Agenda
Please note that all times listed are EDT (-5:00 UTC)
7:30 am
7:30 am
NETWORKING BREAKFAST: BUILD COMMUNITY CONTACTS
- Start your day off right and connect with institutional investment
- Get to know your industry peers and colleagues over a delicious breakfast.
- Source practical tips, discuss best practices and prepare for the day ahead.

8:45 am
8:45 am
Opening Comments from Host
9:00 am
9:00 am
KEYNOTE: ECONOMIC IMPACT
Global and North American outlook and the implications for institutional investors: A look ahead through 2023
Cheap money is over, consumers are anxious about the cost of living and businesses are dealing with new supply chain challenges. Make your investment decisions and manager choices wisely. Take away specific solutions to:
- Address the looming potential recession and inflationary pressures: the peaks and troughs ahead
- Invest with impact: It’s here to stay; discover regulatory and legislative developments
- Embrace disruption: new technologies, new working styles and changing supply chains
- Recognize the impact on the bond market
Ensure your investment decisions and manager options are sound to bolster your capital.
9:30 am
9:30 am
CIO & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PANEL SESSION
Develop Successful Hedging Strategies against Inflation
Investment officers are developing policies and objectives ahead of new inflationary pressures. Better forecast your inflationary cycles to drive effective investment decisions. Source practical tips to:
- Engage with stakeholders to discuss your options
- Effectively manage the returns on your current and future asset classes
- Diversify our portfolio base including real estate, infrastructure and farms for effective inflation hedging returns
Employ new strategies to protect your investments and mitigate risks.
10:00 am
10:00 am
SPEED NETWORKING! MAKE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS
Grow your network by meeting like-minded individuals to:
- Share your latest ideas and projects with.
- Enjoy a quick icebreaker, exchange LinkedIn information, and build lasting business relationships.
- Achieve your conference networking goals in a fun and agile fashion.
- Join a community of institutional investment leaders and gain invaluable support.


10:30 am
10:30 am
INDUSTRY EXPERT
How Endowments and Foundations can Persevere better in a Volatile environment
Organizations viewing their long-term investment horizons will be re-evaluating their investing decisions in today’s hostile market. Improve your financial performance in the current economic climate with long term decision making. Create a roadmap to:
- Navigate these uncertainties, including investment committee meetings
- Improve awareness through education and training
- Use inflation hedges to preserve your finances
Improve your strategies to stay ahead of a changing landscape and achieve enhanced financial performance.
11:00 am
11:00 am
EXHIBITOR LOUNGE: VISIT BOOTHS & SOURCE EXPERTISE
- Explore the latest investment strategies with our industry leading sponsors.
- Share your challenges with the largest innovators in the business.
- Schedule one-to-one private meetings for personalized advice.


11:30 am
11:30 am
TRACK 1CASE STUDY: LEGAL EXPERT
Disbursement Quota Changes and their Impact on Canadian Foundations
Changes to the disbursement quota will have significant impacts on some foundations. You may need to adjust your operations and investments to meet the increased disbursement quota requirements. There are also new anti-avoidance provisions and transparency requirements enacted as a result of the 2022 Federal Budget that will impact some foundations. Adopt best practices to:
- Assess, and adjust, your current legal documents such as articles and objects, gift agreements, gift acceptance policies, restricted gifts, etc.
- Adjust your investment policy statement
- Change your grant making budget and enhance your grant making systems and capacity
- Potentially disclose additional information to the CRA
Enhance your disbursement policies to remain compliant and enable long-term investments.
11:30 am
11:30 am
TRACK 2CASE STUDY
Challenging existing thinking for investment committees: New approaches to member on-boarding
Among their multiple challenges, investment committees will be reviewing their membership composition for effective decision making. Improve your governance and policy objectives with new approaches to committee recruitment. Develop a blueprint to:
- Establish a balanced committee
- Rotate membership to introduce new strategies
- Choose and recruit new members for effective decision-making
Transform your member recruitment approaches for successful investment decisions.
12:00 pm
12:00 pm
TRACK 1INDUSTRY EXPERT
Incorporating Sustainability into Manager Research: How to separate best practices from greenwashing
Selecting an investment manager that can meet your organization’s objectives requires thorough due diligence of the manager’s investment philosophy, investment process, stock selection and portfolio construction decisions. Separating sustainability from greenwash also requires a thorough assessment of philosophy and process. Learn how to evaluate managers’ sustainability claims and commitments by evaluating firm-level and strategy-specific aspects such as:
- sustainability philosophy, policies, and practices
- resources and specialized skills
- investment integration and decision making
- investment stewardship
- client reporting
Hone your ability to select managers that can meet your financial and sustainability objectives
12:00 pm
12:00 pm
TRACK 2INDUSTRY EXPERT
Innovative Investment Structures: Considering the role of private debt within your portfolio and understanding the current private debt market.
The US and Canadian private debt markets offer different nuances. The not profit sector faces a differently regulated marketplace and differing sophistications. The challenge is the decision making and evaluation, with this session offering an action plan:
- How investment committees can use private debt against interest rates
- Diversifying foundation portfolios for protection and as a hedge
- Covering your bases to mitigate the risks
- Assessing the performance of private debt: manger evaluations and loans
Reinvigorate your investment structures to achieve better returns.
12:30 pm
12:30 pm
NETWORKING LUNCH: DELVE INTO INDUSTRY CONVERSATIONS
- Meet interesting speakers and receive advice on the latest industry issues and trends.
- Expand your network and make connections that last beyond the conference.
- Enjoy great food and service while engaging with your investment and finance colleagues.


1:30 pm
1:30 pm
EXHIBITOR LOUNGE: VISIT BOOTHS & WIN PRIZES
- Meet investment industry experts and identify investment strategies.
- Enter your name for a chance to win exciting prizes.
- Take advantage of event-specific offers and special content.


1:45 pm
1:45 pm
TRACK 1INDUSTRY EXPERT
Connecting Investors with Prime Canadian Farmland
Investing in a sustainability mandate can significantly impact your investment portfolio. By focusing on soil health, carbon sequestration, and freshwater management, you can support food security and contribute to positive climate change initiatives. Additionally, by investing in this mandate, you can provide generational support for young farmers and assist with farm family transition. Join the movement and invest in a sustainable future.’
- Powerful portfolio diversification
- An effective and proven hedge against inflation
- Higher risk-adjusted returns
- Strong ESG compatibility that is sustainable.
An investment strategy that aims to produce steady, long-term risk-adjusted returns by creating portfolios of productive Canadian farmland.
1:45 pm
1:45 pm
TRACK 2PANEL
Measure success when transitioning to new sustainability investment portfolios.
Impact investing is moving up the agenda. Your organization will want to establish ground rules when measuring financial performance and new investments. How do you measure success before embarking on this new financial journey? Source practical tips to:
- Prepare for your new journey: impact investing, why now?
- Adopt metrics which best measure financial success
- Convert metrics into successful investment decisions
Improve how you measure your financial performance to increase impact investments and achieve your mission.
2:15 pm
2:15 pm
INDUSTRY EXPERT
How Do Foundations Responsibly Enhance Returns in the Current Environment?
There are growing pressures and new opportunities for foundations to both increase their distributions and preserve their capital in real terms. Attend this session for critical advice and post summit action points:
- Preserving capital/avoiding capital erosion with the increase in the DQ and inflation
- Alternative yield strategies as a replacement for some or all of a Foundation’s traditional fixed income portfolio
- Governance considerations in allocating to Alternatives
- Perspectives on Alternative allocations from different Foundation stakeholders (Trustees, Executives, Donors)
2:55 pm
2:55 pm
TRACK 1CASE STUDY
Moving towards net zero portfolios: How do you develop a credible plan and what does it mean to implement it?
- Leverage global best practices to implement your net zero commitment
- Align your portfolio with the best available science
- Benefit from change management and thought leadership as part of the ESG journey
2:55 pm
2:55 pm
TRACK 2CASE STUDY
100% Impact Portfolio: How to invest in line with your values and make an impact
- Obtaining an internal mandate for impact investing
- Establishing financial and impact requirements for your endowment
- Integrating impact investing at board and staff level to deliver your strategy
3:25 pm
3:25 pm
EXHIBITOR LOUNGE: ATTEND VENDOR DEMOS & CONSULT INDUSTRY EXPERTS
- Meet with investment managers and consultants.
- Arrange one on one meetings with leading solution providers to discuss organizational hurdles.
- Brainstorm solutions and gain new perspectives and ideas.


3:45 pm
3:45 pm
TRACK 1INDUSTRY EXPERT
Returns in Real Estate: A glimpse into development-based investments.
Dive into the case for real estate development in institutional portfolios. Understand the benefits of higher risk-adjusted returns, why now is a good time to be in the market and how managers assess/validate projects through volatile markets. With the real estate market becoming increasingly complex, it is essential to maximize your understanding of these investments to reap their benefits. Join us to understand how to invest in successful real estate development projects that can strengthen institutional portfolios and position them for long-term success by:
- Understanding the various types of development-based investments, including their risks and benefits;
- Exploring strategies to maximize returns on these investments while minimizing risks;
- Diving into case studies and discovering how to analyze and monitor development-based investments.
Gain a deeper understanding of returns in real estate and learn how to leverage development-based investments.
3:45 pm
3:45 pm
TRACK 2INDUSTRY EXPERT
Investment Opportunities in Natural Capital
Nowadays, the elements of natural capital and their potential to create additional value cannot be overlooked by investors. This talk will focus on the attributes of global farmland and timberland investments, ways to access these asset classes, and their impact when incorporated into a diversified portfolio.
- Exploring the the opportunities in Natural Capital
- Including Natural Capital benefit your portfolio to deliver financial benefit
4:15 pm
4:15 pm
CASE STUDY
Stress testing the reliance of your organisation during critical times.
- Reviewing your institution’s objectives and resiliance
- Ensuring the sustainability of your institution
- Assess the impact of short-term or long-term decrease in foundation income on your institution’s ability to adequately fund ongoing operations
Advance your organization’s approach to reinforce your financial performance
4:45 pm
4:45 pm
CLOSING KEYNOTE
In a changing landscape – an action plan for effective ESG for nimble teams.
ESG has potential to enhance investment performance and alignment with values. But with emerging standards and new priorities impacting all aspects of governance and decision-making, it can seem overwhelming, especially for organizations that are just getting started or have limited resources. This session explores your responsible investment action plan for:
- Developing a realistic ESG strategy to develop agile decision making
- Smart ESG implementation approaches
- Making ESG digestible for trustees and investment committees
5:15 pm
5:15 pm
Closing Comments from your Host
Review the key solutions and takeaways from today’s sessions. Source a summary of action points to implement in your work. Discuss tomorrow’s highlights!
5:20 pm
5:20 pm
EVENING RECEPTION: ENJOY GREAT CONVERSATION, MUSIC & NETWORKING
- Relax and unwind with tasty cocktails after a long day of learning.
- Don’t miss your chance to win fun prizes at our Reception Gift Giveaway.
- Make dinner plans with your new connections and explore the best of what Toronto nightlife has to offer. Just be sure to set your alarm for Day 2!

