The Allen & Overy Podcast archive

Women in Funds: Conversation with Anna Budd and Ruth Jackson at Hines

In this episode of Women in Funds, Funds & Asset Management partner Emma Danforth (London) and associate William Michell (London) have an insightful discussion with Anna Budd, Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Legal at Hines, and Ruth Jackson, Managing Director and Deputy Fund Manager at Hines. The conversation revolves around a range of diversity, equity & inclusion and career development topics, including the value of mentorship, how to thrive in a male-dominated industry, career advice to junior female professionals, and generational diversity in the workplace.

About speakers

Anna Budd is a Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Legal at Hines overseeing a global team of over 40 people. Since joining the firm in 2017, she now has prime responsibility for all legal operations outside the US spanning Europe and APAC, as well as overseeing legal support for Hines’ global investment management business. Anna has significant experience in real estate investments, developments, financing, corporate transactions, as well as real estate funds and joint ventures. Anna plays a key role in Hines’ D&I efforts, most notably through her role as Co-Chair of the One Hines Women’s Network. Anna is also part of Hines’ mentoring programme, mentoring several women both inside and outside Hines.

Ruth Jackson is a Managing Director and Deputy Fund Manager at Hines. She joined Hines in July 2018 and is the Deputy Fund Manager for the flagship Hines European Value Fund Series which manages c.€1.8bn of equity across the first two funds and is fundraising now for HEVF 3, raising over €1.45bn to date with final closing in November. Prior to Hines, she was the Portfolio Manager on a +€3.0 billion pan-European open-ended Fund at Invesco Real Estate for approximately 5 years. Ruth started her career, after graduating from Cambridge University, at JLL advising clients on investments and developments in central London.

Indonesian startups in a changing investment climate

The current global economic sentiment has affected the fundraising efforts of Indonesian startups, especially in later funding rounds, as companies encounter challenges in justifying their previous valuations. There is a notable shift occurring in the mindsets of both investors and founders, with an increasing focus on profitability and EBITDA as key performance measures. In this episode, we delve into the evolving dynamics of Indonesian startups.

The recent regulatory and enforcement developments regarding Artificial Intelligence usage in the financial services sector

Join Allen & Overy partners Gene Ingoglia and Claire Rajan as they analyze the regulatory enforcement developments in the world of AI. In this podcast,  Gene and Claire  dive into SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s speech to the National Press Club on July 17, and provide their insight on the four key areas discussed by Mr Gensler; (i) The potential for conflicts of interest; (ii) The potential for fraud and deception; (iii) The impact on privacy and intellectual property issues - so, whose data is it?; (iv) The impact on financial stability. This speech was soon followed by the SEC’s new proposed rulemaking, which Gene and Claire give their view on and how this will affect the regulation of the AI space moving forward.

Gene and Claire also discuss the Fed weighing in on AI’s impact on the financial sector and the probe launched into the use of AI in the securities industry by Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin, by seeking information from firms using or developing AI on what supervisory procedures are in place and how they plan to use AI. 

Regulatory developments in carbon leakage and carbon border adjustment mechanisms

In this episode of A&O’s sustainability podcast series, Matthew Townsend, Arthur Sauzay and Ying-Peng Chin from A&O’s International Environmental, Climate and Regulatory Law Group discuss recent regulatory developments in carbon leakage and carbon border adjustment mechanisms, in particular the EU CBAM and key global trends in this space.

Market Horizons: What does the EU Green Bond Regulation mean for securitisation?

In this second episode of Allen & Overy’s Market Horizons podcast series on the political agreement of the draft EU Green Bond Regulation, Maria Green, a Counsel PSL who supports A&O global securitisation practice, and Axel de Backer, a Senior Associate in A&O’s Banking & International Capital Markets practice in Brussels, look at this new Regulation from the securitisation perspective.

Together, they analyse why the new European Green Bond label could present challenges for securitisation transactions and give rise to new complex disclosure considerations.

In addition to this podcast, please also refer to the discussion of the draft Regulation from the mainstream debt perspective, which was covered in the podcast of 29 June 2023 “The EU Goes for gold with its Green Bond Regulation” and a related article.

A primer to Indonesia digital banks

In this episode, we will be discussing the massive growth of digital banks in Indonesia. Our senior associate, Sam Samid along with associate, Agnes Guntara, will touch upon what a digital bank is from a legal perspective and what has been driving banks’ appetite for digitalisation in recent years, including the regulatory hurdles that investors should be aware of.

Solvency II

In this podcast, Kate McInerney and Louisa Innes-Wilkin discuss the key upcoming changes to Solvency II, and in particular, the reform proposals set out in the Consultation Paper published on 22 June 2023 (CP 12/23). 

Pillar Two and M&A – How the new global minimum rate of tax is impacting M&A

In this podcast, our tax experts explore some practical implications that Pillar Two could have on M&A transactions and documentation. 

Tax PSL Counsel Brin Rajathurai discusses various topics with Tax Partner Godfried Kinnegim and Tax Counsel Gareth Banfield, including:

• A refresher on Pillar Two and where we are with implementation
• Pillar Two's impact on documentation and risk allocation in M&A transactions and joint ventures
• Understanding Pillar Two's wider impact on deal structure, pricing, and modelling
• The importance of monitoring developments and having a flexible, cooperative approach

Greenwashing risk - key considerations and priorities for banks

The response of individual banks and the wider banking industry to climate change is coming under increasingly intense scrutiny from policymakers, regulators, shareholders and other stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations and the general public.  

Banks are facing a rapidly expanding body of laws, regulations and guidelines that require them to disclose detailed information about their efforts to decarbonise their operations and business models.

In parallel, they are being challenged to verify and validate the sustainability of ‘green’ financial products that they are developing to meet the needs of their customers around the world.

As banks navigate this fast-evolving landscape, understanding and mitigating the risks of regulatory sanction and litigation relating to greenwashing and making potentially misleading claims has become a pressing priority for boards and senior management.  

In the first in a series of podcasts exploring current and emerging developments shaping the future of banking, A&O partners Andrew Denny, head of the firm’s Global Business and Human Rights Practice, and Matt Townsend, co-head of the International Environment, Climate and Regulatory Law Group, join Roger Lui, partner and co-head of the Global Bank Sector team, to discuss the most significant issues and trends that directors and senior executives should consider.

Recovery and resolution for distressed insurers

In this podcast, Kate McInerney and Lucy Aconley discuss the UK Treasury’s proposal for an insurance recovery and resolution regime, and provide an update on the changes to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 discussed in the previous podcast.