Practitioners’ talk on asset management
The exchange between financial research and practice is an important concern for us. We are therefore extremely pleased to be able to present two lectures this year in which top-class speakers from the field will report on the application of scientific methods in the area of asset management. On the one hand, we were able to win the CEO of one of the largest German pension institutions, Dr. Stefan Nellshen from Bayer Pensionskasse, for a presentation. He is responsible for approximately EUR 24 billion assets under management and will report on asset allocation in the context of asset liability management. On the other hand, Dr. Alexander Witkowski will report on setting up a private markets portfolio as part of the asset allocation of the fund for financing the nuclear waste disposal (KENFO) set up in 2017. After the presentations, there will be an opportunity to exchange ideas with the speakers.
“An Application of Financial Theory in Asset-Liability-Management in an Occupational Pension Institution”
Stefan Nellshen
Dr. Nellshen (born in 1967) studied mathematics (including actuarial science) and economics at University of Cologne, Germany. He received his PhD in mathematics in 1994 (University of Cologne). He started his career in the life-insurance-industry and joined Bayer in 1998. There he worked in several finance-functions. In 2003 he became Chief Financial Officer and in January 2017 additionally Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of all German pension institutions related to Bayer, especially Bayer-Pensionskasse VVaG and Rheinische Pensionskasse VVaG. He is responsible for all financial results, risks and status of Bayer’s pension plans world-wide providing for some kind of minimum guaranteed benefits (Assets under Management: ca. 24 billion EUR).
“Insights from KENFO - Private Markets Portfolio Construction at Germany‘s First Sovereign Fund”
Alexander Witkowski
Dr. Alexander Witkowski is Investment Manager at KENFO. He is responsible for the KENFO private equity investments. Before that, Dr. Witkowski was Portfolio Manager at the KZVK Pension Fund where he has also built a global private equity portfolio. Next to his role at KENFO, Dr. Witkowski is part-time lecturer at the Rotterdam School of Management. He holds a Doctorate degree in Corporate Finance from the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management. KENFO the fund for financing the nuclear waste disposal is largest foundation under public law in Germany with around EUR 24 billion AUM. It reimburses the federal government a three-digit million amount annually for the costs of safe interim and final storage of the nuclear waste in Germany.