Experiences | Financial Services

In the wake of the retirement of the founder and CEO of the company, our client’s new senior management determined that they needed to build a professional marketing team in order to grow assets under management.

With outstanding performance in equity and fixed income management, senior management agreed that they should be managing more than their current $1 billion AUM. We were awarded the search to first find them a head of marketing based on our knowledge of the investment management marketplace. The client also recognized that, as a smaller search firm, we could provide more attention to their needs without the off-limits issues that hinder larger firms.

With the head of marketing and sales in place, the next need was to find someone to represent the firm to the plan sponsor consultant community. However, they were uncertain about the level and seniority of the candidate who would best serve their needs. Having successfully served the client in the past, they knew we had the resources to expeditiously deliver the talent they needed.

The uncertainty about the desired experience level necessitated a large slate of candidates comprised of all levels of experience and skills. While experience was a variable, finding a good fit was not. Our familiarity with the client and the industry allowed us to ensure all the candidates we presented were an excellent cultural match – an issue of utmost importance given the company’s size and changing management.

We divided the candidates into several categories, including previous experience in marketing to consultants, previous experience in managing the RFP process, and experience with general sales to the plan sponsor community. The client was quickly presented a diverse set of nine candidates and through the process could determine the best combination of skills to meet their needs. We fully analyzed the strengths, weaknesses and development potential of each candidate with the client, who ultimately selected the professional all agreed was the best fit for the firm. Both candidate and client are excited about the future.

Our knowledge and insights in this space, service throughout the process and attention to detail gave our client exceptional value for their search dollars.