Seminar 'Capital Introduction Private Markets: can you afford not to invest in Private Markets?, followed by a walking Dinner - Breakout

A: Navigating Private Assets: Strategies for Diversification, Resilience and Sustainability
George Nijborg, Head of EU Private Placements & Insured Strategies, Aegon Asset Management

Private market assets are important for diversifying and strengthening portfolios, while also emphasizing responsible investing. In this presentation, George Nijborg, responsible for Insured Credit at Aegon Asset Management, will delve into the role of Insured Credit in enhancing the diversification and resilience of your portfolio. He will present a clear case why Insured Credit enhances the results of your portfolio covering the relative value proposition, capital treatment and possibility to source investments with strong social and sustainable characteristics.

B: Evolution of private credit: the rise of Asset-backed Finance
Elliot Mcilrath, Senior Vice President, Product Strategist, Pimco

Private credit is evolving rapidly, with asset-backed finance emerging as a $20 trillion, diversified opportunity set. As traditional banks retreat from lending sectors, alternative lenders like PIMCO are stepping in to unlock this broad opportunity set, offering enhanced yields and true diversification to investors. Elliot Mcilrath explores how PIMCO leverages a multi-asset credit approach to capture these dynamic opportunities, delivering attractive returns and portfolio resilience in today’s shifting credit landscape.

C: Exploring the different risk/return flavours of Direct Lending
Robin Challis, Partner, Portfolio Manager Strategic Credit, Pemberton Asset Management

Direct Lending is an interesting asset class from a risk/return perspective and allows investors to harvest complexity and illiquidity premiums. Within the Direct Lening space investors have the choice between different risk/return profiles. Robin Challis will explain the differences and will focus on the more opportunistic space and show examples on the deals his team invests in on a daily basis for Pemberton’s Strategic Credit Fund. 

D: Unlocking Sustainable Value: The Role of Infrastructure Small-Caps in Energy Transition
Maciej Tarasiuk, Head of Investments, Economic Infrastructure, Aberdeen Investments

The energy transition presents a significant challenge, with an estimated $27 trillion spend on electrification alone, over the next 25 years. Tarasiuk will discuss how Aberdeen’s lower mid-market infrastructure strategy contributes to addressing this challenge whilst integrating financial, resilience, and ESG objectives. The discussion will be supplemented by case studies from Aberdeen’s infrastructure portfolio illustrating these outcomes.

E: Redefining Real Assets: Megatrends and Their Impact on Social and Environmental Investment Strategies
Abigail Dean, Global Head of Strategic Insights, Nuveen Real Assets

Megatrends play out slowly and are inherently difficult to disrupt. Yet over the last few years, we have witnessed a period of unprecedented change. This session re-examines the megatrends reshaping our investment landscape and their significant impact on real asset investment risks and opportunities. We'll explore the critical interplay between global megatrends and the social and environmental themes now central to real assets investment, to gain insights into how these forces are creating both challenges and new investment pathways.

F: Presentation Savills Investment Management
Michael Neal, Global Chief Investment Officer, Savills Investment Management

G: Multiple Engines One Portfolio: Why the Best Defence is a Diversified Offence in Private Credit
Scott McClurg, Head of Private Credit, HSBC Asset Management

Private credit as an asset class has been and still is dominated by Direct Lending, but the opportunity to invest in Direct Lending now encompasses multiple layers.  Then you have the question of geography, how do you view globalisation and retrenchment from globalisation and how it impacts your allocation strategies.   Private Credit has also expanded across Infrastructure Debt, IG and sub-IG, Venture Debt as well as structured solutions.

H: The Case for Impact: diversification, returns, and the power of collaboration
Ralph Engelchor, Impact Portfolio Manager, Achmea Investment Management

Private Markets investments are essential under the new Dutch pension framework (Wtp) and offer impact potential. But how do you select the right impact manager? And how do you ensure clear impact reporting? The Achmea IM Impact Platform offers Dutch pensionfunds thematic impact solutions, access to specialized impact managers, and economies of scale. This enables pension funds to start making an impact as early as tomorrow!

I: Investing in Aerospace & Defence: “A sector at the heart of a global megatrend…”
Cyril Moulin, Co-Head Aerospace & Defence, Private Equity team, Tikehau Capital

While defence budgets have been below the 2% target for the past 10 years, by 2024 European countries were devoting an average of 2.2% of GDP to their defence budgets and a consensus has now emerged in favour of a minimum of 5%. The European Commission has unveiled a plan to rearm Europe, aiming to mobilise €800 billion for defence. But how to invest in Aerospace & Defence?

J: What are the opportunities investing in Private Equity Co-Investments in the lower mid-market?
Cameron Payne, Principal - Co Head of European Investment, Private Equity, Federated Hermes Limited

There are highly compelling pockets of opportunity in Private Equity’s lower mid-market segment, for multiple reasons including the breadth and depth of target companies, relatively inefficient pricing offering attractive entry valuations and greater exit optionality. In this session, Cameron Payne will provide an in-depth insight into which businesses in this segment contain the most potential, and how to access them through a co-investment strategy.

K: Sustainability and Impact within Infrastructure debt : an uninterrupted journey
Frédéric Brindeau, Head of Asset Management and Sustainability, Schroders Capital

As the World Bank noted in its 2021 report, “infrastructure debt financing is fundamental for mobilising private capital at scale and ensuring sustainable infrastructure delivery to meet society’s evolving needs.”

Sustainability and Impact (“S&I”) is a very complex but critical investment consideration. Navigating through the ESG perceived backlash and the numerous challenges of S&I, Frédéric Brindeau will explore the ongoing and dynamic integration of sustainability and impact considerations within infrastructure debt investment strategies.

L: Private markets, public impact: impact investing in asset allocation and the role of private markets
Marsha Sinninghe, Fund Manager Dutch Core Residential, a.s.r. real estate

Institutional investors increasingly recognize their potential to generate positive impact through their investments. As interest in impact investing grows, so does the need for structure. This session explores how to define impact allocations, the role of private markets, and how to embed and professionalise impact strategies. a.s.r. real estate’s accredited impact investing strategies are used as illustrations.  The key takeaway? A better world may start with you - but it’s built together.