Investment professionals from pension funds, endowments and family offices in the UK and Europe were brought together for an investment think-tank with leading academics from London Business School and Cambridge University to discuss the latest investment thinking and application to institutional investors’ portfolios.
The academics presented to the investors who then discussed the outtakes and the implications of the lectures with their peers via roundtable discussion.
The highly interactive format, expertly facilitated by Conexus Financial and conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com with sponsorship support from Winton, allowed for the fusion of academic thinking and investment best practice, giving investors an edge in their decision making.
The presentations were:
• Investing in financial assets for the long term, presented by Elroy Dimson
• Hedge fund factors and extracting absolute returns, presented by Narayan Naik
• Incorporating lessons of financial history into investment practice, presented by David Chambers
Asset Classes
London investment think-tank
Private Credit
HOOPP: Light covenants in private credit are a growing source of concern
The boom in private credit has been accompanied by a spike in lighter covenants, reducing protection and guardrails for lenders says Jennifer Shum, senior managing director, structured and private credit at HOOPP, and warns of mounting risks in private credit.
Sarah RundellFebruary 11, 2026
Fixed Income
CalPERS touts fixed income wins, gears up for TPA
At the annual review of its fixed income portfolio, CalPERS staff explain how active management, value-add strategies and the hunt for alpha are paying off, with ESG integration giving it a valuable edge and informing it to invest in companies under pressure like Boeing at the right time.
Sarah RundellOctober 14, 2025
FIS Stanford 2025
Real asset opportunities ‘are coming from everywhere’: Macquarie
While the US remains the most entrepreneurial economy, China might now be challenging its technology leadership, while demographics, deglobalisation, decarbonisation, and digitalisation are creating “massive opportunities” in almost every market, according to Macquarie Asset Management.
Lachlan MaddockOctober 6, 2025
FIS Stanford 2025
Public-private partnerships key to fixing US infrastructure
The size of the current infrastructure investment gap and the speed at which it is widening mean there is both a desire and a need for more public-private partnerships to unlock funding. Investors say that collaboration with local governments and raising public awareness of private investment benefits are crucial.
Darcy SongSeptember 29, 2025
Equities
Future Fund flags expansion of active equity program
Emerging markets, Europe and Japan are all in focus for Australia’s sovereign wealth fund as it looks to ramp up active equities and diversify its exposures, as the fund grows wary of US markets amidst heightened political uncertainty.
Lachlan MaddockSeptember 11, 2025
Asset Classes
OMERS flags end to supercharged private equity returns
OMERS has warned that investors need to temper their expectations regarding the performance of more recent private equity vintages, as the favourable environment of high valuation multiples and low interest rates that spurred over a decade of superior returns begins to fade, said APAC head Ashish Goyal in Singapore.
Darcy SongSeptember 8, 2025
News
ACERA eyes global, more active approach for $6.6b equity portfolio
The $13.2 billion Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association fund is planning a major overhaul of its equity portfolio, shifting from a passive US-focused approach to a more global, actively-managed strategy in an effort to boost returns. The shift will result in manager terminations and searches.
Jack SmithSeptember 2, 2025

