Premier Paula Cox will be a guest speaker when Business Bermuda stages its Annual New York Financial Services Conference on Wednesday at the Harvard Club of New York.The Premier will be introduced by the Governor, Sir Richard Gozney.The conference will highlight Bermuda’s numerous financial services offerings through panel sessions featuring high-level government officials, regulators and business executives including Business Development Minister Patrice Minors, Jeremy Cox, CEO of the Bermuda Monetary Authority, and, Gregory Wojciechowski, CEO of the Bermuda Stock Exchange.Among the highlights this year, the conference will start with two concurrent panel sessions at re/insurance and reinsurance and asset management, both under the theme, “Open for Business”.Among the participants on the re/insurance panel sessions will be David Cash, CEO of Endurance and chairman of Business Bermuda, Susan Patschak, CEO of Canopius, and Jonathan Kim, senior vice-president and general counsel of Montpelier Re among others. The asset management panel session will feature, for the first time, both service providers and fund managers including Andrew Baron of Butterfield Bank, Sally-Anne Baron of Timber Capital, and Craig Bodenstab of Orbis Funds.The morning will conclude with a plenary session on the topic of offshore business and Bermuda, which will include the release of a study on the economic relationship between Bermuda and the US that was conducted by Dr Charles Ludolph, a senior economist and the former deputy assistant secretary of commerce for the US.Ms Packwood said: “We are excited to return to New York and build on the strong business relationships and partnerships between Bermuda and the United States. We have a powerful line-up of speakers who will provide a wealth of information on the regulatory excellence, economic strength and intellectual capital in Bermuda that we are confident will demonstrate that our country stands apart as the premiere international business jurisdiction of choice.”The conference will feature additional panel sessions following lunch and throughout the afternoon on a range of topics including trusts, the convergence of hedge funds and reinsurance, private wealth, infrastructure, aircraft and shipping registry, hotel development and tourism, the capital markets and the legal and licensing requirements for doing business in Bermuda.l Business Bermuda hosted the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) thought leadership dinner in London last week.The event, which was held at the Savoy in the Strand, saw key figures from the fund and alternative investment markets meet to discuss the recent changes in European Union policy facing the fund industry, in particular the AIFMD, the newest and possibly most controversial legislation introduced.Given increasing levels of bureaucracy and regulation, the fund industry will be under considerable constraint by 2013, especially as the implementation of the AIFMD becomes more of a concern for the industry as a whole and more terms are revealed.The group debated whether AIFMD and future regulation might cause a structural shift in the industry and particularly how this would affect the offshore case.The event included an introduction from Cheryl Packwood, CEO of Business Bermuda, followed by a panel discussion including Travis Gilbert, legislative assistant for the Ministry of Business Development and Tourism, Kieran Loughran, director of Conyers Dill & Pearman, Alex Erskine, partner at Appleby, Richard Hay, Stikeman Elliot partner/International Financial Centres Forum counsel, Peter Hughes, group managing director at Apex Fund Services, and Ms Packwood.Mr Hay said: “The world’s small international financial centres play a key role in efficient financial intermediation and trade, contributing to economic growth and jobs in the major industrialised countries. Bermuda has impressive financial infrastructure, world class professionals and leading compliance with international standards, positioning it as a mature and sophisticated contributor to this dynamic.”After the discussion, the reception provided an opportunity for networking and promoting business between the two countries.Ms Packwood said: “Business Bermuda continues actively and aggressively to market Bermuda as a financial centre for international business. Given Bermuda’s status as one of the most compliant and well regulated jurisdictions worldwide, we strongly believe we have a great deal to offer the European fund management industry and the event was an additional step in establishing and promoting Bermuda’s offering.”Mr Gilbert said: “The dinner hosted by Business Bermuda was an excellent opportunity to build awareness of Bermuda as an international finance centre and ensure that influencers in Europe are aware of the options open to them in Bermuda.”