Bill Kelly

Former CEO, CAIA Association and Founder Educational Alpha LLC

William (Bill) J. Kelly, CAIA is the Founder and Managing Member of Educational Alpha, LLC where he writes, podcasts, and speaks on a variety of investment related topics, focused on investor education, transparency, and democratized access to differentiated risk premia. Previously he was CEO of CAIA Association since taking this leadership role in 2014 until his retirement in 2024. Prior to that, Bill was the CEO of Boston Partners, and CFO and COO of The Boston Company Asset Management, a predecessor institutional asset manager. In addition to his current role, Bill is also the Chairman and lead independent director for the Boston Partners Trust Company and serves as an independent director for the Artisan Partners Funds, where he is also Chair of Audit Committee and a designated Audit Committee Financial Expert, and holds similar roles for the Macquarie Energy Transition Infrastructure Fund, L.P. He is also currently on the Advisory Board of both the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute within the IOB (Dublin), and the Financial Date Professional (FDP) Institute. Bill began his career as an accountant with PwC where he earned his CPA (inactive).

Day 1 | 4th December

9:00 AM Chairperson’s Opening Remarks

Day 2 | 5th December

9:00 AM Chairperson’s Opening Remarks

9:10 AM Keynote Panel: Optimizing credit portfolios in real time: How can you leverage insights on inflation and rates to capitalize on macro trends?

In a fast-changing macro landscape, portfolio and investment managers must act swiftly to adjust allocations, evaluate risk, and capitalize on sector-specific and regional opportunities. This session will dig into how front-office professionals are navigating inflation, rates, and credit dislocation, with an emphasis on tactical strategy and real-world deal structuring.

10:30 AM Keynote Panel: How can you navigate the shift from syndicated loans to private credit—and best position your strategies for what’s next?

As direct lending continues to encroach on the territory once dominated by syndicated leveraged loans, 2025 marks a pivotal moment for credit markets. Institutional capital is flooding into private credit, reshaping issuance dynamics and investor preferences. This panel brings together leading investors, lenders, and capital markets professionals to explore whether private credit is on a path to overtake syndicated loans — or whether these two markets are evolving toward a more symbiotic coexistence.

12:30 PM Keynote Panel: Sourcing differentiated opportunities: How can you best identify niche lending strategies to capture alpha in non-traditional credit verticals?

In a saturated private credit market, investors are turning to niche and asset-based strategies—like litigation finance, equipment leasing, and trade receivables—to uncover alpha. As yield compression hits core direct lending, 2025 is shaping up to be the breakout year for credit specialization. This session will explore how LPs and managers are sourcing differentiated opportunities and navigating risk in non-traditional credit verticals.

Check out the incredible speaker line-up to see who will be joining Bill.

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