Video
Focus on Funds: Major Names, Big Trends on 2015 GMM Agenda
Focus on Funds
Major Names, Big Trends on 2015 GMM Agenda
In the March 13, 2015, edition of Focus on Funds, General Membership Meeting (GMM) Chair George Gatch discusses key takeaways that the upcoming meeting will offer and previews some of the most notable corporate and industry leaders slated to speak.
Transcript
Stephanie Ortbals-Tibbs, ICI Director, Media Relations: Welcome to a special edition of Focus on Funds, ICI’s weekly video, where this week we’re reporting from the New York headquarters of JP Morgan Asset Management. I’ve been talking with George Gatch, CEO of Global Funds for JP Morgan Asset Management and chair of this year’s ICI General Membership Meeting [GMM]. Gatch and I talked about how this year’s meeting coincides with a major milestone for the industry: the passage of the Investment Company Act of 1940, and how, as a result, this year’s meeting will offer attendees insights on the years ahead, and what they can expect as the industry mega trends.
George Gatch, CEO of Global Funds, JP Morgan Asset Management: It’s amazing that it’s already been 75 years since the Investment Company Act was passed by Congress. What an amazing job the industry has done of serving generations of investors. But, the world is changing and the world is changing quite rapidly. Investors today have very different needs and very different attitudes about investing than they did just a decade ago. A great opportunity for us during the conference is to learn and think about how the industry is going to evolve and change to meet the new and emerging needs of our shareholders and investors.
Ortbals-Tibbs: And you’re going to have a lot of smart people in the room to do that. You’re going to have the young Turks in the industry, some of the emerging leaders, and also some of the real industry legends. Tell us who we’re going to see at this year’s GMM.
Gatch: Well, we are. We’re going to have Stuart Parker leading a panel on Millennials and how they think about investing. I think it will be fascinating not only for big, established firms that we work with but also for new, emerging providers in this space. We’re also going to hear about solutions in multi-asset class investing from Scott Burns, who will be leading a panel of portfolio managers and investors. And we’re going to get great perspective on where the industry’s come from and where it’s going from Jim Riepe and Jack Brennan, among others.
Ortbals-Tibbs: Well, people love to hear from them, so they will really look forward to that discussion. I’d also like to pick up on this issue of solutions-based investing. It’s something the end investor is really driving, as we’ve discussed—a huge issue for the industry. Can you share with me some more perspective on this: How the industry needs to innovate and respond to these investors, and what we’ll learn at the GMM?
Gatch: I think it is one of the most important trends that we see in the industry, and it’s causing us to change the types of products and services that we deliver. Ones that, one, are more targeted to the specific needs our shareholders and investors have, but also that simplify very complex investment techniques and make it much more usable and comprehensible for a broader set of investors.
Ortbals-Tibbs: That’s this week in funds. In a few weeks’ time, I’ll be back with more from Gatch on how this year’s meeting offers attendees fresh insights for their business, and more on the key domestic and international regulatory trends shaping the industry.