Tuesday, 15th November 2011

Tuesday, 15th November 2011 »

Pr-Conference Workshop, Monday, 14th of November »

last modified: 16 November '11

8am

Registration and welcome coffee

8.50am

Opening remarks from the Chair

› Mr Thomas Mehl,

Agricultural Economist and Investment Manager, Russell Stone

Soft commodities outlook

9am

Keynote address: A global outlook at the soft commodities asset class

Supply and demand trends in soft commodities – a global consumer market comparison
How to invest in Africa’s untapped agri resources
Meeting consumer market demand with adequate supply – strategies in closing the gap

› Mr Gary Vaughan Smith,

Founding Partner, Silver Street Capital

9.30am

African agriculture, challenges and opportunities

The food security challenges facing the continent
Mitigating risk in African agricultural investment
Overcoming the challenges of agricultural investment through operational efficiency and scale

› Mr Neil Crowder,

Managing Director, Chayton Africa

10am

Morning refreshment and networking

10.30am

Keynote address: Global macro economic factors driving agriculture markets

A high-level Macro view of the agriculture sector
A country by country analysis of nations’ vulnerability to food and global agriculture prices
A look at who is most vulnerable to upward price shocks, who is more resilient and who may even benefits from rising prices

› Ms Shelley Goldberg,

Director of Commodities Strategy, Roubini Global Economics

The role of private equity

11am

Revealing private equity as a driver for agriculture investment

Responding to soft commodity price changes as an indicator for agri investment
Sustainability, social development and agri investment
Equity performances and expectations relative to price changes

› Mr Colin Watson,

Agri Specialist, Phatisa

11.30am

Why a UK Pension Fund is Looking at an Investment in Agriculture

Background to the Royal County of Berkshire’s Pension Fund’s interest in Agriculture
Why invest in commodities
The case for investment in food
Produce or Produce?
How to effectively evaluate risk factors in Agriculture

› Nick Greenwood,

Pension Fund Manager, Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund

12pm

Panel discussion: Understanding key aspects to agri private equity deals

Food security and expanding consumption
Assessing who the ideal partners are to agri private equity deals
Evaluating the agri private equity risk index and how to minimise it

Nick Greenwood, Pension Fund Manager, Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund
Mark Witten, Director, Kaizen Asset Management
Jerry Parkes, Partner, Injaro Investment Partners

12.40pm

Networking lunch

Asset allocation for agriculture

1.40pm

Managing a high return soft commodity portfolio

What will soft commodities do in the near future?
The influence of consumerism on asset appreciation
Increasing soft commodity returns – traditional vs. alternative allocation
The pros and cons of seizing listed soft commodity equities

› Mr David Hemming,

Portfolio Manager, Hermes Fund Management

Regional showcase

2.10pm

Investment opportunities for agriculture in East Africa

How to enter market and choose your partners
Exploring the opportunities of PPP’s in the East African agri space

› Christina Ulardic,

Vice-president of corporate solutions, Swiss Reinsurance

2.40pm

Speed networking and afternoon refreshments

3.20pm

Panel discussion: Advancing Africa agriculture sustainably

What are the untapped opportunities for investment in East African agribusiness?
How to implement risk sharing through PPP’s

› Mr Chris Isaac,

Director of Business Development, AgDevco

› Christina Ulardic,

Vice-president of corporate solutions, Swiss Reinsurance

Risk & collateral management

4.10pm

How to facilitate lucrative business with asset light operators

How to structure the deal with a non-liquid operation
Should farmland stand as part of collateral in an agribusiness transaction
Assessing working capital in a loan agreement

› Duncan Oliphant,

Co-founder, Titan

Sustainability

4.30pm

Develop sustainable small-scale farming production

Comparing small-scale and large scale productivity
Overcoming differences in yields
The hub-out grower model: what this is and why it may be the solution for Africa

› Mr Harvey Leared,

Partner, Silver Street Capital

4.50pm