Check back soon for more information regarding the panel topics and speakers below for the Global Alpha Forum 2009.
Lessons Learned from the Financial Crisis
What are the lessons we learned from the global financial crisis – how did it come to this? Was the crisis forecastable? What were the shortcomings of corporate governance, and what will the world look like after the crash? What are the lessons for investors? What role did leverage transparency and liquidity play in the meltdown? Panelists will explore implications of interconnectedness of financial systems; how financial systems across the world respond to shocks; how central banks should respond to asset bubbles; how regulatory systems and government intervention will change the investment landscape; how changing incentives could improve outcomes. And above all, what are the challenges and opportunities for investors in the post-meltdown era? When will financial markets recover from the crisis in confidence and what kinds of financial innovations can we expect in the future?
Moderator:
Tanya Styblo Beder, Chairman, SBCC Group
Panel:
Marc Groz, Managing Director, SPM LLC
Howard Morgan, Senior Managing Director, Castle Harlan
Ted Seides, CFA, Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Investments, Protégé Partners
Extending the Benefits of Central Clearing to OTC Markets
Moderator:
Kim Taylor, Managing Director and President of CME Clearing
Panel:
Harry Arora, Founder of ARCIM Advisors
Alan Kurzer, President of Tradition Energy and TFS Energy
Global Hedge Fund Regulation
Moderator:
John A. Brunjes, Partner, Private Investment Funds, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
Panel:
Karl Ehrsam, Principal, Financial Services Industry, Deloitte & Touche LLP
Brendan Kalb, Vice President & Associate General Counsel, AQR Capital Management, LLC
Kevin O’Connor, Partner, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
Don Seymour, Managing Director, dms Management Ltd.
From the Gold Coast to the Green Coast: Environmental Finance
With the implementation of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the Northeast, and federal clean energy legislation on the horizon – the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 proposed by Henry A. Waxman and Edward J. Markey – the prospects of charting a new course towards a clean energy economy in the U.S. is becoming increasingly more likely. With the intent of reducing our reliance on foreign sources of energy, creating new “green jobs,” and reducing global warming causing greenhouse gas emissions, there are emerging market opportunities for investors and economic development through clean energy, energy efficiency, and carbon markets.
Given the leadership in clean energy, energy efficiency, and climate change policies, and the existence of a strong investment community, there is an opportunity for states like Connecticut and New York to establish itself as a global hub for environmental finance. The prospects of creating an environmental finance industry with green jobs, new trading activity and investment opportunities, and building upon an existing market infrastructure represents an important economic development opportunity for the region.
The panel will discuss the current and future opportunities and trends for private equity, venture capital, and hedge fund investors in the emerging clean energy economy.
Moderator:
Bryan Garcia, Program Director, Center for Business and the Environment at Yale University
Panel:
Joan McDonald, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development
Phillip G. Lookadoo, Partner, Reed Smith
Martin Whittaker, Director of Environmental Finance Strategy, Mission Point Capital Partners
Alisa Valderrama, Managing Partner, Ardis Capital Advisors
Hedge Fund Roundtable
2008 was a year of financial implosion and “fat tail” events in capital markets, the worst since 1931. The turmoil wreaked havoc on both traditional and alternative investments. Once expanding rapidly, hedge fund assets plummeted –declining over 25% from their peak of $1.9 trillion in “2007 to $1.4 trillion by the end of $2008. Interestingly, hedge funds continued to outperform their traditional counterparts in 2008, and have generated more than twice the return with half the volatility of public equities since 2000. Our roundtable will focus on several managers and strategies that continue to outperform and find rich investment opportunities.
Moderator:
James Costabile, Managing Director and head of U.S. Alternative Investment Sales, Merrill Lynch
Panel:
Ajay Jani, Managing Director, Emerging Markets Portfolio Management, Gramercy
Peter M. Lupoff, Founder, CEO and Portfolio Manager, Tiburon Capital Management
The Coming Currency Crisis
Since the Bretton Woods Agreement, Americans have benefited from the U.S. dollar's role as the world's reserve currency. However, there recently has been a great deal of discussion surrounding the future of the U.S. dollar in this position. In September, World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned the United States that it would lose this status as the Euro and Renminbi assume bigger roles. This panel will discuss the likelihood that either currency will replace the greenback’s, and what this would mean for the structure of global finance. Further, the panel will explore current issues that will dictate the dollar's future, such as the budget deficit, the outlook on inflation, and changes to U.S. financial regulatory oversight.
Moderator:
Andrew Busch, Director, BMO Capital Markets Global FX Market Strategist
Panel:
Michael Kastner, Senior Managing Director of Fixed Income and Risk Management, Sterling Stamos
Rachel Ziemba, Analyst, RGE Monitor
The Alpha in Film
Moderator:
John J. O’Dea, Founder and CEO, Strategic World Wide, LLC
Panel:
James Amann, former Speaker, House of Representatives, Connecticut State Legislature
John Logigian, Consultant to film production companies, producers, studios, and individuals and funds who invest in the film industry
George Norfleet, Director, Film Division, Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism
Kevin Segalla, Founder and President, Connecticut Film Center, LLC
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