SEMINARS

TIFF Education Foundation > Seminars

Since 2005, TIFF Education Foundation has conducted annual educational Endowment Management Seminars. Modeled loosely after the broadcast series Inside the Actor's Studio – a Bravo TV series in which James Lipton conducts penetrating interviews of actors – each of these events is comprised of interviews with five highly respected institutional investors aimed at educating non-profit fiduciaries about various aspects of institutional investing.

All of the dissertation abstract examples from past seminars are available for free download as podcasts by clicking on the iTunes icon below. All transcripts and recordings may also be accessed by clicking on each seminar link below.

• Fall 2010 Seminar

  Ken Hersh (NGP Energy Capital Management) discussed energy-related investing circa 2010 as well as opportunities and perils in the renewable energy sector; David Dominik (Golden Gate Capital) discussed private equity investing circa 2010 as well as getting structured for success in the private equity arena; Runa Alam (Development Partners International) discussed investing in Africa circa 2010 as well as the process of applying behavioral finance lessons to frontier markets; Steve Mandel (Lone Pine Capital Management) discussed opportunities and risks in global stock markets as well as college and university trusteeship circa 2010; and Lee Ainslie (Maverick Capital Management) discussed long/short investing circa 2010 as well as the business of hedge fund investing.

  
  

  Ken Hersch		David Dominik		Runa Alam		Steve Mandel		Lee Ainslie

• Fall 2009 Seminar

  Ian Wace (Marshall Wace Asset Management), who discussed both the "buy" and "sell" side of public equity markets; Jeremy Hosking (Marathon Asset Management, UK), who described mark-to-market accounting as well as opportunities and perils in the marketable stock arena; Michael Eisenson (Charlesbank Capital Management), who reflected on his extensive experience in private equity investing as well as his involvement in philanthropy; Josh Kopelman (First Round Capital), who described the changing landscape of venture capital investing; and Antoine van Agtmael (Emerging Markets Management), who discussed the opportunities and risks involved in investing in emerging markets.

  
  
• Summer 2008 Seminar

  Stu Porter (Denham Capital Management), who discussed investing in resource-related assets and the risks involved in such investing; Robert Bruner (Darden School of Business), who commented on financial panics with a focus on the panic of 1907; Seth Klarman (The Baupost Group), who offered comments on running a multi billion-dollar investment firm as well as recruiting and compensation structure at his firm; Jon Moulton (Alchemy Partners), who commented on global private equity investing, firm structure, and picking managers; and Arshad Zakaria (New Vernon Capital), who discussed investing in emerging markets (with a focus on India) and outsourcing.

  
  
• Summer 2007 Seminar

  Bevis Longstreth (former SEC Commissioner), who critiqued the current regulatory regime under which public companies and professional investors operate; Joanne Hill (Goldman Sachs), who discussed best practices in institutional investing, including the use of portable alpha strategies; Marty Leibowitz (Morgan Stanley), who commented on how endowment fiduciaries could seek to generate satisfactory net returns via the cost-effective pursuit of beta (systemic risk); Hilda Ochoa-Brillembourg (Strategic Investment Group), who talked about “semantic” risk and its effect on institutional investment practices as well as the differences between corporate America and for-profit management outside the US; and Tom Steyer (Farallon Capital Management), who discussed the investment opportunities and perils confronting hedge fund investors and operators.

  
  
• Summer 2006 Seminar

  Harvey Dale (New York University School of Law), who summarized his paper on the prudent investor rule and commented on Warren Buffett’s transfer of wealth to the Gates Foundation; Mohamed El-Erian (Harvard Management Company), who discussed the challenges at Harvard Management Company; Bill McCalpin (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), who commented on the challenges of being a mutual fund director and foundation investment professional; Bill Helman (Greylock Partners), who discussed the evolving environment for the venture capital industry; and Jeremy Grantham (GMO), who outlined his views on investment policy formulation, career risk, and energy prices.

  
  
• Fall 2005 Seminar

  Jack Meyer (Harvard Management Company) who gave a presentation on Harvard Management and the challenges he faced running it; Steve Galbraith (Maverick Capital), who discussed liquidity risk, investment strategy, and staying the course; Jim Garland (Jeffery Company), who commented on the topic of fecundity; Charley Ellis (Private Consultant), who discussed what it was like to help oversee the Yale endowment and Yale’s spending rule; and Mark Kritzman (Windham Capital Management), who gave a presentation on hedge funds and discussed the abnormality of hedge funds’ returns.