Saturday, February 17
 

11:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Conference Registration
Gallery
   

 
Sunday, February 18
 

8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
and 5:00 - 8:15 p.m.

Conference Registration
Gallery
   

Breakfast
Palms Foyer
 

9:00 –10:00 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
 

Retirement Jeopardy
Palms North
Presented by NICSA’s Retirement Committee

I’ll take 401(k)s for $200 please, Alex.

Challenge your retirement planning knowledge and match wits with your fellow conference attendees in a familiar two round “Jeopardy” style game. Questions will range from the most basic retirement facts to fun and fanciful. Categories may include items such as Acronyms (What is the IRS?) to Rock Stars (When will Keith Richards begin to receive Required Minimum Distributions?).

Service Quality Excellence: How Service Quality Leaders Differentiate Themselves
Palms South

Alan Collins, Senior Vice President, Transfer Agency Operations
BISYS Fund Services

Faye T. Howard, Senior Vice President
Evergreen Service Company

Cyril Hunt, Vice President, Van Kampen Operations
Morgan Stanley

This session will offer a brief overview of trends in service delivery, drawing on the 2006 NQR/NICSA Financial Services Industry Study, ongoing internal quality reviews, and industry research to discuss best practices. To provide added perspective, a panel of NQR clients that have achieved 5-star service levels will discuss their experiences in driving to superior service, focusing on areas such as communication, corporate culture, and leadership.

Attendees will walk away with useful data to benchmark their own operations, institute best practices, and make strategic planning decisions.
 

Break
Palms Foyer
 

10:15 –11:15 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions
 

Fund Mergers: the Operational and Regulatory Challenges
Palms North

Stuart Bowers, Senior Vice President, Fund Services
Legg Mason & Co. LLC

Tom Forrester, Senior Vice President
State Street Corporation

Donna McManus, Vice President, Mutual Fund Accounting & Administration Services
The Bank of New York

This panel will discuss fund mergers in the industry, focusing on what’s driving merger-mania, and what are the operational and regulatory challenges associated with the process. Topics covered will include:

• Industry trends
• Overview of the process
• N-14 filings
• Operational challenges
• Tax considerations

Where Have All the People Gone? Preparing for a Pandemic
Palms South

Jim Coppedge, General Counsel/Associate General Counsel
AIM Investment Services, Inc./AMVESCAP PLC

Atanas Goranov, FRM, Vice President Risk Management
GE Asset Management Incorporated

Eric Zimmer, Vice President, Retirement Division
Franklin Templeton Investments

The building is open and ready for business, the power is on, phone lines are up, and clients are looking for service. But 70% of your staff is out sick with the flu. How do you prepare for a flu outbreak or other pandemic? Join this interactive session on preparing for the unexpected.
 

11:15 –11:30 a.m.
 

Break
Palms Foyer
 

11:30 a.m. –
12:30 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
 

Meeting Retirement Needs Around the World
Palms North

Doug Carey, Director
Deloitte Consulting LLP

John D. Curry, Managing Director, Individual Retirement Services
AllianceBernstein Investments

Robert Hoffman, Director General
ALFI (Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry)

Social issues such as increasing longevity, lower birthrates, and limited savings raise concerns about pension funding and retirement cost issues worldwide. As we've seen first-hand, the potential for economic volatility increases the risks associated with a secure retirement program exponentially.

This prestigious panel will share their thoughts on the similarities and differences in the parallel evolution of retirement planning from a global perspective. Despite cultural differences, regional economics, and politics, do we have more in common with the rest of the world than we think?

ETF’s Take-Off : Where are Exchange Traded Funds Headed Next?
Palms South

Noel Archard, CFA, Principal, Head of Product Development, iShares
Barclays Global Investors Services

Tom Carter, Managing Director, Business Development
ALPS Fund Services Inc.

James Ross, Senior Managing Director
State Street Global Advisors

This panel of industry experts will discuss the growth and usage of these unique products. Key elements of the panel discussion will include:

• Overview of the various diversified and non-diversified structures that exist including new commodities-based products
• Discussion of the trends toward Performance Indices and potential of Actively Managed ETF portfolios
• Information of the strategies incorporated by investors in SMA and 401k accounts - asset allocation, sector rotation, etc.
• Forecast on the future potential for the ETF market including new products and growth of the segment

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
 

Barbecue
Terraza Patio
 

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Building Your NICSA Network
Palms North

Ethel D. Boyd, Member Relations Manager
NICSA

Jan Clifford, Honorary Director
NICSA

Chris Newman, Vice President, Learning & Organizational Development
Boston Financial Data Services

Join us as we take a brief look at the benefits, (fun, friends and facts) of being an active member of NICSA and then Build YOUR NICSA Network!

The value of NICSA’s annual conference is not just what you learn but also whom you meet. Come and learn all of NICSA’s offerings and hear from long term industry professionals how being a part of NICSA improved their careers and their businesses. Next, we will give you a chance to make some new contacts of your own. Fun is the number one item on the agenda of this session!
 

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Reception
Exhibit Hall
Sponsored by
 

 
Monday, February 19
 

7:30 – 8:00 a.m.

Breakfast
Exhibit Hall
 

8:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Welcome to the 25th Anniversary Annual Conference

Opening Remarks
Peggy C. Schooley, President
Evergreen Service Company

Keynote Address
Revisiting Conventional Wisdom About Mutual Funds
Grand Ballroom

Paul G. Haaga, Jr., Vice Chairman
Capital Research and Management Company

Mutual fund investing is better understood today than at any point since the first fund was created in the 1920s. The popularity of mutual funds among individual Americans and the interest in fund investing by regulators, journalists, academics and consumer advocates has resulted in continuous scrutiny of a mutual fund's investment results and business practices. In many instances, this intense focus has yielded important long-term benefits for fund investors. In some other areas, however, dogma has been allowed to substitute for analysis.

Mr. Haaga will describe instances where the uncritical acceptance of conventional wisdom about elements of fund investing is failing to serve the interests of current and future individual investors.
 

9:15– 9:45 a.m.

Break
Exhibit Hall
 

9:45 – 11:15 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions

Track A - Looking Forward/Looking Back
The SEC’s Compliance Program Rules - Two Years and Counting
Grand Ballroom
Presented by NICSA’s Compliance and Risk Management Committee

Brian Briggs, Associate Director of Compliance
T. Rowe Price Associates

Daniel New, Senior Manager, Financial Services Advisory Practice
Ernst & Young LLP

Bruce Treff, Executive Vice President & General Counsel
BISYS Fund Services, Inc.

As organizations have labored for another year under the SEC’s Compliance Program Rules, they have learned important and valuable lessons. The panel will discuss lessons learned, lingering challenges and leading industry responses to managing the SEC’s Compliance Program Rules. Discussion will include:

• Conducting extended-enterprise risk and control assessments
• Refining the CCO report based on Board requirements
• Obtaining efficiencies by coordinating firm-wide risk and control evaluation initiatives
• Employing service provider and sub-adviser oversight tools such as site-visits, key indicators, and attestation reports

Track B - Global Product & Distribution
New Markets: New Challenges
Palms South

Joseph M. Connors, Senior Vice President, Mutual Funds Distribution and Service
GE Asset Management Incorporated

Richard DiDio, Managing Director - International Investments
Prudential Financial

Georg Lasch, Head of Institutional Investors Luxembourg
BNP Paribas Securities Services

Top industry executives will share their expertise on effective distribution strategies and complementary operations outside the United States. This lively debate will assist both novice and seasoned mutual fund professionals to leverage the latest industry trends across Europe, India and Australasia into their global business development plans. Discussion will include:

• Navigating the local regulatory environment
• Implementing best practices for sourcing the operations
• Choosing the right global or local partners

Track C - Alternative Investments
Hot Topics in Alternative Products
Palms North
Presented by NICSA’s Annual Conference and Alternative Investments Committees

Barrett C. Brown, Partner, Alternative Investments
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Richard M. F. Ernesti, Managing Director, International Sales Head
Global Securities & Fund Services
Citigroup

Gary Palmer, Chief Executive
IFIA (Irish Funds Industry Association)

David A. Vaughan, Partner - Financial Services Group
Dechert LLP

As leaders in their respective fields, panelists will explore newsworthy issues within the subject matters of tax, regulatory (SEC) and fair valuations and how each is impacting the global hedge fund industry. Speakers will provide practical guidance on how hedge fund managers, prime brokers, auditors, law firms and administrators may plan for changes within these areas.
 

12:00 noon –
1:00 p.m.
 

Lunch (non-golfers)
Lobby Lounge
 

12:30 – 5:30 p.m.

NICSA Golf Tournament Gold, Blue & Red Courses

Bottled Water Sponsored by

Click here for Tournament information.
 

12:45 – 5:00 p.m.

Island Breeze Catamaran Cruise

Participants meet at the Doral Resort lobby entrance at 12:45 p.m. Bus will leave at 1:00 p.m. and return to the hotel around 5:00 p.m.

Space is limited, pre-registration and a fee is required. Click here for details.
 

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Reception at the 19th Hole
Spa Grand Terrace

Open to all – golfers, conference attendees, exhibitors and registered spouses/companions.
Sponsored by
 

 
Tuesday, February 20
 

7:30 – 8:00 a.m.

Breakfast
Exhibit Hall
 

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Keynote Address
Designing a New Mutual Fund Industry
Grand Ballroom

John C. Bogle, Founder and former Chief Executive
The Vanguard Group

A true industry giant, John Bogle is founder and former chief executive of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and President of the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center. The organization he created in 1974 is now one of the two largest mutual fund organizations in the world, with current assets totaling some $1 trillion. In 1975, Mr. Bogle also founded the first index mutual fund.

In his remarks to NICSA, Mr. Bogle will discuss the changes he has observed in the mutual fund industry since he joined it 57 years ago, and the recent trends, and steps the industry must take if it is to meet the needs of investors in the years ahead.
 

9:00 – 9:45 a.m.*

Break
Exhibit Hall
 

9:45 – 10:45 a.m.
Concurrent Sessions

Track A - Looking Forward/Looking Back
Next Generation Megatrends in Technology
Grand Ballroom

Charles Berman, Senior Vice President Fidelity Labs
Fidelity Investments

Joseph Ferra, Chief Wireless Officer, Fidelity eBusiness
Fidelity Investments

Come explore the future of technology for the financial services industry. Hear from technology experts as they share their views about the challenging issues facing the industry and demonstrate the next generation of technology solutions.

In this age of information overload, see how advancements in wireless technology, and the use of virtual communities can be effectively leveraged to improve how firms use data to impact their business.
 

Track B - Global Product & Distribution
Financial Markets 2015: Vision of the Future
Palms South

Suzanne L. Dence, Managing Consultant
IBM Institute for Business Value

Peter Poulin, Managing Director - Investor Services
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

According to a recent IBM global survey of financial markets executives, nearly three-quarters of those surveyed believe that the industry will be significantly different in 2015, yet nearly 50 percent rate themselves as only moderately able to respond to change. This presentation analyzes and synthesizes executive viewpoints with substantial quantitative research into a view of the evolving financial markets industry.

This presentation will conclude with a “CEO innovation agenda” based on insights gathered from IBM's recently completed global CEO survey of 765 executives across all industries.
 

Track C - Alternative Investments
What Regulatory Framework Awaits the Hedge Fund World?
Will Outsourcing Help Sponsors Cope?
Palms North

Steve Crosby, Managing Director, Advisory Services
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Linda J. Hoard, Senior Vice President, Managing Director and Senior Counsel
PFPC Inc.

In Goldstein v. SEC, the court overturned the requirement that hedge fund advisers register with the SEC. This panel will consider how the SEC is likely to monitor hedge fund advisers without the registration requirement and whether SEC registration may still be beneficial. Panelists will also discuss when outsourcing regulatory functions makes sense for hedge fund advisers and how to monitor an outsourcing arrangement. Key points to be addressed by the panel include:

• What new rules are likely following the Goldstein decision?
• What are the advantages/disadvantages of registering with the SEC?
• What are the pros/cons of regulatory outsourcing?
• What makes the outsourcing relationship work successfully?

10:45 – 11:15 a.m.

Break
Exhibit Hall
 

11:15 a.m. –
12:15 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
 

Track A - Looking Forward/Looking Back
Changing Demographics in the Workplace of the 21st Century
Grand Ballroom
Presented by NICSA’s Transfer Agent Committee

Christine Courtenay, Human Resources Business Partner, Director II
PFPC, Inc.

Phil Montero, Virtual Team Consultant
Montero Consulting

Jean Stearns, Senior Vice President
Boston Financial Data Services

Firms are looking at alternatives to the 9-to-5 workforce, including remote working arrangements, college campus recruiting for part-time employees and retirees starting late life career changes. What is the impact on our firms, policies and staff? Our panelists will offer ideas on:

• How to get the best candidates
• How to integrate part-time and remote employees into the culture
• How do alternative work arrangements impact the bottom line in terms of cost savings and increased productivity?

Track B - Global Product & Distribution
The Institutionalization of Distribution: Effectively Supporting Distribution Partners' Needs
Palms South
Presented by NICSA’s Distribution Committee

Gene Goldman,Vice President, Separately Managed Accounts
LPL Financial Services

Hugh M. Kelly, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Harbor Fund Distributors

William Rittling, Senior Vice President, Director Advisory Resources Group
MFS Investment Management

Over the last several years, retail distribution of investment management products has evolved from a relatively straightforward, primarily relationship-driven business to an increasingly complex, quantitatively oriented, "institutionalized" one. In this environment, distributors' research analysts have become central figures in determining which products make it onto the platforms. This accelerating trend has left asset management firms with a number of questions that this session will explore:

• Are we effectively structured to service the research analysts?
• Are the people we have in place qualified to service them?
• What types of information do they need from us?
• How should we deliver it to them, and when?

Track C - Alternative Investments
Investor Reporting and Communications for Hedge Funds
Palms North
Presented by NICSA’s Alternative Investments Committee

Carl Eifler, Managing Director/Head of Lyxor US
SG Americas Securities, LLC

Jahan P. Raissi, Partner
Shartsis Friese LLP

Mark L. K. Suter, Senior Vice President
BISYS Alternative Investment Services

Experts from the hedge fund industry will discuss current business, legal and administrative issues encountered in investor reporting and communications. The panel will address several aspects of investor communications, including:

• Performance reporting
• Marketing and advertising
• Web-based communications
• Disclosures and portfolio transparency

12:15 – 1:15 p.m.

Lunch
Exhibit Hall
 

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

IndusTRIVIA
Palms North

Test your knowledge of the industry (and the NICSA conference) with this Trivial Pursuit-style game in teams of four, competing for great prizes by answering questions within these madcap categories: Super Size Thee, Techs R' Us, Law & Orders, Around the World in 80 Ways, Hedged Harriers and Mystery 25.

Registration is limited so be sure to sign up yourself or a team early! You may select your team when you register for the conference.

Walk-ins will be accommodated, space permitting.

3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Wine Tasting: Travel the World of Cabernet Sauvignon
Spa Grand Terrace

Pre-registration and a fee are required to reserve your space. Click here for details.

Sponsored by

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Reception
Exhibit Hall
Sponsored by
 

NICSA Black and White Bash
Spa Pool

NICSA lights up the Miami night at the Black and White Bash. Join your friends and colleagues for great food, great music and an evening of great fun.

Dress code: Wear something black/white and help us celebrate in style!

Sponsored by
                     

 
Wednesday, February 21
 

7:30 – 8:00 a.m.

Breakfast
Exhibit Hall
 

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
 

Keynote Address
Rediscovering Play: Bringing Fun and Passion to Your Work... and Life
Grand Ballroom

Kevin Carroll, Katalyst

Kevin Carroll is the founder of The Katalyst Consultancy and the author of Rules of the Red Rubber Ball: Find and Sustain Your Life's Work, published by ESPN Books.

Kevin uses his remarkable skills and myriad experiences to teach business leaders and audiences around the world how to use the spirit and lessons of play to enliven and enrich their work lives, enhance innovation, and improve team dynamics and interpersonal communication.

9:00 – 9:30 a.m.
 

Break
 

9:30– 11:15 a.m.

NICSA Industry Awards with Silver Anniversary Face the Membership
Grand Ballroom

The luminaries of the industry will light up Wednesday morning, as NICSA honors (and is enlightened by) the best and the brightest.

Robert L. Gould Awards
Robert L. Reynolds, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer
Fidelity Investments

Lifetime Achievement Award
Edward J. Falvey

PricewaterhouseCoopers Award
William J. Greilich, Vice President, Global Business Development
PFPC Inc.

NICSA Committee MVPs

Silver Anniversary Face the Membership
Grand Ballroom

Hear from distinguished contributors to the mutual fund industry:

Matthew P. Fink, former President
Investment Company Institute
NICSA Gould Award 2001

David A. Hughey, Trustee and Independent Chairman
Fenimore Asset Management Trust
NICSA Gould Award 1987

Thomas A. McDonnell, President & Chief Executive Officer
DST Systems, Inc.
NICSA Gould Award 1989

Robert C. Pozen, Chairman
MFS Investment Management
NICSA Gould Award 2006

Robert L. Reynolds, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer
Fidelity Investments
NICSA Gould Award 2007

The Robert L. Gould Award recognizes outstanding achievement within the mutual fund industry and is supported through the contributions of DST Systems, Inc.
   

Roger Hobby, Co-Chair
Fidelity Investments

Richard L. Garner, Co-Chair
Franklin Templeton Investments

Bill Greilich, Exhibits Chair
PFPC Inc.

 
2007 Annual Conference Committee
 

Angela Billick
BNP Paribas Securities Services

Jan Clifford

Lawrence Fleischman
Venture Financial Systems Group, LTD.

John Hayakawa
DST Systems, Inc.

Faye Howard
Evergreen Service Company

Rick Johnson
Boston Financial Data Services, Inc.

Jim Keenan
State Street

Lee Kowarski
kasina, LLC

Paul T. Kraft
Deloitte.

Michel Lentz

Barbara J. Mack
Sungard

Donna McManus
The Bank of New York

Mike McNeil
Putnam Investments

Greg F. Niland
Capital Research & Management Company

Jim Nolan
Bisys Fund Services

Dave Parks
Ernst & Young LLP

Peter E. Poulin
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Anthony Previte
Prudential Investments

Paul A. Roselli
JP Morgan Investor Services Co.

Paula Smith
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Lynette Turner
PFPC Inc.

Linda Warriner
AIM Investment Services Inc.

Christopher P. Willis
Pyxis Mobile, Inc.

Rheeta C. Wise
MFS Service Center, Inc.