08.30	Registration and coffee

09.00	Welcome and Opening Remarks

Trevor Cook, Managing Director, Specialist Pension Services
	
09.10	Session 1

Moderator:  Polly Watts, Independent Consultant 

"Filling the gaps and avoiding the pitfalls" 

Gaps exist in both DB and DC schemes - how should we be dealing with these? What asset classes will be most appropriate and, within that, what strategies? How should we be dealing with tail risks?  In particular, focusing on inflation - what if inflation gets out of control (on the upside or downside)? What safety valves and strategies might helps us deal with this, without impacting our central strategy?

John Dickson, Head of Investment Consultancy, Hymans Robertson

“Diversification”

How to achieve genuine diversification including use of Absolute Return Strategies.

Speaker to be confirmed, Standard Life Investments 

10.30	COFFEE / TEA

11.00	Session 2

Moderator: Joe Riddaway, Investment Consultant, JLT Benefits Solution


“The outlook for growth in the developed world and the continued case for greater allocations to Emerging Market assets”

Bullets TBC

Speaker to be Confirmed, Eaton Vance Management
 

“Will the Chinese Dragon burn the American Eagle”

What does China’s economic rise mean for the world’s incumbent economic superpower? To what degree is the Dragon already exerting its influence on the world economy; and is American influence now in decline? Is China’s continuing rise a foregone conclusion? Oh, and what about the Elephant in the room?

James Downey, Chief Economist, Neptune Investment Management

12.20 	Drinks and Lunch

13.50 	Session 3 and Panel Session

Moderator: To be confirmed

“The role of the Rating Agencies; what are Ratings and how have they performed in Europe”

Definition of ratings – what they address and what they don’t: Lessons learned and changes made; Impact of regulation; Performance of ratings since 2007 (focus on European structured finance/securitisation).

Simon Collingridge, Head of European Investor Outreach for Structured Finance, Standard & Poor’s


“Title”

Bullets TBC

SPEAKER TO BE CONFIRMED

“Panel Session”

Pension scheme executives will discuss their funds’ strategies and experiences and in particular how their funds are coping with current challenges. 

Anthony Stern, Trustee,  Intercontinental Hotels Group Pension Scheme

Shelagh Finch, Deputy Facility Manager Chairman, AWE Pension Trustee Ltd.

Michael Deakin, Independent Trustee, HBOS Final Salary Pension Scheme (tbc)

16.00 	Drinks and Networking opportunity

16.30	Close of Conference