Program at a Glance

Program

12:00 – 16:30  Registration and CIA Information Desk

12:00 – 12:45  Buffet Lunch

12:45 - 12:50  Opening Remarks

Daniel Klein (FCIA), Chair, Organizing Committee, 2017 CIA Investment Seminar

12:50 – 13:15  Session 1 •  Economic Outlook: Aging Bull

Moderator:

Daniel Klein (FCIA), AVP, financial risk management, Foresters 

Speaker:

Sal Guatieri*, director and senior economist, BMO Capital Markets

Sal Guatieri will speak to the current economic environment and the risks and challenges facing investors. He will discuss several issues, including global growth recovery, the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), U.S. political turbulence, the Canadian housing market, and the recent appreciation of the Canadian dollar and the Bank of Canada interest rate increase.

13:15 – 14:15  Session 2 • Machine Learning in Asset Management

Moderator:   

Martin Bélanger (FCIA), director, investments, Western University

Speakers:

Michael Bishopp*, managing director, BlackRock

Gary Brackenridge*, global head, asset management, Linedata

Big data is transforming the way we do business. This is especially true in the investment industry where investment managers have to deal the proliferation of data. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have started to assist investment professionals with this new reality. This session will discuss how big data is transforming the industry, how industry players are reacting, and what type of innovations we can expect in the near future.

14:15 – 14:30  Networking Break

14:30 – 15:30  Session 3 • Liability-Driven Investment – An Evolving Landscape

Moderator:

Benny Wan (FCIA), VP actuarial, Brookfield Annuity

Speaker:        

Eduardo Lima*, principal, asset and risk management, Morneau Shepell

The session will introduce the audience to liability-driven investing (LDI) concepts within a risk management framework and discuss the implications of the current low-interest environment. Eduardo Lima will then look at the evolution of the different types of LDI solutions. Specific concepts reviewed will include implementation issues, such as which instruments to use in the LDI strategy, and how best to complement an LDI strategy in a portfolio. The presentation will conclude with comments regarding the most recent trends in LDI solutions as a result of regulatory changes.

15:30 – 16:25  Session 4 • Liquidity Risk Management for the Buy Side in the Current Market Environment

Moderator:

Ash Goorachurn (FCIA), director, risk allocation, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation

Speakers:

Ash Goorachurn

Marc Hurley*, managing director, public fixed income, Sun Life Investment Management

Robert Kelsall*, managing director, global fixed income, currencies & commodities, BMO Capital Markets

This session will explore current liquidity risk management topics including the impacts from regulatory and structural changes on key liquidity markets, the latest developments in quantifying/measuring liquidity risk, and new risk management approaches and non-traditional forms of liquidity.

16:25 – 16:30  Closing Remarks

Ash Goorachurn (FCIA), director, risk allocation, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation

*Not a member of the CIA.