CONFERENCE DETAILS
Investment Strategies for
Pension Funds
February 13, 2020
London – Le Meridien Piccadilly, London
Purpose
This event, one of the broadest in scope within the SPS calendar, aims to help pension funds to review their overall investment strategy. Presentations could take account of external regulatory and geopolitical impacts as well as scheme considerations such as cash-flow, growth and other current challenges. We aim to examine a range of both traditional and leading-edge investment strategies and ways to balance risks with expected returns to achieve scheme objectives. This will include consideration of the performance objectives of strategies as well as a range of practical issues such as governance, risk management, reporting,transparency and implementation.
Programme
Investment Strategies for Pension Funds
08.45
Registration and coffee
09.15
Welcome and opening remarks
Trevor Cook
Managing Director
Specialist Pension Services
09.20
Session 1; Investing in Equities and Renewables
Investment Director
Macquarie ValueInvest Global Equity
Investing in Equities - Strategic and Cyclical Considerations
UK DB Pension Schemes currently have 20% of their assets allocated to equities, down from 54% only 10 years ago in 2009, and the trend continues. As DB Pension Schemes mature, what can be done to ensure strategic equity allocations support “endgame” objectives? Equally, as long term investors, are we at an opportune moment for Pension Schemes, both DB and DC, to consider the kind of equity investment approaches that could add value at this point in the cycle?
Head of UK and European Pensions Practice
Cambridge Associates
Infrastructure: Renewables Investing - Return, Sustainability, Matching and Income. Too good to miss?
Allocations to infrastructure have been attractive due to sustainability of income and outperformance in a low yield environment, whilst also offering some matching characteristics. Not surprisingly, UK pension scheme’s allocation to the sector has grown, with renewables increasingly at the centre of this. This presentation will look at the developing opportunities for pension funds to engage in renewables investment; the benefits and potential pitfalls of these investments, particularly in a post-subsidy environment, approach to access, and the key criteria for investment decision making.
10.30
Coffee/Tea
11.05
Session 2: Investing in today's Volatile markets
Head of Long Only Multi Asset Credit
CQS
Multi-asset Credit: A Risk-Managed, Income-Driven Solution to Sub Investment Grade Markets
In today’s volatile markets, we believe the strong focus on secured income in Multi-Asset Credit makes it well suited to meet the increasing income needs of many institutional investors. Multi Asset Credit strategies can target a core of relatively defensive secured-income driven return streams, whilst providing asset class diversity and the flexibility for agile managers to capture the attractive relative value opportunities presented by the growing levels of dispersion which have been a key recent theme in financial markets. As always, we believe investors need to be both nimble and highly selective with respect to asset specific and geographic investments, while continuing to be mindful of geopolitical risk and its influence on markets if they are to navigate these market conditions successfully.
Fund Manager
Artemis Investment Management
Active Fixed Income as Monetary Policy Reaches its Limit
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Fixed income markets in the current socio-economic environment
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Limitations and challenges for traditional monetary policy and its long-term implications for bond markets
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Identifying relative value and selective directional opportunities across the investable universe in order to maximise risk adjusted returns
12.15
Drinks and lunch
13.35
Session 3: Long-term Investing and ESG
Founder
Ricardo Research
Long Term Investing in a Short-term World
Institutional investors with long-dated liabilities extending decades into the future often claim to be long-term investors. However, the same investors will often make decisions and use strategies that are inherently short-term in nature. As a result, many large, long-horizon investors are in fact contributing to dysfunctional capital markets in which short-termism dominates long-term thinking. This session will explore the causes and consequences of short-termism in markets and will suggest ways of mitigating their private and social costs.
Principal and Senior Investment Consultant
Barnett Waddingham
ESG impacting long-term returns
Schemes are moving to an environment where they may have both a short/medium term funding target and a long-term funding target. This presentation will cover:
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Recap on what these might look like and some of the factors affecting them;
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How do the different targets interact on your asset strategy making decisions;
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How do you set a strategy that meets both;
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Why does ESG matter;
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How do you set an ESG policy;
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How do you embed ESG into your investment strategy
14.45
Coffee/Tea
15.00
Session 4: Presentation and Case Studies
Lead Investment Consultant
The Pensions Regulator
Update from TPR
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Climate change and investments
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The investment aspects of the forthcoming DB code:
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End-game investment strategies
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Investment strategies prior to the end-game
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Scope for risk-taking provided it’s well-managed, supported and evidenced
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A panel of pension scheme executives and trustees will talk about their pension fund’s investment strategies and experiences.
Panellists to include:
16.15
Drinks reception and close of conference
Cost
The conference is by invitation only for pension funds and other institutional investors. If you are not already receiving an invitation please contact us. A limited number of Complimentary invitations are usually available to genuine pension fund representatives (executives and trustees) and other approved institutional investors. However, to ensure we have room for as many funds as possible, we have to limit free places to 2 attendees per approved organisation thereafter a reduced rate fee is payable per delegate. Furthermore, SPS always reserves the right of admission (free or paid) and our decision is final.
Venue
Le Meridien Piccadilly Hotel, London
21 Piccadilly
London W1 0BH
Hotel Tel: 08700 400 8400
Hotel Fax: 020 7437 3574
The hotel is located on the north side of Piccadilly, close to Piccadilly Circus, only two minutes walk from Piccadilly Circus underground station.
