Speakers and topics

abrdn invests to help clients create more. More opportunity. More potential. More impact. It offers investment expertise across all key asset classes, regions, and markets so that clients can capture investment potential wherever it arises. By combining market and economic insight with technology and diverse perspectives, it looks for optimal ways to help investors navigate the future and reach their financial goals. And by putting environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations at the heart of its process, it seeks to find the most sustainable investment opportunities globally.

KBI Global Investors (KBIGI) is fully owned by Amundi Asset Management. Amundi is Europe’s largest Asset Manager with more than €2trn of assets under management across six investment hubs worldwide. KBI Global Investors' product range includes Global Water, Global Energy Transition, Global Resource Solutions, Global Circular Economy and Global Sustainable Infrastructure. The inception of these strategies dates back to 2000. While sustainability is at the core of these products, its conviction is that an allocation can enhance an investor's overall risk-adjusted profile. This is due to the diversity of its holdings (which are largely mid-cap core) and its alpha thesis, which is underpinned by a number of long-term secular tailwinds.

Baillie Gifford’s sole business is investment management. Since the company was founded in 1908 it has been a partnership. Today, it is owned by 57 partners all of whom work in the business. It currently manages or advises on some £225.6bn (as at 31 Dec '23) on behalf of clients worldwide.

For more than 30 years, Comgest has been focused on one objective: delivering quality growth over the long term. To do this it invests in companies with durable competitive advantages that are able to compound shareholder value at rapid rates, for an extended period of time. It believes sustainable earnings per share growth leads to above-average investment returns at below-average risk. The continuity of its team, style and approach is its greatest asset. As an entirely independent firm, it maintains a strong partnership culture. The majority of employees are also shareholders of the business, which helps align its actions with its clients’ interests. It thinks, acts and invests globally. Its products provide access to its best ideas across international equity markets, unconstrained by benchmarks.

Downing Fund Managers (DFM) is a boutique of established investment managers offering specialist portfolios that it believes have the potential to offer attractive long-term returns. DFM is part of Downing LLP, which manages £2bn (as at 31 Mar '24) of assets across a series of single strategy funds, multi-asset funds of funds, investment trusts and tax-efficient products. DFM’s roots lie in a value-focused private equity investment approach. This has now broadened out into a diverse mix of strategies and a selection of mandates all different to, yet complementary to, each other. The 16-strong DFM team runs more than £587m of publicly listed assets (as at 31 May '24).

Eastspring Investments, part of Prudential plc, is a leading Asia-based asset manager that manages $239bn (as at 31 Mar '24) of assets on behalf of institutional and retail clients. Operating since 1994, it has one of the widest footprints among asset management companies across Asia. It provides investment solutions across a broad range of strategies including equities, fixed income, multi asset, quantitative and alternatives and are committed to delivering high quality investment outcomes for our clients over the long term.

It incorporates ESG factors into its investment process and is aligned with a number of global sustainability initiatives including the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investments (PRI) and the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC). It collaborates alongside industry peers to harness a collective investor voice to influence and drive change with investee companies.

Jupiter is a specialist, high conviction, active asset manager. It exists to help clients achieve their long-term investment objectives. From its origins in 1985, Jupiter now offers a range of actively managed strategies available to UK and international clients including equities, fixed income, multi-asset and alternatives. Jupiter is a constituent member of the FTSE 250 Index, and has assets under management of £51.3bn (as at 30 Jun '24). Independence of thought and individual accountability define it. Its fund managers follow their convictions and seek those investment opportunities that they believe will ensure the best outcome for clients. They do this through fundamental analysis and research, a clear investment process and risk management framework, with a focus on good stewardship.

Established in June 2024, L&G’s asset management division combines deep expertise in asset management and origination with global distribution capabilities to deliver positive outcomes for clients. As a global investor, it is present where its clients need it – from Hong Kong and Singapore, to major European financial hubs, to Chicago – operating under the Legal & General and LGIM brands. It provides investment solutions across the full spectrum of asset classes, ranging from index-tracking and active funds to liquidity and liability-based risk management strategies. Through its private markets platform, it utilises its rich heritage and extensive network of partners to offer access to a wide range of purposeful alternative investment opportunities, including specialist real estate, clean energy, infrastructure, venture capital, unlisted equities and private credit. Its division is underpinned by its enduring commitment to responsible investment, dedicated to creating long-term, sustainable value for clients and partners.

At Lombard Odier Investment Managers, they are aim to provide clients with outstanding investment solutions that meet their needs for the long term and evolve to thrive in the challenging world in which we all live. The firm is a focused investment specialist, seeking out investment opportunities that lie on less trodden paths, where its team can add genuine value to clients. It believes that the next economic revolution has already begun and that sustainability could be a major driver of returns for the foreseeable future and beyond. For those with the skills to adapt to this new reality, sustainability is expected to create new sources of alpha, open up new investment opportunities and lead to enhanced return and reduced portfolio risk.

Its team of sustainability experts combine sophisticated data sources, academic rigour and technical innovation to create leading-edge, science-based tools that provide unique insights that are available to all our investment professionals. These unique insights are reflected directly in its growing range of dedicated sustainable investment strategies that are aligned to this core belief - That our economic model must move from being wasteful, idle, lopsided and dirty to become circular, lean, inclusive and clean. It calls this the CLIC economy. With more than 180 investment professionals, it is a global business with a network of 13 offices across Europe, Asia and North America and have assets under management of $73bn (as at March 2024).

Globally, M&G Investments manages £313bn (as at 31 Dec '23) on behalf of individual and professional investors, including banks, pension funds, insurers, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, charities and advisers. It is among the largest managers of private assets in Europe. It is also recognised for its global fixed income expertise, a long track record in multi-asset solutions and a strong heritage in innovating in equities, including a growing range of sustainability-driven thematic equity funds.