Leaders in Investment - IPE

In this episode of Leaders in Investment, Robert-Jan Foortse, Managing Director of European Real Estate at APG, manager of the Netherlands’ largest pension fund, discusses the fund’s real estate allocation, its attitude to risk and the impact it is creating via a €5bn investment in Dutch affordable housing. The conversation also includes the fund’s increased appetite for private markets investments, their decision to have less leverage than before the global financial crisis, and how APG is reflecting future energy costs and climate considerations into investment decisions. This episode of Leaders in Investment is sponsored by UBS. “If you don’t want to call it the E for Environment or the S for Sustainability, then at least call it the R for resilience.” In this podcast series from IPE and IPE Real Assets, members of our editorial team speak to leading figures in the institutional investor community to curate a library of in-depth, focused content.  Conversations with chief investment officers and other asset-owner leaders will range across beliefs, objectives, investment philosophy, strategy and outlook. Engaging with asset owners both in Europe and beyond, this series will provide unique access to the thinking that guides their decisions. If you like what you hear, do tell friends and colleagues, and please let us know us what you think by contacting us on podcasts@ipe.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode #16 of IPE’s Leaders in Investment podcast series, Barry Kenneth, Chief Investment Officer of the Pension Protection Fund – the £39bn UK pensions ‘lifeboat’, speaks with IPE Editorial Director Liam Kennedy about seizing opportunities in the wake of the 2022 gilt crisis, his thoughts on interest rate duration, and equity investment as a key driver of growth. “Rather than have an investment target, we have a risk target. That focuses the mind slightly differently.  It’s a subtle difference, but I think it changes the mindset of how we think about investment.” This episode of Leaders in Investment is sponsored by PGIM. In this podcast series from IPE and IPE Real Assets, members of our editorial team speak to leading figures in the institutional investor community to curate a library of in-depth, focused content.  Conversations with chief investment officers and other asset-owner leaders will range across beliefs, objectives, investment philosophy, strategy and outlook. Engaging with asset owners both in Europe and beyond, this series will provide unique access to the thinking that guides their decisions. If you like what you hear, do tell friends and colleagues, and please let us know us what you think by contacting us on podcasts@ipe.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode #14 of IPE’s Leaders in Investment podcast series, IPE Editorial Director Liam Kennedy speaks with Günther Schiendl, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Austria’s VBV Pensionskasse, discussing the fund’s asset allocation, the overall regulatory environment and why they are prioritising investments in private markets and European sustainable infrastructure. “We are seeing things not every 20 years or 30 years but every handful of years. I think one of the most challenging situations was in April, May 2020 at the height of the Corona crisis, the deep plunge in equity prices, the big crisis all over the world. All our risk limits were flashing red.” This episode of Leaders in Investment is sponsored by PGIM. In this podcast series from IPE and IPE Real Assets, members of our editorial team speak to leading figures in the institutional investor community to curate a library of in-depth, focused content.  Conversations with chief investment officers and other asset-owner leaders will range across beliefs, objectives, investment philosophy, strategy and outlook. Engaging with asset owners both in Europe and beyond, this series will provide unique access to the thinking that guides their decisions. If you like what you hear, do tell friends and colleagues, and please let us know us what you think by contacting us on podcasts@ipe.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode #12 of IPE’s Leaders in Investment podcast series, Jaakko Kiander, Chief Executive Officer of Keva, Finland’s largest pension provider, speaks with IPE Editorial Director Liam Kennedy. 'Until a couple of years ago, it was a rule that we shouldn’t invest in arms... Now, we think it’s socially responsible to invest in the European arms industry.’ Keva, Finland’s largest pension, looks after state and local government pensions there as well as administering the pensions of other public sector organisations. The two discuss the €70 billion fund’s increasing equity allocation, how it integrates ESG principles into investment decisions and how they work with outsourced managers to invest in alternatives as well as emerging market along with the role of pension funds in Europe’s green transition and evolving views on defence investments.  Additionally, Kiander talks about the role that AI will play in digitising pension processes and why this is important for increasing efficiency. This episode of Leaders in Investment is sponsored by PGIM. In this podcast series from IPE and IPE Real Assets, members of our editorial team speak to leading figures in the institutional investor community to curate a library of in-depth, focused content.  Conversations with chief investment officers and other asset-owner leaders will range across beliefs, objectives, investment philosophy, strategy and outlook. Engaging with asset owners both in Europe and beyond, this series will provide unique access to the thinking that guides their decisions. If you like what you hear, do tell friends and colleagues, and please let us know us what you think by contacting us on podcasts@ipe.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode #10 of IPE’s Leaders in Investment podcast series, IPE Editorial Director Liam Kennedy interviews professor Dirk Schoenmaker, Investment Committee Chair, PFZW. ‘Let’s face the music – a large part of the economy still has to go through the transition, and we want to help them out.’ Noted finance professor Dirk Schoenmaker and longtime leader in the Netherlands’ financial sector chairs the investment committee of PFZW, the €225bn Dutch pension for the care and welfare sector, which has more than three million active and retired members. He reflects on the fund’s bold decision to move to an impact investment strategy across all asset classes, how the fund has communicated this with all its stakeholders and his belief that a positive impact can future-proof a pension’s business model. This episode of Leaders in Investment is sponsored by PGIM. In this podcast series from IPE and IPE Real Assets, members of our editorial team speak to leading figures in the institutional investor community to curate a library of in-depth, focused content. Conversations with chief investment officers and other asset-owner leaders will range across beliefs, objectives, investment philosophy, strategy and outlook. Engaging with asset owners both in Europe and beyond, this series will provide unique access to the thinking that guides their decisions. If you like what you hear, do tell friends and colleagues, and please let us know us what you think by contacting us on podcasts@ipe.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode #8 of IPE’s Leaders in Investment podcast series, IPE Real Assets editor Richard Lowe interviews Patrick Kanters, CIO Private Markets, APG "The asset-owner programme allows us ultimately to write these bigger tickets and access transactions that would otherwise not be available" As CIO of private markets at APG, Patrick Kanters oversees a €150bn-plus portfolio of real estate infrastructure, private equity and natural capital on behalf of several Dutch pension funds, including the country’s largest, ABP. He reflects on 20 years at APG and the challenges and opportunities facing the institutional investor today. This episode of Leaders in Investment is sponsored by PGIM. In this new podcast series from IPE and IPE Real Assets, members of our editorial team speak to leading figures in the institutional investor community to curate a library of in-depth, focused content. Conversations with chief investment officers and other asset-owner leaders will range across beliefs, objectives, investment philosophy, strategy and outlook. Engaging with asset owners both in Europe and beyond, this series will provide unique access to the thinking that guides their decisions. If you like what you hear, do tell friends and colleagues, and please let us know us what you think by contacting us on podcasts@ipe.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode #6 of IPE’s Leaders in Investment podcast series, IPE Real Assets editor Richard Lowe interviews Marieke van Kamp, head of private markets at NN Group. “One the one hand, there is the need for more private assets; at the same time, the M&A market is slow. That is a strength – managers are very picky at what they do. But it needs a different kind of steering towards desired exposures, as it takes quite a long time to build up exposures, and that is, from a portfolio perspective, sometimes difficult to navigate.” NN is Dutch insurance group with insurance businesses throughout Europe and Japan. In this episode, Marieke van Kamp talks about building up NN’s exposure to private markets – particularly in infrastructure, private credit and ‘climate solutions’ – and the challenges this has posed over the years and in today’s new high-interest-rate environment. This episode of Leaders in Investment is sponsored by PGIM. In this new podcast series from IPE and IPE Real Assets, members of our editorial team speak to leading figures in the institutional investor community to curate a library of in-depth, focused content. The result will be a valuable library of downloadable insights into what motivates both individuals, teams, boards and trustees as they set about achieving their long-term investment goals with a view to improving the retirement outcomes of hundreds of millions of pension holders. If you like what you hear, do tell friends and colleagues, and please let us know us what you think by contacting us on podcasts@ipe.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.