Room151’s LGPS & Bonds Roundtable

I joined Border to Coast in 2023 as a Fixed-Income Portfolio Manager, where I am jointly responsible for the active management of both a UK Index-linked Bond Fund and an Emerging Market Sovereign Debt Fund.

Before joining Border to Coast, I spent 7-years at Nikko Asset Management. My principal role was as an Emerging Market Debt Portfolio Manager. However, in addition, I also provided extensive coverage of major developed markets for the firm’s flagship macro fixed income strategy. I was also responsible for developing the firm’s sovereign sustainability framework.

Before that, I worked at Schroders for 9 years, where, for the most part, I was an analyst in the multi-asset team with a focus on Fixed Income.

Sally is an actuary with extensive executive, advisory and non-executive experience across pensions and investment, spanning the private and public sectors. She served as a non-executive director on the board of Impax Asset Management Group plc from 2015 and as Chair from 2020 until 2024. Sally’s impact as Chair at Impax was highlighted in 2023 when she won Non-Executive Director of the Year (FTSE AIM category) at the NED Awards in London. The award particularly recognised her leadership on sustainability, governance, diversity & inclusion, and stakeholder management.

Sally is Chair of the Development Bank of Wales, and has experience as a trustee and non-executive director includes Investment Committee Chair at Nest, and Chair at Local Pensions Partnership Investments, the latter from its inception in 2015 through to 2023. She serves on the boards of two insurers, Pension Insurance Corporation and RSA, and as Chair at BelleVie Care.

Sally strong interest in stakeholder relations is reflected across multiple roles, including her current position as Honorary Group Captain in 601 Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, providing insights from business and finance to the senior leadership team at the Royal Air Force.

John is Independent Advisor for Governance and Investment to the Pension Funds of the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Haringey, and Waltham Forest. John is also Independent Chair of the Merseyside Pension Board and is  Advisor to the Nottinghamshire Pension Board.

John has also provided support to a number of other LGPS Funds and other LGPS stakeholders including Asset Managers.

John was previously Head of two LGPS Funds and a Chief Officer in local government for approximately twenty years. This included appointments as Director of Finance/Chief Finance (Section 151) Officer of both a London Borough and County Council.

John is Qualified CIPFA Accountant, holds the Investment Management Certificate of the CFA UK, a MBA (with distinction) in Public Service Management from the University of Stirling, and a BA in Ancient and Medieval History from the University of Sheffield.

John has been a frequent panellist and moderator at both Investment and Local Government Pension Scheme conferences and seminars.

Chris Ellis is a member of Barings’ European High Yield Investment Group and is responsible for the portfolio management of numerous strategies. He is also a voting member of the European High Yield Investment Committee. Chris has worked in the industry since 2011. Prior to joining the firm in 2013, Chris worked for Deloitte on the Transaction Advisory Services team. Prior to this, Chris worked within Assurance Services, focusing on the Banking and Capital Markets sector. Chris qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011 and holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Business Studies from the University of Warwick.

An experienced financial journalist who was previously deputy editor at portfolio institutional. Winner of the 2023 WTW Media Awards in the category DB Pensions Journalist of the year.