Cardano’s inaugural asset manager conference, held on 29 January, attracted over 120 asset managers.
In the first session, Cardano’s UK CEO, Kerrin Rosenberg introduced the audience to the concept of “solvency management”, a new holistic approach to managing pension fund assets and liabilities.
He was followed by Keith Guthrie, head of the investment management team, who outlined Cardano’s approach to manager selection and portfolio construction.
The final presentation, on the use of derivatives by Cardano Director of Structuring, Max Verheijen, was followed by a lively Q&A session.
“Cardano’s offering is completely new and challenges the traditional approach to investment consulting. They are proposing to link their remuneration to the client’s funding objectives, which implies that they really will take responsibility for their decisions whether on manager selection or portfolio construction and that has to be of interest to trustees, especially in these challenging times,” says Terry Mellish of UBP.
“Risk management is high on trustees’ agendas, and there is a need for more innovation. The Cardano model provides an interesting approach that expands the range of innovative solutions available to the market,” says Abdallah Nauphal, CEO, Insight Investment.
“We have been talking to asset managers on a one-to-one basis for several months now, but it is great to have the opportunity to address so many people together today,” adds Kerrin Rosenberg.
Attendance at the conference, held at the Royal Society for the Arts, was by complimentary invitation.