Insurance Investing in Times of High Inflation
When interest rates hit record lows, many institutional investors felt that bonds had lost their defensive qualities, while bonds certainly did not generate enough yield to cover insurance liabilities. In this environment, Avant Mutual decided to pivot to absolute return strategies and explore alternative asset classes.
But when Craig Lamb joined Avant Mutual in April last year, he found the investment climate had very much changed. Rates were up, but inflation even more so. How does an insurance company invest in this environment?
In this luncheon presentation, Craig will discuss his approach to insurance investing and how the current economic climate has shaped his approach.
He will give an insight into the unique objectives and challenges for Avant and delve into some of the changes he made to the investment portfolios since taking on the role of Chief Investment Officer.
About the Speaker
Craig Lamb is Chief Investment Officer with Avant Mutual, a medical defence organisation that offers insurance products and services to health practitioners across Australia.
Before joining Avant in April 2022, Craig was Head of Investment Strategy at AIA Australia and its predecessor CommInsure, which was acquired by AIA in April 2021. There, Craig had responsibility for developing, implementing and reporting on investment strategies, covering around $13bn in FUM.
Before joining CommInsure in 2013, Craig was Head of Investments at Suncorp and had responsibility for providing advice and implementing investment solutions relating to asset allocation, manager selection and mandates for the Suncorp Group.
Prior to joining Suncorp in 2007, Craig spent 5 years at Henderson Global investors in London in a variety of investment roles and 6 years in AMP in a variety of actuarial roles. He has experience in liability driven investment solutions, asset/liability management and portfolio management.
Craig holds a master’s degree in economics and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.
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