Tag: Diversity

NEW FEATURE (USE THIS ONE)
Navigating Complexity: How Super Funds are Responding to Market Shifts with Leon Stavrou

Navigating Complexity: How Super Funds are Responding to Market Shifts with Leon Stavrou

By |

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Superannuation funds in Australia are evolving rapidly, finding new pathways to optimize returns and manage risks.

How are they leveraging size, adapting their operations, and enhancing their data strategies for better investment outcomes? What can other regions learn from their focus on private markets and technology investments?

In this episode, host Paul Fahey speaks with Leon Stavrou, Head of Australia and New Zealand at Northern Trust, to discuss key findings from Northern Trust’s asset owner peer study, “Asset Owners in Focus”. They explore emerging trends in the superannuation sector, shifts in strategies, and the growing role of technology and data in transforming investment approaches.

Leon Stavrou discusses:

  • The increasing allocation of superannuation funds to private markets, including infrastructure and private credit
  • Challenges and strategies in managing liquidity amid growing investments in less liquid assets
  • Impacts of fund consolidation on insourcing versus outsourcing operational and investment activities
  • How technology and data solutions are enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency
  • The growing interest in alternative assets, including crypto and physical gold, and their integration into portfolios
  • And more!

Resources: 

Connect with Leon Stavrou:

About Leon Stavrou:

NEW FEATURE (USE THIS ONE)
What Asset Owners are Thinking: Key Insights from Our Latest Peer Study with Melanie Pickett

What Asset Owners are Thinking: Key Insights from Our Latest Peer Study with Melanie Pickett

By |

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

In this episode of Faster Forward, host Grant Johnsey sits down with Melanie Pickett, Head of Asset Servicing, Americas, to unpack the latest findings from Northern Trust’s global asset owner survey, “Asset Owners in Focus”. Their discussion dives into how institutional investors around the world are adjusting their strategies amid a rapidly changing landscape.

They also touch on the topic of cryptocurrency. While some clients are receiving crypto through gifts or distributions from private equity funds, Melanie notes that strategic asset allocation to crypto remains uncommon, though it’s a trend worth watching.

Looking ahead, Melanie emphasizes the growing influence of geopolitical events and tax policy on portfolio construction. Asset owners are shifting from regional allocations to more granular, country-specific strategies. Even traditionally tax-exempt institutions are paying more attention to after-tax investment outcomes due to changing tax treaty landscapes.

Key highlights include:

  • The surprising levels of cash reserves that asset owners are maintaining 
  • The move towards strategic liquidity management amid market volatility 
  • The significance of operational efficiency in managing diverse portfolios 
  • A snapshot of regional variations in sustainable investing practices 

Resources: 

Connect with Grant Johnsey:

Connect with Melanie Pickett:

About Melanie Pickett:

Melanie joined Northern Trust in January 2017, charged with creating a new line of business centered on meeting the portfolio management and technology needs of complex asset allocators around the globe. In late 2018, Melanie led an equity investment in Parilux Investment Technology and built Northern Trust’s first cloud-native software business. In early 2019, Melanie increased Northern Trust’s equity stake in Parilux to a majority position and launched Northern Trust’s Front Office Solutions. Since launch, the platform has grown to serve over $550BN in AUM. Northern Trust fully acquired Parilux in April 2021. Melanie also serves as the global product executive for alternative investments, directing capital and strategy to the firm’s investments in services for limited partners, inclusive of a multi-year digitization initiative utilizing groundbreaking machine learning capabilities.

In January 2021, Melanie took responsibility for the firm’s not-for-profit, healthcare, public pension, and Taft Hartley businesses, and in January 2022, she added responsibility for the insurance and large corporate businesses, as well as Northern Trust’s Canada business.

Melanie’s remit now spans the entirety of the Asset Servicing business in the Americas, directing the bank’s strategy, growth, and delivery of all firmwide products & services for asset owners and asset managers in the Americas region.

NEW FEATURE (USE THIS ONE)
Setting the Standard: Corporate Sustainability

Setting the Standard: Corporate Sustainability

By |

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Kim Evans, Head of Corporate Sustainability, Inclusion & Social Impact at Northern Trust, joins Faster Forward for a deep dive into the importance of sustainability, and its connection to diversity, equity, and inclusion and social impact in any corporation. In this episode, Kim touches on the risks and opportunities that have emerged within the financial services industry recently, how the space has evolved, and some of the exciting initiatives where Northern Trust is engaged and committed to drive long-term value for its stakeholders. 

Key insights from this conversation include:

  • The critical role of sustainability, DE&I, and social impact in Northern Trust’s business strategy
  • Insights into how emerging regulations have impacted how the financial services industry has evolved in this space
  • The influence of clients and regional differences on sustainability efforts
  • Practical advice on embedding sustainability from a people, profit, and planet perspective into daily business operations
  • And more!

Connect with Kim Evans:

About Kim Evans:

NEW FEATURE (USE THIS ONE)
Collaborating for Client Success in a Complex Environment

Collaborating for Client Success in a Complex Environment

By |

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

How do two leaders of a global banking institution work together to navigate the challenges of today’s financial landscape while providing the best possible client experience?

Pete Cherecwich, President of Asset Servicing at Northern Trust, and Daniel Gamba, President of Asset Management at Northern Trust join this “special edition” Faster Forward episode to share their unique perspectives on the asset servicing and asset management industries and discuss how they are collaborating across business lines to help our clients stay competitive in an increasingly complex environment.  

This episode will cover: 

  • Pete and Daniel’s career journeys and the many responsibilities of their current roles at Northern Trust
  • The relationship between investment operations and investment strategy
  • Emerging trends and potential untapped sources of value in the current environment 
  • How Pete and Daniel work together to best serve Northern Trust’s clients
  • What they’ve learned and admire about one another 
  • And more!

Connect with Pete Cherecwich:

Connect with Daniel Gamba:

Archives

Categories