by Shreeji Parekh, MBA 2019
We wanted our theme to be special for the annual Asset Management Conference – after all, it is the 10th anniversary. So, we decided to focus on the very premise of investment return – that it is always a function of risk and reward. However, this was very much common sense, even for us students. So we asked ourselves, what is it that always influences the eventual investment return and voila! The answer was staring us in the face – it’s not necessarily risk, but the hidden risks that every investor at some point in their investment journey forgets to account for. As well, it is not the chase of reward, but rather the excessive rewards that an investor believes they can achieve.
This year our stellar speakers aim to deliberate on both the hidden risks and excessive rewards in the AM industry with the morning session devoted to the hidden risks and the afternoon session to the excessive rewards. Throughout the morning we hope to ponder on the definition of risk, regulatory and practitioner assessment of it and the current state of affairs and future trends. In the afternoon session, we will focus on what affects excessive rewards, whether they are even sustainable, AM fees, executive compensation, and policy perspectives. Our speaker line-up includes Andrew Bailey (CEO, Financial Conduct Authority), Alex Brazier (Executive Director for Financial Stability Strategy and Risk, Bank of England), Catherine Howarth (Chief Executive, ShareAction), Tom Gosling (Partner, PWC), Roger Urwin (Global Head of Investment Content, Willis Towers Watson), Helen Thomas (CEO, Blonde Money) and many more.
As the conference approaches, Sarah Burrows and I, along with our team, are incredibly excited to see our idea and plans manifest. We hope the conference can in its own small way, provide a glimpse into the dance of risk and reward on the stage of global hub of financial markets – London!
The Asset Management Conference is the flagship annual conference for LBS’s Investment Management Club. The conference is a day-long event featuring panel discussions and keynote presentations from prominent policy makers, industry leaders, academics and researchers. Buy your tickets here!