Program
March 17–20 • Palm Desert, CA
Program
All program times are shown in Pacific Time (PT).
Sunday, March 17 | Monday, March 18 | Tuesday, March 19 | Wednesday, March 20
Sunday, March 17
4:00–6:30 p.m.
Conference Registration
5:00–7:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception
Monday, March 18
7:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Conference Registration
7:00–8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30–8:40 a.m.
Welcoming Remarks
TERRY NILSEN
President and Chief Operating Officer
Hennessy Advisors, Inc.
8:40–9:40 a.m.
GENERAL SESSION
Building to a Crescendo? Assessing the SEC’s 2024 Investment Management Rulemaking Activity
Given the volume and reach of SEC rule proposals and adoptions in 2022 and 2023, 2024 promises to be a consequential regulatory year for funds and advisers. This panel will address what to expect in 2024 and beyond.
MATTHEW THORNTON, Moderator
Associate General Counsel
Investment Company Institute
DALIA O. BLASS
Partner
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
MARGARET CAREY
Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel
Fidelity Investments
NASEEM NIXON
Counsel
Capital Research and Management Company
SARAH G. TEN SIETHOFF
Deputy Director and Associate Director for Rulemaking
Division of Investment Management
US Securities and Exchange Commission
9:40–10:40 a.m.
GENERAL SESSION
ESG Around the Globe: Running in Circles
Many legislative bodies and regulators around the world have ensconced in laws and rules their expectations of asset managers when it comes to ESG investing. Some have taken steps to promote ESG investing while others have acted in ways to discourage ESG investing. The panel will discuss the current landscape, what may be on the horizon, and how asset managers are navigating these issues.
DOROTHY M. DONOHUE, Moderator
Deputy General Counsel, Securities Regulation
Investment Company Institute
SARA P. CROVITZ
Partner
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP
GREGORY P. DULSKI
Chief Regulatory Officer & Head of Government Affairs
Federated Hermes Limited
MICHAEL R. LITTENBERG
Partner
Ropes & Gray LLP
10:40–11:00 a.m.
Refreshment Break
11:00–11:45 a.m.
CONCURRENT PANELS
Session A: Navigating the Regulatory Rapids: A Survival Guide for CCOs
For compliance professionals, the current environment – with numerous new rules, the SEC’s aggressive approach to enforcement, reduced resources, and what’s going on in the markets – feels like a ride down Class VI rapids! As a result, compliance programs are experiencing far more pressure than in the past. This panel will explore how compliance professionals are responding to these stresses. It will provide pointers to the audience to help them steer to calmer waters and survive!
PHILIP S. WELLMAN, Moderator
Chief Compliance Officer
MassMutual Funds
DEIDRE A. DOWNES
Managing Director, Funds/Adviser Chief Compliance Officer
Morgan Stanley
MICHAEL GOZZILLO
Chief Compliance Officer
Van Eck Associates Corporation
MARY ANN PICCIOTTO
Partner, Global Chief Compliance Officer
Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC
Session B: Key Developments in the Unlisted Closed-End Fund Market
This panel will provide background and discuss market and regulatory developments in the unlisted closed-end fund space that impact interval funds, tender offer funds, and business development companies.
KENNETH C. FANG, Moderator
Associate General Counsel
Investment Company Institute
LANCE M. CHRISTOFFERSON
Director
SS&C Technologies, LLC
CHRISTIAN CLAYTON
Executive Vice President, Strategist
PIMCO LLC
JOSHUA B. DERINGER
Partner
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
NADEEA R. ZAKARIA
Partner
Dechert LLP
Session C: Current Issues in Retirement Savings
Topics for this panel include the Department of Labor’s (DOL) ongoing effort to revise the rules for fiduciary investment advice to retirement savers, the latest on DOL’s proposed overhaul of the Qualified Professional Asset manager (QPAM) exemption, the status of SECURE 2.0 Act implementation, and what we’re looking out for in future legislation.
ELENA BARONE CHISM, Moderator
Deputy General Counsel, Retirement Policy
Investment Company Institute
ROBERT A. HOLCOMB
Vice President
Empower Retirement
ADAM R. McMAHON
Partner
Davis & Harman LLP
ALIYA ROBINSON
Managing Legal Counsel
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.
11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
Lunch on your own
1:15–2:00 p.m.
Keynote Conversation
HESTER M. PEIRCE
Commissioner
US Securities and Exchange Commission
ERIC J. PAN
President and CEO
Investment Company Institute
2:15–3:00 p.m.
CONCURRENT PANELS
Session D: Fund Board Perspectives on Regulation, Governance, and Industry Developments
From the relentless rulemaking activity of the current SEC to the impact of technology and innovation in the marketplace, to evolving governance practices in the boardroom, this panel will provide an overview of key topics and issues that fund directors consider top-of-mind.
THOMAS T. KIM, Moderator
Managing Director
Independent Directors Council
CHRISTOPHER R. BOHANE
Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
MFS Investment Management
NDENISARYA M. MEEKINS
Partner
K&L Gates LLP
VANESSA C. L. CHANG
Independent Director
American Funds
Session E: Updated More than Annually: Disclosure Trends and Frequent Comments from the SEC
This panel will cover disclosure trends and how law firms and in-house counsel are responding to disclosure comments from SEC staff related to fund names, ESG investing, service providers, and novel products, as well as common comments being given across issuers and products. The panel will also discuss recent disclosure changes in response to macroeconomic and sociopolitical events.
KEVIN ERCOLINE, Moderator
Assistant General Counsel, Securities Regulation
Investment Company Institute
ANTHONY V. COLETTA
Assistant General Counsel
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
MARISSA JOHNSON
Counsel
Brown Advisory LLC
ANDREA OTTOMANELLI MAGOVERN
Assistant Director, Disclosure Review and Accounting Office
Division of Investment Management
US Securities and Exchange Commission
MORGAN WILLARD
Associate
Dechert LLP
ERICA L. ZONG EVENSON
Associate
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
3:15–4:15 p.m.
The Future of Diversity and Inclusion: A Conversation with Legal and D&I Practitioners
As we look at the evolution of D&I, including the current challenged environment in the US, how are firms thinking about the future of D&I?
KATE FUENTES, Moderator
General Counsel
SunAmerica Asset Management, LLC
Deputy General Counsel
Corebridge Financial
DR. RODRIGO CASTILLEJA
Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc.
KEN GLADNEY
Global Head of Diversity Equity and Inclusion
J.P. Morgan Asset and Wealth Management
Tuesday, March 19
7:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Conference Registration
7:00–8:00 a.m.
Breakfast
8:15–9:15 a.m.
The Art of Perception: See What Matters
At this interactive session, Amy Herman, a lawyer, art historian, and best-selling author, will use works of art to help attendees enhance their observation, perception, communication, and problem-solving skills. The session will be celebratory, thought-provoking, and most importantly, eye-opening to the possibilities of all that we can achieve.
AMY E. HERMAN
Founder and President
The Art of Perception, Inc.
9:15–9:35 a.m.
Keynote Address
ERIC J. PAN
President and CEO
Investment Company Institute
9:35–10:35 a.m.
GENERAL SESSION
The Rise of the Courts and the Regulatory Process
Pending cases as well as recent decisions from the Supreme Court and certain Circuit Courts are sharpening the fund industry’s focus on the effect litigation and related judicial decisions can have on the regulatory process and final outcomes. These developments are particularly acute given the highly regulated nature of the fund industry. Hear from a panel of administrative and appellate law experts on how the rulemaking ecosystem is changing at the SEC, DOL and other agencies and what these changes may mean for funds, managers and investors.
SUSAN M. OLSON, Moderator
General Counsel
Investment Company Institute
DANE H. BUTSWINKAS
Partner
Williams & Connolly LLP
NOEL J. FRANCISCO
Partner
Jones Day
AMIR C. TAYRANI
Partner
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
10:35–11:35 a.m.
GENERAL SESSION
Asset Management Trends: The (Not So Distant) Past, Present, and Future
We’ll identify key asset management industry trends that have occurred over the past 15 years. Exploring topics such as how competition, focus on cost, the financial advisory channel, and macroeconomic conditions have impacted fund flows and whether we expect these trends to continue. We’ll discuss allocations between active/index and equity/bond and which product types (mutual funds, ETFs, and SMA) retail investors are using to meet their financial goals.
SHELLY ANTONIEWICZ, Moderator
Deputy Chief Economist
Investment Company Institute
KRISTINA HOOPER
Global Market Strategist
Invesco Ltd.
BEN JOHNSON
Head of Client Solutions, Asset Management
Morningstar
DANIIL SHAPIRO
Director, Product Development
Cerulli Associates
11:35–11:45 a.m.
Refreshment Break
11:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
CONCURRENT PANELS
Session F: Advisers in the SEC Spotlight: Takeaways for Retail SMA Programs
The SEC continues to focus heavily on the activities of registered investment advisers, including in their role as managers of separately managed account (SMA) programs. Join us for this interactive panel that will discuss recent SEC rulemakings, staff guidance, relevant examination and enforcement priorities, as well as challenges, opportunities and what’s on the horizon for retail SMA programs.
MITRA SURRELL, Moderator
Associate General Counsel
Investment Company Institute
VADIM AVDEYCHIK
Partner
Clifford Chance US LLP
MICHAEL BENEDETTO
Head of Global SMA Platform
T. Rowe Price
CHRISTYN ROSSMAN
Senior Counsel
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Session G: Artificial Intelligence and the Fund Industry
The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has created excitement and debate around its potential to transform the future of business. This panel will provide an introduction to AI, highlighting initial use case examples and key governance considerations for the fund industry.
JULIA ULSTRUP, Moderator
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
ICI Mutual Insurance Company
MARK DIAMOND
President and CEO
Contoural, Inc.
CHRIS HERRINGSHAW
Chief Technology Officer
Janus Henderson Investors
BARTON WARNER
Senior Vice President
Capital Group
Session H: Modernizing the 1940 Act Regulatory Regime
The SEC’s current rulemaking agenda is vast in scope, but is it overlooking areas of reform that could benefit fund investors? This panel will discuss reform ideas that, if acted upon in the future by the SEC or Congress, could yield better outcomes for funds and the Main Street investors who rely on them for college savings and retirement security.
RACHEL H. GRAHAM, Moderator
Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Investment Company Institute
CHRISTOPHER P. HARVEY
Partner
Dechert LLP
BRUCE G. LETO
Partner
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP
ELIZABETH J. REZA
Partner
Ropes & Gray LLP
Wednesday, March 20
7:30–10:30 a.m.
Conference Registration
7:30–8:30 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30–9:30 a.m.
GENERAL SESSION
Reading the Tea Leaves: Signals from the SEC’s Division of Exams and Enforcement
This panel will explore significant actions of the SEC’s Divisions of Examinations and Enforcement during the past year and what they may bode for the coming year. The panel will also discuss the priorities of these Divisions.
MATT CHAMBERS, Moderator
Chief Compliance Officer
Horizon Investments, LLC
ANDREW DEAN
Co-Chief, Asset Management Unit
Division of Enforcement
US Securities and Exchange Commission
AMY R. DOBERMAN
Partner
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
VANESSA L. HORTON
Associate Regional Director
Division of Examinations
US Securities and Exchange Commission
9:30–10:30 a.m.
GENERAL SESSION
Responsible AI: Navigating AI Governance, Ethics, and Risks in a Changing Regulatory World
AI tools offer significant advantages, while also raising complicated issues and challenges for lawyers and business clients. This panel will recommend responsible AI practices and policies to enable successful deployment of AI across your business given a rapidly changing legal and regulatory environment. It will also discuss the pitfalls and ethical challenges lawyers must navigate when using AI.
JOCELYN A. AQUA, Moderator
Principal
PwC
SEAN L. McGRANE
Partner
Squire Patton Boggs
SUSAN ROHOL
Partner
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
10:30 a.m.
Conference Adjourns