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Speakers
Arjan de Boer
Drawing upon his extensive leadership experience and industry knowledge, Arjan is responsible for the entire products and services offering in Asia and overlooks the regional investment strategy.
Arjan started his financial career with Hollandsche Bank Unie (HBU), serving Private, Corporate and Institutional clients within a dealing room environment, and subsequently became Head of Treasury & Special Products Private Clients in the Netherlands.
He has over 14 years of experience with ABN AMRO Private Banking, of which more than 7 years were spent in Asia. In early 2006, he relocated to Singapore to take up the position of Regional Head of Treasury & Special Products for Private Banking in Asia with ABN AMRO.
With his strong understanding of the needs of Asian clients, Arjan moved to Hong Kong in April 2010 and was appointed Head of Private Banking for North Asia. Following this, he was appointed Head of North Asia at ANZ Private Bank before being appointed Head of Integration for ANZ Retail & Private Wealth Asia in April 2016. Arjan was appointed Head of Head of Markets, Investments & Structuring Asia at Indosuez Wealth Management in February 2017.
Arjan graduated with a Master of Science in Business Economics from Nyenrode University, the Netherlands.
Cynthia Lai
Cynthia has over 20 years of industry experience. She joined Bank of Singapore in January 2022 from J,P. Morgan Private Bank where she was the Head of Asset Class Specialists in Asia and was responsible for funds and single asset class mandates advisory.
Prior to joining J.P. Morgan Private Bank in 2017, she was a Managed Solutions Advisory Director with Standard Chartered Private Bank in Southeast Asia. Before joining Standard Chartered Private Bank in 2015, she spent a decade with Citibank where she was responsible for manager selection. Cynthia spent the earlier part of her career in hedge funds research, sales and asset management roles.
Dany Dupasquier
Dany joined Standard Chartered Bank in July 2009 and has over 30 years of experience in the banking sector. He was previously with Lombard Odier in Singapore where was a Vice President/Analyst in the Funds of Hedge Funds unit. His mandate included sourcing, analysis and selection of hedge fund managers for the private bank's in-house fund of funds. Prior to that, Dany was based in Lombard Odier's Geneva office where he started his career in the Geneva-based private bank in 1991. Dany is a CFA charter holder.
Evelyn Yeo
Based in Singapore, Evelyn joined Pictet in 2019 as Head of Asia Investments and is responsible for Research (macroeconomic, equity), Solutions (discretionary, advisory) and Distribution teams in Asia. In addition, effective 1 January 2023, Evelyn has taken on the additional role as Deputy CEO, Bank Pictet & Cie (Asia) Ltd (BPCAL), the Pictet Group’s Singapore banking entity.
She has over 20 years’ industry experience with leadership positions covering investment office, mandate consulting and sales management with Bank Julius Baer and UBS.
Evelyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University and an MBA at University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a CAIA charterholder and a member of MENSA Singapore. She is fluent in English and Mandarin.
Speakers
Jansen Phee
Jansen Phee is the head of Funds Investment Solutions for Asia Pacific at UBS Global Wealth Management. He is also the head of Global Investment Management China. In his first role, Jansen is responsible for UBS GWM’s fund business in APAC. He is based in Singapore and chairs UBS’s Asia Pacific Investment Fund Forum and is also a member of its Global Investment Funds Forum. In his other role, Jansen is responsible for UBS GWM’s funds, alternatives, and wealth planning (life insurance and family trust) businesses in domestic China. Jansen previously also headed UBS’s discretionary fixed income and equity teams and was the head of the Singapore and Malaysia Investment Specialist team where he helped advise and structure investment solutions for clients. He has over 18 years of experience in investment advisory, discretionary management and research roles.
Prior to re-joining UBS, he was with BNP Paribas WM as the Head of Equities within the discretionary portfolio management team and before that a senior investment counselor. Jansen also spent time at Mercer Consulting as an investment consultant and at Citigroup Private Bank as an investment portfolio counselor.
Jansen graduated from the London School of Economics with Honors in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics.
John Ng
John has 30 years’ experience in the banking and finance industry. The first 10 years of his career was spent in corporate banking and project finance. He then moved to the asset management business as investment analyst and portfolio manager, and has spent the last 15 years in private banking.
John joined DBS in 2017, setting up the Portfolio Counselling Team and headed the managed advisory service. In 2020, took over responsibility for the funds and Private Equity business.
John holds an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and has a bachelor’s degree from Curtin University, Australia.
Stephanie Chan
Stephanie is Head of Managed Portfolio and Alternative Investments for International Wealth Management, based in Singapore. She also oversees the annuity business for the division.
Stephanie joined Nomura in December 2015 and has a strong managed portfolio background with over 16 years of experience in fund selection and advisory.
Prior to Nomura, Stephanie was a director at HSBC Private Bank’s discretionary wealth management unit.
Before that, she was a senior director at Bank Sarasin & Cie and head of investor relations and asset class leader, Asia, at JPMorgan Private Bank.
Stephanie holds a master’s degree in business administration (management) from City University of Seattle and a bachelor’s degree in science (international business marketing) from University of San Francisco.
Yazid Mahadi
Yazid is the Head of Funds Selection at Bank of Singapore and he plays a key role in developing the funds platform and ESG framework for funds in the Bank. He has over a decade of experience in the institutional investment space in which he was primarily responsible for the external fund management and asset allocation in a sovereign wealth fund in Brunei. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with an MPhil in Economics. He is also a CFA Charterholder and obtained the Certificate in ESG Investing from CFA.
Workshops
Workshops
Investing in China’s Future Growth Drivers
Presentation Summary:
Recent events have added urgency to China’s move away from property and infrastructure to a more diversified, self-sufficient, technology-led growth model. The innovation story is not new. China has already built global leadership in a number of areas. But this represents only the start of a long journey, and there is a long runway for growth. The market capitalisation of China’s top 20 software companies is only 4% of the US. The AI race is on, but what’s the durability of this trend?
Company Profile:
Allianz Global Investors is a leading active asset manager with over 600 investment professionals in over 20 offices worldwide and managing EUR 514 billion in assets. We invest for the long term and seek to generate value for clients every step of the way. We do this by being active – in how we partner with clients and anticipate their changing needs, and build solutions based on capabilities across public and private markets. Our focus on protecting and enhancing our clients’ assets leads naturally to a commitment to sustainability to drive positive change. Our goal is to elevate the investment experience for clients, whatever their location or objectives.
Speakers
Marco Yau
Portfolio Manager, Research Analyst
Marco is a Hong Kong-based research analyst with Allianz Global Investors specialising in the China financials and software sectors. He joined the firm in October 2018 and became co-lead portfolio manager of the AllianzGI China Future Technologies strategy in July 2022. Marco has 13 years of industry experience. Before joining Allianz Global Investors, he worked at CEB International Capital and CLSA Ltd, specialising in China financials. Marco holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Hong Kong, as well as an LLB degree from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Sarah Lien
Senior Product Specialist
Sarah is a Singapore-based product specialist with Allianz Global Investors. She joined the firm in 2022 and specializes in Greater China and Asian equity strategies. Sarah has more than 20 years investment experience. She previously worked at Eastspring Investments as client portfolio manager and also Russell Investments where she was responsible for manager selection in Asian and Emerging Market equities. Sarah has a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Virginia.
Unlocking Climate Transition Opportunity in Fixed Income
Presentation Summary:
As the world transitions towards net-zero emissions, rapid large-scale decarbonization is needed to limit global warming. Capital reallocation across all asset classes is required to facilitate that change, and we believe fixed income plays a critical role, while representing an attractive investment opportunity.
Allspring Global Investments will share more insights on how climate transition investment grade and high yield portfolios can effectively be decarbonized while enabling the transition to a net-zero economy without sacrificing performance with our climate transition credit strategies.
Company Profile:
Allspring Global Investments, a leading independent asset management firm that offers a broad range of investment products and solutions designed to help meet clients' goals. With more than $547 billion in assets under advisement ( as of 30/6/23) and 23 offices around the world, our vision is to inspire a new era of investing that pursues both financial returns and positive outcomes. With decades of trusted experience propelling us forward, we strive to build portfolios aimed at generating successful outcomes for our clients. We do this through the independence of thought that powers our investment strategies and by bringing a renewed approach to look around the corner to unlock what's possible.
Speaker
Sarah Harrison
Senior Portfolio Manager, Plus Fixed Income
Sarah Harrison is a senior portfolio manager for the Plus Fixed Income team. She joined Allspring from Morgan Stanley, where she most recently was a credit portfolio manager serving as the lead on the European high yield strategies and a co-portfolio manager on the global high yield strategies. She began her investment industry career in 2009 and has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Schulich School of Business.
Japan - The Investment Hotspot
Presentation Summary:
Japan is in a sweet spot right now due to a confluence of cyclical and structural tailwinds and these are leading to stronger than expected corporate earnings. The recent TSE initiative is a game changer that builds on prior corporate governance reforms and the journey of improving profitability looks set to continue. With a little bit of inflation and wage growth, Japan has the best chance in a generation to move out of the deflationary era that has held it back for so long, and the trends of green transformation and friend-shoring could mean a much stronger capex environment moving forwards. Japan remains substantially under-owned by international investors and even after strong returns this year, the long-term investment case looks solid. Hear from Eastspring Investments as they share their insights on the market and why a contrarian approach is the best way to exploit episodes of behavioral mispricing.
Company Profile:
Eastspring Investments, part of Prudential plc, is a global asset manager with Asia at its core, offering innovative investment solutions to meet the financial needs of clients. At the heart of Eastspring is a strong connection with our shared purpose – For Every Life, For Every Future. – and this clearly guides everything we do.
Since our founding in 1994, we have built an unparalleled on-the-ground presence in 11 key Asian markets as well as distribution offices in North America and Europe. We manage a total of USD 228 billion (as of 30 June 2023) across a broad range of strategies including equity, fixed income, multi asset and quantitative for institutional and retail clients globally. For more information, visit eastspring.com.
Speaker
Oliver Lee
Client Portfolio Manager
Oliver Lee is a Client Portfolio Manager with Eastspring Investments. He is a member of the Japan Equity investment team and represents the strategies managed by the team to investors globally. Previously Oliver was with Jupiter Asset Management in London as Investment Director, specialising in emerging market equities, and with Merian Global Investors based in Hong Kong covering their Asia, China and Japan capabilities. Oliver graduated from University of Wales, Cardiff with a BSc in Business Administration and is a CFA and CAIA charterholder.
The “Golden Age” of Private Credit: All That Glitters May Not Be Gold
Presentation Summary:
With the sharp rise in base rates and a resilient economy, floating rate private credit loans have outperformed other constituents of the fixed income universe, particularly when accounting for volatility. While secular tailwinds should continue to support private credit, the rapid expansion in AUM warrants a closer examination of the internals driving that growth. Private credit has shown the ability to weather macroeconomic shocks before, but it is a heterogenous asset class and is not immune from speculative excesses, as the 2021-vintage shows. Looking ahead, Benefit Street believes that a disciplined and selective approach will be the key to identifying dislocations in the market and generating sustainable returns over the next market cycle.
Company Profile - Franklin Templeton:
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,300 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and over US$1.4 trillion in assets under management as of 30 June 2023.
Company Profile - Benefit Street Partners:
A leading, credit-focused alternative asset management firm for both institutions and high-net-worth investors.
The BSP team invests across the credit spectrum – from senior secured debt to subordinated debt, as well as both liquid and illiquid credit and seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns. We have extensive experience deploying capital through multiple business cycles with the objective of delivering on the investment goals of our investors.
With our recent acquisition of Alcentra, BSP has 411 employees and 173 investment professionals. (as of 31 Mar 2023). Our senior management team has worked together for over two decades. The firm is led by a talented team of portfolio managers and investment professionals, which include a dedicated research team with sector-specific expertise. The firm’s complementary strategies leverage the proprietary sourcing, analytical, operational and compliance capabilities that encompass BSP’s robust institutional platform. Our headquarters are in New York, with additional offices in Boston, Rochester, West Palm Beach, Dallas and London. BSP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Franklin Templeton).
Speaker
Anant Kumar
Managing Director, Head of Research, Benefit Street Partners (Franklin Templeton)
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Anant Kumar is Head of Research and a managing director with Benefit Street Partners and is based in our West Palm Beach office. Prior to joining BSP in 2015, Mr. Kumar worked in the capital markets advisory group at Lazard Frères and the leveraged finance group at Deutsche Bank. Mr. Kumar received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, a Master of Science from Stanford University, and a Bachelor of Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University in India.
Investing in the Energy Transition
Presentation Summary:
How are asset owners playing their part in the global transition to green energy? It is not always straightforward to combine doing the right thing with generating returns. But regulators and governments are increasingly incentivising the transition, implying significant investment opportunities. In addition, the weight of assets attracted to sustainable investment goals in an unsophisticated manner suggests there are potentially large rewards for investors with an industry-leading approach.
We will share our pioneering philosophy in this space, starting with a quantitative climate alignment analysis, and then focusing on companies with a high potential opportunity in the energy transition alongside an active engagement with climate laggards.
Company Profile:
We are Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), the asset management business of Legal & General Group. Our purpose is to create a better future through responsible investing. We strive to achieve this through a strong sense of partnership with our clients, working together to achieve positive long-term outcomes.
We draw on industry-leading expertise to innovate constantly across public and private assets, index and active strategies. And we are a responsible investor, rising to the challenges of a rapidly changing world. On behalf of savers, retirees and institutions worldwide, we manage USD 1.4 trillion in assets.*
* Source: LGIM internal data as at 31 December 2022. The AUM disclosed aggregates the assets managed by LGIM in the UK, LGIMA in the US and LGIM Asia in Hong Kong (2018-2019 only). The AUM includes the value of securities and derivatives positions.
Speaker
Sonja Laud
Chief Investment Officer
Sonja Laud is Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM). She leads the firm’s investment team which spans trading as well as solutions, active fixed income, index, active equity, annuities and multi-asset businesses. Her remit covers all aspects of Investments from research analysis to portfolio construction, with a focus on leading LGIM’s responsible investment strategy. Sonja joined the asset manager as Deputy CIO in January 2019 and was appointed to the role of CIO in June 2019.
Previously, Sonja was Head of Equity at Fidelity International, responsible for the Global, Equity Income and UK Portfolio Managers as well as the Investment Director team. She joined from Barings where she launched and managed global multi-asset portfolios. Prior to that, she worked for Schroders where she managed, for eight successful years, several global, European and UK equity funds, with a focus on high-dividend stocks. Sonja started her career at DWS in Frankfurt, where she was an award-winning global equities portfolio manager. Sonja has completed a Global Executive MBA program at TRIUM (LSE, NYUStern, HEC) and has MSc, EMIM from ESCP Europe. She is a CFA Charter holder and a regular media commentator, appearing across broadcast including the BBC, Sky News, Bloomberg and CNBC.