08:30 - 09:00

Delegate registration

09:00 - 09:05

Welcome from Professional Pensions
Jonathan Stapleton, Editor, Professional Pensions

09:05 - 09:10

Chair's introduction and opening remarks

Emma Watkins, Director of Business Development, MetLife Assurance Limited

09:10 - 09:40

Keynote Address: The state of the economy

• Re-energising the DB challenge: Looking at targets, performance, scheme governance and the role of the trustee
• How we can make the change: Looking at talent acquisition into the area, pensions funds moving more resource in-house, fiduciary management and a more competitive landscape
• Economic context: Global Growth Portfolios vs. Local LDI Portfolios - using the domestic market more for liability hedging, looking to Global / EM and other markets for growth
• Looking at the UK domestic economy in terms of long term growth prospects including inflation pressures

Tony Broccardo, Chief Investment Officer, The Barclays UK Retirement Fund

09:40 - 10:10

Good scheme governance - walking the tightrope

• Company vs. Trustee objectives
• Taking the right steps towards de-risking
• Considering environmental and social governance factors
• Monitoring your managers

Lorna Buckland, Counsel, Linklaters LLP

10:10 - 10:35

Coffee and exhibition networking

10:35 - 11:05

Global macroeconomic considerations

• The world is changing at an increasingly rapid pace, as global investors, can we keep up?
• Shifting demographic patterns, competition for resources, rising conflict - how do these impact markets?
• How can we anticipate new types of risk and recognise new opportunities?
• How can trustees focus better on the dynamic strategic issues that matter?

Philip Read, Senior Advisor, Goldman Sachs Asset Management & Chairman of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

11:05 - 11:35

Global Equities - climbing the wall of worry?

• Examining the ongoing friction between compelling bottom-up stock fundamentals and a challenging top down economic environment
• Investor sentiment towards global equities is being tested as top down concerns including anaemic developed world growth, sovereign risks and rising emerging market inflation have moved into focus.
• But evidence shows that meaningful return opportunities persist from a bottom-up perspective: What next and do bottom up fundamentals still matter?
• The outlook for global equities against a backdrop of the 'wall of worry'

Scott Berg, Portfolio Manager, T. Rowe Price 

11:35 - 12:05

Debating fiduciary management - a panacea for investment ills?

• How does it differ to the traditional pension fund management model?
• Maintaining Trustee control over assets
• What are the pros and cons?
• Debunking common fiduciary management myths
• How can pension funds best meet their fiduciary responsibilities?

Zuhair Mohammed, Chief Executive, Delegated Consulting Services,  Aon Hewitt           

12:05 - 13:15

Lunch and exhibition networking

13:15 - 13:45

Emerging Markets - the only way is up?

• Sharing an overview of the latest developments in emerging market investment
• Has the volatility caused by the global crisis reduced the allure of emerging markets?

Chris Taylor, Investment Director, Head of Research, Neptune Investment Management

13:45 - 14:15

Rethinking portfolio risks following experience of the credit crunch

• Traditional modelling frameworks do not properly capture the non-normality of market returns; hence -
• Portfolio managers typically underestimate portfolio risk; and
• An alternative approach to portfolio construction is recommended

Alex Christie, Strategic Investment Advisory Group (SIAG), J.P. Morgan Asset Management

14:15 - 14:40

Coffee and exhibition networking

14:40 - 15:10

Increasing hedge fund exposure - the new black

• Focusing on two areas of the hedge fund universe where we are currently seeing strong investment opportunities - Emerging and Distressed Managers
• We believe a high volume of quality early stage hedge funds and the ability to negotiate terms will result in strong risk-adjusted returns for Emerging Managers
• The robust distressed investing environment which began in Q4 2008 is likely to continue for the next few years

Jeff Majit, Portfolio Manager, Neuberger Berman Alternative Investment Management

15:10 - 15:40

Quick fire coverage: understanding asset classes
Each speaker will have 15 minutes, within which they will:

• Give a brief introduction to investments in the asset class
• Provide an overview of the latest developments
• Cite the pros and cons of investing in the asset class

Asset classes to be covered include:

European High Yield - Mike Della Vedova, T. Rowe Price

Commodities - Jason Lejonvarn, Strategist, Hermes Commodities

15:40- 16:00

Question Time: Institutional investors ask their questions

16:00 - 17:00

Drinks reception in exhibition hall

08:45 - 09:10

Delegate registration

09:10 - 09:15

Welcome from Professional Pensions
Jonathan Stapleton, Editor, Professional Pensions

09:15 - 09:20

Chair's  and introductionopening remarks
Jonathan Stapleton, Editor, Professional Pensions

09:20 - 09:50

Keynote  Financial Reporting Council

Peter Montagnon, Senior Investment Adviser, Financial Reporting Council

09:50 - 10:20

Behavioural Finance: from biases to bubbles

• What is behavioural finance? How does it compare and contrast with traditional economic theory?
• Examining common investor biases like falling for a powerful story - how do these contribute to bubble formation?
• Practical advice on how to tackle biases and make smarter group decisions

Paul Craven, Head of EMEA Institutional Business, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

10:20 - 10:50

Pension liabilities - the effect of switching to CPI

• What would a change from RPI to CPI mean for the hedging of pension liabilities?
• Using RPI as a proxy-hedge
• What impact might this change have on pension scheme deficits in practice?
• Understanding the importance of trust deeds and legal documentation

10:50 - 11:15

Coffee and exhibition networking

11:15 - 11:45

Absolute return investment techniques

Rod Goodyer, Associate, Barnett Waddingham LLP

11:45 - 12:15

A new era of equity investment strategies

• Understanding the interaction between institutional investor behaviour and equity markets
• The rise of synthetic equities
• Indexing methods to increase equity portfolio returns
• Deciding between domestic and global equities

Russell Investments

12:15 - 12:45

Bond markets - are we creating bubbles?

• What are the best options for bond investment given the current uncertain economic climate?
• How quantitative easing may affect bond prices
• Are bond markets being distorted by regulatory demands?
• Navigating the challenges ahead

Paul Brain, Investment Leader - Fixed Income Team, Newton Investment Management Limited

12:45 - 13:55

Lunch and exhibition networking

13:55 - 14:25

Currency Management for Pension Funds - Costs and Implementation

• Transaction Cost Analysis
• FX For foreign asset purchases
• FX Hedging
• Alpha Generation

Pete Eggleston, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley

14:25 - 14:55

Running a DC scheme to maximise scheme value

• How to engage members and effective communication
• Best practice in fund selection methodology
• Choosing the right investments for your members

Tim Banks, Director-Sales and Client Relations, UK & Ireland, Alliance Bernstein

14:55 - 15:25

Ice Age: Frozen DB Schemes

• Making the decision to stop defined benefit accrual
• Balancing the sponsor's and the trustees' perspectives
• The journey to the endgame - defining objectives and setting, implementing and monitoring your strategy
• The investment governance challenge
• Dynamic de-risking: doing it yourself or taking the outsourced approach

Ali Tayyebi, Senior Partner and DB Risk Leader for the UK,  Mercer
Dan Melley, Partner and UK Head of Dynamic De-risking Solution, Mercer 

15:25 - 15:55

Managing longevity risk

• Understanding the concept of longevity as an asset class
• Transferring longevity risk away from pension schemes
• Are longevity swaps going to be the mayflies of the pension de-risking world, or does this market have real long term potential?

Martin Bird, UK Longevity Solutions Lead, Aon Hewitt

15:55

Closing remarks and close of conference