Hedge Fund European Leadership Summit 2023

Hedge funds have lost some momentum – particularly in relation to private markets. Is this just cyclical or do we need to change the way we create and market product?
If change is needed, what kind of business do you really want to be? Should managers stick to their core strengths and wait for their moment or embrace the potential – and risk – of hybrid strategies and volatile digital assets?
If we choose to evolve, how do we effectively develop our internal skillsets to make these shifts happen?
And as we hire new teams and evolve existing skillsets – how will the working environment change? Is the ‘republic of the remote’ becoming increasingly stale – if so, how do we get back to the office and work as a team again?
Unique ways to distribute – like platforms – and to partner with allocators on these new ventures

Outsourcing, now a strategic imperative for hedge funds – what are the current drivers and trends and what are the metrics – other than budgetary savings – of measuring success?
Pushing the boundaries of outsourcing to other higher value activities – where to next? Are you even examining the ‘fraction-lisation’ of once key staff – CTO, CFO…and even the COO. What are the benefits and risks here? Is the fractional COO a step too far? Without a fulltime ops head, who pulls all the outsourced services together?
What other areas of your ops could be outsourced?
> Extension of outsourcing to front office
Promise of technology adoption to integrate all these services – is it possible to do this coherently, cheaply and achieve accurate reporting?
Co-sourcing and in-sourcing versus standard outsourcing – co-sourcing approach winning with larger funds, but what does it also mean for smaller players?
> Benefits and trade-offs
> Decision considerations for co-sourcing versus standard outsourcing
> Lessons from pandemic
> Cybersecurity not an afterthought any more for hedge fund managers
> Hybrid operating model and implications for talent management – keeping all the stakeholders aligned and ‘art of flexibility’ for talent management

Is the prime broker still your most important relationship?
With the retreat of Deutsche and Credit Suisse - and the emergence of well-funded ‘digital’ primes - how should managers go forward with this relationship?
Creating the ‘digital’ hedge fund – what does it look like, where do we go to next and making the most of technology, automation and outsourcing while avoiding the pitfalls
Building consistency in business operations and digitalisation, without creating headaches for staff and sacrificing the experience of allocators
More outsourcing – more risk? How to guard against insolvency of service providers
How to bring all vendors together in a single view?

Article 8 and Article 9 funds – are these capable of boosting asset raising and preserving performance – what are the practicalities and how do you cope with the reporting
Getting the reporting process right and overcoming operational headaches during this journey
Looking at the impact of new EU taxonomy regulation – will this lead to needed standardization or more complications as the SEC et al bring in their own changes
Does adopting ESG factors improve returns? And are managers adapting existing funds to fit in with the times or launching new vehicles
Making progress: aligning manager and allocator interests on ESG – how to collaborate

Building and interrogating a coherent data eco-system
The scope and use of data are widening, but are fund managers paying enough attention to data strategy, storage and governance?
Alternative data - new ways to mine alpha
Overcoming the challenge of analysing large data sets before the data becomes obsolete; what techniques are managers pursuing to gain, and maintain, an edge?
What advances in algorithms are being applied to parsing and analysing textual data – and are these advances improving the power of predictive analytics?
How are hedge fund managers developing their own proprietary tools to make data management processes and controls more efficient?
Best practices for setting out and overseeing an effective data management strategy
The role of internal culture in setting out a path for data transformation

Leaning in as senior leaders – what are your teams currently telling you?
Recruiting, rewarding and retaining the best
How to be opportunity minded, structure and achieve sustainable growth, while managing your costs
Does remote working and digitalisation make for a more equal, healthy and diverse working environment or is it hampering future collaboration and innovation?
Co-mingled and liquid is still the mainstream – but how can your business make the most of co-investment vehicles and less liquid opportunities in private markets

Why do allocators say no?
ESG – what exactly are investors looking for
Marketing and capital-raising - the new tools & techniques
The shifts in ODD and are we heading for the ‘digitalization’ of the manager/investor relationship
Doing more than just following the investor lead on ESG
How are technology platforms re-shaping the capital introduction model?
What types of technology are IR teams introducing, as a result of the pandemic, to connect with investors?
How is the IR role evolving in line with tech innovation, and how is this helping improve investor communication/reporting?
What kind of best practices should managers be mindful of, when doing virtual fundraising, and what are some of the main risks to avoid?
Will we see a hybrid approach to fundraising, on a permanent basis, going forward, combining the human element with the machine?