CONFERENCE DETAILS
SPS Investment Insights Series - UK Pensions Conference
January 14, 2027
Farmers & Fletchers in the City, London
Programme
08.30
Coffee/Tea Registration
09.00
Conference start
09.30
Session 1: 2027: What Could Change the Investment Landscape? The risks, trends and turning points investors need on their radar
A scene-setting session looking beyond the standard economic outlook:
• Where are inflation, rates and growth heading?
• Geopolitics, government debt and fiscal risk – what could upset markets?
• AI, market concentration and stretched valuations.
• What are markets currently complacent about?
• What from 2026 won't work in 2027?
• Does currency matter? How changing macroeconomic conditions, interest rates and geopolitical risks are influencing FX markets and the risks facing global portfolios.
Speakers & Topics so far:
A Smarter Approach to Global Investing – Lessons learned from 30 years of transforming currency risk into reward
UK portfolios, invested globally, typically see between 20% and 40% of their annual risk “budget” being consumed by foreign exchange volatility. In this session, we will take a more analytical look into the question “does currency matter?”. This update for sterling-based investors, will show what has hurt, and what has helped your portfolio (and by how much). We compare the significantly different outcomes between passive and managed currency approaches, and highlight some of the more recent drivers of currency movements to identify methods to transform your existing risk into potential profit opportunities that can be used to improve cash flow and reward stakeholders.
10.45
Coffee/Tea
11.05
Session 2: Where Will the Growth Come From? Finding opportunities in a changing investment landscape
• Is US exceptionalism running out of road, and are Europe, the UK and emerging markets becoming more attractive?
• Where will the next wave of structural growth come from beyond mega-cap technology, and which opportunities look compelling today?
• How can institutional investors access long-term growth themes such as AI, infrastructure, defence, energy security, healthcare and demographics?
• How can pension schemes investing for run-on balance long-term growth opportunities with liquidity needs, surplus management and the need to meet members’ benefits?
• What role can alternative investments, including trade and working capital finance, play in diversifying portfolios and generating returns?
• Can institutional capital, government initiatives and the push towards scale and consolidation deliver sustainable growth and attractive returns for pension funds?
Speakers & Topics so far:
Beyond Buyout: Investing for the Run-On
With more pension schemes considering run-on, trustees face a different set of questions about how to use their assets: how to support a long-term strategy, manage surplus and liquidity, and balance risk with the need to meet members’ benefits. Marsh and Fasanara will explore the choices schemes are making and the role trade and working capital finance could play within a diversified portfolio
12.20
Lunch
13.10
Session 3: Who Should Be Making Your Investment Decisions? In-house, advisory, fiduciary management or OCIO – getting the governance model right
• As portfolios become more complex, what should investors manage themselves and what should they delegate?
• Where does fiduciary management end and OCIO begin?
• Does outsourcing improve investment outcomes, or simply make governance easier?
• What should never be outsourced?
• How do you assess whether an OCIO/fiduciary manager is actually adding value?
• Fees, conflicts, transparency and accountability.
• When might an investor actually be better off bringing decisions back in-house?
Speakers so far:
14.25
Coffee
14.45
Session 4: Building the Strategic Portfolio for 2027 and Beyond – Resilience, Diversification and Putting it Together Differently? Practical Insights on What would you buy, sell or do differently today?
• Equities, credit, private markets, real assets and diversifiers – where are the best risk-adjusted opportunities?
• What deserves a place in portfolios that perhaps didn't three years ago?
• Public versus private markets – where are investors being properly rewarded for risk and illiquidity?
• Does a Total Portfolio Approach (TPA) make more sense now?
• What is your one investment idea for 2027?
• And what is the one risk that could make you change your mind?
16.00
Close of conference, followed by drinks reception
Cost
The conference is by invitation only for pension funds and other institutional investors and we welcome new attendees from these investors. Therefore if you are not already receiving an invitation please contact us. A limited number of Complimentary invitations are 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 3 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
Farmers and Fletchers in the City
3 Cloth St,
London
EC1A 7LD
Tel: 020 7600 2064
Farmers and Fletchers is 1 minute from Barbican tube station, 5 minutes from St.Paul’s tube station
and very convenient for the new Farringdon Crossrail link.