AssetOps London schedule

As transformation accelerates, operational change must go deeper than systems and processes. This session unpacks how asset managers are tackling the human side of change—from aligning stakeholders to embedding new ways of working. Hear from leaders who’ve navigated complex transformations and learn how they build lasting engagement, overcome resistance, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. 

Key Discussion Points: 

• Learn how to move from abstract strategy to embedded behavioural change across ops, data, and tech teams 

• Tactics for sustaining momentum in environments facing compounding transformation pressures (regulatory, tech, growth) 

• Discuss how to engage and equip team leaders to cascade and sustain change effectively 

• Explore how to build change frameworks that support governance, but allow agility and adaptation as transformation unfolds 

• Leveraging AI to direct human capital toward high-value activities
• Balancing technical expertise and investment judgement in AI-enabled models
• Using AI to identify skills gaps and redeploy talent efficiently

Speaker:

Alex Baker, Chief Technology Officer, Orchard Global Asset Management

• Gain practical insights from transformation journeys focused on replacing legacy infrastructure 

• Discuss the tension between short-term cost control and long-term innovation investment 

• Explore how COO-CTO collaboration is reshaping business architecture 

• Examine cultural and talent shifts needed to support agile, tech-driven operations

Speakers:

Mike Tumilty, Global Chief Operating Officer, Aegon Asset Management

Phillip Chapple, Chief Operating Officer, Monterone Partners LLP

Archana Mohan, Chief Operations and Technology Officer, Navera Investment Management Limited

• Mapping the mess: Identifying invisible dependencies and manual pain points across trade capture, reconciliation, settlements, and reporting 

• Fixing with purpose: Rationalising tools, simplifying hand-offs, and introducing automation without disrupting business-critical functions 

• Measuring Success: KPIs that prove the value of operational redesign—error rates, cycle time, cost-to-serve, audit readiness. 

• Staying agile: How workflow modernisation supports product innovation, regulatory change, and cross-border expansion

• Reviewing AI apps for fixed income and ESG data
• How to enhance data quality via AI usage whilst maintaining good governance throughout all processes
• Delve into risk management strategies and take a look at best practices and the future state

Managing upskilling Fear in a downsizing world: Strategies for workforce resilience

• What’s driving workforce fear in the age of AI and downsizing
• How leaders can manage anxiety through targeted upskilling and clear direction
• Building long-term workforce resilience alongside automation and change

• Demystifying agentic AI: What it is, where it fits, and what’s possible today 

• Showcasing a real-world pilot or implementation in an ops or risk environment 

• Addressing regulatory, talent, and interpretability concerns in AI ops deployment 

• Practical roadmap for firms looking to adopt AI automation incrementally and safely

• Redefining the COO’s remit: from operations custodian to enterprise-wide change leader 

• Balancing business-as-usual performance with disruptive innovation 

• What investors and boards now expect from operational leadership 

• Building the next-gen operations team: skills, structure, and succession

Speakers:

Stuart Gunderson, Chief Operating Officer, Compliance Officer & MLRO, Seilern Investment Management

Mario De Bergolis, Chief Operating Officer, Asset Management One International

Sujan Nadarajah, Chief Compliance Officer, TwentyFour Asset Management

• How private markets innovation (tokenisation, secondaries, co-investments) is reshaping operating models across the US, UK, and Europe
• Responding to heightened demands on data, valuation, liquidity, and transparency under the SEC, FCA, and ESMA
• Building scalable, compliant operating models that support both institutional and wealth-channel alternatives globally

Speakers:

David Famoriyo , Director of Alternative Fund Operations, Brown Advisory

An informal, interactive session where attendees ask questions directly to an AI ethics and data privacy expert/ experts. The expert will answer questions on the fly, providing practical insights and advice on navigating regulations and building trustworthy AI systems. 

Focus Areas: AI ethics, data privacy, regulatory challenges.

Speaker:

Sally Bashuan, Executive Director and Head of Global Data Governance, Federated Hermes

• Building trust in data pipelines: Where firms succeed or fail 

• Creating governance frameworks that support both compliance and innovation 

• Automating data quality processes for scale, accuracy, and speed 

• Preparing operational data for AI, GenAI, and advanced analytics use cases

Speakers:

Chris Taylor, Chief Operations Officer, CG Asset Management Limited

Mari Parry, Principal AI Engineer, BlackRock

• How are firms rethinking structure, talent, and tech to unlock growth and resilience? 

• Redefining operating models to be leaner, modular, and digitally enabled 

• Discuss the rising importance of interoperability between front, middle, and back-office systems 

• Lessons from firms that have successfully navigated complexity through simplification

Moderator: Olivia Griffiths, Senior Advisor, Tristan Capital Partners

Speakers:

Karen Sands, Chief Operating Officer, Private Equity, Federated Hermes

Davina Goodall-Smith, Chief Operating Officer, Royal London Asset Management

• Assess how UK, EU, and US regulatory shifts are reshaping ops strategy and resourcing 

• Examine how data architecture and controls must evolve to support cross-border compliance 

• Explore what transformation success looks like—beyond tech implementation

• Share strategies to align transformation initiatives with strategic growth priorities 

Speakers:

Heli Khandelia, Head of Change & Transformation (EMEA), Apollo Management International

George Vakalopoulos, Head of Regulatory Developments & Thematic Reviews, AXA Investment Managers UK

Olivia Griffiths, Senior Advisor, Tristan Capital Partners 

• Moving beyond vendor management: How leading firms are building strategic partnerships that support global operating models and client service excellence
• Balancing control and scale: Designing oversight frameworks that satisfy regulatory expectations while enabling operational agility
• Delivering resilience in multi-provider ecosystems: Ensuring data integrity, service continuity, and consistent client outcomes across outsourced functions

Speakers:

Cristina Nunziata, EVP, Head of Client Operations EMEA, PIMCO

• Governance as strategy, not compliance: Turning frameworks like Consumer Duty and SMCR into operational advantages
• Accountability and transparency by design: Clearer ownership, better cost visibility, stronger decisions
• Better outcomes, stronger firms: Governance that drives client trust, retention, and long-term performance

Speaker:

Marc Wood, CEO of Handelsbanken ACD and Head of Fund Governance & Oversight, Handelsbanken Wealth & Asset Management