income team at RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., based in the U.S. He assumed this role in 2013, when he moved to the U.S. from London to oversee the buildout of global investment grade capability. This followed a period from 2009, where he was a portfolio manager responsible for corporate investments within BlueBay's Investment Grade strategies. Prior to joining the organization in 2005 as a credit analyst, Andrzej had worked for an investment bank as a credit analyst covering European investment grade issues in the telecom, media, and utility sectors. He started his career in the investment industry in 2001.
Representatives
Julia Burr, CIMA
Managing Director, Head of National Accounts
Julia is responsible for developing strategic distribution partnerships and representing the firm’s investment strategies to our intermediary business partners. Julia joined RBC GAM-US in 2015 from a large asset manager based in Boston, where she worked as a strategic relationship manager supporting the independent broker/dealer channel. She started her career in the financial services industry in 2001.
Roberto Andrade, CFA
National Accounts Manager
Roberto is a National Accounts Manager at RBC GAM-US, supporting the National Accounts team through client engagement, prospecting initiatives, and due diligence reporting to enhance partnerships and support the team’s overall growth. Roberto began his career in the financial services industry in 2014. Roberto holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Manitoba. He is also a CFA® charterholder.
2025 Outlook for Gold
Join George Milling-Stanley, Chief Gold Strategist at State Street Global Advisors, to discuss gold’s:
Economic outlook - Soft landing, “extended period of below trend growth”, or recession?
Geopolitics - Actual: Ukraine, Israel and broader middle East. Possible: Increasing China aggression, ugly US election.
How will gold react? Demand outlook, especially jewelry, investment, and central banks. Supply outlook, including mine production and recycling.
Gold’s role in a portfolio.
Outlook for the gold price.
Workshop Objectives: To provide participants with the views of SSGA and the Gold Strategy Team on the prospects for the gold market in 2025 and beyond and identify what we expect to be the major drivers of the price, macroeconomic, geopolitical, and relating to the balance between demand and supply.
Company Profile: For four decades, State Street Global Advisors has served the world’s governments, institutions and financial advisors. With a rigorous, risk-aware approach built on research, analysis and market-tested experience, we build from a breadth of index and active strategies to create cost-effective solutions. As stewards, we help portfolio companies see that what is fair for people and sustainable for the planet can deliver long-term performance. And, as pioneers in index, ETF, and ESG investing, we are always inventing new ways to invest. As a result, we have become the world’s fourth-largest asset manager* with US $3.48 trillion† under our care. *Pensions & Investments Research Center, as of 12/31/21. †This figure is presented as June 30, 2022 and includes approximately $66.43 billion of assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. *Pensions & Investments Research Center, as of 12/31/21.
Speakers
George Milling-Stanley
Chief Gold Strategist, State Street Global Advisors SPDR
George Milling-Stanley is Chief Gold Strategist with State Street Global Advisors SPDR. He joined SPDR as a Vice President and Head of Gold Strategy in November 2014. Before joining SPDR, George ran the independent consultancy George Milling-Stanley on Gold, LLC. He retired from the World Gold Council in 2011 after a 15-year career there. Most recently he had been responsible for all programs involving central banks, governments, and regulatory authorities. Before that, he was a key member of the small team that pioneered the development of gold-backed Exchange Traded Funds. His earlier career included six years on the precious metals trading desk of Lehman Brothers. Previously he worked for Consolidated Gold Fields in London, and before that spent 10 years as a reporter and columnist with the Financial Times.
Opportunities in International: Companies, Not Countries, Matter Most
It’s helpful to be macro aware. But it’s critical to be squarely focused on the opportunities that are revealed through rigorous fundamental research into individual companies. Opportunity sets within the same industry exist, of course, across regions and countries. But valuation starting points and earnings visibility are crucial to weighing the relative risks and potential rewards among global investment options. Today’s forward P/E of the S&P 500 of 22x reflects a gaping premium to the MSCI ACWI ex-US Index’s multiple of just less than 14x. Moreover, some unique, idiosyncratic opportunities only exist outside the U.S., where no equivalent investments can be had. These stocks offer not just compelling valuations, but important portfolio diversification attributes.
International companies often have different economic sensitives and earnings cycles, potentially providing countercyclical cashflow streams. That’s why a meaningful allocation to international and global portfolios can benefit investors who are heavily allocated to the U.S., which is priced for perfection. At a time when 10-year Treasury yields have risen markedly even as the US Federal Reserve has repeatedly cut its target interest rate, international and global funds are more important than ever.
Workshop Objective: Discuss attractively valued investment opportunities arising across international markets. We will also provide an overview of the Thornburg International Equity Fund as a vehicle to access these opportunities.
Speakers
Matt Burdett
Head of Equities and Managing Director
Matt Burdett is head of equities and a portfolio manager for Thornburg Investment Management. He rejoined the firm in 2015 as an associate portfolio manager. Matt was named a managing director and was promoted to portfolio manager in 2018 and to head of equities in 2024. Matt spent several years as a senior vice president and portfolio manager at PIMCO, where he co-managed various dividend-oriented strategies. Prior to his time at PIMCO, Matt worked from 2010 to 2011 as an equity analyst at Thornburg.
Earlier in his career, Matt was director of healthcare investment banking at CIBC World Markets / Oppenheimer and a medicinal chemist at Sunesis Pharmaceuticals. Matt holds an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Representatives
Copeland Filoon, CFA, CAIA
Director, Platform Development
Copeland Filoon is director, platform development at Thornburg Investment Management, responsible for platform business development and intermediary due diligence group relationship management. Copeland joined the firm in 2017.
Prior to Thornburg, Copeland was a director, client portfolio manager at Symphony Asset Management, responsible for communication of portfolio attribution, strategy positioning, market outlook, and development of investment solutions for high-net-worth and institutional investors. He previously worked for Franklin Templeton Investments as vice president, senior product manager for the Franklin Fixed Income Group. He has also held various senior-level positions at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, New England Pension Consultants (NEPC), mPower Advisors, and Standard & Poor’s.
Copeland received a BA in economics from Vanderbilt University. He is registered with FINRA with a Series 7 and 63 and is a CFA and CAIA charterholder.
Johnathan Burnham, CFA
Director, Platform Development
Johnathan Burnham is director, platform development for Thornburg Investment Management. He is responsible for working with teams performing due diligence on Thornburg’s investment products.
Prior to joining Thornburg, Johnathan was the manager of investment strategy & research for Advised Assets Group, LLC, a registered investment advisor providing services to defined contribution plans. Johnathan has completed the Series 7 and 63 exams and is a CFA charterholder. He graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in finance and was awarded an MBA from the University of Colorado, Denver.
Johnathan chairs the investment committee for National Dance Institute New Mexico, a non-profit providing programming to almost 10,000 children in the state. He also served as the vice president of CFA Society, New Mexico.
Jesse Brownell
Global Head of Distribution and Managing Director
Jesse Brownell is global head of distribution for Thornburg Investment Management. He is responsible for leading the sales and distribution efforts across the company's institutional, intermediary, and international lines of business. Prior to his current role, Jesse served as regional consultant, divisional sales director, head of US Intermediary, then head of global distribution for the firm. He was elected managing director in 2020. His prior experience includes serving as regional director for Highland Capital Management and regional consultant for Hartford Funds. Before entering the financial services industry, Jesse played professional baseball with the Colorado Rockies.Throughout his career, Jesse has demonstrated a track record of driving outcomes and has been critical to informing the strategic direction of the distribution function at Thornburg. His positive influence and perspective across the organization sets a foundation for high yet achievable results.
Jesse received his BS from the University of Iowa. He is currently registered with FINRA with a Series 7, 66 and 24.
High Yield Credit - What’s the Outlook for Sub-Investment Grade Fixed Income?
Ares Portfolio Manager will discuss the fund’s team, objective and investment style.
The fund seeks total return, primarily from income and capital appreciation by investing primarily in global debt securities.
• Employs flexibility by allocating assets among core investments and opportunistic investments as market conditions change
• Identifies companies and securities that are believed to offer attractive relative values when compared to their fundamental credit risk
• Actively hedges portfolio risks, including credit, interest rate, and currency, in an effort to preserve capital
Consists of several broad investment categories, including high yield bonds, bank loans, special situations, structured credit and hedges
Workshop Objectives: Touchstone Investments believes in being Distinctively Active. To us this means delivering active investment management via institutional assets managers recognized for their particular expertise, delivering our industry leading practice management tools to help you actively manage your practice and offering unique perspectives on the economy and markets via our in-house thought leadership.
Company Profile: Touchstone Investments is a Distinctively Active fund company committed to providing investors with access to strategies sub-advised by institutional asset managers. Touchstone’s diverse but focused product offering gives investors a full breadth of investment options across styles and asset classes, includes U.S. equity, international equity, income and multi-asset funds.
Speakers
Chris Mathewson
Partner & Portfolio ManagerAres Capital Management II LLC
Chris Mathewson is a Partner and Portfolio Manager of U.S. Liquid Credit in the Ares Credit Group, where he is primarily responsible for managing Ares' U.S. high yield credit strategies. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group's U.S. Liquid Credit Investment Committee
Representatives
Rob Moody
Vice President, Institutional Business DevelopmentTouchstone Investments
Rob Moody, Vice President - Institutional Business Development, has over 20 years of experience in the investment industry. He is responsible for the distribution of Touchstone strategies to the institutional markets, with a focus on Platform and Consultant Relations. Rob has held positions of various roles with firms such as Columbia Threadneedle Investments, John Hancock and Merrill Lynch.
Michael Orr, CFA
Vice President, Institutional Business DevelopmentTouchstone Investments
Michael Orr, Vice President - Institutional Business Development, has experience in the industry since 2006. He is responsible for the distribution of Touchstone strategies to the institutional markets, with a focus on Platform and Consultant Relations. Michael has an extensive background in financial services focusing on home office investment manager research, due diligence, and asset allocation teams. He earned a BS in Business with a concentration in Finance from Elon University.
Late cycle playbook: Navigating today’s fixed income market
Trade tensions and geopolitical risk head a list of potential catalysts for spread widening in 2025. However, falling interest rates, driven by lower inflation, combined with low but positive growth, provides a positive environment for fixed income investors.
Eoin Walsh, Partner, Portfolio Management will explain why higher yielding, specialist fixed income sectors such as subordinated financials and collateralised loan obligations (CLOs) are the best way to target attractive risk-adjusted returns in 2025.
Workshop Objectives: To help the audience understand why now is the right time to allocate to fixed income, which parts of the fixed income market offer investors the most value in 2025.
Company Profile: TwentyFour Asset Management is a specialist fixed income fund manager, headquartered in the city of London and a boutique of the Swiss based Vontobel Group. Since inception in 2008, TwentyFour has built an enviable reputation for performance, expertise, and innovation in its chosen sector.
We specialize in fixed income, nothing else. This focus means that all our resources and people are managing one asset class with no distractions. This allows us to concentrate on delivering the best outcomes for our clients. We currently have $26.5bn in assets under management (as at 12/31/2024).
Speakers
Eoin Walsh
Partner and Portfolio Manager, TwentyFour Asset Management
Eoin is one of the founding partners of TwentyFour and a member of the Multi-Sector Bond portfolio management team.
Eoin sits on the Executive Committee and the Asset Allocation Committee.
Before joining TwentyFour, he was a portfolio manager at Citigroup Alternative Investments managing over $75bn of fixed income assets.
Representatives
John Lehning
Head of US Sales, TwentyFour Asset Management
John joined TwentyFour in January 2025 as their Head of US Sales, with a 30-year track record of success in the industry.
Before joining TwentyFour, he spent over a decade leading JO Hambro’s business development efforts in the US. Prior to that, he held key roles at UBS Asset Management and Turner Investment Partners.
Fund Group Workshop
Speakers
Eric Fine
Portfolio Manager, Head of Active Emerging Markets Debt VanEck
Mr. Fine joined VanEck in 2009. He serves as the Portfolio Manager for the VanEck Emerging Markets Bond Strategy and oversees the Emerging Markets Fixed Income team. He is responsible for portfolio strategy, credit and market analysis, and security selection. Mr. Fine has been conducting business in emerging markets for over 25 years. Prior to joining VanEck, Mr. Fine founded and managed Morgan Stanley’s Emerging Markets Proprietary Trading group from 2004 to 2008. Mr. Fine worked at Morgan Stanley for 14 years, including 6 years running the firm’s Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) research group, and 4 years running the Global Emerging Markets Economics and Strategy research group where he outperformed indices with his model portfolios. Mr. Fine has won numerous research awards including Credit Magazine’s Best European Emerging Markets Credit Research Team and received recognitions from Institutional Investor and Euromoney. While at Morgan Stanley, he advised numerous governments on economic policies and debt profiles and rescheduled sovereign debts in countries such as Turkey and the Dominican Republic. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Fine started and led a telecommunications company in Russia for the Harvard Institute for International Development that built the country’s first securities clearing system. Mr. Fine received an MPA in International Trade and Finance from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and earned a BA in Public Policy from Duke University. He has made numerous media appearances, has been frequently quoted in popular media, and is a contributing author for Institutional Investor and Barron’s.
Getting the big decisions right: Don't miss today's opportunities in core fixed income
Attractive fixed income yields and recent outperformance of risk assets make now a great time to ensure investors’ portfolios are appropriately diversified with an allocation to bonds. Active core and core-plus bond portfolios are a great place to start.
In this session, we’ll explore the value of core and core-plus funds and ETFs, how they can be used to meet investors’ objectives, and why now is a particularly compelling time to take another look at your core.
We’ll discuss how Vanguard’s active Core Bond ETF (VCRB) and Core-Plus Bond ETF (VPLS) are differentiated relative to other core and core-plus strategies and dig into the opportunities Vanguard’s active taxable fixed income team is finding in today’s market.
Workshop Objectives: Get a deeper understanding of the current opportunity in fixed income and how Core and Core-Plus strategies can be used to investors’ objectives in today’s market.
Company Profile: Vanguard is one of the world's most respected investment management companies, offering a broad selection of investments, advice, retirement services, and insights to individual investors, institutions, and financial professionals. We operate under a unique, investor-owned structure and adhere to a simple purpose: To take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investing success. Shareholders in Vanguard funds benefit from our client focus, experience, stability, and long-term, disciplined investment approach.
Speakers
Dan Larkin
Investment Product Manager
Dan Larkin joined Vanguard in 2016 as a senior product manager in Vanguard Portfolio Review Department, where he is responsible for supporting the active taxable fixed income product lineup, including: monitoring each fund’s positioning and performance in the markets, communicating about our products internally and externally, and driving and implementing product improvements.
Rebecca Venter
Investment Product Manager
Rebecca Venter is a Senior Fixed Income Product Manager in Vanguard’s Portfolio Review Department, which oversees Vanguard’s product lineup. As a product manager, Rebecca is responsible for supporting the active taxable fixed income product lineup, including: monitoring each product’s positioning and performance in the markets, communicating about Vanguard’s products internally and externally, and driving product improvements.
Exploring WCM’s ‘go anywhere’* high conviction non-US strategy with Portfolio Manager, Greg Ise
Founded over 48 years ago and independently owned, WCM stewards over $90B** of assets in long-only, focused equity strategies implementing the core belief that high quality businesses, with positive moat trajectories and aligned corporate cultures, lead to more durable growth than longer-term consensus expectations. Our Focused International Opportunities (FIO) strategy draws from other WCM strategies focusing on our high-conviction non-US ideas. Since the strategy inception in November 2018 through December 2024, FIO has outperformed WCM’s other international strategies on an absolute basis. In this presentation, Greg unpacks how it all works. FIO is accessible via a Mutual Fund, commingled vehicle, model delivery, and separate accounts.
Workshop Objective: For calendar years 2001-2024, 82% of the top 50 performing stocks in the MSCI All Country World Index were from outside the US.*** This workshop helps Advisors build client portfolios that consider non-US companies.
*The strategy is managed flexibly, with the ability to invest in businesses across market capitalizations. However, the strategy's investments are primarily allocated to small- and mid-cap international public companies on initial purchase
**As of 12/31/2024, includes model assets. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The international strategies may be benchmarked against different indices than FIO.
***Source: FactSet, MSCI. MSCI All Country World Index, total return, by stock in USD for the period 12/31/2000 – 12/31/2024.
Each calendar year end was calculated as the number of non-US companies divided by the sample size (top 50) and averaged.
Speakers
Greg Ise
Portfolio Manager and Business Analyst
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Greg joined WCM in 2014; his primary responsibilities are portfolio management and equity research for our global, fundamental growth strategies. Since the start of his career in 2001, Greg’s experience includes positions at Rainier Investment Management, Allianz Global Investors, Osmium Partners, and UBS. Greg earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a CFA® charterholder. |
Representatives
Adam Kleiman
Portfolio Specialist
Adam joined WCM in 2023; he is responsible for institutional business development and client servicing. Since he began his investment career in 2006, Adam's institutional sales experience includes positions at GQG Partners and Hartford Funds. He earned his B.A. from The George Washington University and his M.B.A. from Temple University's Fox School of Business.
Mike Cila
Portfolio Specialistclays
Mike joined WCM in 2023; he is responsible for institutional business development and client servicing. Since he began his investment career in 2012, Mike's business development experience includes positions at GQG Partners and Lord Abbett. He earned his BBA in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University. Mike is a CIMA® professional.
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Smart International – Diversifying with Margins of Safety
US equity markets are expensive, and the valuation gulf between home and international valuations are growing. Our view is that it is always right to be globally diversified, but now, almost more than at any time, US investors can access developed international markets (EAFE), at relatively cheap levels. We think this is a smart thing to do.
Xtrackers by DWS has a long legacy of managing non-US assets for investors and our passive suite of ETFs in the US includes several strategies designed to provide alpha, income, and diversification.
Workshop Objectives:
• Discuss Capital Markets Assumptions that point to outperformance in EAFE and other regions.
• Consider the margins of safety that hedging currency risk can provide.
• Understand important value and income tilts through thoughtful approaches to dividends.
• Discover Xtrackers Capabilities: Introduce a variety of non-US focused Xtrackers capabilities to either reduce risk, add value, and/or provide income.
• The idea is this - always hold international, hold more of it when it is relatively cheap, and add a second margin of safety through intelligent implementation of your holding choices.
Company Profile: Xtrackers by DWS is a global provider of passive solutions with an index track record going back over 20 years. We provide investors with innovation, access and value through a broad range of cost-effective, high-quality US-listed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) across all major asset classes – equities, fixed income and smart beta.
Xtrackers provides numerous building blocks for traditional investment strategies, FX-hedged equities, mainland China equities, ESG strategies (environmental, social, governance), dividends and factors, high-yield, as well as innovative products on thematic investments and growth trends of the future.
Speakers
Robert Bush
Senior Research Analyst Thought Leadership
Robert joined DWS in 2015 and has over 19 years of experience in the industry. He specializes in investment research focusing on Quant, SAA, FX and discusses industry trends and firm strategies with clients, sales teams, and wider industry. Prior to DWS, Robert served as a Teaching Assistant at Columbia Business School and has greater experience as an Economic Analyst and Commodity Arbitrager at HM treasury and New York Board of Trade, respectively. Robert begun his career at J.P. Morgan as a Bond Trader. He is a graduate of LSE and has achieved an MBA from Columbia Business School as well as a Master of Science from Oxford.
Representatives
Shawna Macnamara
Head of Xtrackers Sales On Shore, Advisory
Shawna joined DWS in 2023 with 23 years of industry experience. Prior to her current role, Shawna was the Head of National Accounts, ETFs for Janus Henderson Investors and Head of National Accounts, First Investors Funds at Foresters Financial Services. Shawna has previously served as Executive Director, Head of National Accounts at UBS Asset Management where she drove expansion of a new distribution strategy for a diverse product suite. She also has experience at Schroders and U.S. Trust Company.
Speakers
Michelle Kelley
Michelle Kelley, a former second-grade teacher turned expert in economic espionage and state security, now leads the U.S. branch of The Listening Institute. Michelle’s journey from the classroom to the forefront of international law enforcement is not just a career shift but a testament to her unique skill set in communication and negotiation. She is a celebrated speaker, often sought after for her insights on how listening and understanding can be powerful tools in both hostage negotiation and the business sector.
Before joining the FBI, Michelle taught second grade, where she honed her ability to listen and communicate effectively—skills that she would later realize were invaluable in high-stakes environments. Transitioning to work with state and federal agencies, she dealt with cases ranging from cracking pedophile rings to negotiating with terrorists. Her experiences have given her profound insights into the mechanics of human communication in crisis situations.
At The Listening Institute, Michelle trains professionals to apply negotiation techniques refined in hostage situations to their everyday business dealings, thereby enhancing their influence and efficacy in negotiations. Her approach, which emphasizes the importance of listening, has not only revolutionized how law enforcement officials handle delicate situations but has also been immensely beneficial to business leaders aiming to secure better deals. Michelle’s workshops and keynotes distill these complex interactions into transferable skills that attendees can immediately apply in their professional lives.
Michelle Kelley is not just a master of negotiation; she is a pioneer in adapting these high-stakes communication skills for broader societal benefits. Her work continues to inspire and equip individuals across various sectors to engage more meaningfully, listen more effectively, and achieve greater outcomes in their personal and professional interactions.
Seán Villanueva O'Driscoll
Seán Villanueva O’Driscoll is a world-renowned climber and alpinist, celebrated for his daring ascents and bold explorations of some of the world’s most remote and challenging mountain ranges.
Seán started sport climbing in Belgium at the age of 13 and progressed to what is now his specialty, free climbing big walls and off-width cracks in preferably harsh conditions. He grew an affinity for mammoth objectives and virgin walls in remote and harsh locations: Patagonia, Pakistan, Baffin Island, Greenland. For Seán, expeditions, climbing, and the lifestyle are about enjoying the full experience, not single moves, or chasing grades. O’Driscoll received a Piolet d’Or for a 2010 expedition to Greenland along with three climbing partners. The Piolets d’Or awards raise awareness about the year’s greatest ascents across the world. They aim to celebrate the taste for adventure, the bravery and sense of exploration that lie behind the art of climbing in the world’s great mountain ranges.
Best known for his groundbreaking climbs in Patagonia, Seán’s most notable achievement came in 2021 with his solo ascent of the Fitz Roy Traverse, a monumental 5 km-rugged ridgeline in Southern Patagonian. For this incredible feat, he was honoured with another Piolet d'Or, the most prestigious award in the climbing community. This was only the second time that these iconic spires of Patagonia have been climbed in its entirety in a single push, and the first solo. The Fitz Traverse follows the skyline of Cerro Fitz Roy and its six satellite peaks. For those not familiar with the iconic mountain range, it is the emblem for the clothing company Patagonia. The traverse consists of 13,000 feet of vertical gain over the four-mile span of the massif. Prior to this enormous undertaking, only Tommy Caldwell (of the documentary 'The Dawn Wall') and Alex Honnold (of 'Free Solo') had managed to complete the traverse.
Beyond his physical accomplishments, Seán is known for his humility, humor, and joyful approach to climbing, often documenting his adventures in videos that capture his light-hearted spirit. His unique combination of skill, creativity, and philosophy has earned him a place among the most respected and admired climbers of his generation.
Speakers
Neil Dutta
Neil Dutta is Head of Economics at Renaissance Macro Research. In this role, he analyzes global economic and cross-asset market themes, providing leading-edge forecasts for institutional clients. Before his current role, Neil was a Senior Economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch covering both the US and Canada.
Jonas Deichmann
Once around the world in the triathlon disciplines swimming, cycling and running. Jonas Deichmann made the impossible possible. While the world was in lockdown, Jonas circumnavigated the globe in 14 months full of borderline experiences, setbacks as well as moments of joy. Jonas swam 460km through the Adriatic Sea against currents, storms and sometimes even alone in the darkness. Then he cycled more than 20.000 km and crossed Siberia in the middle of winter. Finally, he ran 120 marathons in 117 days across Mexico and became a national hero. As the "German Forrest Gump" he made national news and thousands of people joined the run with millions following online. In the end there is an unbelievable story of courage and motivation.
You can follow Jonas LIVE on his run across America here:
Instagram Jonas_Deichmann
Website https://jonasdeichmann.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/JonasDeichmannAdventures
Speakers
MODERATOR
Christopher Vella
Anna Snider
Betsy Gorton
Kristen Griffin
