GFS Arabia

Connecting Global Capital with Gulf Leadership

AdVentures Americas is proud to support the launch of GFS Arabia, the Middle Eastern edition of the Global Fiduciary Symposium, taking place in Abu Dhabi, February 4–5, 2026.

Now in its 20th year, GFS has established itself as the premier platform for institutional investors, long-term capital allocators, and fiduciary leaders. With a legacy rooted in Japan and expansion across Europe and Africa, the Symposium now brings its trusted format to the Gulf, at a pivotal time for the region’s financial future.

A Landmark Forum for a Defining Region

GFS Arabia will convene global and regional leaders to address the most pressing themes in capital deployment, investment governance, and intergenerational wealth.

Key themes include:

Private Markets & Co-Investment: Deep dives into private equity, infrastructure, and strategic partnerships with sovereign and pension capital.
Family Offices & Legacy Wealth: Cross-border perspectives on succession planning, risk management, and the evolving role of UHNW capital.
Technology & Innovation: The impact of AI, blockchain, and CBDCs on the future of asset stewardship.
Policy & Practice: A balanced dialogue between regulators, institutional investors, and asset managers to advance long-term investment strategy.

Sustainability: A practical focus on climate risk, long-term value creation, and fiduciary resilience—aligned with local and global priorities.

Audience & Participation

GFS Arabia is by invitation only and curated to ensure senior-level engagement and meaningful peer exchange.

Confirmed delegate profiles include:

Chief Investment Officers from sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and insurers
Principals and advisors from family offices and private client platforms
Global asset management executives
Government and regulatory representatives
Academic and consulting thought leaders

Why GFS Arabia?

Purpose-Driven: Not a commercial conference, but a mission-led platform serving fiduciaries and beneficiaries.
Locally Anchored, Globally Connected: Program shaped by Gulf institutions, enriched by international insight.
Curated and Credible: Participation is selective, dialogue is substantive, and the outcomes are designed for impact.

Led by trusted pioneers

GFS Arabia is produced in collaboration with Chris Battaglia, the founder of GFS Japan and former President & Publisher of Pensions & Investments. His global portfolio includes the World Pension Summit (The Hague) and WPS Africa.

Program development is led by Liz Pfeuti, founder of Rhotic Media and former Program Director of the World Pension Summit, ensuring relevance, rigor, and regional nuance.

AdVentures Americas is honoured to support the expansion of this globally respected forum into one of the world’s most strategically important investment markets.

Details of the GFS Arabia Advisory Council will be announced soon.

Chris J. Battaglia, President, Global Fiduciary Symposium

Chris is the founder and CEO of Pareto Partners LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting global institutional investors with marketing, distribution, and communication solutions. With 40 years of experience in asset management and investor engagement, he launched Pareto to help clients grow assets, enhance visibility through thought leadership, and secure strategic distribution partners.

Chris is also President of the Global Fiduciary Symposium, Japan’s leading event for corporate, public, and government pension systems managing over USD $4 trillion. He has been involved in Japan’s pension and asset management communities since the early 2000s.

Previously, he was President and Publisher of Pensions & Investments, where he launched the first Japanese-language product and co-founded the Global Pension Symposium with Nomura in 2007. His career spans financial media and investment services, with executive roles at Yahoo Inc., The Industry Standard, Corporate Finance magazine, and Investment Dealer’s Digest.

Chris began on Wall Street in equity syndicate marketing at Merrill Lynch after earning a BA from Ithaca College. He has chaired and spoken at conferences across North America, the UK, Europe, Africa (Nigeria), and Japan, with a strong focus on improving outcomes for end-beneficiaries of the investment process.

Elizabeth Pfeuti, Program Director

Elizabeth is COO and director of Rhotic Media, where she leads client strategy, engagement and brand development. With 20 years’ experience in financial services journalism, marketing and communications, she has held senior editorial roles at Dow Jones and Strategic Insight, where she launched the company's CIO Europe magazine and event series, using a significant industry contact book. Elizabeth specialises in capital markets, investment, digital assets, and related regulatory themes. She is multi-lingual, holds a bachelor's degree with joint honours from the University of Leicester.