Monday 9th November

 

11:00 – 11:30
Registration and Networking

 

11:30 – 11:40
Welcome & opening remarks

Chair
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

11:40 – 11:55
Keynote: A word from our editor
Pensions Expert Editor, Nick Reeve, looks back at some of the key themes and trends dominating the pension headlines in 2026.

Speaker
Nick Reeve
Editor
Pensions Expert

11:55 – 12:30
Keynote: A year of change, but with a lot more to come

Speaker
Richard Knox
Executive Director of Strategy, Policy, and Analysis
The Pensions Regulator

12:30 – 13:10
Panel: The new settlement – policy, regulation, reform. What schemes need to do next
UK pensions are moving from consultation and policy ambition into a more focused phase of implementation. With reforms touching DB, DC and the LGPS, this opening panel asks what has really changed, what remains uncertain, and where schemes and the industry should be focusing their attention now.

Moderator
Sarah Smart
Conference Chair

Panellists
Joanne Donnelly
CEO
London Pensions Fund Authority

Patrick Heath-Lay
CEO
People’s Partnership

David Lane
CEO
TPT

Morten Nilsson
CEO
Brightwell/BT Pension Scheme

 

13:10 – 14:10
Lunch

 

14:10 – 14:30
Presentation: The investment outlook: navigating uncertainty, growth and risk
What are the macroeconomic and market trends shaping pension scheme strategy in 2026. From inflation and interest rates to geopolitics, growth expectations and market volatility, we ask where the real opportunities and risks now lie for long-term investors.

Presenter
Amanda Stitt
Portfolio Specialist
T. Rowe Price

14:30 – 14:50
Presentation: Digital infrastructure: powering the next wave
The growth of cloud computing, AI and data consumption has reinforced the strategic importance of digital infrastructure, with the world’s largest technology companies investing hundreds of billions of dollars to expand capacity. For investors, it is critical to distinguish between the technology layer and the physical infrastructure layer of the value chain, and to understand their different risk-adjusted return profiles. In this session, we explore the evolution of digital infrastructure, compare the opportunities and challenges across the US and Europe, and discuss why the sector has become a compelling investment opportunity, underpinned by powerful secular demand trends, long-term contracted cash flows and investment-grade counterparties.

Presenter
Richard Redstone
Managing Director
Blue Owl

14:50 – 15:30
Presentation & Roundtable: Pensions dashboards: ready, set, go!
In this interactive session we’ll hear the latest dashboard news from the opensions dashboard team and then discuss what the implications are for schemes and the industry.

Presenter
Chris Curry
Principal
Pensions Dashboard Programme

Roundtable Facilitator
Nick Reeve
Editor
Pensions Expert

 

15:30 – 15:50
Refreshment and networking break

 

15:50 – 16:10
Presentation: UK local clean energy

Presenter
Barney Coles
Senior Managing Director, Co-Head of Clean Energy
Capital Dynamics

16:10 – 16:30
Presentation: Nature

Speaker to be confirmed: Lombard Odier Investment Managers

16:30 – 17:15
Panel: Climate investing in a harder world
Net zero commitments are now being tested by politics, performance pressures and a more complex geopolitical and societal backdrop. Our panellists will take stock of where we are and will ask how schemes can maintain credible climate strategies while staying focused on risk, return and fiduciary duty.

Moderator
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

Panellists
Nick Dixon
Director
Avon Pension Fund

Maggie Rogers
Co-Chair
AMNT

17:15 – 17:25
Devil’s Advocate Summaries

17:25 – 17:30
Closing Remarks

Chair
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

 

19:00
Dinner

Tuesday 10th November

 

08:15 – 09:00
Coffee and Registration

 

09:00 – 09:05
Opening Remarks

Chair
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

09:05 – 09:45
Panel: Productive finance: fiduciary opportunity or political pressure?
Pension schemes and providers are being ‘encouraged’ to support UK growth through private markets, infrastructure and productive assets. We ask whether that agenda creates genuine long-term investment opportunities, or whether trustees and providers are being asked to compromise on member outcomes.

Moderator
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

Panellists
Sarah Adams
Director of Policy
UK Private Capital

Charles Griffith
Head of Investment Strategy
Pension Protection Fund

Speaker to be confirmed: GLIL Infrastructure

09:45 – 10:05
Presentation: Investing locally – place based opportunity?
Local investment continues to be a hot topic as schemes look for assets that can deliver long-term returns while supporting regional growth, housing, energy transition and regeneration. How should pension schemes assess place-based investments? What are the opportunities and risks?

10:05 – 10:25
Presentation: Building Britain: can infrastructure deliver for schemes and the economy?
Infrastructure is central to the debate about how pension capital can support UK growth, but schemes still need assets that work on risk, return, liquidity and governance. This session looks at where the strongest opportunities may lie and what pension schemes need to consdier in accessing this important asset class.

10:25 – 10:45
Presentation: Emerging market equities

Presenter
Nick Payne
Analyst / Portfolio Manager
Comgest

 

10:45 – 11:10
Refreshment break

 

11:10 – 11:50
Panel: Surplus and security: the changing nature of DB endgames
With many DB schemes funding positions in rude health, the ‘endgame’ conversation is becoming more complicated. This panel asks whether trustees and sponsors should still see buyout as the natural destination, or whether surplus release and run-on strategies are creating a more open future for DB.

Moderator
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

11:50 – 12:10
Presentation: Creating value and driving outperformance in European real estate

Presenter
Clemens Schaefer
Global Head of Real Estate APAC & Europe, DWS Real Estate
DWS Investments

12:10 – 12:50
Panel: Data driven investment decisions

Moderator
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

Speaker to be confirmed: Economic Data Services

12:50 – 13:00
Devil’s Advocate Summaries

 

13:00 – 14:00
Lunch

 

14:00 – 14:40
Panel: Stewardship with teeth: can schemes really influence companies?
Schemes are under pressure to be responsible owners, but stewardship must prove it can deliver more than reports and voting statistics. This panel explores how asset owners can hold managers and companies to account on climate, governance and long-term value. What really moves the dial and how can we move from a world where what gets measured gets reported to what get measured gets managed?

Moderator
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

Panellists
Joe Robinson
Director, Investment Stewardship & Sustainability
Equitix

14:40 – 15:20
Roundtable: Stewardship deep dive
What pension schemes really want from their asset managers when it comes to managing and stewarding their investments.

Moderator
Nick Reeve
Editor
Pensions Expert

15:20 – 15:40
Presentation

 

15:40 – 16:00
Refreshment break

 

16:00 – 16:40
Panel: AI investing: backing the future or buying the hype?
AI is being described as a transformative economic force, but investors are increasingly asking whether the market has moved too far, too fast. This panel explores the risks of concentration, inflated valuations and bubble dynamics, and asks how pension schemes can capture potential upside while protecting members from the consequences of over-exposure.

Moderator
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

16:40 – 17:20
Keynote: Building pensions fit for the future

17:20 – 17:30
Devil’s Advocate Summaries

17:30 – 17:35
Closing Remarks

Chair
Sarah Smart
Former Chair of The Pensions Regulator

 

17:35 – 18:30
Drinks Reception and Canapés

19:00 – 21:00
Dinner with After Dinner Speaker