Trends in the North American Pension Market & Unique ACW Equity Investments

Trends in the North American Pension Market and an Introduction of Unique Value-Oriented ACW Equity Investments: Considerations under the new Biden administration & Covid-19

Date: Friday, December 11, 10:00-11:20 (JST)
Venue: Zoom Video Conference

Language: English (with some Japanese translation)
Specialty Focus Areas: Equity Investments 

Speakers: 

• Mr. ARJUN KUMAR, HBA, MBA, CFA (Sprucegrove Investment Management, Board of Director)
• Ms. TASLEEM JAMAL, B.Comm., BA, MBA, CFA (Sprucegrove Investment Management, Vice President, Head of Marketing & Client Services)

Fee: Free 

Schedule:

• 10:00-10:05 Opening remarks by CCCJ Chair, Neil van Wouw
• 10:10-10:20 "Update investment policy & strategy of pension funds in North America" presented by Tasleem Jamal, CFA (Sprucegrove Investment Management)
• 10:25-10:55 "Unique approach in global equity investment by a Canadian Manager" presented by Arjun Kumar, CFA (Sprucegrove Investment Management)
• 11:00-11:15 QA Session
• 11:20 Closing remarks by CFAJ

*After registering, you will receive a Zoom link for the webinar the day before the event. When you register, please also leave a comment in the memo of the resgitration page whether you are a member of CCCJ or CFAJ.

North American pension funds have grown their assets more quickly than their global peers over the past decade. This was driven by the strengthening US dollar and a greater emphasis on investing in equities coupled with the help of the Fed's easy monetary policy, which posted strong gains. Now valuation has become even higher than ever, while two major recent events, Covid-19 and changes in policy by new Biden administration, create challenges for money managers. With that background, we are delighted to introduce a value oriented unique investment approach by a Canadian manager who has a proven track record of managing US and Canadian pension assets in global equity markets for over 30 years.

Speakers:

ARJUN KUMAR, HBA, MBA, CFA 

Mr. Kumar graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honors Bachelor of Arts (Economics & Commerce) degree in 1998. Upon graduation, he worked as an Account Manager for Procter & Gamble, focusing on the sales and marketing of consumer products. Subsequently, he joined Accenture as a senior consultant - working within the process and strategy competencies area.
Mr. Kumar obtained an MBA from the University of Toronto in 2002.

He joined Sprucegrove in 2002 as an Investment Analyst, focusing on global equities and was promoted to Senior Investment Analyst 2010, with a larger role in mentoring and training new Analysts. As an analyst Mr. Kumar’s broad coverage included companies globally, particularly in technology, banking and emerging markets. Then he was appointed Portfolio Manager and Co-Lead of the International Equities strategy, a role in which he currently holds. Mr. Kumar joined the Sprucegrove Business Management Committee in 2015 with the responsibility for managing the day-to-day running of the business. In 2017, Mr. Kumar was appointed to the Sprucegrove Board of Directors, which oversees the strategic direction and compensation for the firm. Mr. Kumar is a CFA charter holder.
 
TASLEEM JAMAL, B.Comm., BA, MBA, CFA 

Ms. Jamal graduated from McMaster University with Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) degrees in 1996 and with an MBA (Finance) in 1999. In 1998, she joined Ernst & Young Investment Advisory Services as an Investment Analyst and in 2000 she was promoted to Vice President. In this role she provided investment consulting services and managed the performance reporting team of analysts. In 2003, she joined Hewitt Associates as an Investment Consultant providing a variety of institutional client’s investment consulting services including asset allocation, investment policy development, manager reviews and searches. In 2007, she joined Burgundy Asset Management where she focused on client relationship management and business development for Burgundy’s Canadian institutional clients. Ms. Jamal was appointed Vice President of the firm in July 2010.
 

Ms. Jamal joined Sprucegrove in 2010 as Vice President, Marketing & Client Services and was promoted to Vice President, Head of Marketing & Client Services in 2014, overseeing all Marketing & Client servicing operations for North America. Ms. Jamal was appointed to the Business Management Committee in 2014, which is responsible for the day-to-day management of Sprucegrove. She is a CFA charter holder.