Agenda

08.30 - 09.00: Registration and refreshments

09.00 - 09.05: Chairman’s welcome
Adam Cadle, Editor, Insurance Asset Management

09.05 - 09.35: Keynote speaker – David Otudeko, Head of Prudential Regulation, ABI

09.35 – 10.00: Bond investors need to adapt to the new volatility cycle
Jon Mawby, Co-Head of Absolute & Total Return Credit, Pictet Asset Management 

Fixed income markets have become increasingly volatile, a trend that looks set to continue. Investors need to adapt themselves. The recent surge in bond yields has rocked fixed income investors. This volatility isn’t going away and investors will need to learn a different, more active approach to fixed income investing.

10.00 – 10.25: Biodiversity
Rashila Kerai, Senior Analyst / Biodiversity Specialist, Robeco

Biodiversity is a critical topic for investors, as there are serious financial implications to the depletion of nature, alongside its environmental and societal impact. Whilst the investment industry has only recently started focusing on this topic, it is rapidly gaining attention. Integrating biodiversity into the investment process is essential to identifying and managing risks and impacts. Robeco has developed a roadmap which includes policy elements, a framework to integrate biodiversity into the investment process, and engagement efforts on deforestation.

10.25 - 10.55: Panel discussion – Fixed Income
Panel Chair:
Gareth Sutcliffe, Senior Director, Insurance Investment Solutions Group, Willis Towers Watson

Panellists:
Ashish Dafria, Chief Investment Officer, Aviva UK Life
Kedi Huang, UK Chief Investment Officer, Aspen
Sumit Mehta, Head of Investment Solutions, L&G
Corrado Pistarino, Chief Investment Officer, Foresters Friendly Society

-What does the current inflationary environment mean for fixed income portfolios?
-How can insurers mitigate the risk of inflation in the fixed income space?
-Where are insurers adding their allocations to in the current macro-economic environment?

10.55 – 11.10: Coffee break

11.10 – 11.35: Fund financing - an opportunity for insurers
Nikita Desai, Investment Director, Private Credit Investment Specialist, abrdn
Shelley Morrison, Head of Fund Finance, abrdn

Markets have changed and insurers need to find new ways to meet their goals. In this session, Shelley Morrison and Nikita Desai will discuss Fund financing as a defensive alternative strategy that benefits from a rising rate environment and how it can provide some shelter from public market volatility.

11.35 – 12.00: Investing for impact in EMD
Bryan Carter, Head, Global Emerging Markets Debt, HSBC Asset Management

EM managers are accelerating the launch of SFDR Article 9 products. But what is the experience managing such portfolios in a changing regulatory environment? How expansive is impact investing in the EM context? What does EM Article 9 really look like? Can EM really be a sustainable investment?

12.00 - 12.45: Lunch break

12.45 – 13.10: A Nordic approach to Private Markets - why sustainability & value creation go hand in hand 
Lea Vaisalo, Head of Alternative Investments, Nordea Asset Management

We encompass a Nordic approach to private markets with a holistic, ESG framework in order to create value in the high quality partnerships and assets we work with.

13.10 – 13.40: Panel discussion – Alternatives sponsored by Schroders
Panel Chair: Wojciech Herchel¸ Head of Insurance Advisory EMEA, Schroders

Panellists:
Hanna-Li Allison, Senior Manager, Markets and Oversight,Lloyds of London
Daniel Blamont, Group Investment Operations Director, Royal London
Prabjot Mann, Head of Real Estate, Phoenix Group
David Ramroop, Chief Investment Officer, Just Group

-Where to invest going forward in 2022 and into 2023?
-Current opportunities in the illiquid alternatives space?
-Levels of outsourcing
-Which assets offer the best potential to balance risk and reward?
-How do ensure the right data analytics are in place when investing in these complex asset classes?

13.40 – 14.05: US Municipal Bonds: diversification in your credit portfolio
Heneg Parthenay, Head of Insurance – EMEA, Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited, London

US taxable municipal bonds represent a unique, liquid and high-quality market for diversifying fixed income allocations. The opportunities to invest with a sustainable purpose in this space have increased materially since the first green municipal bond deal in 2013. This session will explore both the challenges and opportunities for insurers.

14.05 – 14.30: How should insurers capture and integrate ESG considerations into Government bonds?
Dr Laura Ryan, Head of Research, Ardea

We look at scenario modelling for climate change within government bond portfolios and the proposed Solvency II climate transition capital charges.

14.30 - 14.55: Fireside Chat: Technological & Digital Disruption in the Market
Chris Watts, Insurance Solutions Specialist, Clearwater Analytics
Punil Chaubal, Associate Director, Insurance Investment, WTW

Insurers are constantly managing the impact of technology and digitisation. Join our fireside chat to discuss the key impacts being seen across the insurance value chain and how best to manage these challenges.

14.55 – 15.25: Panel discussion – ESG
Panel Chair
Rebecca Lea, Senior Policy Adviser, Prudential Regulation, ABI

Panellists:
Hilkka Komulainen, Head of Responsible Investment, Aegon UK
Tim Lord, Head of Climate Change, Phoenix Group
Peter Uhlenbruch, Director of Financial Sector Standards, ShareAction

-Where does the insurance industry stand in the ESG debate? Has progress been made in the last year?
-What needs to change to drive and encourage a greater commitment and focus on the 'S'?
-How realistic are the net-zero targets?

15.25 - 15.30: Chairman's round up and close of conference