BIG EAST Investment Summit Scores Points with Attendees

As the 2025 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament was being contested at Madison Square Garden for the 43rd consecutive year, another younger—but equally exciting—gathering of industry leaders took place further uptown.

The Second Annual BIG EAST Investment Summit, hosted by Indus Capital Partners, LLC, and St. John’s University, occurred on Friday, March 14. Leveraging the status of Manhattan, NY, as the home office of the BIG EAST Conference and the annual tournament, the summit was held at the scenic New York Athletic Club.

With a strategic examination of the intersection of sports and investment, the summit brings together officials from the BIG EAST Conference, alumni, and student representatives of BIG EAST member schools, institutional investors, consultants, and investment managers. The event, with a strong delegation of St. John’s attendees, focused on investing in sports and featured insights from the BIG EAST Conference Commissioner and discussions on leading financial issues and investment opportunities.

Steven Keating, Chief Investment Officer at St. John’s, helped coordinate the dynamic investment summit and served as the Master of Ceremonies for the day-long event. He even took a cue from the day’s theme by blowing a whistle to call the spacious room to order as attendees networked over coffee and admired the sweeping views of Central Park from the picturesque, ninth-floor windows.

“We are honored to have world-class speakers who will share their perspectives on the macroeconomic outlook, public equities, fixed income, credit markets, and investing in the business of sports,” stated Mr. Keating in his opening remarks before introducing BIG EAST Conference Commissioner Val Ackerman.

Commissioner Ackerman addressed the audience, summarizing the strengths and opportunities of the BIG EAST Conference and how it responds to a wide range of issues impacting the current landscape of collegiate athletics. “Every one of our schools is heavily invested in college sports and is unified in their commitment to be successful at the national level,” declared Commissioner Ackerman. “I wish you an informative and stimulating program today.”

James J. Shannon ’87CBA, a founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Indus Capital Partners, LLC, helped organize and underwrite the investment summit. Mr. Shannon currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at St. John’s and is the Chair of the Investment Committee and a member of the Executive and Strategy, Advancement, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committees. Additionally, he is an Investment Committee member on the Congregation of the Mission endowment of the Vincentian Order. Previously, he served on the School Board of his alma mater, Archbishop Molloy High School, holding the roles of Chair of the Investment Committee and Board Chair.

“We have an exciting program, with many new attendees and some returning ones,” remarked Mr. Shannon. “All who share a passion for business, sports, and the business of college sports.”

Indus Capital Partners, LLC, is a performance-driven, Asia-Pacific, equities investment manager seeking to leverage unmatched local knowledge, on-the-ground research capabilities, and a uniquely global perspective. Their partners include endowments and foundations, corporate and public pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and financial institutions.

Mr. Shannon introduced the keynote speaker, Torsten Sløk, Ph.D., Partner and Chief Economist, Apollo Global Management. Dr. Sløk is a top-ranked economist who studied at the University of Copenhagen and Princeton University and frequently appears in the media offering insight on important economic trends. He presented a macroeconomic outlook of the current financial market and explored varying financial and geopolitical scenarios for 2025 and beyond.

After a buffet lunch that provided an opportunity for student attendees to network, the summit moved to various panel discussions on timely topics including public equities, credit markets, bond investments, and a free-flowing conversation on investing in sports.

“Attending the BIG EAST Investment Summit was an incredible experience that offered a deep dive into both public and private markets,” stated Matthew Warner, a third-year Finance major in The Peter J. Tobin College of Business. 

“I was honored to be selected due to my participation in the Student-Managed Investment Fund and the Thomas J. Cox, Jr. Honors program, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn from top industry professionals—from macroeconomic trends to investing in sports. It was a powerful day of networking, gaining insights, and feeling inspired about future opportunities in finance.”

The investment summit concluded with a reception before many guests headed downtown to watch the St. John’s Men’s Basketball team soar to a 79–63 victory over Marquette in the tournament semifinals—on their way to capturing their first BIG EAST Tournament title since 2000 and fourth all-time.

One such guest, James P. Riley ’74CBA, ’75MBA, ’03HON, retired Partner and Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, was already thinking about next year’s BIG EAST Investment Summit, exclaiming, “What a wonderful event! It was great for St. John’s and the BIG EAST Conference. We need to keep investing in the program and the future of our students’ success.”