Program

Arrival, Coffee & Registration

Introduction to the Conference Program by:
Said Taufik Ridha, Director, Portfolio Management Unit, OPEC Fund

Panel: Navigating Uncertainty in Portfolio Management
The global economy is still grappling with the lingering effects of a global pandemic, geopolitical tensions and energy and climate crisis. These challenges have significantly increased global economic uncertainties - rising inflation, high interest rates and trade and supply chain disruption.   Yet, Portfolio Managers are tasked with safeguarding portfolio assets, delivering value for clients and pre-empting warning signals for the next crises. 

This panel will deliberate and find key insights to navigate an ever evolving business landscape for Portfolio Managers.  

Panellist:
•    Said Taufik Ridha, Director, Portfolio Management Unit, OPEC Fund
•    Stefka Ignatov, Acting Manager – Global Debt Portfolio
•    Marife Apilado, Director, Portfolio Management Division, ADB
•    Alexander Mostovoy, Director, Portfolio Monitoring and Corporate Recovery, BSTDB

Moderated by:
•    Fatima Yakubu, Investment Manager, OPEC Fund

Presentation: Portfolio Management Survey Result by:
Esteban Chediak, Investment Manager, OPEC Fund

World Café, Breakout Sessions:

1 - Achieving the Development Mandate

The assessment of additionality and development impact is context-specific for each project, within the boundaries of each DFI’s development mandate. DFI’s base their private sector operations on clear common principles, with a view to ultimately crowd in private finance. Harmonizing definitions and measurement of additionality and development impact could help DFI’s to become more rigorous and consistent in the implementation of the development mandate.

Questions:

1. What are the most important additionality and development impact measurements in your organization and why?
   1. How are additionality and development impact indicators measured at both project and portfolio level?
   2. Additionality: Is ESG additionality sufficient to invest in a project, or is financial additionality always required?
2. Development Impact: Is there a link between higher risk deals and greater impact (return on investment vs impact)? How is the institution balancing green goals and poverty reduction / reducing inequalities?
3. What are the dilemmas in achieving the additionality and development impact?

Moderated by:
•    Guus Werners, Senior Portfolio Officer, FMO
•    Cynara Salmans, Investment Manager, OPEC Fund
•    Ernesto Aguirre, Investment Manager, OPEC Fund

2 - Enhancing Delivery Models

MDBs and DFIs are under pressure to improve their delivery model to enhance contacts with clients, reduce cost and time as well as generate more impact. The complex economic environment we operate in represents an increasing challenge to better understand the evolution of the credit portfolio and anticipate possible negative events.

At the same time, the technological transformation represents a challenge and an opportunity providing MDBs and DFIs with tools that can extensively enhance the analytical capabilities of portfolio managers using the amount of information delivered by borrowers across markets and geographies.

Questions:

1. To what extent is your organisation investing in the digital transformation with a primary focus on the design of a new delivery model?
2. To what extent is your organisation working on a client portal to outsource number of administrative tasks to the clients and to what extent is the information to and from the clients channelled through a unique entry point rather than through emails?
3. To what extent is your organisation working at more detailed and smart dashboards with the view to capture in a more effective way market trends, sectors developments, countries considerations and vulnerability assessments.
4. To what extent do you believe that it would be most efficient to align the information requested from clients from a credit portfolio management perspective?

Moderated by:
•    Guido Bichisao, Director; Counterparty Management Department; Portfolio Management and Monitoring Directorate, EIB
•    Saud Al Rajhi, Senior Investment Manager, OPEC Fund

3 - Maximising Operational Efficiencies in Portfolio Management

As we navigate an increasingly complex financial landscape, operational efficiency is crucial for sustained growth and success. The session would shed light on how DFIs can leverage technology, streamline processes, and adopt best practices to drive operational efficiency.

The discussion questions are as follow:

1. What are some common inefficiencies in portfolio management and what strategies can we adopt to address these?
2. Can you provide some examples of best practices in operational efficiency that you've implemented in your institutions? What are the challenges you have encountered and how did you overcome them?
3. How can DFIs ensure that their drive for operational efficiency does not compromise the quality of their portfolio management?
4. How can a culture of continuous improvement be fostered within an organization to enhance operational efficiency?
5. How can technology play a role in enhancing operational efficiency in portfolio management?

Moderated by:
•    Cecilia Prieto de. Rabassa, Managing Director, Division Chief Portfolio Management, IDB Invest
•    Eva Gonzalez Calvo, Director, Head of Infrastructure and Energy Portfolio Management, IDB Invest
•    Olumuyiwa Osibanjo, Senior Investment Manager, OPEC Fund

Day 1 Wrap-up Session by:
Said Taufik Ridha, Director, Portfolio Management Unit, OPEC Fund

Arrival & Coffee

Panel: Portfolio Self-Evaluation 
In today's dynamic and complex development landscape, evaluation not only underpins operational efficiency and accountability but also plays a pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness and development impact of operations. 

By shedding light on the "why, what, and how," this EBRD-hosted panel discussion aims to navigate the role of portfolio units in the evaluation spectrum, from project inception to lasting impact.

Discussion items:
•    Evaluation Lifecycle: Explore why we evaluate, what metrics are set during implementation, how we gauge immediate success post-implementation, assess sustainability, and ultimately measure broader impacts.
•    Self-Evaluation: Discuss the methods of introspective assessment and their role in determining what makes a project effective.
•    Independent Evaluation: Understand why external review is crucial, what balances and challenges are involved, and how it informs strategy.
•    Operational Efficiency: Identify the strategies used for resource optimization and how evaluation drives the continuous refinement of operational models. 

Panellist:  
•    Ousmane Fall, Director of NSO and Private Sector Support, AfDB
•    Marek Kiezun, Head of Portfolio Strategy & Analytics, EBRD
•    Celia van Niekerk, Turnaround Specialist, DBSA
•    Eelco van den Berge, Senior Portfolio Officer, FMO  
 
Moderated by:
Malik Faraoun, Investment Manager, OPEC Fund

Coffee Break

Brainstorming Session: Strengthening Partnership

Moderated by:
Said Taufik Ridha, Director, Portfolio Management Unit, OPEC Fund