mallowstreet University Digital Investment Focus: Direct Lending and Private Markets

Speakers

• Laura Vaughan
  Head of Direct Lending, Federated Hermes
  

  Laura joined the international business of Federated Hermes in November 2015, when the private debt platform was being established. Her role has developed from analysing potential fund investments to now also include managing the Direct Lending team. Laura joined from GE Capital, where she was an associate in its mid-market leveraged finance execution team. At GE, Laura focused on arranging financings for European private equity-backed acquisitions funded through senior, second lien, mezzanine and unitranche facilities. Prior to this, Laura worked for three years at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi in its acquisition finance team in London, focusing on opportunities in European large-cap leveraged finance transactions and on portfolio management. Her previous role was at Allied Irish Bank in Dublin in its Corporate Banking North America division, in which she analysed US large-cap and middle-market leveraged finance transactions, and performed portfolio management functions. Laura has an Economics degree from University College Dublin. She is a CFA charterholder.

• Kate Hillyar

  Director - Distribution, UK, Federated Hermes

  Kate joined the international business of Federated Hermes in September 2020 as a Business Development Director for the UK. Based in London, Kate is focused on the UK institutional channel, helping drive new business and raise third-party assets across the firm’s full range of institutional investment capabilities. Kate joined from Aberdeen Standard Investments, where she transferred from the Australian office in 2019 to help drive the UK institutional sales business. She joined Standard Life Investments in 2016 as an Institutional Business Development Director in Sydney and was responsible for Australia and New Zealand institutional sales. Prior to Aberdeen Standard Investments, Kate held roles at a number of Australian Asset Management and owner firms, including Macquarie Group, Credit Suisse, SSgA, Nab Asset Management and NGS Super, specialising in institutional sales, spanning a 20-year career in the Australian Superannuation industry. Kate studied at The University of Sydney and has a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics (Hons) and is a graduate from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (2017).

• Dean Heaney

  Head of UK Institutional

  Dean joined Franklin Templeton in 2020 as head of the UK institutional business. He joined from Invesco where he was Head of Government & Strategic Institutions in the UK and Ireland. With over 18 years’ experience working with institutional investors, Dean’s role at Franklin Templeton is to work in partnership with institutional clients to deliver better client outcomes. He is also responsible for developing new relationships with pension funds, insurance companies and investment consultants.

  Dean started his career at Fidelity International in 2003 and has worked in institutional sales and consultant relations roles at Royal London Asset Management and Pioneer Investments (now Amundi).

  Dean has a BA in International Business and holds the Investment Management Certificate.

• Gaston Brandes

  Director - Franklin Real Asset Advisors, Franklin Templeton

  Having joined Franklin Real Asset Advisors in January 2020, Gaston is an integrated member of the investment team, focusing on partnerships with key distribution channels to support business growth and the retention of assets. Having entered the real estate industry in 2003, Gaston held several senior roles prior to Franklin Templeton including Head of Business Development, Real Estate at Aviva Investors, Head of Capital Markets for Grosvenor’s Fund Management business, and Executive Director for Global Real Estate Products & Business Development with UBS Global Asset Management based in Zurich and Frankfurt. Mr. Brandes holds an MBA, and a BSc. in Small Business/Entrepreneurship from Florida Atlantic University.
  

Program

1. 8:45 AM Login & Access Meeting

   The Investment Focus will take place online via a ‘Zoom’ meeting (a widely used webcast meeting provider). We will provide further information, including an access link and password, to all attendees in advance of the event.

2. 9:00 AM Welcome & Introductions

3. 9:10 AM Rotating Investment Masterclass I: The Benefits to Investors of an Integrated ESG Strategy with Direct Lending

   Federated Hermes will discuss the benefits of implementing a comprehensive ESG strategy for Direct Lending, in terms of seeking to improve fund performance for investors. During this session, Laura Vaughan, Head of Direct Lending, will present the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to ESG in the Direct Lending market, and argue that an understanding of ESG is vital in allowing a manager to provide superior risk adjusted returns to investors. Case studies will be discussed.

   Speaker

   Laura Vaughan, Head of Direct Lending, Federated Hermes

4. 9:50 AM Refreshment Break

5. 10:00 AM Rotating Investment Masterclass II: Investing in Social Infrastructure: a Dual-Return Opportunity

   Social infrastructure is real estate that maintains and strengthens social services, for example: healthcare, education and other civic facilities and social housing. Such projects were once the sole province of European governments, but funding gaps and rising demand have left a multibillion-euro shortfall. There is now an opportunity for institutional investors to participate in the social infrastructure sector and potentially make a dual return: long-term stable, inflation-linked cashflows as well as the impact return of social and environmental benefits to communities.

   Speaker

   Gaston Brandes, Director - Franklin Real Asset Advisors, Franklin Templeton

6. 10:40 AM Questions and Close of Investment Focus

7. 10:45 AM End