Our client is one of the largest investment management companies in the world and its investment management division runs c$500bn of assets in a multi boutique structure.

A key global priority for this firm is to build its Insurance Solutions division. Given the parent company’s strength in this space, it was a key opportunity for the firm to sell equivalent solutions to first and second tier insurers looking to manage their liabilities.

The firm needed to hire a Head of Insurance Solutions – this role is responsible for building the proposition, managing senior internal stakeholders and taking it to market. In addition, the technical Multi Asset product competence required to support the development of the product set and its articulation to clients meant an additional hire of a Client Portfolio Manager to work with the Head of Insurance Solutions.

The talent pool in this space is very shallow. We mapped markets in Investment Banking, Asset Management and Insurance sectors. The successful candidate could have come from our client’s competitors, Investment Banks or Pension Funds. A new role for a firm also means that often the ideal candidate profile only comes to life once the process of meeting prospective candidates commences.

As such, we were required to work closely with the UK CEO to shape the role, manage a flexible search strategy, advise on the strengths but also development needs of candidates from outside the Asset Management industry as well as undertake deep dive psychometric and behavioural assessments on the shortlist.

Both hires came from Investment Banking and we worked closely with them and our client to ensure a smooth transition from sell side to buy side.