This September, the Portfolio Management course returned to Paris. We began with a group dinner the night before the course at Brasserie La Lorraine for all attendees to network and catch up. The next day, we explored the full cycle of portfolio management with expert insights, interactive sessions and peer networking. Key topics included:
- Moritz Valeriano (CBRE Investment Management – Indirect) explained the importance of continuously monitoring portfolios, including key monitoring frameworks, identifying future trends, and rebalancing activities.
- Sander Veltman (Achmea Real Estate) discussed reporting requirements and day-to-day operational management, stressing the importance of transparent reporting using INREV tools such as the INREV SDDS, and handling deviations.
- Maarten Jennen (PGGM) explained the buy, sell, hold process and presented a deep dive into performance and sustainability benchmarking, analytics and decision factors.
- Neil Harris (UBS Unified Global Alternatives) discussed key lessons learned and best practices for establishing effective governance frameworks, LPAC challenges and making joint ventures work.
- Marianne Hemon-Laurens (LaSalle Investment Management) explored managing liquidity in uncertain times and navigating secondary market trades.
- During the case study, participants prepared a presentation in subgroups, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of an example portfolio, setting out concrete actions to optimise the portfolio and identifying potential changes they would like to bring to the organisation. The jury selected a winner who went home with a small prize!
The course wrapped up with a Q&A with Neil Harris and Minna Merilainen (CNP Assurances) on market realities and career paths.
Feedback was positive: participants valued the blend of investor and manager perspectives, the real-world tools they could apply immediately, and the highly interactive format. Many highlighted the course as both a deep dive into professional practice and an excellent opportunity to grow their network with peers from across Europe.
