Guernsey Finance

Former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont, will share his experiences of European currency crises when he is one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Guernsey Funds Forum in London. The event will be held at the Grange St Paul’s Hotel in London on Wednesday 2 May and will culminate in a keynote debate featuring Lord Lamont and Economics Editor and Broadcaster Stephanie Flanders. The debate and the preceding panel sessions will be moderated by ITV News Anchor, Alastair Stewart.

 

Peter Niven, Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance – the promotional agency for the Island’s finance industry, said: “The Guernsey Funds Forum is growing in stature every year to the extent that it is now considered an essential event in the calendar of many key investment fund decision makers in London.

“Last year’s exhibition and conference attracted more than 400 participants and as such, it was a huge success but we are now aiming for better still. Attracting speakers of the calibre of Lord Lamont and Stephanie Flanders is a major step in that direction and their debate on current global economic issues will be a fascinating conclusion to the day.

“We are also very pleased to have Alastair Stewart moderating the event for what will be the third consecutive year. His professionalism, knowledge and authority ensure that the speakers get to the heart of the matters at hand and the audience is given an opportunity to have their say in what is a truly interactive event.”

The Guernsey Funds Forum 2012, titled ‘Shaken not stirred’, is taking place from 12.30pm on Wednesday 2 May 2012 at the Grange St Paul’s Hotel, London, EC4V 5AJ. It starts with registration and lunch from 12.30pm, the forum begins at 1.30pm and is followed by a drinks networking reception at 5.30pm.

The main forum content will begin with a panel session ‘regulation never dies’ which will look at how much regulation investors need, whether regulation is good for the investment fund industry, strategies for managers to survive in a highly regulated world and the role of corporate governance. 

The second session, ‘the world is not enough’, will look at investor demands and returns, how managers can keep investors happy in the economic climate and how managers can attract investors in the current marketplace.

Panellists for these sessions will include investors in both private equity and hedge funds who will share their views on regulation and how they decide where to invest. Limited partners like Stephen Ziff, Partner, Coller Capital and hedge fund investors such as Christopher Fawcett, Senior Partner, Fauchier Partners will be sharing their views on where they plan to invest their next funds.

Other confirmed panellists include Karsten Langer, Chairman, the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA) and Ian Sayers, Director General, the Association of Investment Companies (AIC).

The event, moderated by Alastair Stewart, will culminate with the keynote speakers’ debate featuring Lord Lamont and Stephanie Flanders where delegates will have the opportunity to cross-examine the pair in a ‘Question Time’ format. It will be followed by the drinks networking reception.

As well as the conference, there will also be an exhibition of Guernsey service providers, including the Island’s leading fund administrators, custodians, multi-jurisdictional legal practices and global accountancy firms.

The event is hosted by Guernsey Finance, in conjunction with the Guernsey Investment Fund Association (GIFA).

Joe Truelove, Chairman of the GIFA Marketing Committee, said: “We have been very pleased with the way the Guernsey Funds Forum has developed as an event during the last few years and this one promises to be even better. It is fantastic that we are able to build on this success by having Alastair Stewart moderate two panel sessions which will explore the important issues at play within the investment funds world and also a keynote macroeconomic debate with high profile figures such as Lord Lamont and Stephanie Flanders. This is an excellent showcase for Guernsey as a leading international centre for investment funds business.”

The event is supported by the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA), the EVCA, the AIC, Preqin and HFM Week. For more information about delegate, exhibition and sponsorship opportunities contact Fiona Murray by email events@fionamurray.net or tel. +44 (0) 7781 123808.

Release Ends  

Notes to Editors:

Norman Lamont

Lord Lamont was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1990-1993 during the difficult recession of the time and Britain's exit from the ERM on "Black Wednesday". Prior to that he was a Cabinet Minister under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major and in total was a member of the House of Commons for twenty-five years. He was made a Life Peer in July 1998 and has been a strong vocal opponent of further European Integration and Britain joining the Euro.

Stephanie Flanders

Stephanie Flanders replaced Evan Davis as the BBC's Economics Editor in spring 2008. Prior to that, she was the Economics Editor for BBC2's Newsnight programme from 2002. She has also written for the comment and features pages of the Financial Times, The Sunday Times, the Sunday Telegraph, the Observer, the Guardian, The Daily Mail and Prospect.

Alastair Stewart

Alastair Stewart has worked in the media for nearly four decades and has fronted programmes such as Police Camera Action! but he is most commonly associated with being a presenter of the news on ITV.

Guernsey’s investment funds industry

The net asset value of funds under management and administration in Guernsey reached £271 billion at the end of September 2011 – a rise of 11.5% year on year.

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