The Harmonisation of OBSR and Morningstar Fund Ratings

This fortnightly series speaks with voices from the investing world about important news from the last 2 weeks, and expectations for the next 2 weeks.

Each episode will dive into a specific topic, focusing on questions such as:
- why should this specific issue is important to investors?
- what are the key points to consider when making decisions?
- what resources should be consulted to find the key points?

Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR) goes live on 9th December 2019 for FCA solo-regulated firms. BCS Consulting have supported vast numbers of banks, insurers and solo-regulated firms with their SM&CR implementations from which they have learnt key lessons about the challenges, regulatory consequences and the most effective solutions. Based on this experience, BCS Consulting will explain how firms can avoid the most significant implementation challenges and accelerate delivery timelines.

The investment research market has not changed much over the last 40 years but there is a notable shift underway. One of the factors which will be reshaping the investment research landscape over the next 5 to 10 years, is the increased adoption of the use of alternative data in the investment decision making process which is being enabled by the information explosion currently underway globally.

Environmental, Social and Governance data is probably one of the best-known and widely-used alternative datasets globally and investors are integrating it into their investment decision making process so that they can become better investors to achieve stronger, long-term returns.

Investors are using active ownership to persuade companies to clean-up their act. Globally we are seeing a shift to Responsible and Sustainable Investment (RI/SI) models and investors are focusing more on their stakeholder responsibility by being engaged owners, or even activist owners in some cases. Sustainable development goals are becoming an integrated part of asset managers’ and owners’ strategies and communications as they place more importance on their societal responsibility of investing responsibly and sustainably.

In this presentation, we will be showing how drivers such as client demand, regulation, the transfer of wealth and climate change are driving the shift towards sustainable financial and economic markets. We will also look at how ESG investing is being incorporated by asset managers and owners, from using it as an input in the investment decision making process, to incorporating it as a key part of a company’s strategy.

ESG is no longer just a conversational topic being driven by activist groups, it is now also seriously being incorporated by global money management firms and is set to become a key part of the global investment industry.

Early-stage or Angel Investing is a sub-category of Private Equity and a young and exciting asset class that sparks the interest of both individual investors and Family Offices.

In this 60-minute webinar, you'll learn why early-stage investing is an attractive asset class, explore what opportunities are there beyond financial returns, and how it allows you to unleash the power of networks through real case studies of two programs run by GoBeyond: Rising Tide Europe and NextGen.

All the content and learnings shared in this presentation derive from GoBeyond’s 10+ years of track record of investments in over 100 startup companies by its global community of 800+ Business Angels.

Chris is an experienced business leader with a global outlook developed through an international education and global experience in the US, UK, Europe and sub Saharan Africa. He excels at taking companies through the planning, financing and execution of growth-based strategies. One of his strengths includes ensuring that the correct capital structures are in place to support growth strategy.

Chris has strong competency in technology and consumer-focused companies with experience in early-stage, turnarounds, and mature company environments. Before GoBeyond Chris was CEO of Mobilitrix, an early-stage technology company and, prior to that, he was CEO of Virgin Active South Africa.

Chris has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Columbia University, and has been a long-serving member of the Young Presidents Organisation. He has a passion for African safaris, wine and fine food, rugby and cricket. Chris is married to Michelle and has two kids.

On SharingAlpha's 'Meet the Managers Program' we will be hosting Jeremy Smouha, Fund Manager of the GAM Star Credit Opportunities Fund. Jeremy will talk about the opportunities he sees in the Credit Markets and will be answering questions from the audience.

In the light of increasing demands following the continuous implementation of the EU Action Plan on Sustainable Finance, many investors are still struggling to understand and determine how and to what extent they have to act and respond to the evolving requirements.

To get clarity and also to inform about the most recent developments in the context of the EU’s Sustainable Finance activities, ISS ESG would like to invite you to an informative one-hour webinar that addresses the current state of play and discusses items such as the regulation on disclosure and benchmarks, the classification of “green” activities, sustainability preferences and more.

AGENDA

Welcome and speaker introduction
EU Regulation – update and background on the EU Action Plan on Financing Sustainable Growth
Our answer to your EU requirements – introduction to ISS ESG´s solution portfolio
Questions & Answers
SPEAKERS

Moderator: Jaspreet Duhra, Global ESG Sales Specialist at ISS ESG
Lydia Sandner, Senior Associate Regulatory Affairs at ISS ESG

During the webinar the Waverton Real Assets Fund Managers will be discussing the need for Alternatives within a diversified multi-asset portfolio and the opportunity presented by investing in Real Assets. The managers will cover what “Real Assets” are, Waverton’s approach to investing in the asset class and an update on performance since the Fund’s launch in November 2018.