September 23, 2019
September 24, 2019
7:45 AM - 8:15 AM | Registration & Networking Breakfast
8:15 AM - 8:30 AM | Opening Remarks from the Chair
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM | Special Keynote | Canada's Expert Panel Report on Sustainable Finance: What's In It For Asset Owners?
This special keynote will be of immense and necessary value to every pension fund in Canada — because the future investment portfolios of every single one of them will be affected by it.
In April 2018, the Government of Canada announced the formation of the Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance to consult with Canada’s financial market participants on issues related to sustainable finance. The panel released its final report on June 14, 2019. These findings will significantly impact the investment decisions of every pension plan in Canada. In this interactive keynote, hear from two of the four members of that panel. They are, as Pension Pulse has noted, two of the most powerful women in Canada’s pension field in an elite club dominated by men. This is a not-to-be-missed special keynote!
Moderator: Gordon R. Power, Owner & Chief Investment Officer - Earth Capital Ltd
Speaker: Kim Thomassin, Executive Vice President, Legal & Secretariat - CDPQ
Speaker: Barbara Zvan, Chief Risk & Strategy Officer - Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM | Investment Opportunities with the Synergy between Climate Change and the SDGs
Synergies between the Paris Accord and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development align the climate change and SDG processes to create investment opportunities for institutional investors at the nexus between climate change, energy, food and water. In this session, you will discover:
- Examples of how to invest successfully by aligning with both SDGs and climate action at global, regional and country levels to produce scalable investments for institutional investors
- How to measure the impact of investment opportunities to illustrate the social, environmental and financial metrics from the potential of synergistic and interlinked approaches that can be used to realize the objectives of the SDGs Agenda and the Paris Accord
- How to profit from these measures
Speaker: Gordon R. Power, Owner & Chief Investment Officer - Earth Capital Ltd
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM | A Debate Between an Investor and a Consultant: Different Perspectives on Yield Expectations, Portfolio Optimization and Risk-Taking
What does it take to succeed in today’s challenging investing landscape? In this session, join a top consultant and a leading investment manager in a candid debate about alternatives. Dissect where the market is heading. Discover the risk and return expectations for alternative assets — as well as performance and compensation. You will walk away with an understanding of the key investment challenges from both sides and discover what each party can do to capitalize on opportunities through partnership and innovation. A not-to-be-missed session!
Moderator: Charles Quintal, President, Retirement Committee - Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops
Speakers:
Vincent Jacob-Goudreau, Director, CIO Group - Portfolio Construction - PSP Investments
Yusuke Khan, Director of Strategic Research (Investment), Canada - Mercer
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM | Networking Break
Sponsored by:
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | How to Effectively Capitalize on International and Domestic Real Estate and Farmland
Investing in international and domestic real estate can bring real value to alternative investors — if they are know what they are doing. Despite its illiquid nature and high valuations, real estate has served as a core performer for investors. Gather expert perspectives on current developments — and where real estate demands are heading in Canada, the U.S. and internationally. You will discover a broad range of strategies and property types to discover new opportunities in a crowded market.
Moderator: Francois Audet, Senior Director, Credit & Private Investment Risk - PSP Investments
Speaker: David Pappin, President - IAM Real Estate Group
Speaker: Joelle Faulkner, President - Area One Farms
Speaker: Rahul Idnani, Managing Director, Global Chief Operating Officer and Head of Portfolio Management Americas - Nuveen
Speaker: Daniel Marchand, Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Global Sales, Trez Capital
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | The Savvy Managers and Consultants Speak: Where is the Smart Money Being Invested?
How are savvy managers navigating high prices and growing competition in today’s frothy market to generate superior returns? Faced with uncertain financial markets and increasing disruption, what is the smartest money purchasing? In this session, you will hear from some of Canada’s leading institutional investors and asset managers give you their views on:
- How to achieve portfolio harmony in 2020
- Balancing your asset allocation and portfolio construction
- What will happen to the US equity and bond markets
- Targeting allocation strategies moving into 2020 and beyond
- Using technology to monitor your portfolio and manage risk
- Using un-correlated strategies for maximum gain
Moderator: Blair Richards, CEO - Halifax Port ILA/HEA
Speaker: Dominic Blais, Senior Risk Manager - The Canadian Medical Protective Association
Speaker: Anne Lefebvre, Director, Total Fund Strategy - PSP Investments
Speaker: Dr. Toby Goodworth, Managing Director, Head of Risk & Diversifying Strategies - bfinance
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Networking Luncheon
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM | Keynote | Fireside Chat - How CDPQ delivered Outstanding Results with Alternative Investments in 2018
Given the losses in the markets in 2018, some investors — like CDPQ — have managed to post a positive return because of their alternative investments portfolio. Discover what they did to make their portfolio more resilient, given market headwinds. What alternatives did they invest in — and how did they make that decision? And, importantly, how should a mid-sized pension fund go about it if it posted negative returns on other investments — and alternatives were not recommended by its consultants? In this exclusive and riveting session — by a senior member of CDPQ’s investment team in conversation with a prominent investing consultant, you will walk away with a wealth of knowledge!
Moderator: Eoin Ó hÓgáin. CEO, Power Pacific Investment Management, a part of Sagard China
Speaker: Maxime Aucoin, Executive Vice President, Investment Strategies & Innovation - CDPQ
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM | The Value of Gold as a Strategic Asset Class
There is value in considering an allocation in gold in your institutional portfolio. Discover what leading experts will show you:
- The strategic case for gold - and the outlook for 2019 to 2020
- Gold's long-term performance versus traditional asset classes
- How investors are incorporating gold into their portfolios today
- Improving risk-adjusted returned in volatile markets
Speaker: Bobby Eng, Vice President, Head of SPDR ETFs Canada - State Street Global Advisors
Speaker: George Milling-Stanley, Vice President, Head of Gold Strategy - State Street Global Advisors
Speaker: Juan Carlos Artigas, Director, Investment Research - World Gold Council
3:15 PM - 3:45 PM | Afternoon Networking Break
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM | Risk Premia Investing: What is Underneath the Surface? A Closer Look at the Industry Drivers
Factor investing has become mainstream for investors to maximize diversification and uncorrelated returns. The ARP industry faced its first real test in 2018, leaving many wondering if it can really deliver on promises of uncorrelated performance. Understand what drove ARP’s performance from the past 3 years and learn how to avoid common mistakes by institutional investors in deploying factor investments to access sources of diversifying returns.
Speaker: Luc Dumontier, Partner & Head of Factor Investing - La Francaise Investment Solutions
4:15 PM - 5:00 PM | The Explosive Power of Enhancing Yields with Emerging Market Opportunities
Although they are more prone to extreme ups and downs, emerging markets as a whole typically grow at a faster pace than developed markets. In 2018, emerging markets expanded at a rate of 4.8% — more than twice the rate of developed markets. Technological advances, GDP growth, and demographic shifts are some of the key drivers of transformative change in emerging markets. But not all opportunities are created equal. How can you help clients tap into this growth story while being mindful of the risks? Hear industry veterans weigh in on this debate - and your investment decisions in this most interesting area will be vastly improved!
Moderator: Emma Radloff, Manager, Public Assets - NAV Canada
Speaker: Eoin Ó hÓgáin. CEO - Power Pacific Investment Management, a part of Sagard China
Speaker: Vito G. Dellerba, CFA, Director, Investments, Sovereign Debt, Fixed Income - Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)
5:00 PM - 5:15 PM | Summary and Conclusion of Day 2
6:00 PM - 6:50 PM | Cocktail Reception in the hotel
Sponsored by:
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM | Gala Dinner at La Forge Bistro
Please note, this is 5 minutes walking distance from the hotel.
September 25, 2019
*The above agenda is subject to change.
8:20 AM - 9:00 AM | Registration and Networking Breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM | Remarks from the Chair
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM | Capturing the Strength and Momentum in Private Debt and Alternative Credit Growth: The Remarkable Achievements of a Small Asset Class
There are enormous opportunities to be found in private debt and alternative credit growth. In 2018, assets under management globally by private debt funds reached $638 billion, with aggregate capital raised surpassing the $110 billion mark. Hear about the latest developments in asset-back debt, direct lending, and alternative credit. Access the full spectrum of credit instruments to deliver absolute performance while limiting your duration risk and interest rate sensitivity.
Moderator: Vishnu Mohanan, Manager, Private Investments - Halifax Regional Municipality Pension Plan
Speakers:
Theresa Shutt, Chief Investment Officer - Fiera Private Debt
Ian Fowler, Co-Head North America Global Private Finance & President, Barings BDC - Barings
Larry Zimmerman, Managing Director, Corporate Credit, Benefit Street Partners
10:15 AM - 10:40 AM | The Liquidity Conundrum: How to Design to Liquidity Policy to Incorporate Increasing Liquid Allocation
Confronted with toughness in the funding regime and diminishing market returns, what can pensions do in face of liquidity challenges? Learn how to determine the ideal liquidity ratio for your mandate and devise a holistic a liquidity policy to meet obligations and maintain cash-flow. Acquire strategies to enhance the use of leverage and prevent the need to liquidate during a sub-optimal market.
Speaker: Anne-Marie Fink, Portfolio Strategist, Alternative Program Management - State Street Global Advisors
10:40 AM - 11:00 AM | Networking Break
11:00 AM - 12:05 PM | “The Trillion Dollar Shift”: 5 Key Trends Changing the ESG Investing Landscape in 2019 - 2020
The “Trillion Dollar Shift” is the winner of the Gold Axiom Business Book Award for 2019. And for good reason: natural disasters triggered by climate change have doubled since the 1980s, violence and armed conflict now cost more than 13% of GDP, social inequality and youth unemployment is worsening around the world and climate change threatens the global population with tremendous environmental and social problems. Opportunities now abound for business and capital to unlock markets which offer endless potential for profit while working towards sustainable development goals. Astute institutional investors realize this is the way of the future — and that ESG is an essential component of every investment decision. In this session, learn:
- Why has sustainable finance become such a front-burner issue across the global financial community?
- What are the 5 key trends changing the ESG landscape in 2019 to 2020?
- How are institutional investors - both large and small alike - successfully Integrating ESG considerations into their portfolios
- How ESG considerations can mitigate risk - and provide higher ROI
- What does every institutional investor need to do to understand and integrate ESG into its portfolio?
- The unique sustainable bond issue by Concordia University- and what every investor in Canada can learn from this ground-breaking development
Moderator: Deborah Ng, Director, Strategy & Risk - Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Speaker: Marc Gauthier, Treasurer & Investment Officer - Concordia University
Speaker: Erica Barbosa, Director of Solutions Finance - The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation
Speaker: Katharine Preston, VP, Sustainable Investing - OMERS
Speaker: Hannah Skeates, Global Head of Environmental, Social & Governance - Wells Fargo Asset Management