Focus on Funds: Fresh Thinking, Regulatory Insights Part of the 2015 GMM Agenda
Fresh Thinking, Regulatory Insights Part of the 2015 GMM Agenda
In the April 10, 2015, edition of Focus on Funds, ICI General Membership Meeting (GMM) Chair George Gatch, CEO, Global Funds Management, JP Morgan Asset Management, outlines what attendees can expect to learn from PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi and SEC Chair Mary Jo White.
Transcript
Stephanie Ortbals-Tibbs, ICI Director, Media Relations: Welcome to another special weekly edition of Focus on Funds, where we’re reporting from New York and the headquarters of JP Morgan Investment Management. I’ve been talking with George Gatch, CEO of Global Funds for JP Morgan Asset Management, and chair of this year’s ICI General Membership Meeting [GMM]. Gatch and I talked about the big names and big ideas on tap for this year’s meeting.
At the GMM we always draw a lot of the biggest names in the fund industry. This year we also have a very well-known, very well-regarded global CEO coming from quite a different industry to share some fresh perspective.
George Gatch, CEO of Global Funds, JP Morgan Asset Management: We are so excited and pleased to have the chairman and CEO of PepsiCo joining us. There is so much the fund industry can learn from PepsiCo and other industry leaders about how we need to evolve our capabilities to meet the new and emerging needs of the next generation of investors.
Ortbals-Tibbs: So, you run a global funds business and we’re going to be hearing from someone who runs a global snacks business. What do you think attendees can learn from someone who runs a consumer-driven company like PepsiCo?
Gatch: There’s a couple of things. One, I think the fund industry could learn a lot about how we simplify our messaging, make our product capabilities less complex so they can be appealing and understood by a broader set of investors—particularly new investors who maybe aren’t as familiar with the investment landscape. Also, great leaders and great firms, there’s always something we can learn and apply to our businesses, even if they’re very different.
Ortbals-Tibbs: So, the other thing that attendees can expect to take away this year’s meeting is another fresh perspective and important update on what’s going on with regulation, both domestically and internationally.
Gatch: It’s great to have Mary Jo White join us. Obviously, the most important regulator for the fund industry is the SEC, and her perspective is going to be very important for us and how we think about the challenges ahead of us. Also, how the global landscape and regulatory landscape looks and how multiple regulatory bodies around the world are adjusting and, hopefully, coordinating their activities, is really important. And we’ll get a perspective on that during the conference as well.
Ortbals-Tibbs: So we’ll be talking a lot more about that at the GMM—and if people have not already made their reservations or marked their calendars, it’s time to do that now.
Gatch: This is always one of the most important conferences for our industry. Let’s get everyone there and use it as an opportunity to learn and, importantly, to network with our friends and colleagues from around the country.
Ortbals-Tibbs: That’s this week in funds. See you next week.
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