Expertise: Front Office & Portfolio Management

As the famous author Oscar Wilde once said, “The answers are all out there, we just need to ask the right questions.”

This concept can be applied to the broad world of consulting. All consulting firms, regardless of size, are tasked with fulfilling a client’s business objective. They provide requisite guidance and pertinent information at critical decision-making points. However, in a crowded market with many options to choose from, how can you be certain you have the best consultant for the job? It comes down to asking the right questions and understanding your needs. Here, we explore the unique value-add of a niche consulting firm.

by Jose R. Michaelraj, CIPM, CAIA, Senior Consultant

During an era when critical skills are in short-supply and valuable IT and business personnel spend most of their working hours in meetings, consultants can make the meaningful difference between a project’s success or failure. The right consultant brings diverse skills, broad perspectives and an understanding of both business and technology. In addition, consultants are best positioned to contribute in a way seldom possible by others since they can apply focus and attention to the task at hand – something that is difficult for full time employees to do when they are juggling competing demands and BAU tasks. This article:
• delves into business problems prevalent in many investment management firms, especially in vendor product evaluations and implementations;
• deals with how an outside consultant can play a significant, contributory role; and
• leverages a practical use case to demonstrate key benefits and tangible results delivered by a Meradia consultant who moved an almost failing project to a successful outcome.

by Jose R. Michaelraj, CIPM, Senior Consultant