Scientific Beta

Eric Shirbini, Business Development Director for Europe at ERI Scientific Beta, has been invited to participate in a debate for the benefit of pension trustees and executives organised by the Pension Investment Academy on the theme, "This house believes that pension funds do not benefit from Alpha and should only invest in Smart Beta to Generate Positive Net Returns".

Eric Shirbini, Business Development Director for Europe at ERI Scientific Beta, has been invited to participate in a debate for the benefit of pension trustees and executives organised by the Pension Investment Academy on the theme, "This house believes that pension funds do not benefit from Alpha and should only invest in Smart Beta to Generate Positive Net Returns".

The debate, taking place at Westminster Business School in London on 24 September, 2013 will focus on the following questions: 

• Is the single-minded pursuit of alpha as smart a strategy as conventional wisdom would suggest?
• Is Smart Beta a genuinely alternative solution in the traditional often binary active or passive investment approach?
• Can pension funds really find the holy grail of Alpha consistently at a reasonable cost?
• Do smart beta strategies really deliver any better net returns when compared to active or passive?
• Are some assets classes better suited towards delivering alpha?
• Are smart beta strategies seen by some in the industry as a way towards preserving relatively high fees they currently charge to pension funds for delivering alpha?
• What should pension funds really pay for alpha or smart beta?

Fellow participants include Andrew Dyson of Affiliated Managers Group, Helge Kostka from Research Affiliates Global Advisors (Europe), William Low of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, and Mark Tapley from Lloyds Register Superannuation Fund Association.