Juristconsult Investment Summit 2024 @ Andrea Lodges was a successful event that brought together industry leaders, experts, and professionals to discuss the latest trends and developments in ESG, Fintech, and Dispute Resolution.
The Summit was held on April 18, 2024, at the Andrea Lodges in Mauritius, and featured panel discussions, keynote speeches, and networking opportunities. The only Investment Summit, taking place in Nature. Key highlights by the Guest of Honour:
Mr. Aziz Mebarek, Founding & Co-Managing Partner, Africinvest, Guest of honour of the Summit, Aziz Mebarek, Founding and Co-Managing Partner of AfricInvest, delivered a keynote address highlighting the success of the Mauritius International Financial Centre (MIFC) in attracting regional and global investors. The MauritiusIFC is fully compliant with the highest international standards, making it a destination of choice for African fund managers to structure complex multi-country transactions through special purpose vehicles (SPVs) or holding companies controlling African assets. To Mr. Aziz Mebarek, the MauritiusIFC remains an important destination for pan-African and Indian fund managers, thanks to the diligent approach of the country’s financial policymakers. A continued proactive strategy to market its strengths and meet the evolving needs of these managers is essential to its future growth.
Agenda:
The Summit featured six panel discussions, a keynote speech, networking opportunities and a welcome address by Marc Hein SC, G.O.S.K, Chairman of Juristconsult Chambers. At the Investment Summit held at the stunning Andrea Lodges, Mr. Marc Hein SC, G.O.S.K, Chairman of Juristconsult Chambers, elucidated the purpose of the event as a platform for discussing how we can contribute to our country’s development. He emphasized the importance of aligning our investment strategies with nature, which can lead to better investment outcomes and promote ESG principles.
The Summit covers various sectors and brings together both private and public sector stakeholders. According to Mr. Hein, investment plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life for everyone and contributes to overall happiness.
Mr. Hein also shared a personal philosophy he likes a lot which is ‘Utilitarianism,’ developed by Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism emphasizes the principle of maximizing happiness and minimizing suffering for the greatest number of people. By applying this philosophy to investment decisions, we can ensure that our actions contribute to the greater good and promote sustainable development.
The panel discussions covered a wide range of topics, including ESG integration in wealth management, impact investing, data processing, AI & Fintech, dispute avoidance & dispute resolution, and the Mauritius International Financial, Administrative and Corporate Centre.
Ashvin Deena
MCB Private Banking, the exclusive Platinum Sponsor to the Summit shared they remain very confident and very positive about the outlook of the Mauritian financial centre. Ashvin Deena, Head of Global and International Corporates from MCB thinks that Mauritius would gain more specialisation as a Mauritian financial centre and demonstrate its strengths. Ashvin shared that as a Bank responding to Mauritius, MCB will continue to serve its clients, especially the African client, help and contribute to create more specialisation in the Mauritian financial centre.
Pratima Nundoorsing
Pratima Nundoorsing, Strategy and Projects Manager, MCB Private and Wealth Management quoted “ In line with MCB raison d’etre, we are proud to sponsor such initiatives, promoting sustainability, innovation and fintech as these topics are crucial for the financial ecosystem and the country.”
Vaneeta Bickoo Brelu-Brelu
Vaneeta Bickoo Brelu-Brelu, Business Development Manager of DTOS shared, her role revolves around corporate structuring, specializing in cross-border investments and fund administration. Impact and ESG are at the forefront of our discussions, where she emphasizes the importance of directing capital towards businesses and projects addressing critical global challenges like climate change and poverty alleviation. Having worked extensively in Africa, including living in Nairobi, she witnessed firsthand the pressing issues of poverty and malnutrition that impact the continent. Transitioning from a molecular biologist to a finance professional has allowed me to leverage her influence to drive impactful change at a higher level, bridging the gap between decision-makers and those directly affected. She believes that impact is a collective effort involving various stakeholders, and as individuals, we all have a role to play in fostering positive change. This journey has led her to advocate for impactful investments and societal contributions, a topic she is passionate about discussing and promoting.
Mickaël Apaya
Mickaël Apaya, Chief Sustainability and Inclusive Development Executive of Rogers said “je pense que c’est important qu’on discute de ce theme important qui est le ‘sustainability’. Il faudrait une coordination Nationale car dans différentes définitions de ESG, on a besoin d’avoir un alignement au niveau international et ça c’est vraiment les autorités publiques, les Corps Paraétatiques, qui doivent pouvoir définir le cadre et ensuite l’entreprise en tant que practitioner pourrai arriver à mettre en œuvre aller chercher les donnés et faire du reporting structurer pour démontrer de l’impacte ».
Deepa Alleck
Deepa Alleck, Fund Manager, Equities, Swan Capital Solutions shared that she’s really thankful to have Juristconsult bringing the discussion forward on ESG investing. If we want to ensure we go in the right direction & truly make a positive impact on the world, we need to listen to the ESG criticism as well & action on how to remedy on these.
Afsar Ebrahim
Afsar Ebrahim, Executive Director, KICK Advisory said that this is an important annual event for KICK to mark its presence at the Summit as the topic of ESG concerns all of us being now a matter of international interest, where we need to focus to improve the country’s climate to ensure the future generation benefit from the actions we take today.
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At the Closing Speech, Nicolas Richard, Managing Partner of the Juristconsult Chambers, expressed his gratitude to the distinguished panelists, speakers, and participants who shared their expertise, insights, and experiences throughout this conference. Their contributions have undoubtedly enriched our understanding of the subjects discussed. He encourages to carry forward the knowledge, ideas, and the spirit of responsibility that have infused these discussions, be inspired to integrate ESG principles into our wealth management practices and invest with a purpose and process data sustainably.
