Agenda
Consortium 2023 featured two days of the best content from Consortium and the Small and Emerging Managers Conference (SEM) combined into one marquee event.
May 23
All times listed in Eastern Time (ET)
Welcome + General Session
- 10: 00 - 11:45 AM
We welcome attendees by recognizing some of Consortium’s essential partners and key milestones in two decades of progress, and highlight why we’re so excited about the newly combined Consortium and SEM Conference.
Speakers
Michael Sacks, Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GCM Grosvenor
Renae Griffin, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
For the past 20 years, institutional investors have been at the forefront of change in alternative investing. In Consortium’s opening session, a distinguished panel of investors will spotlight the changes they have implemented and those they have observed during their tenure. They will also highlight how events like Consortium and the SEM Conference have contributed to the industry’s growth and discuss how we can all be part of the ongoing effort to increase allocations to diverse and emerging management groups.
Moderator
Robert Raben, President and Founder, The Raben Group
Speaker
John Barker, Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Kresge Foundation
Nickol Hackett, Chief Investment Officer, The Joyce Foundation
Andrew Junkin, Chief Investment Officer, Virginia Retirement System
Hear from iconic diverse managers who will share their perspective on how events like Consortium have impacted their growth, fundraising efforts, and relationship building. We hear how their firms have been impacted by the changes within the industry, and where they hope to see the diverse and emerging manager community in the next two decades.
Moderator
Joe Haslip, Managing Director, Valor Equity Partners
Panelists
Tammy K. Jones, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Basis Investment Group
Jennifer McElyea, Managing Partner, Ethos Real Estate
Ivelisse Simon Rodriguez, Managing Partner, Avante Capital Partners
Networking Lunch
- 11:45 AM - 1:15 PM
It Takes a Vision and a Village
Hear from Marty Nesbitt of Vistria as he discusses how he guided his firm through challenging periods and emerged stronger – from both a business and an investment perspective. In doing so, he will highlight how the diverse and emerging manager community provided opportunities for growth and helped him overcome some of the many hurdles as part of his firm’s “10-year overnight success story.”
Moderator
Michael Sacks, Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, GCM Grosvenor
Speaker
Marty Nesbitt, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer, The Vistria Group
LP Intensive – New Programs, New Approaches
- 1:30 - 3:15 PM
For the ninth straight year, the LP intensive kicks off with an SEM Conference classic – a data-filled, in-depth presentation on the trends and activities in the emerging and diverse manager universe. This year, Peter Braffman will cover some of the “greatest hits” from past years and spotlight how unique approaches to partnering with managers has contributed to diverse and emerging managers’ immense growth across alternative asset classes.
Presenter
Peter Braffman, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
Institutional investors of different types are demonstrating leadership and sound investing by allocating to diverse asset managers in new ways. In this session, LPs will learn from each other about applying various investment methods based on their plans’ unique objectives, size, structure, and other factors.
Moderator
Elizabeth Browne, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
Panelists
Nicole Musicco, Chief Investment Officer, California Employees’ Retirement System
Sylvester McClearn, Interim Director, Emerging Manager Program, New York State Common Retirement Fund
We believe there is no better place than the LP Intensive to experience small peer-to-peer working groups. These roundtables provide structured opportunities for open dialogue on the important topics raised during the LP Intensive panel.
Getting your consultants aligned with your DEI manager efforts.
Sam Austin, Partner, NEPC
Reporting; How to measure, define, and monitor success.
LaShae Badelita, Head of Diverse Investments, California State Teachers Retirement System
How to work with current partners to instill diversity among their teams?
John Barker, Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Kresge Foundation
Questions to ask when starting an emerging and diverse manager strategy?
Georgia Clarke, Senior Manager-Pension Investments, Raytheon
The intersection of diverse managers and impact. Where is the capital flowing?
Nickol Hackett, Chief Investment Officer, Joyce Foundation
Addressing the Anti-DEI, Anti-woke movement.
Jarvis Hollingsworth, Chairman of the Board, Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Investing with diverse managers, Knight Foundation’s learning over the last 10-years.
Juan Martinez, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, John S. & James L. Knight Foundation
Where to start; the best questions to ask your board and staff when considering emerging or diverse manager strategy.
Kirk Sims, Head of Emerging Managers, Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Governance is key; how to increase board diversity?
Brian O’Neil, Former Chief Investment Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
GP Bootcamp
- 1:30 - 2:15 PM – Coaching Session
- 2:15 - 3:15 PM – Perfect Pitch
GP Bootcamp sessions will be separated by asset class: Private Equity and Venture Capital; Real Estate and Infrastructure; and Absolute Return Strategies.
Pitchbook submissions are due no later than April 24.
How to Position your Firm for a Win in a Competitive Marketplace
The GP Bootcamp comes back to its roots with the iconic Coaching Sessions, facilitated by LPs, GPs, and consultants. The session will focus on topics that best serve diverse and emerging managers who are looking to successfully launch and fundraise during these difficult times.
Bootcamp coaches to include:
- Josh Adler, Senior Manager of Hedge Funds & Portable Alpha, Raytheon Technologies
- Fiyinfoluwa Awe, Senior Investment Associate, Diverse Manager Research, Cambridge Associates
- Aubre Clemens, Executive Director, Manager Solutions, J.P. Morgan
- Laureen Costa, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
- Sally Davis, Partner, Ropes & Gray LLP
- Victoria Dorsey, Chief of Staff, Office of Investments, The Nature Conservancy
- Tracy Gallagher, Associate Director, LGT Capital Partners
- Kathryn Gernert, Managing Director – Emerging Manager Program, Texas Permanent School Fund
- Liz Goodier, Principal, Vervanto
- Yibai Haney, Director, MPowered Capital
- AJ Hernandez, President and Chief Executive Officer, New America Alliance
- Chae Hong, Partner, Townsend Group
- Lauren Honza, Managing Director of Public Equity, Employee Retirement System of Texas
- Danita Johnson, Managing Director – Real Assets, Maryland State Retirement and Pension System
- Hallie Label, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Expect Equity
- Nancy Lashine, Founder, Managing Partner, Founder, Park Madison Partners
- Tiffany Lewis, Managing Director – Private Investments, J.P. Morgan
- Joey Mallon, Associate Director, Segal Marco Advisors
- Robert Nelson, Senior Alternative Investment Specialist, Mercer
- Chrissie Pariso, Managing Director, MPowered Capital
- Brian Ralph, Managing Director, Focus Point Private Capital Group
- Cheryl Rogers, Managing Principal, Focus Point Capital Group
- Zach Ruchman, Director, Private Investments, WMS Partners
- Joseph Stecher, Founder, Candlewood Investors
By popular demand, the “Perfect Pitch” returns with a detailed look at best practices of an introductory pitch.
Diverse and emerging managers have the option to submit their pitchbooks for review by a panel of institutional investors, GCM Grosvenor investment teams, and consultants. Each panel, designated by asset class, will select 2-3 managers to present their pitch, live and in-person. Each manager will be given real-time feedback intended to help GPs improve their materials and hone their presentation skills.
Panel judges to include:
- Laureen Costa, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
- Kathryn Gernert, Managing Director – Emerging Manager Program, Texas Permanent School Fund
- AJ Hernandez, President and Chief Executive Officer, New America Alliance
- Chae Hong, Partner, Townsend Group
- Nancy Lashine, Founder, Managing Parnter, Founder, Park Madison Partners
- Darrel Pfeifauf, Vice President, Hedge Funds and Risk, Advocate Health
- Mike Silva, Investment Officer, California Public Employees’ Retirement System
VIP Connect (Value, Information, and Partnership)
- 3:30 - 4:30 PM
Long a cornerstone of Consortium, VIP Connect returns to create an intersection where LPs, consultants, and diverse and emerging managers meet. During these one-on-one meetings, institutional investors and their advisors discuss with GPs their investment programs, focus, considerations, and processes.
This year’s session will feature a curated approach to the matching process, for an extra-tailored experience. Note: these introductory meetings are for information exchange only. We encourage managers to not “sell” during this time.
Registration for VIP Connect will close on April 28.
Breakout Panel Discussions
- 3:30 - 4:15 PM
David Richter, GCM Grosvenor’s Absolute Return Strategies Investment Committee Chair, hosts his annual one-on-one discussion with a prominent hedge fund manager, who will share views on the current market and opportunity set, and also discuss their experience navigating from an emerging industry entrant to a world-class asset manager.
Moderator
David Richter, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
Speaker
Mala Gaonkar, Founder and Chairman, SurgoCap Partners LP
Is the popular yet controversial term “ESG” losing its relevance? As the market evolves, it is creating new challenges and redefining how LPs and GPs create and buy sustainable investment solutions. Meanwhile, many of these same investors are considering how best to communicate their sustainable investing intentions to stakeholders. This panel discusses how these and other trends are helping shift the sustainable investing landscape.
Moderator
Jon Hirschtritt, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
Speakers
Vickee Jordan, Partner, FS Global
Sanjeev Krishnan, Chief Investment Officer and Senior Managing Director, S2G Ventures
Invite Only Reception
- 5:00 - 6:30 PM
Consortium 20th Anniversary Reception
- 6:00 - 9:00 PM
May 24
All times listed in Eastern Time (ET)
Women's Networking Breakfast
- 8:00 - 9:15 AM
GCM Grosvenor welcomes women from across the industry to connect with one another at the 8th Annual Women’s Networking Session. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a leader and entrepreneur on how they have navigated their career.
Introduction
Sandee Hurse, Chief Human Resources Officer, GCM Grosvenor
Moderator
Jessica Holsey, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
Speaker
Jonelle Procope, Chief Executive Officer, The Apollo Theatre
Day 2 Welcome Remarks and Kick-Off
- 9:30 - 10:00 AM
VIP Connect (Value, Information, and Partnership)
- 10:15 - 11:15 AM
A continuation from Day One, this session creates a meeting place for LPs, consultants, and diverse and emerging mangers.
This year’s session will feature a curated approach to the matching process, for an extra-tailored experience. Note: these introductory meetings are for information exchange only. We encourage managers to not “sell” during this time.
Registration for VIP Connect will close on April 28.
Breakout Panel Discussions
- 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Delivering Performance During Macroeconomic Uncertainty
A panel of emerging and diverse managers look at how the events of the past few years – the pandemic, soaring inflation, rapidly rising interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainty – have shaped expectations. They will take this time to explore the investment opportunities they have seen or anticipate for the coming months. Panelists will also discuss key risks and adjustments they have made to their portfolios to adapt to the changing landscape.
Moderator
Amy Wierenga, Chief Risk Officer, GCM Grosvenor
Speakers
Diana Amoa, Chief Investment Officer of Long Biased Strategies, Kirkoswald
Udai Bishnoi, Global Head of Structured Credit, Sculptor Capital
Fred Cummings, President and Founder, Elizabeth Park Capital Management
The Great Reset: Surviving and Thriving in a Rapidly Changing Real Estate Market
The session will begin with a data-driven discussion focused on the volatility currently being experienced in the real estate market. The GCM Grosvenor Real Estate team will dive into how to navigate these challenges, including launching new platforms as LP capital retreats, communicating with capital partners as both problems and opportunities emerge, and standing out in a crowded fundraising market.
Speakers
Peter Braffman, Managing Director, GCM Grosvenor
Danielle Event, Principal, GCM Grosvenor
Bryce Robertson, Principal, GCM Grosvenor
Diversity: Are you committed or not?
What’s next for the diverse manager investment landscape? A panel of industry experts will provide an in-depth discussion on where they believe the future of the diverse manager space will be given the current political, macroeconomic, culture, and market environment.
Moderator
Derek Jones, Vice Chairman, Private Equity Diverse Manager Practice, GCM Grosvenor
Panelists
Robert L. Greene, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC)
Miriam Rivera, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Ulu Ventures
Darryl Thompson, Chief Investment Officer, New Voices Fund
Networking Lunch and Keynote Speaker
- 12:15 - 1:30 PM
We are pleased to welcome sports icon, author, and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King as the Keynote Speaker at this year’s Consortium. She will continue the SEM tradition of featuring distinguished individuals who share stories about their roads to success.
Moderator
Jon Levin, President, GCM Grosvenor
Speaker
Billie Jean King, Sports Icon, Author, and Social Justice and Equality Pioneer
Investors in Action
- 1:45 - 2:15 PM
In a unique interview-style format, institutional investors discuss how they are structuring their portfolios to mitigate challenges presented by a difficult market environment. Investors will address the steps they are taking to meet their objectives and highlight the role diverse and emerging managers can play to help them do so in 2023 and beyond.
- Jonathan Glidden, Managing Director – Pensions, Delta Airlines
- Steven Meier, Chief Investment Officer, Deputy Comptroller for Asset, New York City Retirement System
Investors in Action
- 2:30 - 3:00 PM
In a unique interview-style format, institutional investors discuss how they are structuring their portfolios to mitigate challenges presented by a difficult market environment. Investors will address the steps they are taking to meet their objectives and highlight the role diverse and emerging managers can play to help them do so in 2023 and beyond.
- Ryan Roderick, Founder, Lucas Hill
- Scott Taylor, Chief Investment Officer, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Closing Networking Reception
- 3:00 - 4:00 PM