November 7, 2008 | Sheraton Hotel New York
Wharton Finance Conference 2008 Perspectives on Global Finance: Building a Competitive Edge

Wharton Finance Conference 2008


Panels

Corporate Finance: "From Client to Partner"

Once upon a time, relationship bankers were primarily focused on building relationships with CEOs. Nowadays, CFOs and other corporate finance and strategy executives have remarkably increased power to advise on strategic moves, and more than ever they rely on the advice of investment bankers.

This trend is evidenced by an increasingly large proportion of ex-investment bankers working at former clients in their corporate finance and internal M&A departments. This panel seeks to explore the evolving relationship between investment bankers and the corporate finance and strategy functions, specifically as it relates to immediate challenges each face in their roles, and the means by which investment banks are changing their coverage strategies to meet the needs of this increasingly sophisticated clientele.

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Current Events: "Feeding, Fueling, and Housing the World: Commodity Markets in the 21st Century"

Commodity markets are making headlines with rising oil prices and the increase of sophisticated hedging strategies. This panel will examine current drivers in the commodities bull market, explore the role that ‘speculation’ has potentially had in inflating prices in the only remaining physical delivery market, and analyze how corporations are using commodities not only as hedges but at mainstays of their portfolio mixes.

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Playing in a World of Alternative Investments 2.0

As the turmoil in the financial markets continues and the financial landscape changes, what impact will this have on the future of Alternative Investments? This Panel will discuss the current status of the credit markets and how the changing dynamics of the financial markets due to possible regulation and legislation will impact how deals will be structured going forward. The panel will also discuss how the lines are blurring between Venture Capital, Private Equity and Hedge Funds, and what firms will do to maintain a competitive advantage.

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Investment Banking: "Regulating and Managing Unidentifiable Risks"

This panel will discuss the changing regulatory environment of investment banking: how it has evolved over time, which recent events have prompted current proposed regulations, who benefits and who loses? We will also discuss whether recent regulations have improved the efficiency of the markets, what has really changed, and whether there is a way to prevent the losses that companies endured during the last crisis? This panel will also touch on the primary issues surrounding cross border transactions and sovereign fund investments and what will be done in the future to regulate the activity of clients such as hedge funds.

Panelists:

  • Moderator: Dennis Berman, Deputy Bureau Chief, Wall Street Journal
  • Steven A. Friedman, Managing Director, Co-Head of FIG Americas and Head of North American Banks, UBS Investment Bank
  • Paul Pepe, Head, Americas Corporate Finance Group, Merrill Lynch
  • Jane Sadowsky, Senior Managing Director, Evercore
  • Ann Wyman, Managing Director and Senior Economist, Citi

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Careers: "Careers in Finance: Maintaining a Recruiting Edge Through Tough Cycles"

Business cycles are never the same and most careers in finance are directly affected by market cyclicality. The recruiting environment for finance positions is always competitive, even when markets peak. With the added complexity of a slowing economy, successfully navigating the recruiting process becomes more challenging. We present this panel as a guide for students in the midst of the down cycle recruiting season.

Panelists:

  • Moderator: Jacqueline M. Dinella, Manager, MBA Campus Recruiting, UBS Investment Bank
  • Ben Frost, Executive Director, Mergers and Acquisitions, Morgan Stanley
  • Jeff Lipkin, Managing Director, Credit Suisse
  • Avi Raval, Healthcare Investment Banking, J.P. Morgan
  • Tara Udut, Head of Campus Recruiting, Barclays Capital

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Sales & Trading: "Mitigating Risk versus Profiting from Volatility"
How Will Future Trading Desks be Organized?

The US economy has led the global downturn, driven mainly by the credit crisis and weakening economy. Recently, the US government has taken extraordinary steps to ease the strain on the markets in an attempt to bring the confidence back. Yet, the pain in the markets continues and many problems remain. In this environment, we look at trading strategies and growth prospects in light of unclear economic cycles, upcoming US elections, ailing debt markets, highly volatile equity markets, problems in emerging markets and increasing role of government in capital markets.

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