Fund Finder Middle East
Ritz Carlton DIFC, Dubai
January 21st 2026 - 8:30am to 2pm
Fund Finder Middle East Workshops aim to help you efficiently select your Investment Products.
in partnership with
What can you expect from this event?
Format
A concise and targeted half day event in a pressure free, relaxed, and educational environment.
Speakers & Topics
A maximum of 8 selected sponsors present their strategies & products to fund selectors from across the GCC.
Audience
A specialized event designed to expose fund selectors to new investment products whilst enabling them to exchange ideas and network with their peers from across the region.
Fast, efficient workshop format
YUNUS SELANT
MICHAEL GRIFFERTY
OSCAR ORELLANA-HYDER
Neutral market experts moderate the workshops
Speakers & Topics
Allen Chilten
Global Head of Real Estate Capital Formation
The Future of Real Estate
Allen will examine developments in the global real estate sector, with particular
emphasis on where we see future opportunities. He will cover considerations for
asset allocation and highlight the evolution of investment vehicles designed to
capitalise on these opportunities. Attention will be gven to how these vehicles are
enabling both institutional and retail investors to participate in the changing
landscape.
Presenter's profile
Allen joined Schroders in London in 2024 to head Real Estate Capital Formation
globally. Previously Allen was Head of Funds for Capital Markets at Patrizia, following a
period prior at Credit Suisse.
Allen started his career as a professional rugby player for Newcastle Falcons in 1997.
He holds an MBA from London Business School, specialising in Finance and Real
Estate Private Equity
Jennie Byun
Senior Investment Specialist, Multi-Asset
Diversifying the Diversifiers
With bond-equity correlations becoming less stable, the role of traditional hedges is being reassessed. Liquid alternatives – such as commodities, listed infrastructure,
and hedge fund strategies – are becoming increasingly important for their potential
to provide differentiated return streams. Understanding how these components
enhance diversification is essential to building resilient multi-asset portfolios in
today’s evolving market regime.
Presenter's profile
Jennie Byun heads the UK Multi-Asset Investment Specialist team within HSBC
Asset Management’s Multi Asset business in London and has been working in the
financial industry since 1999. Her team is responsible for providing investment
solutions for HSBC’s clients across institutional, wealth and intermediary client
segments. Before joining HSBC in July 2024, Jennie worked as an Investment
Director for Aviva Investors, where she covered liquid alternatives and global
sovereign bond strategies. Prior to that, she worked in sell-side research at
JPMorgan in their New York and London offices. Jennie has a BA in Management
Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) and an MBA from
London Business School (UK).
Avinash Vazirani
Investment Manager, Indian Equities
India Beyond the Crowded Mega Caps: Finding Alpha in the “Sweet Spots”
Avinash Vazirani explains how Jupiter’s India strategy generates alpha beyond the crowded mega-caps by targeting under-appreciated “sweet spots”, combining deep bottom-up research, valuation discipline and active portfolio construction
Presenter's profile
Avinash is the Investment Manager of the Indian Equities Strategy. Before joining
Jupiter, Avinash was Managing Partner of Peninsular Capital Partners LLP, which he
founded in 2005. Prior to this, he was CIO (South Asia and Africa) of BNP Paribas Asset
Management. He was also CEO of GEM Dolphin Investment Managers from 1994 until its
sale in 1997. He began his investment career in 1994.
Avinash is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He is a Trustee of The London Clinic, a
Non-Executive Director of the UK India Business Council and a former Trustee and
Chair of Pratham UK, a charity focussed on children's education in India.
Paul Syms
Head of EMEA ETF Fixed Income & Commodity Product Management
Invesco
UCITS ETFs: Growth, Outlook, and Innovation
The UCITS ETF market has experienced remarkable growth, driven by the
evolution of both the client and product landscape as investors increasingly
recognise the potential benefits of ETFs such as their transparency,
efficiency, and diversification. In this session, we will explore the key factors
fuelling this expansion, which asset classes have experienced the strongest
demand, and provide insights into the outlook for continued growth across
Europe and beyond.
We will demonstrate why structure matters for ETFs, addressing the potential
benefits and debunking the perceived risks of swap-based ETFs, and
explaining why these structures can offer robust, efficient exposure.
Presenter's profile
Paul is head of EMEA ETF fixed income product management at Invesco. He
brings a wealth of experience gained through a career spanning almost 20
years in leading asset management companies. Prior to joining Invesco, Paul
worked at Hermes Investment Management where he was a portfolio manager
for over £9bn UK and global inflation linked bonds. He started his career at
Scottish Widows Investment Partnership where his main responsibility was
managing the global rates portfolios. He holds a BSc (Hons) degree in
Genetics from the University of Nottingham and has been a CFA charterholder
since 2004.
Peter Jackson
Partner
Passive Aggressive in a Mad World
The use of Passive Strategies has grown, is it now at a level where it is
driving the market? If so, what can Active Managers do?
Presenter's profile
Peter joined Fundsmith in 2014 and became a Partner in 2022 having been
at Franklin Templeton Investments where he was Regional Sales Manager
responsible for UK retail sales and strategic partners. Prior to Franklin
Templeton Peter was Business Development Director for Aegon Asset
Management.
He began his career in the life assurance industry in 1990 working for
Britannia, Scottish Equitable, National Mutual and Legal & General before
spending 8 years at Axa Wealth where he latterly became a Corporate
Investment Consultant. Peter holds a Certificate in Financial Planning from
the Chartered Insurance Institute and is an Associate member of the Institute
of Securities and Investments (ASCI).
Ilias Benjelloun
Portfolio Strategy, Macquarie Infrastructure Fund
The Compelling Case for Infrastructure in Client Portfolios
Infrastructure offers investors consistent returns, downside protection, and true portfolio
diversification, driven by stable demand for essential services and resilience against market
volatility and inflation.
Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) is a global leader in infrastructure investing, with over
$US210 billion in assets under management and a 30-year track record of delivering value
through deep industry expertise and active management.
Macquarie Infrastructure Fund (MIF) provides investors with a single access point to
Macquarie’s institutional infrastructure platform, offering immediate diversification across
sectors, asset types, and geographies. Backed by Macquarie’s $500 million balance sheet
support and deep industry expertise, MIF targets attractive risk-adjusted net returns of
10–12% and a yield of 3–5%, underpinned by high-quality, inflation-protected assets and
proven deal sourcing capability.
MIF is designed for investors seeking institutional-quality infrastructure exposure, combining
steady yield, balanced growth, and downside protection.
Presenter's profile
Ilias is a Senior Vice President at Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) and
leads the Portfolio Strategy team of the Macquarie Infrastructure Fund (MIF).
Since joining Macquarie in 2010, he has played a pivotal role in investment
and asset management within MAM’s infrastructure funds business.
Throughout his tenure, Ilias has held senior roles in London and Sydney,
focusing on utility, transportation, digital, green energy, and waste
infrastructure investment opportunities. During his time in Sydney, he gained
extensive experience in the power grid sector, holding board positions across
two distribution and transmission businesses in New South Wales and South
Australia.
Ilias holds a Bachelor of Science in international business from Maastricht
University and a Master of Science in finance from EDHEC Business School.
Daniel Ong
Senior Portfolio Manager,
Avantis
Where Can Indexes and Factors Fall Short?
Examine similarities/differences in how indices define asset classes and
manage reconstitution. Review the rise of strategic-beta ETP offerings and provide context for how allocators can navigate this ecosystem.
Highlight some constraints that portfolio design decisions can place on index
trackers. Propose how a systematic approach can deliver benefits commonly
associated with indexing without the artificial constraints
Presenter's profile
Daniel is a member of the team of investment professionals at Avantis Investors.
Prior to joining the firm in 2019, Daniel served as a senior portfolio manager and
vice president at Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) for 14 years. His responsibilities
spanned across managing international developed and emerging markets equity
strategies, leading the emerging markets equity desk, and engaging with clients.
Storm Uru
Co-Head of the Global Innovation team
Why investors can’t ignore the coming innovation wave
Innovation is one of the biggest drivers of stock returns and we are only five minutes into the football game of a major new innovation cycle driven by AI. Storm will discuss the significant opportunities for strong stock returns as well as huge risks to companies on the wrong side of the coming disruption.
Presenter's profile
Storm is the co-head of the Global Innovation team. Prior to Liontrust, Storm
worked as a fund manager at Neptune Investment Management, running
global funds. He holds an BBS in finance and MBS in international business
from Massey University, an MBA from Oxford University and is a CFA
Charterholder. He represented New Zealand in rowing at the 2008 and 2012
Olympic Games, winning bronze in London in 2012.
Room 1
Hosted by
YUNUS
8:30 - 9:00
Registration
9:00 - 9:30
Liontrust
9:30 - 10:00
Schroders
10:00 - 10:30
Jupiter
10:30 - 11:00
Fundsmith
11:00- 11:30
Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:00
HSBC AM
12:00 - 12:30
Avantis Investors
12:30 - 13:00
Invesco
13:00 - 13:30
Macquarie
13:30 - 14:30
Networking Lunch
Room 2
Hosted by
MICHAEL
8:30am - 9am
Registration
9:00 - 9:30
Macquarie
9:30 - 10:00
Invesco
10 - 10:30
Avantis Investors
10:30 - 11:00
HSBC AM
11:00 - 11:30
Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:00
Fundsmith
12:00 - 12:30
Jupiter
12:30 - 13:00
Schroders
13:00 - 13:30
Liontrust
13:30 - 14:30
Networking Lunch
Room 3
Hosted by
REZA
8:30am - 9am
Registration
9:00 - 9:30
Avantis Investors
9:30 - 10:00
HSBC AM
10:00 - 10:30
Macquarie
10:30 - 11:00
Invesco
11:00 - 11:30
Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:00
Schroders
12:00 - 12:30
Liontrust
12:30 - 13:00
Fundsmith
13:00 - 13:30
Jupiter
13:30 - 14:30
Networking Lunch
Room 4
Hosted by
TBC
8:30am - 9am
Registration
9:00 - 9:30
Jupiter
9:30 - 10:00
Fundsmith
10:00 - 10:30
Liontrust
10:30 - 11:00
Schroders
11:00 - 11:30
Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:00
Invesco
12:00 - 12:30
Macquarie
12:30 - 13:00
HSBC AM
13:00 - 13:30
Avantis Investors
13:30 - 14:30
Networking Lunch
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 25 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.