Changing World, New Opportunities

This week, we had a great chat with Liz Fernando, CIO of Nest. We learn about why her time as a smaller companies analyst was a great training ground, why shorthand can be dangerous in investment, and what keeps Liz awake at night - where she gives us possibly the most poignant answer of the series so far. Happy listening!

This week, Lorna and Louise chat to James Lawrence, head of investment proposition at Smart Pension. James shares a snapshot of what's on his agenda, as well as what he thinks the secret to engagement might be. We overcame numerous technology failures to record this episode - and we hope you agree that it's a great one!

On the podcast this week, we chat to Emma Matthews, head of investment at NOW: Pensions. We find out about Emma's career path and how it's given her a different perspective on the member experience of investment. Plus, what's on NOW: Pensions' agenda right now? And what's keeping Emma awake at night?

This week, Lorna and Louise speak to Mercer's Jane Walker. We talk about why blips are inevitable in the investment world, and why she thinks members should stay in the driving seat instead of looking under the bonnet. We also find out Jane's one ask of asset managers and discover our mutual hatred of hills. It's a great episode - enjoy!

We kick off season two of Changing World, New Opportunities with a fantastic guest: Julius Pursaill, strategic adviser to master trust Cushon. Julius spoke up for the Mansion House reforms and inspired us to rethink our definition of fiduciary duty. He also shared some great ways to get members engaged with investment. At the start of the episode, we also introduce new co-host Lorna Kennedy, this...

In this outro episode, Jon and Louise close out season one of the podcast and reflect on the highlights of the series - as well as what's in store for season two.

Are we going through a sustainability revolution, akin to the industrial revolution? Robbie Epsom thinks so. This week, Jon and Louise chat to CBRE Investment Management's EMEA head of sustainability, about how and why real estate should play a vital role in the revolution. 

This week, Nico Aspinall joins us to talk about the report he has just written for the DCIF on TCFD. In the report, he takes the temperature of the UK DC pensions industry: how are they getting on with TCFD reporting so far? Listen in for Nico’s highlights of the report.

This week, Jon and Louise chat to Jeri Savage about MFS' Global Retirement Survey. The survey covers subjects like sustainability, retirement confidence, default funds/target date in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. It has been running for a number of years, with fascinating trends emerging. We talk about the lessons DC schemes can learn from other countries, and the most interesting takeaway...

Our guest today, Simon Bond, is one of the pioneers of social impact bonds. In this episode, he explains what social bonds are and how they can sit within DC portfolios, reflects on how they have evolved over the last decade, and gives us his outlook for the future. Simon is director of responsible investment portfolio management at Columbia Theadneedle Investments. 

This week, Louise and Jon speak to Lee Hollingworth. Formerly a longstanding member of the consulting world, Lee is now head of UK retirement at Franklin Templeton - and is thinking hard about what does and doesn't work for savers in the current pensions system. We find out why Lee moved from consultancy into asset management, probe him on his views on annuities and retirement pathways, and much m...

Infrastructure can be perceived as difficult to make sustainable – this week’s guest Rebecca Myatt well and truly busts that myth. Jon and Louise chat to Rebecca, who is First Sentier Investors' lead portfolio manager for Responsible Listed Infrastructure. This week’s episode is for anyone who wants to know more about how investing in infrastructure works, and how it can tie in with DC schemes’ su...

In this series of Changing World, New Opportunities , we were keen to hear from a trustee. There’s so much going on in the investment world all the time, and that’s just one element of being a trustee; what does it feel like right now to try to serve members while keeping abreast of regulation, admin, communications and governance? In this episode, Jon and Louise talk to Mark Austin, who as well a...

This week, Jon and Louise focus on a thorny subject in DC: investing in alternatives. DC schemes have long struggled to access alternatives, but this week’s guest has found a solution. James de Bunsen is a portfolio manager on the Janus Henderson multi-asset team, with a particular focus on alternative investments. James and Janus Henderson launched a fund in 2013 to provide liquid access to less...

New podcast klaxon! This week on Changing World, New Opportunities , Louise and Jon are podcasting across the pond, with Kurt Walten, senior vice president, investment affairs & investor education for Nareit, the worldwide representative voice for REITs. In the third episode of our three-part real estate mini-series, Kurt explains what a REIT is, why a DC scheme might want to invest in REITs,...

This week on Changing World, New Opportunities , Jon and Louise continue their three-part real estate mini-series by chatting to Simon Redman, managing director of Invesco Real Estate. Simon argues that DC pension schemes should be investing in global real estate to access the best possible opportunity set and to achieve a diversified portfolio. We talk about whether DC schemes are doing this at t...

Fresh off a plane, Sara Shean is Louise and Jon’s guest today on Changing World, New Opportunities . We ask Sara, who is PGIM Real Estate’s global head of defined contribution, why DC schemes should invest in real estate. How could investing in real estate help a pension scheme’s ESG objectives? And how do changing consumer needs impact what sorts of real estate opportunities look interesting righ...

This week on Changing World, New Opportunities , Louise and Jon speak to Bruno Bamburger, senior solutions strategist at AXA Investment Managers, about assessing climate risk and incorporating ESG into fixed income investments. How does integrating ESG within fixed income compare to the world of equities? Can fixed income investors play a role in stewardship? Ultimately, is the world getting there...

Thematic funds are growing rapidly – but how can they be used in a DC context? With our guest Katie Magee, an investment specialist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, we explore thematic investment: from what thematic investment entails and where demand is coming from, through to unusual client requests and why sustainability and thematic investment go hand in hand.

Jon, Louise and guest Siobhan Cleary, an investment specialist at Baillie Gifford, discuss the purpose of engagement, how you measure it and communicate better with end investors. How are regulatory reporting requirements changing, and how are asset managers working to provide meaningful data to their DC scheme clients?

In our first episode, Jon Holguin and Louise Farrand dive straight into the first of an ESG mini-series: impact investing with abrdn’s Sarah Norris. What is impact investing and how can DC schemes embrace it? How is impact investing evolving? In this wide-ranging conversation, we cover all things impact and why it should matter to DC investors.