Tag: Investment Strategies

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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

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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!

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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

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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 

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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.

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Fixed Income Outsourced Trading Demystified with Stephanie Farrell & Ryan Forberg

Fixed Income Outsourced Trading Demystified with Stephanie Farrell & Ryan Forberg

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Join Stephanie Farrell, Head of Integrated Trading Solutions, Americas, Northern Trust, and Ryan Forberg, Senior Fixed Income Trader, Integrated Trading Solutions, as they explore the rise of outsourced trading in the fixed income sector. Stephanie and Ryan will discuss the growth of outsourced trading, the misconceptions, and specifically why outsourced fixed income trading is gaining traction in the asset management industry.

Key Highlights:

  • Discover why outsourced trading is exploding in the asset management industry and how it helps to meaningfully lower costs, reduce risks, enhance transparency and add resiliency and scale. 
  • Learn how outsourced trading is transforming the fixed-income sector by providing asset managers with access to specialized expertise.
  • Debunk the myths of outsourcing and find out how it complements in-house efforts. offering additional support and expertise.
  • Gain insights into the evolving investment landscape and how Northern Trust’s Integrated Trading Solutions can be tailored to meet the diverse needs of asset managers, from active to passive strategies.
  • And much more!

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Navigating the Evolving Asset Management Landscape with Caroline Higgins

Navigating the Evolving Asset Management Landscape with Caroline Higgins

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Amid rising costs and a shifting priorities, how are asset managers rethinking their strategies to enhance the investor experience?  

 Caroline Higgins, Head of Global Fund Services for Asia Pacific at Northern Trust, unpacks the key trends and challenges reshaping the asset management landscape in APAC and beyond. She explains the strategies that asset managers are implementing to navigate and meet their complex clients’ needs, including outsourcing and enhanced data solutions. Caroline also shares her journey in the industry, offering candid reflections on the progress and ongoing challenges in diversity, along with actionable advice for women aspiring to lead. 

 Key Highlights: 

  • Explore how the industry is shifting focus on enhancing product quality and improving investor experience 
  • Discover the rise of outsourcing non-core functions and how data tools are driving better decision-making and growth 
  • Learn about the unique challenges in APAC’s varied markets, where tailored strategies are crucial due to differing regulations and levels of technology adoption 
  • Hear Caroline’s insights into the progress and challenges in diversity, especially at leadership levels 
  • Gain actionable advice from Caroline on advocating for yourself, building a strong support network, and exploring lateral career moves for growth 
  • And much more! 

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Examining Economic Trends and Navigating What’s Ahead with Carl Tannenbaum

Examining Economic Trends and Navigating What’s Ahead with Carl Tannenbaum

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Carl Tannenbaum, Northern Trust’s Chief Economist joins Faster Forward for an engaging discussion on the current economic landscape. Carl offers expert insights on the factors that are driving recent trends, potential headwinds to be aware of, and expectations for the remainder of 2024.

Key Highlights:

  • The U.S. economy’s robust performance against the backdrop of higher interest rates and evolving inflation trends
  • The Federal Reserve’s recent guidance for inflation control and Carl’s predictions for potential rate reductions in 2024
  • Carl’s thoughts on evaluating how the upcoming presidential election will affect the economy and markets
  • Examining economic trends across continents, from Carl’s recent visit to Europe to Asia’s mixed fortunes in Japan and China
  • The notion that geopolitical risk should be a major consideration for investors and how Northern Trust is attempting to address this at the bank 
  • And much more!

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Rugby, Resilience, and Redefining Operating Models with Gary Paulin

Rugby, Resilience, and Redefining Operating Models with Gary Paulin

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Faster Forward welcomes Gary Paulin, Head of Global Strategic Solutions at Northern Trust. Gary’s journey has taken him from his family’s fruit farm in New Zealand to his current role in which he works to ensure Northern Trust’s solutions remain closely aligned with the fast-evolving requirements of clients around the world. He recounts his early days, fueled by a passion for rugby, and his career journey through to the present day. 

As well as insights from his career, Gary also shares perspectives on the transformational changes impacting Northern Trust’s asset owner and asset manager clients, and the key factors driving and changing their decision-making. 

Key Highlights:

  • Transition from rural beginnings in New Zealand to founding a brokerage house in London and current role as Head of Global Strategic Solutions for Northern Trust Asset Servicing
  • Views on the operating models, new investment tools, and ideas required for asset owners to navigate today’s very different market conditions from those of the recent past
  • Opportunities for business model optimization and improved margin resiliency for asset managers in response to today’s asset volatility and broken industry economics 
  • Thoughts on AI’s potential role in augmenting decision-making processes across the investment industry
  • The value of leveraging unique, internal data to secure competitive advantage 
  • And much more!

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