On 26 January 2026, we were honored to receive a delegation from Zhejiang Financial College which was led by Associate Professor Xiaofei Qiu, Vice-Dean, School of Investment and Insurance. The delegation comprised a total of 20 professors and lecturers from various faculties such as School of Financial Management, Investment Insurance School, School of Accounting, School of Business Administration, International Business School, School of Information Technology, Fintech Application College, School of Humanities and Arts etc.
Dr. Rolf Friedewald, ILF Managing Director, Ms. Shen-Dee Kobbelt, Head of Programs and Marketing, and Ms. Qionglan Xu, Admissions and Marketing Manager, warmly welcomed the delegation and gave a brief presentation of Goethe University, the ILF as well as of the ILF's LL.M. International Finance program to our visitors. Thereafter, they were given a short tour of the Information Center in the House of Finance by Mr. Thorsten Brückner, Information Center Manager.
After a short break, Dr. Oliver Heiland, Managing Director of Capital for Resilience Advisors and ILF Lecturer, presented a special guest lecture on “Infrastructure as an Asset Class: Long-term Capital for Resilient Energy and Digital Infrastructure”. Investments in infrastructure as a distinct asset class within private markets are increasingly relevant for institutional investors. Dr. Heiland used energy and digital infrastructure as two core examples when exploring the meaning of “resilience” and how infrastructure becomes investable through bankability, contractual cashflows, and institutional governance standards. The lecture also explored the role of long-term institutional capital such as pension funds, insurers and sovereign investors. By providing practical perspectives, he went on to consider the main implementation routes (e.g. funds, co-investments, and investment programs/mandates) and how principal risks are managed by institutional investors through governance and risk management. He finally concluded his presentation with an outlook on the future architecture of pension systems globally and what greater exposure to long-term infrastructure implies for the asset class.
We sincerely thank Dr. Oliver Heiland for taking the time to share his views and teachings in this very important area of work in the future with the delegation as well as us! We also thank the delegation from Zhejiang Financial College for visiting the ILF!
