Channel Islands Investment Views

About Storm

Storm is co-lead fund manager of the Liontrust Global Innovation, Liontrust Global Dividend and Liontrust Global Technology funds. He has 12 years industry experience, including as a fund manager and prior to Liontrust worked at Neptune Investment Management running global funds. He holds an BBS in finance and MBS in international business from Massey University, an MBA from Oxford University and is a CFA Charterholder. He represented New Zealand in rowing at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, winning bronze in London in 2012.

About Andrea

Andrea Albert is the EMEA/CH Head of Investment Specialists at O’Connor – a dedicated alternative investment manager part of UBS Asset Management. Prior to that, Andrea worked for the UBS Investment Bank and provided strategic and complex solutions to UBS largest and most sophisticated clients designed to give them a single point of contact for all products and services within the Global Markets division. From 2016 to 2020, Andrea advised Global Family Office clients on executing hedge funds investments and building tailor-made portfolios. Andrea joined UBS as part of the Graduate Talent Program. Andrea obtained a master’s degree in Finance from ESADE Business School and a Bachelor degree in Finance from Bocconi University. Andrea is also a visiting professor at ESADE Business School.

The Landscape has changed: Time to play M&A
Synopsis :
• 2021–2023 Headwinds Reversed: The challenging environment of higher interest rates and regulatory pressures shifted in 2024 to become a tailwind, driving future performance.
• Increased M&A Activity: We expect a rise in M&A activity, with larger deals becoming more common and wider spreads likely due to reduced capital in the space.
• Reduced Competition: The recent deal breaks have led many multi-strategy platforms to scale back risk and capital, creating a less crowded market.
• Constructive Outlook: These factors support a healthy backdrop for M&A strategies over the coming years.

About Kara

Kara is a Portfolio Specialist on the AIP Hedge Fund Solutions Team at Morgan Stanley. She joined Morgan Stanley in 2023 and has 10 years of industry experience. Prior to her current role, Kara was a Director of Investment Research at FS Investments. Previously she worked in private credit and has experience in public accounting. Kara received Bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Accounting from Villanova University. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

MS Systematic Liquid Alpha
The painful failures of traditional sources of diversification in recent years have crystallized the need to incorporate truly uncorrelated, complementary sources of return into traditional portfolios. Equity and fixed income indexes ended 2023 near their highest correlation on record, as these two assets moved in relative lockstep for most of the preceding 24 months – and history shows that this was no fluke. Investors have responded with increasing interest in alternative investments. Evolution in the alternative investment space has allowed us to evaluate and extrapolate different sources of alpha more effectively. We believe that liquid alternatives may serve a key role in addressing the diversification dilemma.

About Jack

Jack Birmingham is a Product Specialist for the Boston Partners value equity strategies based in the London office, responsible for clients, consultants and prospects outside of North America. Prior to this role, he joined the firm in June 2018 as an RFP Writer and Database Coordinator in the Marketing Department, where he supported all of the firm’s equity strategies. He holds a B.A. degree in political science from Hobart College. He began his career in the industry in 2018.

Investment Director Jack Birmingham will be discussing the Robeco BP US Large Cap Equities Fund, an actively managed large cap US value fund. The portfolio is consistently built from the bottom up to exhibit attractive valuation, strong business fundamentals and improving business momentum. The selection of these stocks is based on fundamental analysis of solely large-cap stocks. The fund's objective is to achieve a better return than the index net of fees.

About George

George Rolls became the Investment Specialist for the Global Emerging Markets strategy at M&G in February 2020. Previously he had been working for the wider global equities business as a specialist and before this as a Fund Manager's Assistant for the Emerging Markets Equities team. In 2023 he broadened his client responsibilities to include representation for M&G’s Pan Asian Equity team. He joined M&G in 2017 having previously worked as a Senior Performance and Risk analyst at Close Brothers Asset Management, where he also completed a graduate scheme. He graduated with a BA (Hons) in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Manchester in 2013 and is a CFA charter holder.

Strategic Insights into Asian Investments
Join us for a panoramic view of the Asian investment landscape in 2025. George will delve into our Pan-Asian approach to investing, highlighting our M&G Asian Fund. He will discuss China’s corporate health and fiscal policy, investigate whether concerns about China's corporate balance sheets are overdone. Additionally, George will argue why the Indian equity market should not be dismissed as 'too expensive' by investors and assess the broad impact of Trump’s second term on Asian markets.