It’s obvious to this demi-Dane Thor has a mischievous sense of humour. After weeks of sunshine, he ensured the rain arrived in time for half-term. But Moore Squared Communications welcomed this week of cool respite after a thunderously busy May and before an equally intense June.
We packed a LOT into this month. We held our latest sustainable networking event at the start of the month with more than 40 turning up to discuss the implications of the Nest/IFM Investors merger in a packed upstairs room at the Betsey Trotwood.
Series three of The Professional Investment Podcast got underway with the four episodes covering venture capital investment, the future of pensions, how to spend your surplus and a guide the Mansion House Accord.
We published three new blog posts in our ‘client connection’ series. The first examined how hosting a podcast can help you to cement your client credibility while the second looked at how those looking to do LinkedIn well should look to magazine editors for inspiration. And third launched a new ‘Win that pitch’ service.
Two new articles were also published. The first for Professional Pensions looks at how the way asset managers work with pension schemes is changing and the second, for MandateWire, looked at five trends reshaping UK pension fund fixed income strategies.
And there will be plenty to keep us busy next month! Due to illness, we had to reschedule our ‘Be a credible sustainable investor’ workshop. As it was so popular, we will be running it on 3 June and 9 September. We are also running our ‘Use your voice to command attention’ gifted workshop on 11 June.
What are the implications of the Nest/IFM Investor partnership for other asset managers?
There was an exceptional turn-out at the Betsey Trotwood with more than 40 turning up to discuss the implications of the Nest pensions/IFM Investors partnership for other asset managers. We had a great audience – laughing at all the panel’s jokes and asking excellent questions. The panellists – Mark Fawcett, , Maria Nazarova-Doyle, Jesal Mistry and Anthony Ellis – delivered great insights and banter. The photos show you achieved that magic combination of credibility and playfulness. Bravo!
The Professional Investment Podcast
UK tariff business impact – with Ian Connatty, managing partner, British Growth Partnership at BBB
In the first episode of the third series I talked to Ian Connatty, managing partner of the British Growth Partnership at British Business Bank about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on UK small business.That lead us onto a discussion of the role venture capital plays in turning a start-up into a fully-fledged business, what we do well in the UK and how we can improve our small company financing. We talk about one of the UK’s areas of strength – the life sciences sector – and how vital venture capital is to provide future medications. We also discuss how pension schemes can invest in venture capital.
The future of pensions – with Paul Kitson, UK head of pensions consulting at EY
Paul Kitson, UK head of pensions consulting at EY and I covered A LOT in the second episode of series three of The Professional Investment Podcast.We discussed the Department for Work and Pensions’ recent response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s report on defined benefit (DB) schemes. We talk about potential changes to PPF funding, how schemes’ surpluses can be spent as well as whether collective defined contribution (CDC) could provide retirement income. I also asked Paul what three changes he would make to UK pensions if he were minister. Listen to the podcast to find out what he said.
How to spend your surplus – with Emma Cameron, head of investment consultancy at Hymans Robertson
In the third episode of series three of The Professional Investment Podcast, Emma Cameron, partner and head of investment consultancy at Hymans Robertson, discussed with me how pension schemes should spend their surplus. Emma’s news story of the week was the Professional Pensions piece “DB funding position remains stable in April amid market volatility” which led us to reflect how the strength of schemes will shape future strategic and investment decisions. Once funding positions have been stabilised, said Emma, trustees and companies have the option to invest the remaining surpluses more productively. That could be in equities, infrastructure or sustainable finance – including natural assets such as timber.
A guide to the Mansion House Accord – with Sofia Perkonigg, trustee director of UBS UK pension fund
In the latest episode of The Professional Investment Podcast, Sofia Perkonigg, trustee director at UBS UK Pension Fund, discusses the news of the recently announced Mansion House Accord. Sofia explores the implications of 17 of the UK’s largest defined contribution (DC) pension providers committing to allocating at least 10% of their default funds to private markets by 2030, with at least 5% allocated to the UK. We explain why UK pension schemes are only now allocating to private assets and discuss the practical challenges. She offers a trustee’s perspective on how real estate, infrastructure, private debt and equity could be integrated into the default fund depending on where a member is on their retirement journey.
Client connection posts
Build credibility with a podcast
Hosting a podcast can cement you and your organisation’s credibility with clients and the pensions industry. The purpose of a podcast is to demonstrate true thought leadership. It’s most effective when it illustrates the power of your organisation’s network and the depth of its knowledge. It’s an opportunity to show you can persuade industry titans to spend half an hour talking to you. You have the intellect to engage at their level and show you are concerned about the future of the industry. Podcasts are growing in popularity because they fill a need for deep conversation between industry experts. This makes them a great way to build credibility for you and your organisation within the industry and your network.
Create client connection with LinkedIn
Moore Squared Communications noted a recent spike in the number of posts on how to use LinkedIn well. One woman was responsible for this increased social media awareness – Stacy Havener was in town! Stacy helps boutique fund managers raise investment capital. And offers a master class in how to do LinkedIn well. She emphasises the power of the personal and the importance of narrative to build your presence on LinkedIn. We endorse these concepts! We have used them to create our network and to build curiosity about our brand. But the secret sauce to doing LinkedIn well is to think like a magazine editor. Printed magazines might not be fashionable today but they hold good lessons for anyone wanting to use Linked to build a following. Your LinkedIn feed should have the same variety of different posts that you would find from articles in a magazine. An over-reliance on personal posts means your feed will lack depth over time. That should include photos of you at external events, thoughtful posts about the latest research produced by your organisation, appearances on panels and podcasts as well as commentary on news stories. It’s not reasonable, however, to expect individuals to produce this variety of posts. You need to work with your marketing team to identify the right mix of posts for you and build a content pipeline.
Win that pitch
Moore Squared Communications brings you a new service – we are providing asset managers with the skills to ‘win that pitch’! Everyone in the investment industry can relate. Butterflies in the stomach and palms sweating as you wait to step into the meeting room or for the video call to start. All your hard work riding on how the next half an hour pans out. Pitches are an essential part of the investment industry and come in many forms. It could be a few minutes conversation with a potential client during the coffee break at a conference, the supposedly relaxed lunch with contacts or the formal interrogation in front of a panel of investors. Yet so many us of the lack the skills needed to pitch successfully even if time is short or the audience unreceptive. Few people can build a compelling narrative which you can contract into a minute or expand into an hour. No-one explains the difference between a good and a bad pitch deck. Who spends any time discussing the psychology of selling? How we can use our voice and body language to make us compelling remains a mystery to most of us for our whole career.
Articles
How the way schemes working with asset managers is changing?
In my latest piece for Professional Pensions, I discuss how evolution and consolidation is reshaping this relationship. Intermediation is being replaced by collaboration. This shift, along with increasing scale, is making the UK more like pension schemes in other countries with the possibility of more long-term relationships between asset managers and owners. But not every asset manager will be able to benefit from these changes. Richard J. Tomlinson, CIO at Local Pensions Partnership Investments, Phil Butler, deputy CIO People’s Partnership, Graham Long, head of external management at Border To Coast Pensions Partnership and Ian Sandiford, head of alternatives at Border To Coast Pensions Partnership share great insights and commentary in this feature.
Five trends reshaping UK pension fund fixed income strategies
Fixed income is sexy again! My latest feature for MandateWire takes a look at the five trends reshaping UK pension fund fixed income allocations now this is once again an investable asset class. Mature DB schemes need for cash has driven demand for fixed income assets to pay members’ liabilities. The emergence of run-on as a viable option is likely to drive demand for a variety of debt assets as they are return-seeking which can be easily exited. Tight credit spreads are increasing the attractiveness of asset-backed securities – first of interest to DB schemes and now to DC schemes. Simon Rhodes, head of the liquid credit content team at Aon, Kate Hollis, global head of credit at WTW, and Paul Whelan, co-head of fixed income manager research at Aon, shared sharp insights and explanations in this piece.
