Fund fees and costs: Evolving regulatory expectations and how to assess value

Event Details

Free


Date and Time

Thu, 15 April 2021

13:00 - 14:00


Location

Online Via Zoom

Event Details

Free


Date and Time

Thu, 15 April 2021

13:00 - 14:00


Location

Online Via Zoom

Event details
+

Funds by IOB in association with Certified Investment Fund Director Institute held a live event on 15 April, with over 300 participants joining us to hear from our excellent speakers. The panellists, Kevin Mullen, Nicholas Blake-Knox and Sarah Gibb-Cohen, together with moderator Eoin FitzGerald, shared their deep knowledge, providing practical insights on both the regulatory expectations and the important areas of focus for fund management companies on this important topic. 

Watch a recording of the webinar here:


ESMA has announced a common supervisory action (CSA) which will examine compliance with the costs-related provisions in the UCITS framework, including the obligation that UCITS do not charge investors with “undue costs”.

This follows the supervisory briefing by ESMA in 2020 relating to this topic, with the CSA also looking at compliance with the revenue related obligations set out in the ESMA Guidelines on ETFs and Other UCITS Issues. Costs of retail products is a strategic supervisory priority for EU regulators, while in the UK the FCA requires fund managers to publish an annual Assessment of Value.

This event will cover these issues in detail and provide guidance on both the regulatory expectations and the important areas of focus for fund management companies. We are delighted to be joined by Eoin FitzGerald from BBH, Nicholas Blake-Knox from Walkers , Sarah Gibb-Cohen from Vanguard and Kevin Mullen from the Central Bank of Ireland.

This event will be particularly relevant to directors, senior management and staff of Fund Management Companies (i.e. UCITS ManCos or AIFMs), Fund directors, Designated Persons and other industry professionals within fund service providers and advisory firms


The event will be held over Zoom. Please ensure you have access to Zoom in advance of the event taking place. Zoom is available on all PCs, laptops, tablets and Apple or Android devices. The link to join the event will be emailed to registered members on the day of the event.

The registration for the event will close once we reach capacity or at 12pm the day before the event.

There is 1 hour available for this event for the areas:

  • MCC Savings and Investments

  • LCOI

  • CIFD

  • AFP

  • Professional Banker (PB)

Nicholas Blake-Knox

Nicholas Blake-Knox is a partner and head of the Asset Management and Investment Funds Group at Walkers in their Irish office. He advises some of the largest asset management firms globally on a range of asset management and investment fund-related matters, including the establishment, authorisation and operation of all types of Irish investment funds. Nicholas has twenty years' experience in the area of asset management and investment funds and has worked in both legal and finance related positions during this time.

He is admitted in Ireland and England and Wales (non-practising), and holds a Bachelor of Business and Legal Studies (BBLS) from University College Dublin, a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from London Business School and a Diploma in Applied Finance Law from the Law Society of Ireland. Nicholas currently sits on the Alternative Investment Fund Working Group and Brexit Steering Group at Irish Funds.

He has spoken at a wide range of investment fund conferences, and is a member of the faculty and advisory council of the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute. Prior to joining Walkers, Nicholas worked for a number of years at the global asset management firm, PIMCO, where he headed the legal function responsible for its EMEA funds business.

Nicholas Blake-Knox

Kevin Mullen

Head of Policy Division CBI

Kevin Mullen was appointed as the Head of Markets Policy at the Central Bank of Ireland in 2019.

Kevin joined the Central Bank in 2017 with responsibility for leading supervision and inspections across asset management firms and fund service providers.

He has over 20 years risk management and compliance experience across retail and wholesale financial services, including prior roles as Chief Risk Officer for CHAPS, the UK high value payment system, and a number of senior risk roles across the financial services and consultancy sectors with Bank of Ireland and KPMG.

Kevin is Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments

Kevin Mullen

Eoin FitzGerald

Eoin FitzGerald is a Managing Director and Country Head for Brown Brothers Harriman in Ireland.

Eoin has over 30 years of financial services experience having previously served as a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and as a Director of AIB/ BNY Fund Services (Ireland) Limited (now BNY Mellon Fund Services (Ireland) Limited).

Eoin is a member of the Consultative Working Group at the Investment Management Steering Committee of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).

He is also a member of the Council of Irish Funds and of the IFSC Funds group.

Eoin is a director of Brown Brothers Harriman Trustee Services (Ireland) Limited, Brown Brothers Harriman Trustee Services (Hong Kong) Limited and Brown Brothers Harriman Institutional Trust Company of New York, LLC.

He also serves on the board of the funds industry charity, Basis Point. Eoin is a graduate of University College Dublin.

Eoin FitzGerald

Sarah Gibb-Cohen

Sarah Gibb-Cohen is a Senior Manager within Vanguard Europe’s Portfolio Review Department.

She is responsible for the maintenance of Vanguard’s investment products and conducting investment reviews with intermediary and institutional clients.

Sarah joined Vanguard in 2011 and has worked within Sales, Transition Management and Product Strategy before joining Product Management in 2018.

Prior to Vanguard, Sarah was an Investment Consultant at Mercer, providing strategy, asset allocation and manager selection advice to DB and DC pension schemes.

Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Management from the University of Nottingham and is a CFA Charterholder.

Sarah Gibb-Cohen