IA Private Markets Summit

Chris Cummings, Chief Executive, The Investment Association

Chris Cummings is the Chief Executive of The Investment Association, a post he has held since September 2016. The Investment Association is the trade body that represents UK-based investment managers.

He is a member of HM Treasury’s Asset Management Taskforce, and was a founding member of its Financial Services Trade & Investment Board. He serves on the Chancellor’s Financial Services Industry Advisory Group and Department for International Trade’s Financial Services Trade Advisory Group. He is a Board member on EFAMA, the European trade association for investment management and is Chairman of IIFA, the international association for investment management. He is also a Chair of Just Finance Foundation.

He was previously a member of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulatory Decisions Committee, a Settlement Decision Maker for the Payment Services Regulator. He served on the Foreign & Commonwealth’s Diplomatic Excellence Panel.

Before joining The Investment Association he was the founding CEO of TheCityUK, held senior posts in banking, insurance and consulting with major global firms. He is a regular columnist, commentator and speaker on issues of international competitiveness and regulation in financial services.

Wyndham North, Managing Director of the British Growth Partnership, British Business Bank

Wyndham North is Managing Director, Strategy and Investor Relations for the British Growth Partnership, part of the British Business Bank. He has led the Bank’s work to establish British Growth Partnership as a vehicle to catalyse pension fund investment in UK growth. Previously he was Policy and Strategy Director for the Bank, and prior to that spent eleven years at HM Treasury leading the development of policy relating to tax, investment and international co-operation, including as Deputy Director for Customs Negotiations.

Olivier Portenseigne, CEO, FundsDLT

Olivier Portenseigne was appointed CEO of FundsDLT in May 2020, when the company was incorporated.Prior to this Olivier led the development of FundsDLT project from its start in 2016, as a ground-breaking blockchain project. FundsDLT is s a fully owned subsidiary of the Deutsche Borse Group since December 2023. From 2013 to 2020, he was also the Managing Director of Fundsquare, the fund market infrastructure leader in data management and exchange. During his leadership, the company experienced high levels of growth and the launch of numerous new products and services. Olivier has more than 25 years of experience in the fund industry and he previously held various senior management positions related to shareholder services and distribution support activities at global asset servicing firms.

James Mulford, Managing Director, Head of Advisory & Sales, UBS 

 James Mulford is the Head of Advisory & Sales (UK & Jersey) at UBS Global Wealth Management. Before re-joining UBS in 2025, James led Advisory & Sales at Credit Suisse from 2019 and served as a Senior Manager and Board member for Credit Suisse UK Ltd. Prior to his initial move to UBS in 2007, James worked at Barclays Wealth for 6 years. With over 25 years of experience in wealth management, James has an established reputation for managing investments, advising clients, and leading complex teams. 

Simon Cunnington, Portfolio Manager, UK Opportunities, Border to Coast

Simon Cunnington is Portfolio Manager at Border to Coast Pensions Partnership where he leads on the UK Opportunities portfolio within private markets. He joined from the British Business Bank where he led on the establishment and management of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, a £660m fund of funds supporting the growth of smaller businesses across the North of England.

Simon previously qualified as an accountant with Nottinghamshire County Council where he spent 11 years overseeing the Council’s pension fund and treasury investments, gaining extensive experience of managing and monitoring investments within the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

Simon has a law degree (LLB) from the University of Nottingham.

Alexander Walsh, Sr. Managing Director, Private Equity Group, Blackstone

Alexander Walsh is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group in London, where he focuses on the Consumer, Media and Leisure sectors. In addition, Mr. Walsh is involved in Blackstone’s investment activities in the UK. Mr. Walsh currently serves as a Director of Adevinta, ATG (Ambassador Theatre Group), Bourne Leisure, and the National Exhibition Centre.

Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Walsh was a Managing Director at TowerBrook where he was involved in leading and executing investments in various sectors. Prior to that, Mr. Walsh was a Principal at CapVest.

Mr. Walsh received an MA in Economics and History at the University of St Andrews. Mr. Walsh is a Trustee of Impetus, an organization working to transform the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. He is also a trustee of the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Nico Aspinall, Head of UK Workplace, Senior Vice President, BNY

Nico Aspinall, Head of UK Workplace, Senior Vice President, BNY
Nico leads BNY’s strategy in UK workplace pensions, combining the market-leading asset servicing, data and analytics, investment management and OCIO offerings. Nico joined BNY in July 2023 and has previously held several roles in pensions investment for consultants, asset owners and asset managers, including being the first Chief Investment Officer of The People’s Pension, a leading UK Defined Contribution (DC) master trust.

Nico holds a Master’s degree in Natural Sciences specialising in Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge and is a qualified actuary.

Nico volunteers extensively for the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, contributes to research papers, and currently serves on Council and is the Chair of the Institute’s Finance and Investment Board.

In his free time, Nico co-hosts VFM pensions, a podcast about DC pensions.

Tim Fassam, Director of Public Affairs, the Phoenix Group 

Tim Fassam is Public Affairs Director at Phoenix Group, where he is responsible for public policy and government relations. Prior to joining Phoenix Tim was Director of Government Relations and Policy at UK wealth management trade association PIMFA, MD of Public Affairs, Policy and Research at TheCityUK and Director of UK Public Affairs at Prudential. He has previously acted as a trustee of international relations think tank Asia House and international development charity TFAC.

Sarah Pritchard, Deputy Chief Executive, FCA

Sarah co-leads the FCA's combined Supervision, Policy and Competition (SPC) division and is responsible for our international function, leading our international priorities in support of the FCA strategy. Additionally, Sarah provides executive sponsorship for the FCA's Edinburgh office.

Prior to joining the FCA, Sarah was the Director of the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), a multi-agency partnership housed in the National Crime Agency, created in late 2018 to deliver UK system leadership on economic crime. Before then, she was General Counsel/Legal Director for the National Crime Agency as well as leading the NCA's transformational people programme.

Her career has involved stints in investigative, operational and legal roles in a range of government departments and in the private sector. Within the private sector, she has led global financial crime compliance and reputational risk teams at HSBC and qualified as a commercial litigator with Dechert LLP.

Sarah is currently covering the Consumers and Competition, Executive Director’s role alongside David Geale, Managing Director, PSR. Specifically, Sarah is covering consumer finance, insurance, cross-cutting policy and strategy, and competition directorates (plus sustainable finance Executive Director oversight), while David is covering retail banking, and payments and digital assets directorates.

Simon Walls is covering Sarah's previous Executive Director, Markets role, which she held until Nov 2024. Sarah retains executive responsibility for International.

Karen Northey, Director of Corporate Affairs, The Investment Association

Karen leads the Corporate Affairs function at the Investment Association (IA), which includes Communications, UK Government Affairs and European and International Regulatory Affairs. Karen joined the IA from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) in March 2022 where she was Head of China, International Markets and Head of Government Relations, Asia Pacific. Prior to LSEG, Karen worked at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) where she held a number of roles including leading the FCA’s international relations function and the asset management and funds policy team.

Karen holds a JD/LLB and a BA from the University of Ottawa in Canada and an LLM from the London School of Economics. She is a qualified solicitor in both the UK and in Ontario, Canada.

Alderman Alastair King, Alastair King is the 696th Lord Mayor of the City of London

During his year as Lord Mayor, Alderman King will act as a spokesperson for the City, leading overseas business delegations to key international markets on behalf of the UK financial and professional services industry.

In the role he will meet government representatives, alongside business leaders and policy makers both at home and abroad. He will look to strengthen economic ties with the UK, identify new business opportunities and promote the UK as a top global destination for foreign investment.

Alderman King’s Mayoral Theme is Growth Unleashed. As part of this, he will be championing the launch of a series of City Belonging Networks. The networks will bring Employee Resource Groups and individuals together across the Square Mile to create events, improve communication and consultation and foster community.

Jonathan Lipkin, Director - Policy, Strategy and Innovation, The Investment Association

Jonathan is Director of Policy, Strategy and Innovation at The Investment Association (IA) and a longstanding member of the IA's Executive Committee.

Jonathan’s role focuses on helping the investment management industry to best serve its customer markets at a time of accelerating change. The PSI Division has evolved into a multi-disciplinary and diverse team that covers a wide range of policy and regulation affecting the industry, including competition, communication, financial stability and fund governance, as well as the broader shape of pensions and long-term savings markets.

It also houses a specialist Innovation and Operations Unit to assist the industry in adapting to new technologies and help shape the broader landscape. Jonathan joined the IA in 2005, becoming Director of Public Policy and a member of the IA Executive Committee in 2012. Prior to 2005, he worked for a number of years at Oxford Analytica, a geopolitical analysis and advisory firm. At OA, he led European political and economic analysis serving a wide range of corporate and government clients, both domestic and overseas.

Jonathan is a Board Member of the Cost Transparency Initiative, Chair of the EFAMA Pensions Group, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Asset Management Research at Bayes Business School. He writes and speaks regularly both in the UK and abroad on investment management and pensions issues.

Jesal Mistry, Head of DC Investments, L&G

Jesal leads L&G’s dedicated DC Investments Team. The Team provides DC Investment expertise to L&G’s clients and their advisers, supporting with their investment strategies and ensuring that they are aware of the latest developments with regards to DC investment at L&G.

Jesal joined L&G in June 2019 having previously worked for Hymans Robertson where he was Senior DC Investment Consultant, responsible for managing key DC Investment relationships and supporting clients with strategies designed for their members. Jesal was also responsible for managing strategic relationships with all major DC providers in the UK.

Prior to that, Jesal was Head of DC Investment Consulting at Capita Employee Benefits where he was responsible for developing Capita’s DC investment proposition and advising clients. Jesal has over 17 years of DC pensions and investment experience.

Rachel Harbers, Principal, Blackstone Private Wealth, Blackstone

Rachel Harbers is a Principal within Blackstone Private Wealth, based in London. She focuses on product origination and development of new strategies and fund structures for individual investors across a wide range of alternative asset classes.

Before joining Blackstone in 2022, Ms. Harbers spent five years at Morgan Stanley, working in the Private Wealth Management and Investment Management divisions in Sydney and London, respectively.

Ms. Harbers holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney. She is the Chair of the Private Markets Committee at The Investment Association, a UK trade body representing the asset management industry, and serves on the charity board for Help for Children (HFC) UK. In 2021, she was recognized as a winner in the WeAreTheCity Rising Star Awards for Investment Management.

Véronique Fournier, Head of EMEA, Global Wealth Management Solutions, Apollo Global Management 

Véronique Fournier joined Apollo in 2022 as the Head of EMEA Wealth Distribution on the Global Wealth Management Solutions team in the Geneva office. Prior to joining Apollo, Véronique spent 8 years at Barings, most recently as Managing Director and Co-Head of European Distribution She has previously held various sales-related roles at Schroder Investment Management, Aviva Investors, and InterSec Research.

Véronique graduated from The London School of Economics and Political Science with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and earned a Master of Arts in International Economics from the University of Essex.

John Dooley, Partner, Simmons and Simmons

John is a Partner in our financial services group. He specialises in investment funds and advises managers on regulatory requirements in relation to their operations and the products and services they offer. John is an expert in the structuring, operation and distribution of UK regulated funds, advising on all legal aspects of asset management.

John also advises on a broad range of financial services regulatory issues, including FCA authorisation, conduct of business, governance arrangements, ESG and European legislation such as AIFMD, PRIIPs, MiFID and UCITS matters.

John joined Simmons in 2017 and has undertaken secondments with institutional asset managers, a depositary and other regulated firms. Prior to qualifying as a solicitor John spent six years at the Serious Fraud Office working as a senior investigator, where he conducted investigations into fraud, corruption and money laundering.

Namita Kain, Head of Private Markets, The Investment Association

Namita began her career in consulting before moving into asset management, where she has worked across both public and private markets, including ETFs, equity funds, private equity, and venture capita, in a range of corporate and product strategy roles. Most recently, she was at Octopus Investments from which she joined the Investment Association to lead their work and engagement on all issues related to private markets, advocating for the investment management perspective on relevant regulatory and legislative developments and championing the role of private market investment in delivering economic growth.  She has also completed an Executive MBA from Columbia Business School and London Business School.

Ben Levenstein, Head of Private Markets, USS Investment Management

Ben is Head of Private Markets, overseeing a team investing across all private asset classes with a Net Asset Value of £26bn. Ben is also a member of the USS Investment Management Executive Committee and Asset Allocation Committee.

Ben joined Private Markets in 2013 and has led teams across the Strategic investment mandate, Co-Headed Real Assets and most recently was the Head of Private Credit and Alternative Investments, investing across the risk spectrum, both directly and through fiduciary managers. Ben has been a member of the Private Markets Investment Committee since 2010.

Prior to joining, Ben was Head of UK and European Equities at USS managing equity portfolios totalling £6bn. Ben began his career as an analyst at HSBC specialising in Utilities. He holds a BA in Business and Economics from the University of the West of England.

Anne Parthiot-Mons, Managing Director, Head of BlackRock’s Europe & Africa Institutional Client Business and Co-Head of BlackRock's Global Consultant Relations Business

She is responsible for leading BlackRock's business serving asset owners including Public Pensions, Corporate Pensions, Insurance Companies, Official Institutions and Consultants. In her role, Mrs. Parthiot-Mons is responsible for leading business growth and setting client business strategy. Mrs. Parthiot-Mons joined BlackRock in October 2016 as Head of Continental Europe Consultant Relations and Alternative Strategies in EMEA. Prior to joining BlackRock, Mrs. Parthiot-Mons was the Managing Partner of Massena Investments Limited. Previously, she worked for Permal Investment Management after the acquisition of Fauchier Partners where she was a Partner, holding various positions in business development and client relationship management, including working as CEO of the onshore French Investment entity.

Prior to this, Mrs. Parthiot-Mons worked for Morgan Stanley (1997 - 2009), latterly as Managing Director of a Multi-Asset platform, FundLogic, designing and developing customised solutions for institutional clients.

Mrs. Parthiot-Mons holds an MBA degree from the University of Hartford (1992) and a Master’s degree (DESS 203) from Universite Paris Dauphine (1993). She speaks French, English and some German. She is based in London.

Kutty Dutta, Managing Principal, Private Markets, HSBC Alternatives

Kutty Dutta is Managing Principal at HSBC Alternatives, and has been a private markets investor for almost two decades. At HSBC he invests globally across the primary, secondary and co-investment spectrum on behalf of an investment platform with over $45bn in assets under management. He serves on the advisory boards of several global private equity funds.

Prior to joining HSBC, Kutty worked at Coller Capital in London and New York, where he was responsible for originating, evaluating and executing private equity secondary transactions.

Kutty began his career at Standard Chartered Bank in the Global Corporate Bank in London, and subsequently joined Morgan Stanley in their Mergers & Acquisitions team also in London.

Kutty holds a BA in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College and an MBA from INSEAD.