Global tech leader to speak in New Zealand next week

Nikko AM is delighted to confirm that ARK Invest CEO (and CIO) Cathie Wood will be amongst the speakers at its FOREWORD Investment Insights forums, to be held next week in Wellington and Auckland.

Cathie Wood is recognised as one of the world’s leading voices on disruptive innovation; a term that encompasses game-changing fields like robotics, energy storage and artificial intelligence. She has been named by Bloomberg as one of the top 50 people who define global business and has also been selected by Fortune to be part of its Investors Guide roundtable of experts.

ARK’s approach is as innovative as the industries it invests in, using social media to create a collaborative research ‘ecosystem’ that fuels the pace of progress.

“One of the first things I ever learned coming up through the ranks as a research analyst was that the easiest way to let opportunity slip through the cracks was to follow the status quo,” says Cathie Wood.

“By focusing on neglected and widely misunderstood stocks, we’re not only creating long-term investment value, but ultimately supporting the technology that will have a hugely positive influence over the lives of future generations.”

The influence of disruption, and the ability to navigate through it, is highlighted by the theme of this year’s FOREWORD, ‘The Ripple Effect of Change’.

“In an increasingly connected world, the environment for investors and business is now extremely challenging; vulnerable to a single action, decision or comment that might be made in another continent,” says Nikko AM NZ Managing Director George Carter.

“Trade wars, government policies and a race for technological dominance all contribute to a pervading sense of volatility. But amid the turbulence, we see opportunity.”

As well as hosting the forums, George Carter will examine the current and future role of robo-advice for financial institutions, referencing Nikko AM’s own GoalsGetter platform it launched this year. Head of Bonds and Currency for Nikko AM NZ, Fergus McDonald, will pose and seek to answer the question of whether interest rates are part of the problem or part of the solution; and Portfolio Manager NZ Equities, Michael Sherrock, will talk about the big squeeze and margin pressures taking place in the economy right now.

Also flying in to speak at FOREWORD is Nikko AM’s Investment Director of Global Equities Iain Fulton, who will explore why a focus on quality, sustainability and ethics is becoming an ever more powerful navigation tool for investors through periods of disruption.

“Where once the integration of sustainable practice was viewed as a business cost, it is now seen as an intrinsic value,” says Fulton.

“Good companies tend to make good investments. Millennial and Generation Z consumers are far more informed about the provenance of their goods and services, and will make choices that go beyond their immediate, individual needs. This is why ESG is now such an integral consideration in today’s investment market.”

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