- AI adoption in hedge funds: Why 41% now rank AI integration as a top investment priority and what that actually means in practice
- How leading funds are embedding AI into their research workflows today
- What changes (and what doesn’t) in the role of the analyst
- Whether AI meaningfully levels the playing field between large and small funds
- Why data quality and research infrastructure determine who wins the AI race
This breakfast briefing is by invitation only
Speakers
Karen Ward, EMEA Chief Market Strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, opens the summit exploring a market paradox: all-time highs amid mounting geopolitical tensions. Join us as she frames the investment implications for 2026, offering investors a roadmap for navigating what she calls "the geopolitical economy.
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Assess the 2026 global macro-outlook and its impact on hedge fund strategies.
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Interactive roundtable discussion groups focusing on set topic areas led by industry experts and designed to create an environment for discussion, questions and learning from shared experiences.
Workshop A: ODD Dealbreakers
- Understanding LP operational due diligence priorities across pensions, family offices, and endowments
- Identifying operational failures, admin gaps, cybersecurity, key-person risk, valuation issues that derail ODD
- Evaluating whether performance can offset operational red flags for institutional allocators
- Distinguishing fixable pre-fundraise issues from those requiring 12–18 months to resolve.
Speakers:
- Alexandre Cruz VP, Investment Manager Due Diligence at Citi Global Wealth Investments
- Diccon Smeeton, Operational Due Diligence Analyst at AustralianSuper
Workshop B: Trading Technology – Will Your Stack Keep You Winning?
Join our workshop where participants discuss:
- Risk & visibility: A single source of truth across all assets
- Agility and change readiness: How quickly can you change course with your investment decisions, what slows you down?
- Technology stack: Platform or patchwork?
- Operating Model & talent: Is the whole crew focused on alpha?
Leave with a navigation plan checklist to help you define an onward technology plan, with your whole organisation, focused on winning - whatever the conditions.
Speakers:
- Ronan Farrell, Global Head of Buy Side, FIS® Cross Asset Trading and Risk
Workshop C: Telling Your Story to Allocators
- Crafting pitches that clearly articulate thesis, edge, and differentiation
- Highlighting performance data while addressing volatility, drawdowns, and strategy pivots
- Presenting a track record that builds confidence without defensive posturing
- Engaging allocators with a concise, memorable investment narrative.
Speakers:
- Brendan McLean, CFA, Portfolio Manager at Greenram Capital
- Oliver Bradley, CEO at Hedgeweek® & Private Equity Wire®
Workshop D: Accelerating Alpha Research: The Next Frontier in Quant Signal Generation
Systematic investing has always been a race — to find better signals, test ideas faster and turn research into returns before the edge disappears. Yet testing new ideas often involves significant model tuning and engineering effort, which can slow research cycles. This roundtable will bring together CIOs, portfolio managers, and quantitative researchers to discuss how teams are evolving their approach to predictive modelling: the tools they rely on, the constraints they're working around, and where the next generation of methods may unlock genuine speed and simplicity in working with structured data.
Speakers:
- Jeremy Ben Sadoun, CRO & Co-Founder at Neuralk AI
- Brian Healy, CIO at Knollwood Research and Trading
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The Emerging Manager Paradox: Can a premium Tier-1 administrator accelerate fundraising, bolster LP confidence, and unlock new markets through operational support, regulatory expertise, and trusted references?
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- Are institutional-grade service providers now the minimum requirement for emerging managers seeking institutional capital?
- Is independent fund administration a dealbreaker and key to fundraising velocity?
- Does best-in-class infrastructure drive faster raises and higher valuations, validating operational investment?
- Which operational capabilities unlock different LP segments across family offices, pensions, and endowments?
Speakers
- Beyond performance, what drives 2026 allocation decisions: operational maturity, team stability, fees, transparency, and ESG?
- Evidence needed for emerging managers vs. reasons allocators stick with established funds.
- How do volatility, geopolitical risk, and market uncertainty shape allocator priorities: protection, correlation, or returns?
- Differences in decision-making by geography and investor type: US pensions, European family offices, Middle Eastern sovereigns, Asian institutions
Speakers
- Are separately managed accounts now essential for hedge funds targeting institutional investors?
- Balancing capital efficiency and operational complexity: SMAs as a competitive wedge for control, transparency, and custom liquidity.
- Managing bespoke terms, side letters, and expectations across multiple SMAs while standardizing operations.
- Determining if smaller funds should offer SMAs and the AUM threshold for economic viability
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Counterparty risk in digital assets and institutional concerns, third-party custodians, tri-party collateral, and operational best practices for secure, scalable custody.
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- Documenting AI decisions to meet EU/UK regulatory expectations and ensure NAV/reporting accuracy.
- Addressing middle-office AI failures caused by fragmented or inconsistent data.
- Defining the human-AI operating model: what to automate versus requiring human judgment.
- Maintaining critical COO oversight while leveraging automation for routine workflows.
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Compare costs, control, and efficiency of in-house vs. outsourced operations, and explore hybrid models. What to outsource early and what to keep in-house for scalable fund management.
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- Structuring a compelling pitch: deck flow, opening hook, thesis clarity, and effective team positioning.
- Systematizing fundraising: CRM discipline, follow-up cadence, and relationship-warming through volatile markets.
- Meeting allocator standards: admin, audit, compliance, cyber, and insurance requirements before LP meetings.
- Converting pushbacks into progress: addressing concerns on size, track record, fees, and operational maturity.
Speakers
The Hedgeweek® European Awards and Global Digital Assets Awards provide an excellent networking opportunity in a casual atmosphere where we’ll be celebrating the achievements of the hedge fund community.
Join us after the summit for an evening of fizz, laughter and entertainment.
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