We are delighted to announce the fourth winter edition of the Charity Finance Investment Forum & Dinner which will take place on 30 November - 1 December 2026.
The pre-forum reception and dinner provides the perfect setting in which to network with peers from other charities. This is complemented by a full day's programme of expert sessions giving insight analysis into a range of investment strategies and crucial investment topics.
Designed for finance directors, chairs, trustees and chief executives responsible for investment portfolios, the forum helps charities shape their strategies and maximise returns.
The Charity Investment Forum is an invitation only event for charities with investment assets in excess of £5m. If you are interested in attending, please contact our events team via email at [email protected]
Confirmed sessions include:
Opening keynote: China and the new investment landscape
With over 20 years of experience in Asia, James has observed China’s rise and its impact on global markets, trade and investment. Drawing on insights from his book China Shakes the World, he will examine China’s evolving role in the global economy and the implications for investors in the years ahead.
With over 20 years of experience in Asia, James has observed China’s rise and its impact on global markets, trade and investment. Drawing on insights from his book China Shakes the World, he will examine China’s evolving role in the global economy and the implications for investors in the years ahead.
James Kynge, Former Global China Editor, Financial Times
An Era of Change or Change of Era?
Are there still fundamental investment factors or has the world fundamentally changed?
Ben Funnell, Head of Investment, CCLA
Keeping Perspective: Investing Through Noise and Change
From geopolitical conflict and shifting trade policies to rapid technological change and market volatility, investors are rarely short of reasons to worry. Yet successful long-term investing has never been about predicting every headline. This session will step back from the day-to-day noise to focus on the bigger forces shaping markets and portfolios. We will examine the current economic and investment outlook, discuss the key risks and opportunities facing investors, and consider what recent events may mean for inflation, interest rates and asset markets.
Matt Best, Portfolio Director and Hugo Ure, Portfolio Director, Cazenove Capital
Surely There's More to Markets Than AI?
AI has dominated investment returns for the best part of three years, but an increasingly narrow market raises important questions for investors. Are opportunities being overlooked? Which sectors have been left behind? And who stands to benefit from the next phase of AI adoption? This session will bring to life just how extreme current market dynamics have become, examining market concentration, stretched valuations and the growing gap between winners and losers. Drawing on market data and investment research, we will explore where investors may find opportunities beyond today's market leaders.
Mike Topley, Head of Sustainable Portfolio Management, Barclays Private Bank
The role of Senior Asset Backed Securities (ABS) in institutional portfolios; diversification, floating-rate income, and capital preservation
We discuss how Senior European ABS is increasingly being utilised by institutional investors, including charities, as a defensive fixed income allocation or a highly liquid out-of-cash solution, offering a yield pickup versus traditional strategic alternatives. The combination of liquidity, diversification, floating rate-income and structural resilience makes a compelling case for the asset class in an increasing volatile interest rate environment.
Joseph Rice, CFA, Director and Fund Manager – Structured Credit, M&G
Navigating the New Investment Landscape: What Charities Need to Know in 2027 and beyond
Artificial intelligence, technological change, geopolitical fragmentation, inflation and rising government debt are reshaping the investment landscape. For charities, these trends create both opportunities and challenges as they seek to preserve purchasing power and deliver their missions in an increasingly uncertain world. Join this session to explore the key trends likely to influence markets and economies over the coming years. We will examine what these developments mean for charity investors, how trustees can distinguish short-term noise from long-term change, and the practical steps organisations can take to build resilient portfolios for the future.
John Wyn-Evans, Head of Market Analysis and Olivia Marlow, Senior Investment Director, Rathbones
How to win friends and influence people
How to achieve constructive engagement and the power of investor collaboration to drive change.
Amy Browne, Deputy Head of Sustainability, CCLA
Charity Investment Policy Best Practice
The investment landscape for charities has changed significantly over the past decade, with a wider range of investment opportunities, rapid progress in sustainable and values-aligned investing, and increasing expectations around governance. The Charity Commission for England and Wales refreshed its CC14 guidance in 2023, followed by the publication of the Charity Investment Governance Principles in early 2025. In response, we launched our peer‑reviewed, best‑practice Investment Policy Framework to help charities make well-governed, mission-aligned investment decisions. This session will introduce the framework and explore how trustees can apply best practice to their own charity’s circumstances. It is designed to complement our written publication, with hard copies provided on the day. Together, the session and framework provide a practical, structured approach to developing and maintaining an effective charity investment policy.
Tom Holbrook, Portfolio Director and Tom Montagu-Pollock, Co-Head of Charities, Cazenove Capital
Navigating Volatility: What Else Can Charities Do?
Diversification is usually touted as the answer to managing investment risk. However, recent years have shown that traditional approaches do not always provide the protection investors expect, making it harder for charity investors to preserve the long-term value of their assets while maintaining the liquidity needed to meet spending commitments. So, what else can charities do? In this workshop, we will explore strategies that can complement traditional diversification, examining how charities can balance growth, liquidity and resilience while navigating periods of market uncertainty.
Ryan Lopez, Senior Investment Adviser, Barclays Private Bank
AI: Artificial Investment. Are Markets Living in a Virtual Reality?
This presentation explores an apparent market paradox: many of the risks that unsettled investors in recent years, including high energy prices, rising interest rates, Eurozone debt concerns, geopolitical tensions and China's slowdown, appear to be attracting far less concern today. Has the world become safer, or are markets viewing reality through an AI-driven lens of optimism? We examine whether strong corporate earnings justify current valuations, why risk premia remain unusually low, and how investor behaviour, including fear of missing out, may be shaping markets. Finally, we consider what long-term investors should focus on when uncertainty feels easiest to ignore.
Stuart Canning, CFA, Fund Manager and Head of Research, M & G
AI Transformation: From Experimentation to Advantage
AI is moving rapidly from a promising technology to a practical force for change. This workshop will explore how businesses are using AI to redesign work, improve decision-making, develop new products and services, and build lasting competitive advantage.
Stewart Hogg, Investment Specialist Director, Baillie Gifford
Taking an Interest
We’ll look at where interest rates could go from here, the different ways to hold cash, and what charities should consider when managing their reserves.
Daisy Mannifield, Client Director & Robert Evans, Senior Portfolio Manager, CCLA
The Untrodden Road to IPO
The route from private ownership to public markets is changing. Against the backdrop of SpaceX’s record-breaking IPO and a private growth universe of $9 trillion, this session will explore how structural changes in capital markets are reshaping the opportunity set for long-term investors.
Ben James, Investment Specialist Director, Baillie Gifford
Simple Building Blocks, Strong Framework: Using Passive Investing to Strengthen Charity Portfolios
Investment outcomes are increasingly driven by the big portfolio choices - asset allocation, global diversification, and managing equity and interest-rate risk - rather than consistently picking winning stocks. Passive building blocks can help charities implement these decisions efficiently, reduce stock-specific risk, and support clear governance. Join HSBC Private Bank to understand passive investing basics, how it can fit within charity portfolios, and what it means for responsible investment.
Sophie Ward, Head of Charities and Education, HSBC Private Bank
Defending Quality Growth: Why Enduring Businesses Still Matter
Quality Growth investing, as a style, has lagged since mid-2025 as market leadership has shifted toward value and momentum, with cyclical strength supported partly by energy, while momentum has been increasingly driven by AI and AI-related stocks.
While this rotation has challenged relative performance, it does not undermine the long-term case for owning durable companies with strong competitive advantages, high returns on capital, and resilient balance sheets. These characteristics remain central to sustained earnings growth and long-term compounding.
Kif Hancock, Chief Investment Officer, International, Brown Advisory
Closing keynote - Behind the world’s biggest interviews
Best known for securing the infamous Prince Andrew Newsnight interview, Sam McAlister draws on her experience negotiating interviews with some of the world's most influential figures to explore leadership, trust, reputation and the art of communication.
Sam McAlister, Journalist & Presenter
What to expect at the Forum
- Welcome drinks reception
- Formal three course dinner
- After-dinner networking reception
- A choice of 16 expert sessions
- Opportunity to network with leading sector professionals
- A complimentary room and access to venue facilities
Sponsors
Headline sponsor:
Associate sponsors:
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Supporters:
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Testimonials from December 2025
- "Super event, well planned and executed. A great way to keep up to date with what is happening in the investment world." Daniel Ross, The Royal College of Pathologists
- "Great event to gain an insight into current charity investment themes and partake in some invaluable networking." Educational Opportunity Foundation
- "A great 'must do event' for people like me who are responsible for charity investments." Chris Fyfe, Stroke Association
- "Once again, an excellently organised and delivered event with very good presentations." Liam Heffernan, The Brain Tumour Charity
- "I always find it useful to understand the latest insights from a range of investment managers but also have the time to network with other charities." Simon Ward, Royal Entomological Society
