The flagship forum for senior fund selectors who look beyond the ordinary.
Taking place on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th March at the beautiful Coworth Park, situated between Ascot and Virginia Water, the Wealth Forum Spring will bring together fund selectors, buyers and researchers with investment experts from 10 leading asset managers.
Each fund manager will speak on a different sector, giving guests a well-rounded insight into the market as a whole. The event also features a keynote from experts in either macroeconomics or geopolitics, as well as a lighthearted after-dinner speaker.
Full details will be published in due course.
Wealth Forum Agenda
Day 1 - Thursday 19th March
10am
Arrival and Registration
Day 2- Friday 20th March
12:00
Lunch and Departure
Content & Speakers
Speaker details will be announced in due course.
Opening Keynote
Global Macroeconomics
In this keynote, Vivek Paul, FIA, Head of Portfolio Research and UK Chief Investment Strategist for the BlackRock Investment Institute,explores how a shifting geopolitical landscape is reshaping the global macro environment and the implications for investors in the year ahead. He will examine the key forces driving markets in 2026 — including geopolitical fragmentation and changing inflation, growth and policy regimes — and how these are influencing asset allocation, the balance between public and private markets, and emerging risk/return trade-offs in wealth portfolios. The session will highlight areas of resilience and opportunity, offering advisers a clear framework for positioning client portfolios in a world where macro and politics are increasingly intertwined.
Head of Portfolio Research and UK Chief Investment Strategist for the BlackRock Investment Institute
Vivek Paul, FIA
Blackrock
Vivek Paul, FIA, Head of Portfolio Research and UK Chief Investment Strategist for the BlackRock Investment Institute (BII). The BII leverages BlackRock’s expertise and produces proprietary research to provide insights on the global economy, markets, geopolitics and long-term asset allocation – all to help clients and portfolio managers navigate financial markets. Mr Paul leads BII's Portfolio Research group, which is responsible for developing the core principles and intellectual property that underpin BlackRock's approach to portfolio design, such as capital market assumptions and optimization tools. Vivek is part of BII's Global Leadership team. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2013, Mr. Paul worked at Towers Watson as an investment consultant, where he specialized in advising pension funds and corporate clients on liability hedging derivative arrangements, financial modelling and investment strategy. He began his career at Hewitt Associates in 2005. Mr. Paul earned an MMath degree in Mathematics from the University of Warwick in 2005, with first class honours. He earned an MSc in Actuarial Finance from Imperial College, London, in 2008 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries
Keyridge Systematic Core
Head of Systematic Investment Strategies
Alan Duffy
Keyridge Asset Management
Alan is responsible for building and managing the groups systematic investment strategies. Alan has over 20 years of investment experience. Prior to joining ILIM, he worked in the proprietary trading group of Credit Suisse AG, where he was Portfolio Manager responsible for arbitrage strategies. Alan started his career at UBS AG where he completed the graduate training program and worked on the trading floor as an Equity Trader managing a client and proprietary trading book.
Pioneering Positive Change
Exceptional growth companies solving global challenges.
How do you invest to make exceptional returns and help to solve global challenges? 10 years on from the launch of the UN’s Sustainable Development goals the investment backdrop looks very different. How should we think about investing for sustainable and inclusive growth in a world characterised by a higher cost of capital, fragmented geopolitics and the second Trump Presidency? We will explore why we see investing in the solutions providers as sharpening our focus on companies with long-term growth potential and the investment ideas we’re excited about over the next decade.
Investment Specialist Director
Catherine Flockhart
Baillie Gifford
Catherine is an investment specialist in our Clients Department. She has overall responsibility for our investment specialist teams. Day-to-day, she works on our Impact & Sustainable investment strategies, notably Positive Change. Catherine joined Baillie Gifford in 2012 and became a partner of the firm in 2021. She has spent most of her career at the firm in our Clients Department, and was also Head of ESG in our Investment Department for three years. Catherine remains a member of the ESG Oversight Group, which is responsible for the firm’s ESG strategy. Before joining Baillie Gifford, Catherine began her career at Goldman Sachs and has an MA in English Literature from The University of Edinburgh.
Investment Company of America (ICA
Beyond the rally: capturing America’s next phase of broadening opportunity
The US equity market has delivered an extraordinary run in recent years, powered by resilient earnings, rapid innovation and one of the strongest economic recoveries in the developed world. But this success has also created challenges: valuations in several areas, especially mega cap technology, now sit meaningfully above their long term averages and at a clear premium to other global markets. For investors, this raises an important question: how do you participate in America’s ongoing growth story without simply buying into its most expensive corners? As one of the longest running US equity strategies, Capital Group Investment Company of America seeks to harness this next chapter of America’s growth in a diversified and disciplined way.
Anita Patel & Ben Harvey
Capital Group
Anita Patel is an investment specialist at Capital Group. She has 16 years of industry experience and has been with Capital Group for 15 years. Earlier in her career at Capital, Anita worked as an investment product specialist manager. Prior to joining Capital, she was a client data & portfolio data specialist at Schroders. She holds a master's degree in financial mathematics from King's College London and a bachelor's degree in business administration and mathematics from Aston University. She also holds the Investment Management Certificate. Anita is based in London. Ben Harvey is an investment specialist at Capital Group. He has 13 years of investment industry experience and has been with Capital Group for 10 years. Prior to joining Capital, Ben was a member of the UK Retail team at BlackRock. He holds a first-class honours degree in Economics and Finance and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investments (CISI). Ben is based in London.
Contrarian Investing: Positioning for the coming disruption of real-world AI
Contrarius Global Equity Fund and Contrarius Global Balanced Fund
Founder and Director
Stephen Mildenhall
Contrarius Investment Advisory Limited
VT Downing Small & Mid-Cap Income Fund
Compounding attractive dividends and long-term capital growth from UK small and mid-cap companies. The VT Downing Small & Mid-Cap Income Fund aims to provide investors with an income by investing in a high conviction portfolio of between 30-50 companies.
Fund Manager
Josh McCathie
Downing
Josh McCathie serves as the Lead Manager for both the VT Downing Unique Opportunities Fund and the VT Downing Small & Mid-Cap Income Fund. He employs a quality value investment approach, aiming to identify UK companies with overlooked quality business models or those underappreciated for their potential to compound earnings growth and dividend distributions over the medium to long term.
Cutting through the Noise: A Differentiated Approach to Investing in Europe
European Equity Income
Short-term headlines can dominate sentiment, but they rarely determine long-term returns. We’ll explain why staying disciplined and identifying the correct signals amidst the market noise is critical, and how our differentiated approach to European equities focuses on company fundamentals, valuation discipline and long-term compounding
Portfolio Manager
Will James
Guinness Global Investors
Will is portfolio manager on the Guinness European Equity Income and Guinness Pan-European Equity Income strategies.
The Emerging Markets Inflection: Value, Flows, and Structural Momentum
The same mix of factors that powered the emerging markets rally in the early 2000s; a weaker dollar, rising commodities, and compelling valuations, has restarted to re-emerge. The Redwheel Global Emerging Markets Fund delivered strong performance in 2025, capturing this structural shift, which is now reinforced by reform momentum and falling rates.
Portfolio Manager
John Malloy
Redwheel
Emerging Markets Debt
Past, present and future
Fixed Income Investment Specialist
Sangram Jadhav
UBS Asset Management
Sangram Jadhav is a Senior Investment Specialist at UBS Asset Management and is responsible for bridging the firm’s Fixed Income investment capabilities with our various distribution channels and advising on a range of solutions across the credit spectrum in developed and emerging markets.
Where to hide: The need for alternatives in an uncertain world
Ruffer Diversified Return Fund
Rising inflation volatility, geopolitical fragmentation, and fiscal uncertainty have made today’s macro environment one of the most complex in decades. Traditional portfolio anchors are no longer as reliable: bonds don’t always provide ballast, there are question marks over the role of the US dollar. For investors, the question is no longer just how to grow, but where to find safety when the usual safe havens falter. This session explores what truly diversifies a portfolio in this new regime. From commodities and precious metals that can protect against inflation, to derivatives strategies that offer genuinely uncorrelated returns, to cheap currencies that thrive in risk-off environments, we’ll examine the tools investors can use when markets feel unanchored.
Fund Manager
Jasmine Yeo
Ruffer
Joined Ruffer in 2017, graduating with a degree from Warwick Business School. She is a member of the CISI, having completed the CISI Masters in Wealth Management. Jasmine was a manager on our private client team, becoming an investment specialist and then a fund manager in our investment team. She is a macro-generalist with an interest in investment trusts.
Wellington Enduring Infrastructure Assets Fund
We have a power problem – a critical juncture for infrastructure
Actively managed fund, seeking long-term total returns by primarily investing in equity securities issued by companies globally that own long-lived physical assets such as those in utility, transportation, energy, data infrastructure, real estate and industrial sectors and which are believed to possess a competitive advantage, and exhibit low levels of earnings volatility. Although the Fund is not constructed relative to a benchmark, the FTSE Global Core Infrastructure 50/50 Index (Net) can serve as a proxy for the broad global infrastructure public equity market and is shown for contextual purposes.
Investment Director
Joy Perry
Wellington Management
As an investment director in Investment Products and Strategies, Joy works closely with investors in her coverage to help ensure the integrity of their respective investment approaches. This includes meeting regularly with the team and overseeing portfolio positioning, performance, and risk exposures, as well as developing new products and client solutions and managing business issues such as capacity, fees, and guidelines. She also meets with clients, prospects, and consultants to communicate our investment philosophy, strategy, positioning, and performance.
Event chairman
Julian Marr, editorial director, Wealthwise
Location
Coworth Park, Blacknest Road, Ascot, SL5 7SE
For Sat Navs use: SL5 7SE
Frequently asked questions
We’ve addressed some frequently asked questions below to help clarify any details you may need. If you have any additional inquiries or require further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Sam or Phillippa, who will be more than happy to assist you with any specific concerns or queries.
Is there a cost to attend the event?
There is no cost for delegate attendees
Is accommodation included?
Accommodation for delegates is provided for the night of Thursday, ensuring a comfortable stay during the event. For those traveling from farther distances, we are also offering the option to stay on Wednesday night to allow for a more relaxed arrival. Please let us know if you would like to take advantage of this additional night’s stay, and we will be happy to arrange it for you.
Is there any transport to the event included?
The venue is easily accessible from both Virginia Water and Ascot railway stations, with convenient shuttle services available for delegates. To ensure smooth transportation, please inform Sam or Phillippa of your expected arrival time, and they will be happy to assist in coordinating your shuttle or provide any additional support you may need.
Contact us
To register as a guest or for information on attending the event, please contact Phillippa Coats. For information on future sponsorship, other events or the website please contact Sam Harris on the details below.
