David Allen

David is CEO of StepStone Group Europe Alternative Investments Limited. StepStone is a global private markets firm providing investment and advisory solutions across private debt, private equity, infrastructure and real estate. Prior to joining StepStone, David served as managing director of Cheyne Capital SMC Limited. Before that David spent 15 years with the Amundi group where he filled a number of roles including head of operational due diligence, head of risk analysis and chief administrative officer for the alternatives business. Earlier in his career, David worked for a UK hedge fund in London, for Deutsche Bank as head of hedge fund administration and for PwC as a chartered accountant.

Julia Backmann

Dr. Julia Backmann, LL.M. leads the AllianzGI legal team responsible for distribution, sustainable finance and operations. Julia has professional experience of over 20 years as a lawyer, in-house and in public policy. She is admitted to the Frankfurt bar and regularly speaks at conferences. She has been a member (sherpa) of the EU platform on sustainable finance, and chairs the German investment fund association’s sustainable investment committee and EFAMA’s distribution and client disclosure committee.

Antonio Barattelli

Antonio joined ESMA in August 2011 and is the head of the investment management unit. He leads ESMA’s work related the UCITS directive, AIFMD, ELTIF and MMF regulation as well as cross-sectoral files such as SFDR and PRIIPs. Prior to joining ESMA, Antonio was a senior associate at a major law firm in Luxembourg. He qualified as a lawyer in Italy. Antonio holds a law degree from the University of Padua, a master’s degree in European litigation from the University of Luxembourg and the University of Strasbourg as well as a postgraduate diploma in EU competition law from King’s College (London).

Lord Gavin Barwell

Lord Gavin Barwell acts as a senior advisor to PwC on UK politics and geopolitics. As Downing Street chief of staff during the last two years of Theresa May’s premiership, Gavin was at the heart of government during one of the most turbulent periods in British political history. He has held a number of other roles during his political career including chief operating officer of the Conservative Party, MP for Central Croydon, senior government whip, minister of housing and minister for London. He shares distinctive and highly relevant insights into political risks and opportunities, including sector-specific challenges and opportunities.

Camille Blackburn

Camille is the director for the wholesale buy side for the Financial Conduct Authority. She has 20 years of experience in financial services regulation, having previously held senior regulatory roles for the Central Bank of Ireland and Australian Treasury. Camille was the leader of the investment banking division of ASIC over the financial crisis of 2008. Camille has also held positions as global chief compliance officer for two large investment management groups in the UK and for a large Australian investment bank. She holds a Master of Laws from the LSE and Master of Commerce from UNSW.

Neil Brown

Neil joined CQS in January 2016, after a naval career which included logistics command of the aircraft carrier ILLUSTRIOUS, and postings as senior military lawyer for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the passage of legislation that created the UK’s joint military justice system. As director of navy legal services from 2007 he was on UK delegations to major maritime powers and G7 security conferences, and the proliferation security initiative. In 2010 Neil was appointed a visiting fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford and later director of naval staff, leading engagement across Whitehall and with 20 navies worldwide. His last posting was to the Cabinet Office, to develop UK strategy for engagement with GCC states. Neil leverages his international network and open-source intelligence to provide forecasting on geopolitics and inform investment strategy, investments, and the pricing of risk.

Veronica Buffoni

Veronica has over 20 years of experience in the asset management industry. Her expertise is in fund distribution and regulatory compliance, fund oversight and governance, due diligence, and product structuring, in particular for Ireland, Luxembourg, and Cayman schemes. Prior to joining Carne in 2006, Veronica worked in compliance advisory roles at Fleming Family & Partners and within PwC’s regulatory practice in London. Veronica holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in aeronautics and astronautics and a master’s in design management, as well as a number of industry qualifications.

Laurent van Burik

Laurent van Burik is head of unit legal/international/enforcement and ESG of the CSSF collective investment schemes unit. He has been with the CSSF since 2010. Prior to that, Laurent spent 15 years as legal counsel with asset service providers (ICSD/global custodians/Big Four) in Luxembourg, London and Frankfurt. He represents the CSSF in various committees, including the ESMA investment management standing committee and the IOSCO assessment committee at international level. Laurent holds a master’s degree in international tax law from University Paris XI-HEC and was admitted to the bar in 2001.

Albertha Charles

Albertha is asset and wealth management leader for PwC UK. She has more than 20 years’ experience in financial services, specialising in asset and wealth management, private equity and insurance. Albertha advises a range of UK and global AWM clients on the value of their businesses, the implications of potential strategic options as well as the opportunities for value creation and growth. Albertha is passionate about creating more equitable and inclusive workplaces. She was a member of PwC’s partner diversity council for eight years, stepping down last year, and is a member of the Prince’s responsible business network. Albertha has been listed in Empower Top 100 ethnic minority senior executives lists for the last five years.

Sabina Comis

Sabina Comis, global managing partner-elect, advises French and international companies, family offices, private equity funds and investment banks on domestic and international tax structuring that arise from complex corporate transactions, restructurings and refinancings, often involving multiple sponsors. She also has a wealth of experience in creating and structuring private investment funds, including joint ventures and private equity vehicles. Ms. Comis also helps clients shape post-Brexit strategy and provides guidance on related tax issues. She is one of the few practitioners in France equipped to offer both tax advice and handle the legal and regulatory sides of fund formation. Her ability to address private equity and funds matters as an industry expert as well as a tax practitioner enables her to translate advice into tangible figures and models.

Elizabeth Day

Elizabeth Day is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster. She is the author of How To Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong and hosts the ‘How To Fail’ podcast. On the podcast, she interviews a different luminary or artist each week, exploring what their failures and struggles taught them and how they can be turned into successes. Similarly in speeches, Elizabeth discusses the importance of perseverance in the face of disappointment and how it is our reaction to defeat and disorder that defines us. After getting her first job at the age of 12 writing for the Derry Journal, Elizabeth went on to work for the Evening Standard and then as a news reporter for the Sunday Telegraph. She later co-founded Pin Drop Studio, a live performance short story studio, bringing together a variety of people from the arts through creative writing. It released A Short Affair – its own anthology of original writing from a number of bestselling authors.

John Donohoe

John Donohoe is the founder and group CEO of Carne Group. John has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry and sits on and chairs the boards of some of the largest and most complex mutual and hedge funds. He also provides clients and industry peers with considerable expertise on governance, product development, distribution and regulatory developments. He is a thought leader in the ongoing development of hedge fund governance and oversight, as well as the digitisation of asset management. John was managing director of Deutsche Bank for 12 years, serving as an executive/non-executive director on various Deutsche Bank boards, rising to become CEO of Europe, Asia and offshore. Prior to establishing Carne in 2004, John was a senior vice president of State Street. In 2011 John co-founded Funds Congress, which is now the largest complementary asset management conference in the world. He is recognised as an industry expert and is a regular speaker at international industry conferences.

Robert Gardner

Rob is an entrepreneur, investor and innovator with a proven track record of success in protecting and growing assets in the pensions and wealth management industries. Previously director of investments at FTSE100 company SJP, he managed over £150 billion in client investments. Rob is also a successful B-Corp founder, having built companies such as Redington and mallowstreet, and a financial education charity called RedSTART. Rob’s dream is a world worth living in – economically, environmentally, and socially. He is currently the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Rebalance Earth. They create high-integrity nature credits that protect and grow biodiversity and generate prosperity for the communities that preserve nature and capture carbon. Over the next decade, Rebalance Earth aims to protect and restore nature, capturing over one gigatonne of CO₂ and generating daily income for millions worldwide to create a world worth living in.

Claire Glennon

Claire Glennon is head of sustainability for the UK at Schroders, responsible for working with clients and prospects across the UK and Irish markets, helping them navigate their sustainability journey. She joined Schroders in 2013 and is based in London. Claire was previously co-head of UK and Ireland institutional business at Schroders, responsible for business development and client relationships in the UK and Irish institutional markets, with pension funds and insurers across the public and corporate sectors, and investment consultants. Prior to this, Claire was part of the business development and client service team at Barings Asset Management from 2001 to 2013, which involved working with UK institutional clients and prospects. Claire was awarded the CFA ESG certificate in August 2020 and the CFA investment management certificate in 2003. Claire holds a BA in media studies from the University of Luton.

Andrew Griffith MP

Andrew Griffith is the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister. He is a former senior business executive and investor who now sits in the UK Parliament. He served on Sky’s Board of Directors from 2008 until 2019, being the youngest FTSE100 Chief Financial Officer on his appointment. Between 2014-2019, Andrew was a Non-Executive Director of FoodTech start up, Just Eat plc and served for a year as its Chairman. In July 2019, Andrew was appointed as the PM’s Chief Business Adviser and from February-July 2022 he was the Minister for Policy and Head of the 10 Downing Street Policy Unit.

Dr. Margaret Heffernan

Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, chief executive and author. She writes books and blogs, teaches and mentors leaders, and has built and led organisations of all sizes. Born in Texas, raised in the Netherlands and educated at Cambridge, Margaret started her career at the BBC producing radio documentaries and films for Newsnight. She then ran the independent producers’ trade association, described by the FT as “the most formidable lobbying organisation in England.” Margaret returned to the U.S. where she worked on public affairs campaigns and with software companies trying to break into the multimedia area. She developed interactive multimedia products with Tom Peters, Standard & Poor’s and The Learning Company. She then joined software and consulting firm CMGI where she ran, bought and sold various leading internet businesses of the time. Now an acclaimed business author, Margaret has written extensively on effective leadership, and challenged many assumptions and stereotypes.

Carmel Jordan

Carmel Jordan is CEO of Mercer Global Investments Management Ltd (“MGIM”), the management company to Mercer’s Irish domiciled range of funds. With almost 30 years’ experience in the funds and asset management industry across operations, transformation, compliance and risk, Carmel has been central to building the great culture of Mercer’s investment business and has contributed significantly to its strong growth over the last 12 years. During her tenure with Mercer, Carmel led the Mercer investment operations and technology teams responsible for the design and implementation of investment solutions across multiple market and client segments. More recently, Carmel has held the role of global transformation officer within the investment solutions business, laying the foundations for the transformation of Mercer’s data, digital and technology infrastructure.

Brian Laureano

Mr. Laureano joined Apollo in 2016 and is an investment principal and head of businesses development for S3 Credit Solutions, Apollo’s credit secondaries business. Previously, Mr. Laureano worked in investment banking at Wells Fargo Securities, focusing on industrials client coverage. Prior to Wells Fargo, Brian was on the corporate finance advisory team at RBS where he provided strategic advice and analysis to the bank’s global client base. Mr. Laureano graduated summa cum laude from The University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in finance. Mr. Laureano is a CFA charter holder and was recognized as a “Next Gen Leader of Secondaries” by PEI in 2021.

Angelo Lercara

Angelo Lercara, LL.M. EuR advises on all different aspects of financial services law. He has more than 15 years’ experience relating to the structuring and marketing of financial products and alternative investment funds, as well as counselling of German institutional and regulated investors. He also regularly advises fund sponsors on the regulatory implications of utilizing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in the investment process. He helped to pioneer the first listing of ETCs and has since advised on a range of ETC and ETF listings on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as well as on securities and fund offerings and MiFID-related ongoing compliance obligations and reporting. Regularly providing multinational legal advice in English, German, Italian and French, alongside a broad knowledge of European law, Angelo is able to address global and European regulatory challenges, serving the needs of his diverse and long-term client base, including major managers of mutual and alternative funds, insurance companies, banks and German branches of foreign banks and asset managers.

Steven Libby

Steven Libby leads PwC’s asset and wealth management practice across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He joined PwC San Francisco in 1991 in the audit practice, working across a diverse number of industries including asset management, real estate and telecommunications. In September 1996, Steven transferred to the PwC Luxembourg office where his focus has been primarily on the asset management industry, working in both an auditing and advisory capacity. With over 25 years of experience, Steven is a partner working within the risk assurance services practice. He has gained significant experience supporting the asset management community with advice on strategy through execution, including a focus on fund accounting, transfer agency and custody operations, as well as distribution. Steven has also led a diverse number of projects, ranging from market entry studies to governance model assessments. Steven is a board member of the Luxembourg fund association (ALFI), a member of various IRE committees and a board member of AMCHAM.

Geoffroy Marcassoli

Geoffroy is a partner specialised in ESG and sustainable finance. He has developed his knowledge and expertise of sustainable finance through a wide range of engagements including but not limited to regulatory gap analysis, assistance in the definition of sustainable strategies and taxonomy assessments. Geoffroy is leading the PwC Luxembourg ESG and sustainable finance assurance practice and is also an active member of multiple industry working groups. In addition, he is also a regular speaker in industry conferences on sustainable finance with a focus on the practical implications of the implementation of SFDR and taxonomy regulations.

Mike O'Brien

Mike currently has a number of roles. He is a non-executive director on the abrdn plc board in Edinburgh and the Carne Group board in Dublin. He is also a senior advisor to both Osmosis Investment Management and s64 Capital Innovation in the UK. Up until May 2020, Mike O’Brien was the global co-head of the asset management solutions business for JP Morgan Asset Management based in New York. In his role as co-head of AM Solutions, O’Brien was responsible for the firm’s multi-asset, retirement and pensions, and insurance advisory businesses globally. Prior to this, as CEO of JP Morgan Asset Management EMEA, O’Brien partnered with the global investment business and function heads to develop the business priorities in EMEA. A key area of his responsibility was to ensure the firm remained in line with the regulatory requirements and within a framework of appropriate risk management.

Andy O’Callaghan

Andy O’Callaghan is PwC’s global advisory leader for the asset and wealth management industry. A partner with 30 years’ experience in the industry, Andrew oversees PwC’s global advisory practices across technology transformation, digital, regulatory consulting, ESG consulting, and deals. Andrew led PwC’s asset and wealth Management practice in EMEA from 2015 to 2019 and has been PwC’s global advisory leader for the sector since 2019. Andrew has been actively involved in the European funds industry since 1995 and has assisted many leading global fund managers to structure products in Europe. Prior to taking on his global advisory and EMEA roles, he also led PwC’s exchange-traded funds practice in EMEA, the PwC China business unit in PwC Ireland and PwC’s ‘Asset Management 2020’ research group. Andrew includes amongst his clients major U.S., European and Asian asset managers, asset owners and asset servicers. He is a chartered accountant (fellow of ICAEW and ICAI) and a graduate of University College, Dublin.

James O’Sullivan

James O’Sullivan is head of fund & firm authorisations at the Central Bank of Ireland where he is responsible for the authorisation of investment funds and fund service providers. Prior to this, James was head of funds policy which included oversight of the domestic regulatory framework for funds in Ireland. James has represented the Central Bank at a range of European and international fora. He currently represents the authority at the IOSCO investment management committee (C5). Before joining the Central Bank, James worked for a multinational investment bank and is a graduate of University College Dublin.

Joe Parkin

Joe Parkin is head of banks and digital channels in the UK at BlackRock. In his role he is responsible for BlackRock’s relationships with private, retail and neo banks, as well as digital channels in the UK.

John Pienaar

John Pienaar was the BBC’s Deputy Political Editor and presenter of the weekly Westminster round-up ‘Pienaar’s Politics’ on Radio 5 Live. A seasoned reporter, he sees his job as beating a path through the forest of government spin, a role he maintains for Times Radio. Ever since his original, often controversial parliamentary sketch for The Independent, he has acted as tour guide and

translator of goings-on in the Westminster village. Prior to spending almost three decades at the BBC, John trained at South London Press, covering whatever was occurring on his doorstep – be it street crime, domestic violence, sex, drugs or rock’n’roll. He then became an Old Bailey correspondent and even wrote an angling column (without ever having held a fishing rod).

James Pomeroy

James is a global economist at HSBC. He joined the economics team in 2013 having previously worked within the asset allocation research team. His global work focuses on longer-term trends and themes, and the impact that they have on the economy and policy decisions today. Demographic data is at the heart of much of his work, but he has also written about urbanisation, the role of technology in the economy and how the world is moving away from cash. Alongside this, he provides economics coverage of Scandinavia. James holds a BSc in economics from the University of Bath.

Olivier Portenseigne

Olivier Portenseigne was appointed CEO of FundsDLT in May 2020, when the company was incorporated. Prior to this Olivier led the development of the FundsDLT project from its start in 2016 as a groundbreaking blockchain project initiated by the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and its former subsidiary Fundsquare. From 2013 to 2020, he was also the chief commercial officer and managing director of Fundsquare, the fund market infrastructure leader in data management and exchange. During his leadership, the company experienced high levels of growth and the launch of numerous new products and services. Olivier has more than 25 years of experience in the fund industry, and he previously held various senior management positions related to shareholder services and distribution support activities at RBC Investor & Treasury Services.

David Rae

David Rae is head of strategic client solutions at Russell Investments. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the development of client-specific solutions for all institutional clients across EMEA.

David has over 20 years’ experience working with institutional clients, including pension funds, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds. He has held a number of roles at Russell Investments. Between 2006 and 2012 he led the derivative overlay, LDI and implementation business for EMEA, and prior to that worked as a consultant in both London and Auckland. Before joining Russell Investments in 2000, David worked at Railpen Investments where he was involved in running externally managed pooled funds for the railway industry-wide pension scheme. David is a member of the EMEA executive committee, chair of the boards of the FCA-regulated companies and chair of trustees for the Russell Investments pension plan.

Tom Slocock

Tom is a managing director and head of international product development and origination at iCapital, responsible for the development and expansion of the firm’s product offering in markets outside the United States. Tom has almost 30 years of experience within wealth management working with clients and managing teams, businesses, and global product classes. Prior to joining the firm, Tom spent 11 years at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management, most recently as head of the global funds group, overseeing the sourcing, research, structuring, marketing, and servicing of both traditional and alternative fund offerings across all client franchises. Previously, Tom was CEO of Deutsche Bank’s UK wealth management business. Before joining Deutsche Bank, Tom spent a decade at Credit Suisse, where his last role was as the London head of international private banking. He started his career in wealth management at Goldman Sachs in London.

Philippe Sourlas

A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique (the national school of statistics and economic administration), Philippe Sourlas also holds a master’s degree in economic analysis and policy from the Paris School of Economics and a license in law from the University of Paris I – La Sorbonne. He began his career at the General Inspectorate of Finance in 2006, before joining the insurance and mutual insurance control authority (ACAM) in 2008, which became the prudential control and resolution authority (ACPR). He successively held the positions of international expert and controller, deputy brigade chief then head of an insurance control brigade between 2011 and 2013. He took responsibility for one of the insurance control services banks of the ACPR in 2014. Philippe Sourlas joined the AMF on July 25, 2016, as deputy director of the asset management department, then became deputy secretary general in January 2019.

Mark Tucker

Mark Tucker joined KKR in 2021 and leads the private wealth partners team in EMEA. Prior to joining KKR he spent 10 years at HSBC Alternative Investments and was head of private market investments. He helped form the HSBC Alternatives private markets business in 2011, which grew AUM from US$1 billion in 2011 to over US$25 billion by 2021. This capital was raised from HSBC Private Bank and discretionary mandates and invested across private equity, real estate, infrastructure and private credit opportunities. Prior to this he was an executive director in the UBS Wealth Management private markets team from 2006-2011, responsible for sourcing and originating private markets offerings for the UBS Private Wealth private markets programme. Mr. Tucker holds a BSc in economics and politics from the University of Bath and is a chartered financial analyst.

Carol Widger

Carol Widger is a partner in Dechert’s investment funds group in Dublin and managing partner of the firm’s Dublin office. Carol has 20 years’ experience advising fund promoters, fund managers, AIFMs, MiFID firms and other investment funds services firms, on matters relating to the establishment, launch and ongoing management of all types of investment funds, including UCITS and AIF products. Carol is a former chair of Irish Funds’ legal working group and currently acts as a senior advisor of the Dublin location for 100 Women in Finance, where she was the former chair and founding member. Carol is consistently ranked as a leading lawyer in legal publications. IFLR1000 recognizes her as a “highly regarded” individual in hedge funds and investment funds, while The Legal 500 says Carol is “well-informed and analytical”. Chambers Global highlights Ms. Widger for bolstering the firm’s Irish funds practice. She was also “highly commended” in the Chambers’ “Diversity Lawyer of the Year: Europe-wide” category for her career-long efforts to foster gender diversity.

Amanda Young

Amanda is the chief sustainability officer for the investment vector at abrdn. She has had over two decades of experience in responsible investment. She leads the sustainable investment strategy to support abrdn’s investment teams, its active ownership activities, client support and abrdn’s sustainable product funds. Previously, Amanda held positions in responsible investment and economic research at Newton Investment Management, CCLA Investment Management and Rabobank International. Amanda graduated from Lancaster University with a BSc in psychology and has completed the University of Edinburgh Business School’s executive women’s leadership programme. Amanda led a workstream for the UK government’s taskforce on social impact investment and is a board director for Social Investment Scotland’s SIS ventures fund. She currently chairs the FTSE Russell ESG advisory committee and is deputy chair of the sustainability and responsible investment committee of the Investment Association. She served on the board of the UK sustainable investment and finance association (UKSIF) for six years. Amanda has appeared on the Financial News top 100 most influential women in European finance for five years, from 2017 to 2021. In 2021, she was the inaugural winner of ‘Women in Investment Awards Sustainable & ESG Investment Woman of the Year’.

Karen Zachary

Karen is CEO of CRUX Asset Management Ltd. She joined CRUX in July 2015 as COO and was appointed CEO in 2020. She has held senior/executive roles in asset management businesses for over 25 years. The more significant periods of her career have been spent at Man Group, Janus Henderson and Fidelity in both London and Dublin. Karen also holds the position of chairperson and independent non-executive director for Mediolanum International Funds in Ireland, and in September 2022 was appointed as a non-executive director on the board of the Investment Association, the UK trade body for the investment management sector.