The Speaker Programme

Keeping the learning topical and relevant for our members is the main focus of the Speaker Programme, which means it is constantly being revised and updated.  The speakers at the Wealth Enhancement Forum are carefully selected and screened by the Speaker Department who seek out and invite specific speakers who have demonstrated a particular expertise or achieved top-level performance in a select field or investment strategy.  All speakers are approved by either the Speaker Director or the Facilitator prior to the presentation.  Many of the presenters are invited by members to speak to their respective Groups and are usually investment managers or company heads who are well known to our members.

The range of speakers fall within three categories:

• Investing
• Educational Resources: Lifestyle and Family
• The Investment and Economic Landscape

Our range of past speakers is wide and varied, reflecting in part the Forum members diverse interests and concerns:

Value Investing 

How to make money for you rather than your professional advisors.

John Newsome, of Williams Investment Management, shared the secrets of Warren Buffett - the legendary US investor - and the method for generating long-term gains.  With so many investment classes having proven to be wanting, the "value" approach is a "must have" tool for all investors.

Early-stage venture capital

Bruce Macfarlane, Founder and Director of MMC Ventures, explained the workings of this leading early-stage venture captal firm which invests growth capital in UK companies on behalf of wealthy individuals and family offices.

The Opportunities in Distessed Companies

Derek Hartland and Stephen Grinrod took the members through the various options, opportunities and challenges presented by distressed companies.

An Introduction to Proper Financial Planning

Andrew Book-Dobson and Tim Brear of Brook-Dobson Brear Ltd demonstrated the power of proper Financial Planning and the long-term importance of income over capital.

Deutsche Bank AG

Florian Ernst, Director of Private Wealth, gave a detailed insight into the strategies for private equity investing.

China vs India

Professor Buckley, Director of the CIBUL at the University of Leeds, presented a detailed assessment of the potential of the two emerging mega economies.

SG Hambro Private Bank

Chris Perkins and Christine Ross explained the benefits of insurance wrappers.

The Ticking Pensons Time Bomb

Ian Price, Head of Pensions at St James Place, drew a bleak picture of the future of pensions in the UK and why radical changes are needed to the terms and structure of public and company pensions.

Lloyd's - A new asset class

John Mocatta and Richard Watson of Hampden Agencies Ltd explained why Lloyd's is experiencing increased investor interest, whilst financial meltdown has besieged more traditional investment classes.

Ashcourt

Simon Brown, Head of the Investment Team at Ashcourt, a private client stockbroker, was introduced to the group by a member following his successful management of the member's portfolio.

Land as an Investment

James Farrell from Strutt & Parker talked about the opportunities and tax advantages of investing in land.

Zeus Capital - Private Equity Fund

Gary Tipper and Ed Fazakerley of Manchester-based Zeus explained the working of their private equity fund to invest in small/medium-sized regional companies.

Breeding Capital Plc

William Sporborg described how he has raised over £3m to invest in buying brood mares for breeding to sell the foals for profit giving an ROC in excess of 50%.

Spread Betting - Cantor Index

Manus Cranny and David Buik from Cantor Index discussed the theory and workings of this growing market.

Real Estate Investment Fund - Goldman Sachs

Paul Marson, Chief Investment Officer of Goldman Sachs, the world’s leading investment bank, introduced their new Whitehall 2 Fund and described how it invests and what returns one can expect.

Achieving 200% Growth Over Five Years

Jeremy Attard-Manche introduced the Tell Fund and the international investment theme approach that underpins the outstanding performance of the Fund.

Venture Capital Trusts -  Matrix Group with Foresight Venture Partners

Glenn Hamilton of Matrix explained how VCTs operate and the keys to their success while Matt Taylor explained why the new Foresight VCT is going to perform as well as the current one (which is the best of all time).

Northern Cyprus Property Opportunities

David Barraclough highlighted the potential property investment opportunities in Northern Cyprus against the background of Turkey negotiating joining the EU.

The Pathfinder Turnaround Fund

Chris Burford talked about his proposed turnaround fund in conjunction with YFM (Yorkshire Fund Managers Private Equity).  

Hotbed Investments

Bernard Dale, Head of Private Equity at Hotbed, introduced his company’s distinctive approach to syndicated investments in diversified fields; one of the keys being how they qualified the Investment opportunities.

A New Approach to Equity Investment

Edward Hamilton-Ely of Schroders presented an alternative means of benefiting from the potential of capital growth from equity markets with significantly reduced risk.

Sinopia, Global Trend Fund and HSBC Sterling Reserve Bond

Charles Morris, Head of Absolute Return, HSBC Asset Management (Europe) Limited, explained how The Global Trend Fund was launched in May 2005, plans to generate returns above cash by investing in a mixture of equities, fixed income and alternative assets.

SIPPS Opportunities  

John Metcalf of Pearson Jones Plc highlighted how members could take advantage of the changes to SIPPS regulations to benefit their heirs.

Investing Opportunities in Film Production

David Wilkinson and Jim Dickinson of WRF Ltd introduced members to the investment opportunities and rewards of local film production.