An alternative approach to investing
7th March 2016, 4.30pm
The Brewery, London
Join us for an evening of thought-provoking investment discussion on Monday 7th March, when Aon's Meredith Jones will explore investment strategy through a behavioural finance lens and ask some big questions for 2016:
- Is bigger necessarily better when it comes to fund management houses?
- Can manager diversity boost returns and manage volatility?
- With over two thirds of active managers underperforming over the last 10 years, should you jump ship?
- Do financial markets need much more cognitive and behavioural diversity?
Meredith will be joined by industry experts Julian Brown, of BlackRock and Dr Iain Clacher, from Leeds University Business School.
About our panel:
- Julian Brown is a Director in the Global Consultant Relations team, part of the Institutional Client Business, at BlackRock; he previously led the investment consulting team in London for a UK-based consultancy.
- Dr Iain Clacher is an Associate Professor in Accounting and Finance at Leeds University Business School. He is the head of Retirement Research at the Institute of Banking and Investment, and he is the co-director of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance.
- Meredith Jones is an internationally-recognised researcher, writer and speaker in the alternative investment industry. She recently joined Aon as Head of Emerging Manager Research.
We would be delighted if you would join us and get involved. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to ask questions and share your views, and to continue the discussion over a drink afterwards.
| 16:30 - 17:10 |
Registration and Welcome Drinks |
| 17:15 - 17:20 |
Welcome Address
Tim Giles |
| 17:20 - 17:40 |
Meredith Jones |
| 17:40 - 18:40 |
Panel Discussion
An opportunity for you to put your questions forward to our panel of industry experts Meredith Jones, Julian Brown and Dr Iain Clacher |
| 18:40 - 19:30 |
Networking drinks and canapes |
Meredith Jones
Partner
Aon, Consulting
Meredith Jones is an internationally recognized speaker, researcher and author of Women of The Street: Why Female Money Managers Generate Higher Returns (And How You Can Too). She has more than 17 years of alternative investment experience. having begun her alternative investment career at Van Hedge Fund Advisors International (VAN), where she was Director of Research. At VAN, Meredith was responsible for manager selection, due diligence, index construction and aggregate industry research for the $500 million fund of funds.
Meredith was then recruited by hedge fund analytics provider PerTrac Financial Solutions. There she focused on industry trends with an eye to providing actionable insights and information. Her research on emerging managers, initiated in 2006, and women and minority-owned funds created new investment categories. It has changed the way investors and money managers behave - both in the way investors allocate and how money managers market to and seek investors.
Meredith then went on to be Director at Barclays Capital Strategic Consulting Group. There she consulted for clients and authored white papers, including her first white paper on women and minority-owned investing.
She has gone on to speak and present research internationally - including conferences in Tokyo, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Sydney, Geneva and more.
Until the acquisition of Rothstein Kass by KPMG, Meredith served as Director of the Rothstein Kass Institute, an Alternative Investment Think Tank at the professional services firm Rothstein Kass (RKCO). There she created the first Women in Alternative Investments Hedge Fund Index to measure performance of female hedge fund and private equity managers.
Tim Giles
Senior Partner
Aon, Consulting
Tim is a Senior Partner and leads our UK Investment Consulting Practice. He has been advising Trustees and Sponsors on their pensions and investment arrangements for over 25 years, and leads our relationships with a number of schemes ranging from less that £100m to several billions. Tim’s roles bring him into contact with a diverse range of clients, and he uses this experience to bring a practical edge to his advice.
Tim represents Aon in the press and various public platforms. Tim joined Aon (then Bacon & Woodrow) in 1998. Prior to that he worked at the predecessor firms of Willis Towers Watson, PwC and Royal Sun Alliance. He qualified as an actuary in 1996 and holds a degree in Economics from Warwick University.
He is married with 3 children and spends his spare time skiing, training and competing in cycling and triathlon events, and coaching rugby.
Aon Solutions UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.