Our speakers will cover every major asset class and region, giving you a comprehensive overview of the latest news in the world's major markets.
Dominic O’Connell is one of the UK’s leading business broadcasters and commentators. As a business presenter on Times Radio and Saturday business columnist for The Times newspaper, Dominic is a leading voice and expert across the London financial landscape. For five years Dominic was a business presenter on the BBC’s flagship Today programme and appeared regularly on BBC television as a reporter and commentator. He joined the BBC from The Sunday Times where he was business editor for six years. He has won several national journalism awards, including the Wincott Award in 2017, the premier award for business writers and broadcasters.
Alex Araujo joined M&G’s equity income team in July 2015 and became co-deputy manager of the M&G Global Dividend strategy in April 2016. He has been manager of the M&G Global Listed Infrastructure strategy since it was launched in October 2017, and was appointed manager of the M&G Global Themes strategy in January 2019. Alex has 25 years of experience in financial markets, having previously worked at UBS and BMO Financial Group. He graduated from the University of Toronto with an MA in economics and is a CFA charterholder.
Andrzej is a fund manager in the Multi-Asset Funds team. His responsibilities cover the portfolio management and ongoing development of both institutional and retail multi-asset funds and he leads on the management of the award-winning L&G Multi-Index fund range. Prior to joining LGIM in July 2014, he was a fund manager at Aviva Investors. He is a CFA charterholder and completed the MSc programme in Finance at Bocconi University in Milan. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and social science from Utrecht University. An ESG advocate, Andrzej holds GARP’s Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR®) Certificate and lectures at Queen Mary University of London on Portfolio Construction and Asset Allocation.
Ben Deane is an Investment Director within Fidelity’s fixed income team and has 8 years of experience having joined Fidelity in 2016 as a graduate. Ben sits within the Fixed Income Investment Directing team and is focused on Sterling, Global and Sustainable Thematic Investment Grade (IG) strategies, including Fidelity Sustainable MoneyBuilder Income, Fidelity Short Dated Corporate Bond, Fidelity Sterling Corporate Bond, Fidelity Long Dated Sterling Corporate Bond, FF Global Corporate Bond, FF Sustainable Climate Bond and FF2 Sustainable Social Bond. Ben has primary responsibility for leading the day-to-day product responsibilities for the Sterling, Global and Sustainable Thematic IG strategies, including investor and press communications, client service and portfolio manager support.
Clive co-manages the JOHCM UK Equity Income Fund, alongside James Lowen, and is one of the UK’s most highly respected equity income managers. Prior to joining JOHCM, Clive worked at Newton Investment Management as Investment Leader, UK Equities and managed the successful Newton Higher Income Fund for three years. Clive holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and is an associate member of the Institute of Investment Management and Research.
Emily Whiting, executive director, is an Investment Specialist within the Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific (EMAP) Equities team, based in London. An employee since 2005, Emily previously worked in the London Request for Proposal Group, specialising in Far East and Emerging Markets equity products. Emily obtained a B.Sc in Money, Banking and Finance from the University of Birmingham.
George joined Jupiter in November 2018 as an investment analyst on the Jupiter Merlin team before being promoted to Assistant Fund Manager a year and a half later. Now, as an Investment Manager, he helps the team run the £7bn Jupiter Merlin fund range, selecting & allocating to fund managers across multiple asset classes with the aim of continuing their 20 year track record in producing superior, risk-adjusted returns for their clients. Having attained a History degree, he is also a CFA® charterholder and has completed both the IMC & CFA ESG qualifications.
Named a Champion of Change for Britain, Shivvy Jervis is one of Europe’s only female, Asian forecasters. She’s described as “extraordinary” (Coca-Cola), “one of the most trusted voices in the industry” and “meaningful & human-centred” (World Economic Forum). With 600 keynotes and 25 accolades under her belt, Shivvy specialises in the fascinating connection between human and synthetic intelligence (AI), covering both innovation and neuroscience in equal measure. Her keynotes on applying the science behind motivation, stress and negotiation to how we do business was cited as fantastic by LinkedIn, Zurich Insurance and Microsoft.
James is a managing director in the Client Solutions Group within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He leads the International Strategic Advisory Solutions team, which provides clients across EMEA and Asia Pacific with expertise on market trends, portfolio construction and innovative business practices. James joined Goldman Sachs in 2015 as an executive director and was named managing director in 2021. James began his career at the Bank of England before moving into the private sector. Prior to joining the firm, he was chief European economist at the Royal Bank of Canada. He has more than two decades of cumulative experience, working across buy-side, sell-side and policy-making institutions. James earned a BA in Economics from Durham University in 1999, an MSc in Economics from University College London in 2002 and an MA in International Relations from King’s College London in 2023.
James de Bunsen is a Portfolio Manager on Janus Henderson Investors’ Multi-Asset Team, a position he has held since joining Henderson in 2013. In this role, James focuses on alternative asset classes and strategies. Prior to Henderson, he worked for multi-asset boutique Armstrong Investment Managers (AIM) from 2010, where he helped run a number of multi-asset strategies targeting real returns above inflation within clearly defined risk budgets. Before that, he spent five years at Insight Investment as part of the same multi-asset team that launched the first retail multi-asset fund in the UK and later formed AIM. At both Insight and AIM, this team won several performance awards from FT Pension & Investment, HFM Europe, and BarclayHedge, among others. Earlier in his career, he spent several years working as a journalist and editor at a variety of business magazines.
Jason is a portfolio manager in the Multi-Asset team at Ninety One. He is co-portfolio manager of the Multi-Asset Income strategies and his research responsibilities include equities. He joined the firm in 2015 to work on the income strategy as an analyst with responsibility for its equity exposure. Prior to this he worked for Pan Asset Capital Management as an assistant fund manager on multi-asset portfolios. Previously, Jason worked for BlackRock as an analyst. Jason studied Law at Oxford University. He holds an Investment Management Certificate and is a CFA® charterholder.
Keith Balmer is a Director and Portfolio Manager within the Multi-Asset Investment team. He joined the company in 2016. Previously he was a Director at BlackRock within their multi-asset division and Man Group working with AHL the systematic managed futures manager. Keith graduated from Exeter University with a BSc (Hons.) in Mathematics with European Studies.
Kirsty is an Investment Director at abrdn. She manages the global small cap strategies and leads discussions on global small-cap stock selection. Kirsty also has analyst responsibility for Asia including Japan small and mid cap companies. Kirsty joined the company in September 2012 after a break from the industry. Prior to that, she started her career as a graduate at Martin Currie in October 2000. Following a stint in US equities, she moved to Asia and Emerging Markets as Investment Manager. Kirsty graduated with a MA (Hons) in French from the University of St Andrews and holds the IMC.
Chief Investment Officer (CIO), Michael oversees all our investment teams and provides insight and leadership on strategic initiatives. He has over 30 years of experience at the highest level in Investment Management and shares his expertise through clear and insightful conversations. Before joining in 2010, Michael worked for BZW Investment Management and Chase Asset Management, where he launched their first hedge fund. In 2001 he moved to Sofaer Capital where he founded a successful and award-winning equity long-short fund.
Nigel is the lead portfolio manager for the AXA Framlington UK Select Opportunities Fund & the AXA Framlington UK Sustainable Equity Fund as well as joint portfolio manager for the AXA Ethical Distribution Fund. Nigel joined AXA IM Equity in 2021 as a portfolio manager on the UK desk. Prior to joining AXA IM Equity, Nigel worked at NFU Mutual where he joined as a Financial Analyst in 2001 before assuming a role as a Trainee Equity Fund Manager in 2005. He was appointed lead manager for the UK Growth fund, as well as the UK Pension and Life funds in 2009 and ran the Funds until his departure in Jan 2021. Nigel graduated from Cardiff University in 2000 with an Honour’s degree in Business Economics and gained his Investment Management Certificate in 2006 & qualified as a CFA Charterholder in 2009
Olivia co-manages Artemis’ US Smaller Companies strategy with Cormac Weldon. She studied English Language and Literature at Oxford University, graduating in 2006. She joined Threadneedle as a graduate in 2007, working in distribution for four years before joining its US Equity team as an analyst, covering Consumer Staples. She joined Artemis in 2014 as an analyst, covering Consumer Staples and Healthcare, and became a co-manager of the US Smaller Companies strategy in September 2022
Paul is a portfolio manager and strategist at Newton. He is a portfolio manager on the Newton Global Income strategy and is also lead manager of the Newton Multi-Asset Income strategy and the Newton Multi-Asset Diversified Return strategy. He also provides leadership and analysis on asset allocation, derivatives and convertible bonds for the wider firm, having spent the earlier part of his career working on strategic asset allocation and derivative strategy. Paul is responsible for generating ideas within alternative assets and has been leading in this area since 2008. He is a member of the asset class strategy group and provides feedback to the wider house on strategic and tactical asset allocation. Paul joined Newton in 2004. He is a CFA1 charterholder and has completed the certificate in quantitative finance (CQF) after passing with distinction. Paul studied Astrophysics at the University of St Andrews and is a keen cyclist and runner, having recently cycled the length of the UK from Land’s End to John O’Groats and often participates in marathons.
Peter leads our global Multi-asset & Macro investment team and is responsible for the team’s strategic direction. Additionally, he is a portfolio manager on the AIMS Target Return Fund. Peter began his career at Old Mutual in 1995 before joining BNP Wealth Management’s Multi-asset team. He has extensive international experience having worked in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Peter holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Trinity College Dublin and a Bachelors Degree in European Studies from the University of Cork. He is also a CFA® Charterholder.
Rhys is a fund manager and senior credit analyst within the Invesco Henley Investment Centre's Fixed Interest team. Rhys began his investment career within the Henley-based Product Support team in January 2002 before moving to the Fixed Interest team in November 2003. Since 2014 Rhys has been managing several of the team’s fund portfolios, predominantly focusing on the high yield end of the market. He holds a BSc (Honours) in Management Science from the University of Manchester Management School and is a CFA charterholder.
Richard is the Head of the Equity Income team and manages the UK Equity Income, UK Dividend Growth and UK Income with Growth funds. He joined RLAM in 2016, having previously worked at AXA Investment Managers for 19 years where he ran a wide range of UK equity and multi-asset portfolios, most notably AXA’s Distribution Fund franchise. Prior to working in the City, Richard had an engineering background, having served an apprenticeship with British Aerospace. He holds a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Sheffield University and a PhD in Aerodynamics from Oxford University.
Ritu Vohora is an Investment Specialist representing the firm’s views on capital markets in the Multi-Asset Division. She is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price International Ltd. Ritu’s investment experience began in 2005, and she has been with T. Rowe Price since 2020, beginning in the Multi-Asset Division. Prior to this, Ritu spent 15 years at M&G Investments, most recently as an investment director and the head of Equities Investment Communications. Ritu earned a B.Sc. (honors) in accounting and finance from the University of Warwick (Warwick Business School) and an M.Sc. in management and the regulation of risk from the London School of Economics. Ritu has also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and the UK Society of Investment Professionals (UKSIP) Level 3 certificate in investment management. Ritu won the Highly Commended honor for Role Model of the Year at Investment Week’s Women in Investment Awards 2017. She also was a finalist for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards 2017 (Business category) and the London Asian Business Awards 2017. CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
Thomas Hanson, Head of Europe High Yield, is a member of the Global Leveraged Finance team. Prior to his current role, Thomas worked for Janus Henderson Investors, where he was manager of a number of high yield bond funds. Before that, Thomas worked for Aerion and Lazard Asset Management in a variety of analysis and portfolio management roles. He has been in the industry since 2000 and started with the firm in 2019. Thomas has a BA (Joint Hons) in French and Management Studies from the University of Reading. He is a CFA charterholder.
Tom is an Income investment specialist in the Clients Department. He joined Baillie Gifford in 2022. Prior to this, Tom was an Investment Director at Evelyn Partners (formerly Smith & Williamson) in London, where he spent seven years managing multi-asset portfolios on behalf of private clients, trusts and charities. Tom graduated with first class honours in Politics, Philosophy & Economics from the University of Manchester in 2015 and is a Chartered Fellow of the CISI.