8:00 AM - 8:30 AM | Registration & Networking Breakfast
Sponsored by: 
8:30 AM - 8:45 AM | Opening Remarks from the Chair
Conference Chair:
Waqas Samad
Group Director of Information Services, LSEG
CEO, FTSE Russell
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM | Brace for Impact: Navigating Geopolitical Volatility and Interest Rate Uncertainty
Trump's administration and Brexit. They are just the top of the iceberg. Political risk has emerged as a major and very critical factor in every global investment decision. It has created turbulence in many countries and if investors are not familiar with the risks they face, they will impact the results of their returns -- sometimes dramatically! In this fascinating presentation, hear a leading fixed income investment expert on geopolitical risk analyze the hot spots around the world and how they can affect your fixed-income investments. Find out how you can benefit from the right strategy and the right knowledge. This is a not-to-be-missed session!
Speaker:
Alexander Kazan, Chief Strategy Officer / EGX - The Eurasia Group
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM | All Star Panel: The Top 5 Investment Trends That Will Dominate Fixed Income in 2019 to 2020
Join some of Canada's top fixed-income leaders on both the buy and sell side as they discuss the 5 top investment trends that will dominate fixed income in the year ahead. Discover:
- How can you best respond to a rising rate environment to come out on top?
- Diversification and risk reduction - what are the drivers of a successful portfolio over the next 12 months and how can you position your portfolio?
- Risk vs. reward - where are the opportunities for fixed-income investing in 2019 and what are the factors that drive them?
- How can you apply "out-of-the-box" thinking to drive your fund business and generate returns for your investors in an increasingly complex environment?
- Where are the most lucrative return and related investment opportunities that lie within the fixed income spectrum?
- What will be the drivers of a successful portfolio over the next 12 months and how should you best position it?
Moderator:
Terri Troy, Retired CEO & CIO / CEO - Halifax Regional Municipality Pension Plan / Troy Advisory Services, Inc.
Speakers:
Kim Bursey, Managing Director, Fundamental Credit - OMERS
Zev Frishman, Chief Investment Officer - Morneau Shepell
Francois Helou, Director, Head of Balance Sheet Solutions Sales - BMO Global Asset Management
Jerome Marquis, Vice President, Specialty Finance - CDPQ
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM | Networking Refreshment Break
Sponsored by:
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM | An Unconstrained Approach to Navigating Global Fixed Income Opportunities Outside of Canada in 2019 to 2020
There is a lot of merit in tapping fixed-income opportunities outside of Canada. Although Canadian pension funds have historically invested close to home, fund managers are now casting a wider net in a global fixed-income strategy. There is a strong case to be made for going global. It is important to diversify interest rate and economic risk when business cycles, national growth rate, yield curves and monetary policies around the world are swirling in different directions. In this session, you will get a clear view of the opportunities to improve your ROI: Discover:
- What considerations do plan sponsors need to take into account when assessing fixed income outside of Canada? What is the medium to long-term outlook for mature economies and how can you use this to your benefit?
- A global valuation by geography and sector
- How to hedge against currency and FX volatility
- Linking demographic shifts and their implication for asset prices and opportunities outside of Canada
Moderator:
Paul Fahey, Independent Investment Advisor & Former Vice President - Pension Investments, NAV Canada
Speakers:
Richard Lawrence, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management - Brandywine Global Investment Management
Keith Patton, Managing Director, Global Head of Unconstrained Fixed Income - BMO Global Asset Management (EMEA)
Richard Piccirillo, Managing Director & Senior Portfolio Manager - PGIM Fixed Income
Dr. Gareth Witten, Director, Portfolio Management & Risk (Total Portfolio Management) - Ontario Power Generation
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM | Keynote: A Fireside Chat with the Advisor to the Governor of the Bank of Canada
Speaker:
Ron Morrow, Advisor to the Governor - Bank of Canada
Todd Mattina, VP, Portfolio Construction & Chief Economist - Investment Management Corporation of Ontario
12:30 PM - 1:45 PM | Networking Luncheon
Sponsored by: 
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM | How to Effectively Exploit the Newest Opportunities in Corporate Credit and Private Debt in 2019 to 2020
There has been a rapid growth of private credit markets since the turn of the century. The volume has grown at virtually 20% a year. This reflects the advantages of this asset class to help enhance yield and diversify exposure. This panel of leading experts will discuss the most important considerations for institutional investors who plan to increase their commitments to corporate investments. You will come away understanding:
- What yield premiums are available in the corporate field today and how does this contrast with the long-term average premium.
- Where are the opportunities in the private debt space for institutional investors from 2019 to 2020?
- How can investors assess the compensation they receive for illiquidity and credit risks?
- What tools do successful bond managers employ to achieve superior results?
- The most effective strategies for obtaining results in this sector
Moderator:
Erwan Pirou, Head of Canadian Fixed Income Research, Co-lead of Global Fixed Income - Aon
Speakers:
Michel Charron, Investment Consultant - PBI Actuarial Consultants, Ltd.
Blair Faulstich, Managing Director, Deal Team - Benefits Street Partners
Daniel Marchand, Senior Vice President, Head of Investor Global Sales - Trez Capital
Catherine Payne, Portfolio Manager, Credit Strategies Capital Markets Group - OPTrust
2:30 PM - 3:15 PM | Alternative Strategies: The Secret to Effectively Achieve Maximized Fixed Income Returns in 2019 to 2020
As the definition of fixed-income continues to broaden, learn about the latest effective alternative to deliver diversification and income for your portfolio. In this whistle-stop tour of the opportunities available for investors across the fixed income markets, find out about:
- How to benefit from incorporating a much wider range of strategies and assets into your portfolio
- How to position your portfolios to keep yield while also keeping risk well-managed
- An exploration of the creative uses of derivatives and swaps
- Strategies to drive desired outcomes
- What other ways you can get credit exposure with more liquid products?
Moderator:
Christine Tessier, Vice President, Investments & Treasury - CAA Club Group
Speaker:
Rich Lightburn, Principal | Chief Executive Officer - MKP Capital Management LLC
Charles Quintal, President, Retirement Committee - Quebec Assembly of Catholic Bishops
Brian D'Costa, Founding Partner, President - Algonquin Capital
Tim Schwarz, Analyst - Investec Asset Management
3:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Networking Refreshment Break
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM | The New Risks and Opportunities with Fixed Income ETFs in 2019 to 2020
The ETF industry is having a phenomenal run. With the need to diversify and hedge fixed-income portfolios, more and more buy-side heads are turning to thises instruments as a means of generating returns. In this session, you will hear leading ETF experts who will help you discover:
- Understanding the product in 2019 - why are more institutional firms adding ETFs to their portfolio and how do they manage them?
- The business case for trading fixed-income ETFs
- How can ETFs unlock new investment opportunities?
- ETF pros and cons - what are the reservations when trading ETFs and how can they be overcome?
Moderator:
Josh Tonnos, AVP Financial Services - Brock University
Speakers:
Brad Kotler, Vice President, SPDR Fixed Income Group - State Street Global Advisors, Ltd.
Marina Mets, Managing Director - FTSE Russell
Joyce Choi, Director, Fixed Income Product Strategy - BlackRock
4:15 PM - 5:00 PM | How ESG Integration can generate Alpha for Fixed Income — and Concordia University’s Unique Sustainable Bond Issue
While equities have received the lion's share of ESG engagement form investors, big changes are coming. Fixed income will soon be at the core of sustainable investment from billions of dollars each year to the trillions needed to safeguard a company's creditworthiness over the long term. In this session, hear what the experts say about the big changes that are unfolding. You will discover:
- How to effectively integrate ESG analysis into the investment process from top-down (macro) and bottom-up (credit research) perspectives
- The unique sustainable bond issue by Concordia University - and what every investor in Canada can learn from this ground-breaking development
- How to identify key ESG themes, combining valuation and ESG analysis and identifying best-in-class issuers
- How ESG integration can generate alpha for fixed income
Moderator:
Emma Radloff, Manager, Public Assets - NAV Canada
Speakers:
Marc Gauthier, Treasurer & Investment Officer, Concordia University
David Race, Institutional Portfolio Manager - Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management / RBC Global Asset Management Inc.
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Closing Remarks and Networking Cocktail Reception
Conference Chair:
Waqas Samad
Group Director of Information Services, LSEG
CEO, FTSE Russell