Investors conference explores shape, depth of opportunities

Business Bureau, Gulf Today

Under the patronage of Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, Investcorp opened its Investors Conference at a hotel in Bahrain.

The conference explored the shape and depth of investment opportunities across the globe through panel discussion and keynote speeches with speakers from USA, Europe, India, China and Indonesia. Speakers and attendees had the opportunity to explore and opine on an array of topics including private equity, wealth management, infrastructure, real estate and new growth markets.

The conference featured an agenda of stimulating discussions, led by a formidable line-up of speakers who shared their unique insight into an array of topics including Disrupting Finance: The Fintech Frontier, and the Next Generation of Leaders. Over 250 investors from the GCC were amongst the participants as well as speakers from the US, Europe, India, China and Indonesia.

In his opening remarks, Mohammed Alardhi, Executive Chairman of Investcorp, highlighted the key milestones delivered by the Firm over the past year and the notable progress it has made in executing its growth strategy, against the backdrop of global macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. In addition to the main conference, Investcorp, a leading global provider and manager of alternative investment products, held its first Leadership Programs Alumni lunch, bringing together the next generation of business leaders from across the GCC, Asia and Europe. The lunch hosted Nenad Pacek, Founder and President of Global Success Advisors GmbH, as the keynote speaker.

A gala dinner was hosted by Investcorp’s Executive Chairman, Mohammed Alardhi, followed by a keynote speech by Sir Gerry Grimstone, Chairman of Investcorp and Aberdeen Standard Investments Infrastructure Joint Venture.

Alardhi said: “For us as Investcorp, this year’s conference follows another active and successful year for our business. The last 12 months have seen strong growth momentum across the business, despite various economic and geopolitical challenges. Today, I am delighted that you are joining us at our annual event, where we will explore the latest global investment opportunities and trends - offering not only the opportunity to share knowledge and insights but also to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones.”

The conference continued on Thursday with speakers including Sir Michael Fallon, a British Member of Parliament and a member of Investcorp’s International Advisory Board; Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM; Ilham Habibie, CEO of Ilthabi Rekatama; and Prashant Jain, Chief Investment Officer at HDFC Asset Management Company, amongst many others.

Hazem Ben-Gacem, Investcorp’s Co-Chief Executive Officer, said: “We welcomed our business partners, shareholders and investors to Bahrain to reflect on how private asset management has the opportunity to increase its contribution to the growth of companies in various industries. The conference provides a platform to discuss the global economic headwinds and how we plan to navigate them. Investcorp is in a very unique position to bring its global perspective and experience to Bahrain, and the wider Gulf region. We believe such gatherings are important to promote knowledge sharing and provide time for useful networking amongst our partners, colleagues and the wider financial community.”

Investcorp will also be unveiling during the Conference the results of its latest annual survey, “What’s Next? Investment Trends for the Future.” The survey explores institutional investors’ sentiment and expected allocations regarding the most pressing economic trends that are expected to shape the global economy over the next three decades.

Investcorp is a leading global manager of alternative investments. Led by a new vision, Investcorp has embarked on an ambitious, albeit prudent, growth strategy. The Firm continues to focus on generating value through a disciplined investment approach in six lines of business: private equity, real estate, absolute return investments, infrastructure, credit management, and strategic capital. As at June 30, 2019, the Investcorp Group had $28.2 billion in total AUM, including assets managed by third party managers and assets subject to a non-discretionary advisory mandate where Investcorp receives fees calculated on the basis of AUM.

Since its inception in 1982, Investcorp has made [executed - is probably a more appropriate word] over 185 Private Equity deals in the US, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa region and Asia, across a range of sectors including retail and consumer products, technology, business services and industrials, and more than 650 commercial and residential real estate investments in the US and Europe, for in excess of $60 billion in transaction value.