2026 North American Stakeholder Forum

Shaping the Next Chapter Together

Join us in New York City for our Annual North American Stakeholder Forum. With momentum building across the sector, this year's Forum is themed "Shaping the Next Chapter Together" and will bring senior industry leaders to explore its next chapter of growth and set the agenda for the coming years. 

You can expect intimate peer-to-peer discussions focused on growth, opportunity, and practical solutions, alongside thought-provoking fireside chats.  

Agenda Outline: 

11:00 AM: Registration 

11:30 AM: Lunch 

12:30 PM: Welcome Remarks

 

12:35: Fireside Chat with Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Keith Kellogg, US Army

 

 

1:20 PM: Session One Table Discussions 

Table 1 & 2: Structuring Equity Alpha: Portable Alpha, Extension Strategies & Alpha Sourcing

Exploring evolving approaches to portfolio construction, including beta access, alpha generation, active versus passive management, and the strategic use of leverage.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Clint Carlson, CEO, Carlson Capital

  • Derek Drummond, SBAI Trustee; Head of Strategy - Funds Alpha, State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB)

  • Nick Hartnett, Senior Principal, Co-Head of Absolute Return, Cerity Partners OCIO

  • Brian Jandrucko, Managing Director, Investments, Church Pension Fund 

  • Christophe L'Ahelec, Managing Director, Head of Public Markets, University Pension Plan Ontario

  • Bobby McGann, Business Development, Farallon Capital Management

  • Thomas Prunty, Senior Vice President, Two Sigma Investments

Table 3 & 4: The Great Convergence: Blurring of Asset Classes, Strategies & Structures

Examining the platformisation of asset management and convergence of public and private markets, including the rise of multi-strategy firms, drivers of industry consolidation, and implications for liquidity, capacity, conflicts, and portfolio construction.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Mario Therrien, SBAI Trustee; Head of Investment Funds & External Management, Public Markets, La Caisse

  • Bill Tsotsos, Managing Director, PGIM

  • Paula Volent, SBAI Trustee; Vice President & CIO, Rockefeller University

Table 5 & 6: Managing the Uncontrollable & Hidden Risks

Exploring underappreciated investment risks and opportunities, including regime shifts, crowding and liquidity pressures, geopolitical uncertainty, and evolving approaches to portfolio resilience and risk management.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Tony Caruso, Managing Director, Hedge Funds, UTIMCO

  • Jonathan Daffron, Head of Managed Accounts, Man Group

  • Brandon Gil New, Managing Director, Head of External Partnerships, AIMCo

  • Shikha Gupta, SBAI Trustee; Executive Director, Alternatives, Future Fund

  • Adam Lane, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone

  • Chris Schindler, Head of Systematic Strategy, Polar Asset Management Partners

  • Peter Vaiciunas, Portfolio Specialist, Capital Fund Management 

Table 7: Manager Selection: Identifying True Alpha

Discussing how to distinguish skill from luck in investment performance, assess true alpha-generating capability, build conviction in managers, and respond when outcomes diverge from expectations.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Brad Gilbert, Head of External Public Markets, Teacher Retirement System of Texas

  • Mark Carhart, Founding Partner & CIO, Kepos Capital 

  • William Young, Co-CIO, New Holland Capital

Table 8 & 9: Portfolio Liquidity: Valuations, Continuation Funds, etc.

An exploration of how continuation funds and secondary solutions are reshaping liquidity management, governance, and portfolio construction for investors navigating a complex private market environment.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Mark Attanasio, Director, Absolute Return Strategies, GM Asset Management

  • Stuart Fiertz, SBAI Trustee; President & Co-Founder, Cheyne Capital Management

  • Arthur Guimaraes, COO, UC Investments (UCOP)

  • Brendon Reay, Managing Director, Bush Foundation 

  • Jason Tan, SBAI Trustee; Head of Asia Pacific, Orchard Global

Table 10: Credit at an Inflection Point

Assessing relative value across public and private markets in the context of the current cycle, structural changes in private credit, and recent market stress.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Mike Pang, Co-CIO, Tetragon Credit Partners

  • Tom Sherwood, Co-COO & Head of Business Development, Magnetar

2:35 PM: Coffee Break

3:00 PM: Session Two Table Discussions

Table 1 & 2: Data Integrity to Enable AI Usage

Examining the evolving role of AI in investment organizations, including use cases, due diligence, in-house capability building, and vendor selection, alongside questions of portfolio disruption, trust, and data protection.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Shikha Gupta, SBAI Trustee; Executive Director, Alternatives, Future Fund

  • Adam Lane, Senior MD, Blackstone

  • Ryan Teal, Partner, Senior ODD Analyst, Albourne Partners

  • Tom Sherwood, Co-COO & Head of Business Development

  • Peter Vaiciunas, Portfolio Specialist, Capital Fund Management

Table 3, 4 & 5: Optimizing your Access to Alpha: Structural Implementation (SMAs, etc.)

Exploring the evolution and implementation of SMAs, including strategic fit, governance and operational infrastructure requirements, and the potential for operational alpha through enhanced funding, transparency, and risk management.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Tony Caruso, MD, Hedge Funds, UTIMCO

  • Jonathan Daffron, Head of Managed Accounts, Man Group

  • Derek Drummond, Head of Strategy - Funds Alpha, State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB)

  • Brandon Gil New, MD, Head of External Partnerships, AIMCo

  • Nick Hartnett, Senior Principal, Co-Head of Absolute Return, Cerity Partners OCIO

  • Brian Jandrucko, MD, Investments, Church Pension Fund 

  • Joshua Kestler, President, Innocap Investment Management

  • Christophe L'Ahelec, MD, Head of Public Markets, University Pension Plan Ontario

  • Bobby McGann, Business Development, Farallon Capital Management

  • John Richardson, COO & General Counsel, Ionic Capital Management

Table 6 & 7: Building an Organisation for the Future

Exploring the future of leadership and talent in investment organisations, including succession planning, retention and incentives, leadership principles, and strategies for building resilient teams for the long term.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Clint Carlson, CEO, Carlson Capital

  • Stuart Fiertz, SBAI Trustee; President & Co-Founder, Cheyne Capital Management

  • Brad Gilbert, Head of External Public Markets, Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)

  • Mario Therrien, SBAI Trustee; Head of Investment Funds & External Management, La Caisse

  • Paula Volent, SBAI Trustee; Vice President & CIO, Rockefeller University

  • Jennifer Ancker Whelen, Chief Client Officer & Co-Head of Institutional Relations, Graham Capital Management 

Table 8: GP/LP Dynamics: Data Issues & Efficiency in Manager Reporting

Discussing scope for consistency in investment reporting and operations, including evolving standards and frameworks, operational complexity, and the role of technology, automation, and data quality.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Mark Attanasio, Director, Absolute Return Strategies, GM Asset Management

  • Arthur Guimaraes, COO, UC Investments (UCOP)

Table 9: GP/LP Dynamics: Strengthening the Partnership between GP's & LPs

Discussing effective manager–investor communication, common frustrations in the allocation process, and how managers can deliver value beyond returns by better meeting information needs and broader investor expectations.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • John-Allan Dacres, Managing Director, Fund of Hedge Funds, La Caisse

  • Arabella Wuchek, Partner & Relationship Manager, Albourne Partners

Table 10: GP/LP Dynamics: Developing & Incubating the Next Generation of Managers

Exploring the evolving landscape for emerging managers, including whether scale is now essential, what allocators require for conviction, talent competition, and the operational and cost realities of running an asset management business.

Discussion Leaders: 

  • Sean Feng, CEO, Springs Capital 

  • Jamie Wise, Co-Founder & CEO, Periscope Capital

  • William Young, Co-CIO, New Holland Capital

4:15 PM: Macroeconomic Outlook: Shifting Regimes and Crosscurrents

 

 

5:00 PM: Concluding Remarks & Refreshments