This elite group, comprised of experts in the field, personally nominates all invitees and develops the Agenda, which forms the basis of our discussions.
Forum Overview
Dates: June 7 - 9, 2026
Location: Surrey, United Kingdom
The Steering Committee welcomes up to 28 elite-level General Counsel/Chief Legal Officers from around the globe to address present-day operational, regulatory and compliance challenges as well as what may lie just around the corner. All participants will be responsible for leading the legal strategies at the world’s largest asset owners.
Through candid, seminar-style discussions, participants share their most pressing issues and examine trends and developments across jurisdictions. This collaborative approach helps them learn from each other and work together to identify effective solutions.
Steering Committee
Committee Co-Chairs
As General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, Heather Traeger is responsible for all legal services and compliance for the sixth largest public pension fund in the United States, including those related to the retirement system’s pension plan and two health care programs. She serves as General Counsel for the headquarters located in Austin, Texas and the subsidiary located in London.
Ms. Traeger’s legal practice includes a strong regulatory background, with more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. She served as Senior Counsel to Commissioner Roel Campos at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Counsel to Commissioner Isaac Hunt, and Senior Counsel in the Division of Market Regulation (now Trading and Markets).
Prior to joining TRS, Ms. Traeger was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, in Washington, D.C., in the Financial Services Practice and served as an Associate Counsel at the Investment Company Institute (ICI). Currently, she serves as the 2025 Chair-Elect on the Board of the National Society of Compliance Professionals (NSCP) and Chair/President on the Board of the Association of SEC Alumni (ASECA). She has previously served as Chair on the FINRA National Adjudicatory Council, on the ILPA Legal Advisory Committee, and as a member of the GIPS USPIC. Ms. Traeger is a member of the Texas and District of Columbia bars.
Committee Members
Michael Kelly is the Chief Legal & Sustainability Officer of OMERS. He oversees OMERS Legal Division and is involved in various matters relating to investment and pension law, regulatory affairs and corporate governance, including working closely with the Board of Directors. Mr. Kelly leads OMERS approach to sustainable investing and ESG, having developed OMERS Sustainable Investing Framework in 2019, and is Chair of the Sustainable Investing Committee. Prior to assuming this role in 2014, Mr. Kelly served as Executive Vice President & General Counsel at Borealis Infrastructure (now OMERS Infrastructure), the infrastructure investment arm of OMERS, which he joined in 2006. In that role, he was involved in the pursuit and management of infrastructure investments, including negotiating acquisition, partnering and financing agreements, coordinating regulatory and structuring advice and managing the legal and compliance function. Prior to joining OMERS, Mr. Kelly practiced corporate, commercial and regulatory law, both in-house and with firms in Toronto, London, England and Ottawa. He sits on the boards of a number of OMERS companies, and also represents OMERS on the boards or committees of various domestic and international organizations including Canada’s Sustainable Finance Action Council, the Investor Leadership Network and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. Mr. Kelly was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1994. He holds a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University (1989), an LLB from the University of Toronto (1992), and an MA (International Relations) from the University of Toronto (2004). He also holds the designation of Chartered Director (C. Dir).
Scott Senecal is the Deputy General Director of QIA, overseeing cross-border transactions (M&A, capital markets/finance/funds). Prior to QIA, Scott was a partner at Cleary Gottlieb, heading their Moscow Office for 25 years.
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