Credit Innovation US Summit - Hosted by Private Equity Wire & Hedgeweek

How are managers dealing with continued inflation and interest hikes – there is clearly potential here, but also a downside
What is the global-macro outlook for private credit managers – chief risk factors, main opportunities and the unpredictability of global conflict and supply chain issues
Is your business primed for expansion into new strategies and fund launches? Where are the current mainstream and niche opportunities?
Are you distributing globally – particularly with high yielding and stable credit strategies in demand – and how can you grow your footprint?
With credit institutionalizing, what will the renewed regulatory approach be in 2023 – will this inhibit growth and opportunity?
Finally, with the space on the radar of large managers – we will see an increasingly bifurcated sector with small trailblazers losing market share to the big asset gatherers? How do you mitigate this and stay competitive?

Outsourcing, now a strategic imperative for credit fund back-office – what are the current drivers and trends
Valuations and loan admin outsourcing are currently the most outsourced functions after fund administration – examining the scope, challenges, models and strategies adopted in each
Pushing the boundaries of outsourcing to other higher value activities – where to next? Are you even examining the ‘fraction-lisation’ of once key staff – e.g. CTO…and even the COO/CFO. What are the benefits and risks here?
What other areas of your ops could be outsourced?

The sector still relies on manual processes – is this evolving? How can outsourcing loan administration help with this? How can you seamlessly integrate it into your own processes?
How do managers ensure they have the staff, data, and pipeline to originate credit opportunities easily and administer loans to the satisfaction of demanding LPs?
Controlling costs – how to create a flexible model that will allow managers to use outsourced service providers in a cost-effective way
Can outsourcing enhance workflow, especially during increasingly rapid fund launches

Structuring funds and loans to encourage ESG-compliant behaviour
Making progress: aligning GP and LP interests on ESG – how to collaborate in the reporting process and what are the operational headaches?
Will ESG be linked to carry in the future?
The data and analytics required to drive value from ESG strategies – tracking ESG metrics in earnest and meeting LP expectations
Next steps: Do you use these non-financial indicators in investment decisions?
Requirements for launching ESG funds
Will improving on ESG feed through to returns?

Current hiring trends – what roles (new and old) will be prominent and prevalent in 2023
How has the remote working changed the staff dynamic and your approach to recruitment?
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I): Are private credit managers making progress in focus…and fact?
Are your LPs starting to track DE&I metrics in the same way they approach ESG
How to reflect DE&I in senior hires?
Is money enough – the emerging benefits that will attract the best in talent
How to create a global work force and find - and manage - international talent

Has the last 24months led to a new resolve to do more with tech – what have been the key lessons here?
Using alternative data and improved data integration to better analyse portfolio companies and new acquisitions
How are credit firms prioritising new technologies to adjust their investment strategies to today’s market dynamics?
What technology trends do you anticipate coming to the fore, over the next five years?
The increasing role of AI and machine learning tools – which aspects of the PE operating model might best benefit?

How are technology platforms re-shaping the capital raising model?
What types of technology are IR teams introducing, as a result of the pandemic, to connect with investors?
How is the IR role evolving in line with tech innovation, and how is this helping improve investor communication/reporting?
What kind of best practices should managers be mindful of, when doing virtual fundraising, and what are some of the main risks to avoid?
Using digital tools for onboarding
Will we see a hybrid approach to fundraising, on a permanent basis, going forward, combining the human element with the machine?
Changing approaches to ODD via tech