Private Markets Pensions Investment Forum

This high‑energy session showcases six private markets opportunities with particular relevance to UK pension investors, focusing on where the UK has genuine strengths and where demand is accelerating across LGPS, DC and DB schemes. Each presenter will make an evidence‑based case for why their opportunity deserves a clearer, more deliberate role in future pension portfolios, and what this means for how managers position, structure and deliver solutions to UK schemes.

Presenters will address:

1. The structural forces shaping the opportunity, including supply, demand, regulation, innovation and UK competitive advantage
2. How the investment behaves in an overall portfolio context – cashflow, diversification, resilience, liquidity pathways
3. The key constraints for UK schemes, and what these mean for implementation, governance scale and access

Together, these presentations translate high‑level private markets strategy into practical building blocks, showing how managers are tailoring their offerings to meet the demands of investors across the UK pensions landscape.

Presentation 1: Life Sciences – The UK’s Deep-Tech Advantage

Life sciences remain one of the UK’s strongest innovation engines, with world‑class research institutions, proven commercialisation pathways and growing specialist capital. This session examines how life‑sciences investing behaves across venture, growth and specialist private‑markets strategies, where the UK’s competitive advantages lie, and how investors can access opportunities without taking binary scientific risk.  Our speaker will explore the structural drivers of demand – ageing demographics, biotech platforms, AI‑enabled drug discovery – and outline how UK schemes can participate through secondaries, specialist funds and scaled platforms that convert scientific breakthroughs into resilient long‑term value.

Presentation 2: Social Housing – Resilient Cashflows and Real Economy Impact

Social housing has become a growing private‑markets allocation for UK schemes, offering inflation‑linked cashflows, long‑term resilience and alignment with real‑economy needs. This session examines the structural drivers – demographic pressure, supply shortages, regulatory evolution – and how these shape risk, return and governance. Our speaker will discuss the behaviour of social‑housing assets under different rate environments, the importance of operator quality and regulatory oversight, and how UK investors can access the sector through pooled vehicles, long‑lease structures and specialist managers. S/he will highlight where demand is growing and how schemes can position allocations responsibly and effectively.

Presentation 3: Blended Finance – Crowding in Capital For Scalable Solutions

Blended finance is emerging as a powerful mechanism for mobilising institutional capital into areas traditionally constrained by risk, scale or policy uncertainty. This session explores how first‑loss capital, guarantees and structured partnerships can unlock investable opportunities in climate, regeneration and social infrastructure. Our speaker will examine where blended finance has already delivered strong outcomes for leading UK schemes, how risk‑sharing structures behave in a total‑portfolio context, and what governance and due‑diligence frameworks are required. S/he will outline how managers are designing products that meet fiduciary standards while enabling schemes to access opportunities previously out of reach.

Presentation 4: Infrastructure 2.0 – Transition, Digital and Adaptation

Infrastructure is entering a new phase driven by the energy transition, digital networks and climate adaptation. This session outlines the characteristics of these next‑generation assets – inflation protection, long‑term cashflows, resilience to rate volatility – and how they behave in institutional portfolios. Our speaker will explore the UK’s competitive strengths in digital infrastructure, grid modernisation and transition platforms, and how schemes can access opportunities efficiently through pooled vehicles, co‑investment structures and specialist partnerships. S/he will highlight where demand is rising and how infrastructure can anchor long‑term private‑markets allocations.

Presentation 5: Private Credit – Turmoil, Re-pricing and the Case for Resilience

Recent turmoil in the private credit markets – including valuation pressures, liquidity stress, covenant erosion and uneven underwriting discipline – has raised legitimate concerns about sustainability and risk.  Yet these disruptions have also created one of the most attractive entry points in years. This session assesses how repricing, tighter spreads, improved lender protections and more disciplined markets are reshaping the opportunity. Our speaker will examine where risks remain elevated, where resilience is strongest, and how private credit behaves under different macro regimes. S/he will outline how UK schemes should position allocations, which segments offer the most robust risk‑adjusted returns, and how managers are evolving products to meet governance, transparency and liquidity requirements.

Presentation 6: Impact Investing – When Impact IS the Return

Impact investing is evolving beyond niche allocations into a disciplined private markets strategy where measurable outcomes drive financial performance. This session examines the structural forces behind this shift – regulatory pressure, consumer behaviour, transition economics – and how impact assets behave in an overall portfolio context. Our speaker will discuss evidence for return persistence in climate, regeneration, local investment and social‑outcome strategies, the governance frameworks required to ensure integrity, and how UK schemes can access scalable, outcome‑driven opportunities. S/he will outline how managers are designing products where impact is not a trade‑off but a core driver of long‑term value.