Supporting Pension Funds
When setting up 330 Consulting, I specifically wanted to help 'Trustees' carry out their duties, by using the experience and knowledge gained over my career to date. Specifically, I believed that my experience of working across the investment management and custody spectrum, and as an investment consultant advising pension fund clients, couldd be of material benefit to the typical resource-light pension fund.
I'm well aware that funds have to deal with a torrent of information that stems from operating in the investment space. 330 Consulting can help manage the activities associated with running the investment arrangements of a pension fund - in a cost effective manner.
There are some aspects of investment consulting that are best left to the larger investment consulting organisation - such as Asset Liability and Investment Strategy modelling exercises, the formal delivery of strategic and tactial investment advice, and the detailed research and recommendation of investment managers and investment products.
However, there are also some aspects of investment consulting that can be delivered by smaller operations such as 330 Consulting in a more cost effective manner. Services provided include:
- arranging targeted, bespoke 'trustee' investment training sessions
- independent advisor work
- pension fund governance reviews
- internal investment-related report creation / re-design
- reviews of Statements of Investment Principles
- reviews of approach taken to proxy voting and Corporate Governance
- review of global custody arrangements
- review of internal investment-related processes
Selecting External Providers
During my career I've been closely involved in the selection of investment managers, global custodians and investment consultants on a number of occassions. I'm able to provide a different perspective on the appointment process for these external service providers.
Whilst many pension funds (rightly, in my view) rely on their external investment consultants to help them select investment managers and global custodians, this approach can be enhanced by having the input of an experience independent pensions investment professional. Not all of the right questions are asked during such 'standard' selection exercises, and I firmly believe that having a second independent professional involved in selection exercises is to the greater benefit of the process.
Given my experience of working in the pensions industry, I'm also able to provude short term / ad hoc cover for pensions investment professionals. Services provided:
- assisting with the selection of investment consultants
- assisting with the selection of investment managers
- assisting with the selection of custodians
- ad hoc investment related projects
- temporary investment officer cover
I am very comfortable working with clients on these and other areas, delivering bespoke pieces of work at a time and cost that better suits the market.
