FUTURE
CONFERENCES
Programme
09.00
Registration
09.30
Repricing Risk: Navigating Private Markets, Liquidity & Geopolitics
Session Overview:
As markets adjust to a higher-rate, more fragmented global environment, pension funds face increasingly complex investment decisions. This session explores whether private credit and private markets continue to offer compelling opportunities — or if risks are being under-priced.
We will examine how Irish pension funds are approaching liquidity management within DC and DB structures, and whether traditional portfolio construction frameworks remain fit for purpose. The discussion will also address how geopolitical developments — from shifting trade dynamics to the energy transition — are influencing asset allocation decisions and whether they can be systematically incorporated into investment strategy.
Key Takeaways:
• Is private credit still attractive in a higher-rate environment?
• Practical approaches to accessing private markets in DC schemes
• How to think about liquidity in increasingly illiquid portfolios
• Turning geopolitical uncertainty into actionable investment insight
• Trade finance as a short-duration private credit opportunity in a higher-rate, geopolitically fragmented world.
11.00
Networking Break with Tea/Coffee
11.30
From Regulation to Implementation: How Irish Pension Funds Are Actually Changing in 2026
Session Overview:
Ireland’s pensions landscape is undergoing significant transformation, driven by regulatory change, the introduction of auto-enrolment, and evolving member expectations. This session brings together key industry stakeholders to assess where the market stands today — and where it is heading.
Panellists will explore how pension schemes are adapting to policy developments, governance demands, and structural shifts from DB to DC, while also addressing the operational and strategic challenges these changes present.
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Key Takeaways:
• What auto-enrolment means for existing schemes and providers
• Key regulatory developments shaping the Irish pensions market
• The continued evolution from DB to DC and master trust solutions
• How pension funds are adapting governance and oversight models
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Speakers to date:
Ian Nagle
Head of Investment
Mercer
13.00
Lunch
14.00
The Member Equation: Housing, Cashflow Pressure & the Future of Pension Engagement
Pension outcomes are no longer determined purely by investment performance or scheme design — they are increasingly shaped by member financial reality.
Rising housing costs, cost-of-living pressures, and changing workforce expectations are forcing pension schemes to compete directly with short-term financial priorities. At the same time, younger members are entering the system with different attitudes to work, saving, and retirement altogether.
This session explores whether traditional pension engagement models are still fit for purpose — and what needs to change if long-term saving is to remain relevant in a world dominated by immediate financial pressures.
We will hear how pension providers, consultants, and employers are responding in practice, and whether behavioural design — rather than product design — is now the key driver of better outcomes.
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Key Themes:
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Is housing affordability now the biggest structural threat to pension adequacy?
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Are younger members disengaged — or simply responding rationally to financial pressure?
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Why traditional pension communication is failing to change behaviour
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How employers are adapting pension design, contribution structures, and engagement strategies
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What role financial wellbeing tools and behavioural nudges can realistically play
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Whether pension systems are designed for accumulation — or real-life financial trade-offs
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Speaker to date:
Brian Sexton
Head of Consulting
Unio Financial Services
15.00
Keynote: The Future of Retirement in Ireland — From Adequacy to Action
Session Overview:As Ireland prepares for a new era of retirement provision, fundamental questions remain around adequacy, sustainability, and member outcomes. This keynote will provide a forward-looking perspective on how the system must evolve to meet future demands.
Bringing together policy, market, and societal considerations, this session will challenge conventional thinking and outline what meaningful progress looks like over the next decade
Key Takeaways:
• Is the Irish system delivering adequate retirement outcomes?
• The long-term impact of auto-enrolment
• Key risks and opportunities for pension funds
• What success looks like in 2030 and beyond
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16.00
Close of conference followed by refreshments
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
The Heritage Centre is based in RCPI's historic home at 6 Kildare Street in the centre of Dublin.
Media Partners
