The asset management industry which flourished for almost two decades until 2008 was adversely impacted by the economic downturn that followed. The industry is currently navigating these turbulent times and to discuss asset management strategies two prominent experts Mr Deon Vernooy Senior Executive Officer Emirates NBD Asset Management Ltd and Mr Fadi Al Said Head Department of Investments ING Investment Management Ltd spoke at Middlesex University’s Industry Collaboration Series lecture on ‘Investment and Asset Management Strategies in Uncertain Times.’ .
Speaking at the event, Mr Deon Vernooy said that the current global crisis has taught many lessons and redefined the dynamics in asset management sphere. The contribution of the asset management industry is very vital for economic growth and in developed economies the total estimated value of assets under asset management is a substantial proportion of GDP. Mr. Vernooy suggested that in turbulent times institutional investors and fund managers should put in additional effort to promote mutual funds to attract savings. Fund managers should also be given access to use a larger part of sovereign and pension funds. For investors fixed-income securities like sukuks could be good investment option.
Mr Fadi Al Said discussed contemporary issues of investments. Replying to a query regarding suitable investment approach at individual level, Mr Fadi said that one has to set a long-term horizon of at least five years and should not be distracted by short-term oscillations in the asset prices. Patience and planning are, among other, two critical factors for the success of your fund performance.
Earlier, Dr Cedwyn Fernandes, MBA Program Coordinator welcomed the speakers and said that the Industry Collaboration Series provided an opportunity for the Middlesex MBA graduates to learn from top professionals from the industry. Dr Rajesh Mohnot, MBA faculty in Finance introduced the speakers and highlighted the importance of the topic in the current global scenario.