AIC Distinguished Speaker Honour
The mission of the London School of Economics Alternative Investments Conference is to educate the next generation of business leaders.
To achieve this mission, the AIC team works tirelessly throughout the year to bring together an annual gathering that attracts more than 400 attendees from around the world. At the heart of the inspirational two-day event is our extraordinary speaker line-up. Together, they bring not only a wealth of expertise and knowledge of their fields but also a spirit of trust, unity, excitement, ambition and most of all, community.
We are fortunate to have received a tremendous amount of support from speakers, sponsors, media and educational partners throughout our 17-year history.
This year, we are launching the LSE AIC Honorary Speaker initiative to thank speakers who have taken the extra step to support us consistently. They are leaders in their organisation, and leaders in their communities. From our years of working with them, we have drawn a great amount of admiration for their causes which involve not just succeeding for their firm, but helping aspiring students and communities to also reach their goals.
We are grateful for the invaluable contributions that our honorary speakers have provided to us, and we look forward to our shared future in building and inspiring the ever-growing AIC community.
Jonathan Lavine
Co-Managing Partner, Bain Capital, Chief Investment Officer, Bain Capital Credit and Bain Capital Special Situations
​
Keynote Speaker in 2020, 2022, 2023
Jonathan Lavine is Co-Managing Partner at Bain Capital, an global private investment firm, and serves as Chief Investment Officer at Bain Capital Credit and Bain Capital Special Situations.
Alongside a range of charitable and civic activities, Mr. Lavine is Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University and Chairman Emeritus of the City Year Board of Trustees.
​
For his distinguished contributions to the Columbia College community, Mr. Lavine received the 2017 Columbia University Alexander Hamilton Medal, the highest honor conferred by the Columbia College Alumni Association. Other awards Mr. Lavine has received include Columbia’s John Jay Award for professional achievement, Columbia’s David Truman Award for outstanding
contributions to academic affairs, the Dean’s Leadership Award for the Class of 1988 25th Reunion, Columbia/Barnard Hillel’s Seixas Award, the Voices for National Service Citizen Service Award and the New England Anti-Defamation League’s Distinguished Community Service Award.
​
President Obama appointed Mr. Lavine to the U.S Holocaust Memorial Council 2016. He was reappointed by President Biden in 2023.
​
Jonathan Lavine graduated from Columbia College, Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, as well as Harvard Business School, with an M.B.A. in distinction.
Erik Serrano Berntsen
CEO, Stable
​
Keynote Speaker in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023
Erik Serrano Berntsen is the CEO of Stable, responsible for defining and executing the firm’s Investment Strategy. With offices in New York and London, Stable backs Founders of investment firms who appreciate that delivering extraordinary performance requires building a great organization. Stable’s track record of success is down to working with inspiring investors and business-builders across public and private markets.
Prior to Stable, Erik was with Bain & Co., where he was part of the Private Equity Group (PEG) and worked with clients, including banks and asset managers. A believer in education as a tool for change, Erik supports initiatives such as the LSE Alternative Investment Conference, the largest student conference for alternatives globally, and the charity Grit. Amongst other initiatives, Stable is a supporter of 100 Women in Finance and a Founding Partner of #100blackinterns. Erik holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Keble College, University of Oxford and a Masters of Business Administration with honours and a Concentration in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.