Fund Finder Middle East Alternatives

October 11th 2023 at Ritz Carlton DIFC, Dubai

In response to strong demand on the subject, the October 11th event will be specifically organized around the theme of “Alternatives”.

Fund Finder Middle East Workshops aim to help you efficiently select your Investment Products.

in partnership with

More Information

What can you expect from this event?

Format

A concise and targeted half day event in a pressure free, relaxed, and educational environment.

Discover

Speakers & Topics

A maximum of 7 selected sponsors present their strategies & products to fund selectors from across the GCC.

Discover

Audience

A specialized event designed to expose fund selectors to new Alternative Investment products whilst enabling them to exchange ideas and network with their peers from across the region.

Discover

Fast, efficient workshop format

The workshops will take place at the Ritz Carlton DIFC and will see 7 sponsors each presenting 3 times over the course of a half day.

3 rooms, 3 moderators, 10-12 fund selectors per room. Sponsors present once in each room for half an hour.

This is an Alternative themed event where sponsors are invited to present on overall strategies or on specific investment products.

When not presenting, sponsoring groups are welcome to sit in on other presentations, or network in the lobby.

YUNUS SELANT

See his profile

ROBERT ERICH POLSTERER

See his profile

OSCAR ORELLANA-HYDER

See his profile

Neutral market experts moderate the workshops

Speakers & Topics

Charles Gans-Lartey

Principal, Credit Product Specialist

Private Credit: Unpacking the Opportunities in Direct Lending

Interest in Private Credit has increased substantially in the last 12 months as global interest

rates have risen on the back of higher inflation. Retrenchment by traditional lenders has left

a significant void that asset managers have filled to provide corporates with a stable source

of capital. As the largest direct lender globally, Ares is ideally placed to provide insight into

the key drivers within the private credit market and where we see the most attractive risk-

adjusted opportunities.

Mr. Gans-Lartey is a Principal within Ares Wealth Management Solutions, which oversees Ares’s client management activities in the global wealth channel. Prior to joining Ares in 2022, Mr. Gans-Lartey was a Senior Product Specialist in the Private Wealth Solutions Group at Blackstone, where he focused on credit strategies. Previously, Mr. Gans-Lartey was a Vice President in the Alternative Investments and Manager Selection (AIMS) Group at Goldman Sachs, where he focused on the group’s hedge fund platform. In addition, Mr. Gans-Lartey was a Product Executive at Schroders across their London and New York offices. Mr. Gans-Lartey holds a B.S. (First Class Hons) from the University of Warwick, U.K. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Mr. Gans-Lartey is a CFA® charterholder.

Tom Morrison

Senior Managing Director, Private Wealth Solutions

Time to Embrace Private Equity

New fund structures are making private equity accessible to a much wider universe of

eligible individual investors. In this workshop, you’ll learn about the benefits of private

equity, Blackstone’s approach as the world’s largest private equity platform, and why we

believe that now is such an opportune time to make private equity a long-term, core part of

client portfolios.

Tom Morrison is a Senior Managing Director of Blackstone, and a senior member of Blackstone’s private equity team, managing diversified portfolios of private investments.

Mr. Morrison joined Blackstone in 2011 to lead the firm’s Equity Capital Markets activities across our businesses globally. In 2020, he joined the firm’s Private Wealth Solutions group to focus on senior relationships with private wealth investment firms, and strategic initiatives focused on expanding access with new products, geographies, model portfolios, co-investments and capital markets.

He is an Advisory Council Member for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association, an Advisory Board Member for the Kellogg Finance Network, and is Co-Chairman of the Friends of Harvard Basketball.

Mr. Morrison received a BA from Harvard College, majoring in Economics. He also received an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, with majors in Management, Finance, and Marketing. Mr. Morrison also studied at the University of London, University College.

Barry Fricke

Head of EMEA Alternatives Distribution for Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Private Credit: Key success factors during a period of differentiation

Market conditions continue to be attractive for Private Credit investing.

However, as higher interest rates and persistent inflation put pressure on

companies’ margins, we believe that manager dispersion will likely increase.

In our session we explore what we believe are the critical success factors to

outperform, including differentiated loan sourcing, global reach and workout

expertise, and how Goldman Sachs differentiates itself.

Barry is a managing director in Client Solutions & Capital Markets within

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, serving as head of EMEA Alternatives

Distribution for Wealth Management. He initially joined Goldman Sachs in

2009 as an associate and worked in various roles based in London and New

York until 2017. Barry rejoined the firm as a managing director in 2022.

Prior to rejoining the firm, Barry worked at abrdn, formerly Standard Life

Aberdeen plc, serving as global head of Product, Investment Specialists and

Client Solutions for Private Markets. He began his career at JP Morgan in

2007.

Barry earned an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of

Witwatersrand in 2006 and an MA in Philosophy from the University of

London in 2012. He is a CFA charterholder and was awarded the Certificate

in Quantitative Finance in 2008.

Jeremy Marchat

Principal, International Private Wealth, Blue Owl Capital

Private Real Estate: the rush to net lease

As investors’ risk tolerance appears to continue to recede in today’s markets, we are seeing increased attention and interest towards income-generative strategies – those focused on steady current income and downside protection. The triple net lease structure has become especially attractive given its insulation from operating expenses (e.g. real estate taxes, insurance, maintenance), which we have seen increase dramatically over the last 12 months.

In this workshop, you will learn how Blue Owl Real Estate, one of the largest dedicated net lease managers in the United States, seeks to generate consistent, inflation hedged and tax advantaged income by focusing on acquiring high quality, single-tenant properties that are triple net leased on a long-term basis to creditworthy corporate tenants.

Jeremy Marchat is a Principal at Blue Owl and member of the International Private Wealth Team. In his role, he focuses on the expansion of Blue Owl’s private wealth business across EMEA, and supporting client relationships for all Blue Owl strategies.

Prior to joining Blue Owl, Jeremy was leading the Client Coverage Team at Credit Suisse AG out of Geneva, where he was promoting Credit Suisse Liquid Alternatives Globally, with a strong focus on Middle East and the Swiss market.

Before joining Credit Suisse, Jeremy spent seven years at UBS AG in Zurich and later in Singapore, where he led the Hedge Fund Product Specialist team across South East Asia.

Jeremy received his M.Sc. in Financial Engineering from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland in 2010 and is a CAIA Charterholder.

Gareth Edwards

Managing Director

Opportunistic Credit in Unstable Markets

Rising rates have shifted the calculus in private markets. Opportunistic credit is benefitting from falling asset prices and stress in funding markets while strategies that thrived under low rates are finding life harder. Simultaneously, the secular shift to clean energy has created an enormous funding gap for those with the necessary experience. Opportunistic credit is entering the spotlight but portfolios will look very different from those of the post-GFC period.

Gareth Edwards is a Managing Director for AB CarVal. He is responsible for capital formation and investor relations in Europe and theMiddle East. Prior to joining AB CarVal in 2011, Edwards worked in a similar role for K2Advisors. He also worked in the equity and emerging markets derivatives groups at J.P.Morgan for 10 years before migrating to the alternative asset industry. Edwards holds a BAin chemistry from Oxford University. Location: London

Remo Badertscher

Founder and Investment Committee Member, Valvest Advisors AG

Unlocking Steady Double-Digit Returns: Seizing Opportunities in US Bridge Loans

Valvest provides stable returns in US Bridge Loans, a specific segment of

Commercial Real Estate Debt (CRED), positioned at the highest level in the

hierarchy of the capital structure. Rising interest rates create discounted

financing opportunities and a larger equity cushion. Historically positive

returns, even in recessions, make US Bridge Loans an attractive investment

with no duration risk and collateralization through a real asset.

Remo Badertscher, co-founder and Investment Committee member, brings

over 25 years of experience in financial institutions like UBS, Man Group,

GAM, and VALVEST, the investment unit of Denise Rich’s family office. His

expertise lies in commercial real estate lending, making him a seasoned

industry expert.

Faisal Rafi

Head of Investment Research

Opportunities in Chinese Venture Capital

en attente

Faisal is responsible for investment research at RisCura. He has 21 years’ investment industry experience researching investment managers across asset classes and geographies, including alternatives. In his role as RisCura’s Head of Investment Research, Faisal ensures that clients select managers that maximise their chances of achieving their investment objectives. Prior to joining RisCura in 2011, Faisal was an investment manager at Coal Pension Trustees Limited where he was responsible for manager research across asset classes. He has invested in private equity at Bramdean Asset Management, which is now part of Aberdeen Asset Management. Faisal also served as an investment consultant at Towers Perrin where he advised UK pension schemes on investment strategy and manager structure

A hand-picked group of fund selectors

The Audience

Investment professionals from Global & Local Banks - Family Offices. UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar.

Invited fund selectors

Delegate passes will be issued on a strict invitation-only basis, where only key decision makers are able to attend.

Free flights and accommodation

All delegates from outside of Dubai are entitled to free flights and accommodation. Up to 20 non-Dubai delegates are flown over for each event.

In Partnership with AllFunds

All of Fenwick Media's events and projects in the Middle East are done in partnership with Allfunds.

Ask for invitation

Fund Finder Events

Fund Finder events gather wholesale fund selectors who work in the local markets