This event is open only to client side marketers from private markets firms. Please note, there are limited spaces and all registrations will be reviewed, and approved attendees will receive a calendar invite.
Regulatory and policy changes, as well as product innovations, are opening the private markets space to new investors in the retail and wealth spaces. At the same time, the sector is facing headlines that raise questions about liquidity constraints and what this means for investor trust. For many private markets firms, this means developing a new approach to brand-building and marketing as a whole.
We’re excited to be running an exclusive roundtable discussion with marketers in the private markets space at the offices of HarbourVest in Piccadilly on 13 October to discuss the challenges and opportunities. To allow the free sharing of insight, the lightly chaired discussion will be conducted under Chatham House Rules.
We will cover topics including:
- Building brand trust and reputation
- The power of educational content
- Partnerships with mainstream asset managers
We will be setting the scene with recent research conducted by Phronesis Partners in partnership with the FT in Q2 2026. The research is based on 200 interviews with wealth managers and financial advisors in both the UK and the US, exploring the nature of advisor/ client conversations about Private Markets.
Key questions the research answers:
• What drives manager selection in private markets
• Which firms are seen as the go-to partners, at a total PM level and by sub-asset class
• Preferences for Private Market “Specialists” or “Whole of Market” firms
• How advisors identify suitable clients for private market conversations
• The questions end-clients are asking and why it’s about more than just liquidity
• How private credit redemption headlines are influencing advisor sentiment
Chaired By:
Kathryn Shiplee, Executive Director, Head of Global Brand & Communications, IFM Investors
Kathryn Shiplee is Executive Director, Head of Global Brand & Communications at IFM Investors, where she leads the organisation’s global brand and communications strategy. She previously spent more than seven years at AXA Investment Managers, latterly as Global Head of Brand & Communications, with responsibility spanning brand strategy, corporate messaging, digital channels, advertising and internal communications. Kathryn has also held senior brand and marketing roles at BlackRock and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, bringing more than two decades of experience across global investment management, brand strategy, advertising and communications.
Speakers:
Stephen Whitten, Practice Lead, Asset and Wealth Management, Phronesis Partners
Stephen has worked in market research for 25 years, across both agency and client side. He spent 12+ years client-side at BlackRock initially focusing on building the iShares ETF brand in Europe before heading up the Global Market Insights team. In this role his team was responsible for several enterprise level studies including BlackRock’s Client Satisfaction program, the Global Investor Pulse study, and other global brand and reputation programs. In addition Stephen worked closely with the BLK Alts team to understand its competitive positioning and build a compelling value proposition.
