Agenda
Event Information
The Bodhi Research Group Annual Symposium 2025 has curated top-notch speakers to share their insights in different facets of alternative investments, asset management, and the economy. This special one-day Symposium will be content-rich featuring ideas that are top-of-mind.
Schedule
Upstairs - VIP Boardroom
(preferred access for sponsors & allocators)
8:10 AM
The Different Pathways to a Total Portfolio Approach
Asset owners are increasingly shifting from the traditional Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) framework to a Total Portfolio Approach (TPA) in pursuit of greater organizational agility and long-term performance. But is there a single, standard model for TPA? In this keynote address, Professor Sebastien Betermier, one of the foremost academic minds on institutional investing, draws on recent research to explore the various pathways to TPA and what the evidence reveals about this important evolution in portfolio management.
Speakers:
Sebastien Betermier, PhD | Associate Professor of Finance, McGill University; Executive Director, International Centre for Pension Management (ICPM)
8:30 AM
Welcome
Dr. Ranjan Bhaduri, PhD, CFA, CAIA | Founder and CEO of Bodhi Research Group
8:40 AM
Keynote Session: Executive Decision (Director's Cut)
In this interactive session, keynote speaker, pension legend, and corporate director Jim Keohane is joined by a distinguished group of executives to share their perspectives on governance, investments, and the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing pensions today.
Speakers:
Jim Keohane, CFA, ICD.D | Former President & CEO, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan
Andy Greene, MA, CIM, CAIA | Chief Investment Officer, TTC Pension Plan
Frédéric Godbout, CFA | CEO, Desjardins Group Pension Plan
Evelyne Morin | General Counse, Innocap
Moderated by:
Brian Digney, CAIA | Research and Content Director, SBAI
9:15 AM
Nephila
In this special educational session, Nephila Capital's CEO Jessica Laird explains how catastrophe ILS can serve as a compelling source of uncorrelated alpha, unlocking meaningful returns in an asset class untethered from traditional market cycles.
Speaker:
Jessica Laird, CA | CEO, Nephila Capital
Main Floor
8:00 AM
Breakfast + Brainstorm
Enjoy a delicious breakfast and network with Symposium delegates.
Masters of Ceremonies:
Niall Whelan | Managing Director of Risk & Innovation, Bodhi Research Group
Matt Tambellini | Operational Advisor, Bodhi Research Group
8:40 AM
The Opportunity in Disorder: A Capital Markets Outlook
In a world of shifting policy and volatile markets, disorder itself can be a source of opportunity. This special panel brings together outstanding practitioners to cover the macroeconomic backdrop across rates, FX, and policy; the most dangerous investment risks on the horizon; which sub-strategies within a multi-strategy framework look most promising going forward; and the most exciting opportunities in emerging markets fixed income and credit.
Speakers:
Sandra Ramirez | Vice President of Economic Research, OMERS
Andrew Levin | Partner and Senior Credit Analyst, Mesarete Capital
Ju Hui Lee, CFA, CAIA, FSA, FCIA, FRM | Head of Investment Risk, United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
Michael Beaton, CFA | Deputy CIO and Head of Portfolio Construction, Polar Asset Management Partners
Moderated by:
Pierre-Philippe Ste-Marie | Managing Director of Investment Research, Bodhi Research Group
9:15 AM
Beyond the Waterfall: New Currents in Private Markets
A panel of resident experts demystifies the Middle East & North Africa (MENA), a region too often overshadowed by outdated narratives. With strong macroeconomic fundamentals, twin surpluses, and expanding capital markets, MENA offers compelling opportunities. This session explores both the investment potential and daily life across these frontier markets—and why the region may merit renewed attention today.
Speakers:
Carrie Gurza | Director, Real Estate Lead, University Pension Plan
Greg Geiling | Co-Chief Operating Officer, Bayview
Francesca Adamski | Managing Director, Client Solutions Group, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Soultana Reigle | Head of U.S. Equity and Senior Portfolio Manager for U.S. Value-Add Strategies, PGIM
Moderated by:
Niall Whelan, PhD | Managing Director of Risk & Innovation, Bodhi Research Group
9:50 AM
Coffee & Connect
10:05 PM
Keynote Session: Wellington
One of the most influential figures in global asset management, Wellington Management's CEO Jean Hynes sits down for a rare and compelling conversation with Amy Flikerski, Managing Director and Head of External Portfolio Management at CPP Investments, one of the world's most respected institutional investors. This will be a rare and compelling conversation not to be missed.
Speakers:
Jean Hynes, CFA | CEO and Managing Partner, Wellington Management
Amy Flikerski | Managing Director, Head of External Portfolio Management, Capital Markets & Factor Investing Department, CPP Investments
10:40 PM
Magnetar
Trevor Mottl, Head of AI Quant Equity and Portfolio Manager at Magnetar, brings over 20 years of experience at the intersection of finance, technology, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on his leadership in building AI-driven investment platforms and pioneering LLM-based quantitative strategies, he offers a distinctive and poignant perspective on the evolving role of AI in asset management and systematic investing.
Speaker:
Trevor Mottl | Portfolio Manager, AI Quant Equity, Magnetar
11:05 PM
Private assets offer diversification, illiquidity premiums, and access to alternative sources of alpha — making them a staple of sophisticated portfolios worldwide. Yet the risks embedded in these investments are notoriously difficult to quantify. This presentation explores alternative frameworks for measuring and understanding the true cost of illiquidity.
Sizing Illiquidity at the Total Fund Level
Speaker:
Chris Schindler, CFA | Strategy Lead, Systematic Strategy, Polar Asset Management Partners
11:20 PM
Manjul Bhargava is the only Canadian ever to win the Fields Medal and one of the most captivating and wide-ranging intellects of our time. A Princeton professor whose pioneering work in number theory has reshaped the field, Manjul also serves as the inaugural President of the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) in New York. He is equally celebrated for his extraordinary gift for revealing the beauty, magic, and universality of mathematics to audiences well beyond academia. His keynote promises to be a truly extraordinary and unforgettable experience.
The Beauty of Mathematics: A Keynote with Manjul Bhargava
Speaker:
Manjul Bhargava, PhD (Fields Medal Winner) | Professor in Mathematics, Princeton University; President, National Museum of Mathematics
12:50 AM
Convertible Arbitrage: From First Principles to Today's Opportunities
This compact educational presentation covers the unique complexities of convertible arbitrage investing, a strategy drawing on the foundational pillars of capital markets: equities, fixed income, and derivatives. This breadth creates a rich opportunity set, giving skilled practitioners multiple dimensions from which to source potential alpha. With a focus on practical application, the session considers whether the current environment may be a particularly interesting time to revisit convertible arbitrage within investor portfolios.
Speakers:
Seth Gold | Portfolio Manager, Convertible Arbitrage, Fidelity Investments
The Tables Turn: Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) Through the Allocator's Lens
12:50 AM
In a compelling role reversal, two leading ILS practitioners interview seasoned institutional investors on how and where ILS fits within a diversified portfolio. This compact session covers key high-level fundamentals and practical insights into portfolio fit and implementation. Educational in focus and allocator-driven, the discussion offers a clear introduction to the role ILS can play in institutional portfolios.
Speakers:
Bernard Van der Stichele | Senior Portfolio Manager, Insurance-Linked Securities, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan
Thomas Kalvik | Managing Director, Private Equity & Integrated Strategies, CPP Investments
Jessica Laird, CA | CEO, Nephila Capital
Vincent Prabis | Managing Principal, Hiscox Capital Partners
12:00 PM
Lunch & Liaison
1:10 PM
Keynote Session: Sailing Through Storms: Olympic Mindset, Business Edge
What does it take to compete at the highest level when the conditions are anything but ideal? Olympic sailors Mariah Millen and Ali ten Hove share how resilience, teamwork, and adaptability carried them through the challenges of Covid-era training and onto the Olympic stage. Moderated by Ironman Triathlete Matt Tambellini of Bodhi Research Group, this conversation draws direct parallels between elite athletic performance and the business world, revealing what it truly means to have the discipline to win.
Speakers:
Mariah Millen | Olympian
Ali ten Hove | Olympian
Moderated by:
Matt Tambellini | Operational Advisor, Bodhi Research Group
1:30 PM
Keynote Session: Trader Coach
What separates genuine high performance from the illusion of safety? Drawing on his work with institutional investors and hedge fund managers globally, Lawrence Evans delivers a keynote that challenges the systems and habits that often confuse complacency with safety. His presentation examines trader psychology, decision-making, and high-performance investing, highlighting the importance of self-awareness, questioning assumptions, distinguishing luck from skill, and fostering investment teams capable of genuine innovation.
Speaker:
Lawrence Evans | Director Salomon Partners
2:00 PM
Emergence of Artificial Super Intelligence: Past, Present, and the Near Future
What happens when machines surpass human intelligence, and how close are we? Computer scientist Ken Pu and veteran institutional investor Mark Hannoush examine the forces driving an economic model increasingly shaped by Artificial Super Intelligence. Tracing AI's evolution from conversational systems to alignment, reasoning, and strategic intelligence, this session considers what this profound shift may mean for markets, portfolios, product development, institutional regulation, and society. Combining deep technical expertise with a seasoned investor's lens, the discussion offers a rare and balanced perspective on one of the most consequential technological shifts of our time.
Speakers:
Mark Hannoush, CPA, CFA | Managing Director, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
Ken Pu, PhD | Associate Professor in Computer Science, Ontario Tech University
2:30 PM
Afternoon Tea & Talk
2:50 PM
Keynote: Navigating the Post-Pax Americana World
Positioned at the centre of many of the most important strategic conversations shaping institutional investing today, Jonathan Hausman, ICD.D, Chief Strategy Officer at Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, delivers a keynote focused on a geopolitical framework and its ramifications for portfolio strategy. His ability to connect geopolitical developments to capital and commodity markets promises to be a riveting session, offering valuable perspective on how large institutional investors are adapting to an increasingly complex global landscape.
Speaker:
Jonathan Hausman, ICD.D | Chief Strategy Officer Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
3:20 PM
Durable by Design: The Architecture of a Resilient Portfolio
Building a portfolio designed to deliver resilience and return across market cycles requires deliberate architecture. This panel brings together seasoned institutional investors to explore the frameworks, asset mix decisions, liquidity considerations, and portfolio construction principles that underpin truly durable portfolios. Drawing on deep experience spanning long-term asset mix design, total portfolio management, and liquid markets, the panelists offer rare practitioner insight into what it takes to build a portfolio designed to endure.
Speakers:
Danilo Simonelli, CFA, ICD.D | Managing Director, Investments Portfolio Management, Mastercard Foundation Asset Management
David Ross, CFA | Senior Executive Managing Director and Global Head of Liquid Assets, Total Portfolio Management, OPTrust
Moderated by:
Deborah Ann Trott, CFA | Chief, Risk Strategy and Governance, United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
4:20 PM
Conclusion of Symposium
3:45 PM
Battle Tested: Real Lessons in Absolute Return Investing
A distinguished group of allocators shares invaluable insights across three dimensions: portfolio construction of absolute return strategies, investment due diligence that cuts to the kernel of what truly matters in specific strategy types, and real-world experience gained through years in the field. Candid, practical, and grounded in deep practitioner perspective.
Speakers:
Derek Drummond, CAIA | Funds Alpha Manager, State of Wisconsin Investment Board
Brandon Gill New, CFA | Managing Director, Head of External Partnerships, AIMCo
Vincent Zhou, CFA, FRM | Portfolio Manager, RedJay Asset Management
Nicolas Lefevre-Laumonier | Managing Director, Liquid Alternative Investments, External Portfolio Management, La Caisse
Raj Kohli, CFA | Director, Credit and Multi-Asset Strategies Lead, Active Public Markets. University Pension Plan