2019 Schedule

The schedule is subject to change – additional speakers and content will be updated periodically.

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  • November 14, 2019


  • Session full

    GCM Grosvenor welcomes women from across the industry to connect with one another at the SEM Conference’s fourth annual Women’s Networking event.

    Presenter
    Donna Orender, Former President of the WNBA and Former Senior Vice President of the PGA Tour, Office of the Commissioner

  • Session full

    These informal 15-minute meetings between GPs and LPs are designed to facilitate networking and information exchange.

  • Industry experts from the U.S. and Europe discuss how the integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors is evolving, and how investors are increasingly expecting a more comprehensive, data-driven approach. The panel highlights approaches to setting ESG policies and creating institutionalized processes, and discusses how to implement a measurable investment program.

    Moderator
    • Stacie Selinger, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Danilo Chiono, Head of Sales, RepRisk
    • Valerie Grant, Senior Portfolio Manager, Responsible Investing, AllianceBernstein
    • Maarten Wildschut, Co-Head of European Active Ownership Strategy (Investments), RWC Partners

  • Session full

    Interactive small-group discussions designed to provide small and emerging managers with customized and practical feedback on effective responses to common investment and risk due diligence questions. Building on the SEM Conference’s popular “Perfect Pitch(book)” from 2018, this GP only session aims to help early-stage managers successfully navigate their first meeting with prospective investors.

  • This popular, informative, and engaging session provides an in-depth analysis of the emerging manager landscape across four alternative investment strategies: private equity, hedge funds, real estate, and infrastructure & real assets.

    Speaker: Peter Braffman, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor

  • Join fellow attendees for networking, cocktails, and small bites among nearly 40 million artifacts of rich natural history at the Field Museum. Together, we kick off the 13th year of raising the visibility of successful small and diverse investment managers, while encouraging institutional investors to pursue inclusive investment opportunities.

  • November 15, 2019


  • Speakers
    • Jon Levin, President, GCM Grosvenor
    • Peter Braffman, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor

  • As is our annual tradition, we begin with a data-filled, in-depth presentation on trends and activity in the real estate emerging manager market. The session highlights the strategies, manager types, and asset classes that have come to market, the level of institutional appetite, trends in performance data and the latest in fund terms. New to this session is a discussion of the GP stakes activity and opportunity zones, as well as two in-depth modules focused on performance (the different ways LPs due diligence and dissect manager performance at the deal, portfolio, and fund levels, and how GPs can better position themselves with this understanding) and growth capital requirements and options for starting and growing an investment management business (GP capital requirements only intensify as its business grows in both assets under management and products offered).

    Presenters
    • Peter Braffman, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    • Shawn Menz, Principal, GCM Grosvenor
    • Bryce Robertson, Associate, GCM Grosvenor
    • Mo Saraiya, Principal, GCM Grosvenor

  • Asia investment experts discuss why and how investors are increasingly looking farther from home to identify opportunities. They point to the abundant number of Asian funds and managers, the fact that Asia is becoming a critical consideration for many investors, and potential inefficiencies in the region created by lower participation by global managers.

    Moderator
    • Theresa Han, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Leslie Lenzo, Chief Investment Officer, Advocate Aurora Health
    • Lan Xue, Trivest Advisors Limited

  • In this SEM Conference staple, infrastructure, energy, and natural resource experts conduct an in-depth discussion about the most topical investment trends impacting GPs and LPs. Panelists explore the impact of past trends, consider today’s events, and give thoughts about what may shape the market in the future.

    Moderator
    • Michael Rose, Executive Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Matthew Fedors, Director, Power and Infrastructure Investments, John Hancock Financial Services
    • Mark Florian, Managing Director, BlackRock
    • Kathryn Liao, Principal, Private Equity Group, Allstate Insurance Company
    • Marlon Smith, Managing Partner, JLC Infrastructure

  • What considerations beyond performance make LPs “swipe right” and select a particular manager? A panel of LPs discuss the emerging manager landscape relative to the larger private equity market, then share their views on the qualities that help certain emerging managers rise above the others.
    Moderator
    • Ya Tung, Executive Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Laura Hill, Vice President – Alternative Investments, Advocate Aurora Health
    • Reynold Martin, Managing Principal – Infrastructure and Energy, Allstate Insurance Company
    • Adrian Ohmer, Senior Manager, Private Equity, UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust

  • GCM Grosvenor’s Hedge Fund Strategies Investment Committee Chair, David Richter, hosts his annual one-on-one discussion with a prominent hedge fund manager. This year, David will be joined by Joshua S. Friedman, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Canyon Partners, to discuss his current investment views as well as Canyon’s path from a fledgling industry entrant to a highly successful and well-established manager.

    Moderator
    • David Richter, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Speaker
    • Joshua S. Freidman, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Canyon Partners

  • A panel of GPs discuss various methods of financing employed (working capital, friends and family, personal capital, etc.) in getting their management companies and first funds off the ground. In doing so, they highlight the considerations of each approach and provide real-world examples of the different paths emerging managers can take.

    Moderator
    • Akhil Unni, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Michael Dorrell, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners
    • Patti Melcher, Managing Director, EIV Capital
    • Kirk Sims, Head of Emerging Manager Program, Teacher Retirement System of Texas
    • Winnie Wutte, Founding Partner, Asterion Industrial Partners

  • A conversation with institutional investors and general partners that focuses on investing outside of a traditional fund vehicle. The panel discusses how financing deals through multiple structures can help emerging managers launch their firms and continue to scale.

    Moderator
    • Lee Brashear, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Milton Berlinski, Co-Founder, and Managing Partner, Reverence Capital Partners
    • Sam Cannon, Director of Investment Sourcing, Global Endowment Management
    • Buddy Gumina, Founder and Managing Partner, Grant Avenue Capital

  • Panelists discuss how opportunistic credit strategies may be a solution for institutional investors who face the challenges of a market in which traditional fixed-income investments no longer offer an attractive risk/return proposition. The panel provides insights on niche opportunities that look to counter headwinds including low absolute yields, significant duration risk, and low risk premiums.

    Moderator
    • Brad Meyers, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Jason Dillow, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Bardin Hill Investments Partners LP
    • Carlos Mendez, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Crayhill
    • Eric Soderlund, Managing Partner, Portfolio Manager, Corre Partners Management

  • GPs, LPs, and other market participants discuss investors’ approaches to “impact investing” in infrastructure and real assets. Whether through double-mandate funds, ESG, or specialized investment strategies, the panel explores why this topic is relevant, the benefits and considerations of various strategies, GPs’ goals, and LPs’ perceptions. Panelists also discuss how “impact” is measured.

    Moderator
    • Scott Litman, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Guillermo Marroquin, Head of North American Real Assets, Campbell Lutyens
    • Elena Savostianova, Managing Partner, Ember Infrastructure
    • Ari Swiller, President, Renewable Resources Group LLC

  • A panel of GPs discuss how they leverage data and technology to achieve a competitive edge in deal sourcing.

    Moderator
    • Jason Howard, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
    Panelists
    • Aaron Holiday, Managing Partner, 645 Ventures
    • Neil Malik, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, K1 Investment Management
    • Scottie Wardell, Managing Partner, Integrity Growth Partners

  • How should we think about investing in real estate at this point in the cycle and in the market’s broader maturation? Not only is the market generally fully priced, but the steady institutionalization of the market has made finding value and opportunities increasingly challenging. How are LPs designing their portfolios to address these conditions? What role do niche assets play and how is the landscape of traditional asset types changing to extract value? Finally, how are emerging managers positioned to navigate this environment and how can they help to balance an institutional investor’s portfolio.

    Moderator
    • Linda Assante, Managing Partner, Jasper Ridge Partners
    Panelists
    • David Anderson, Senior Investment Officer, Emerging Managers, New York State Common Retirement Fund
    • Andrew Ierardi, Managing Director, Private Markets, Exelon Investment Office
    • Alisa Mall, Director of Investments - Real Estate, Carnegie Corporation of New York
    • Christina Scarlato, Principal Portfolio Manager, Real Assets, The World Bank Pension Fund

  • Moderator: Michael Sacks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GCM Grosvenor
    Speaker: Indra Nooyi, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo