The Brief
A UK Asset Management firm with an international presence planned to grow further and, in doing so, wanted to develop a truly global model of working. The aim was to shift from a centralised model of decision-making to a decentralised global model where decisions were made in the right location by the right people with knowledge of the markets, clients, and solutions. The premise was this would enable better decisions to be made and the organisation to move more quickly.
It was appreciated that this was a significant shift in both strategy and culture and the firm planned this on a 5-year horizon. It was also clear that the solution would be multifaceted and involve inorganic activity, change in reporting lines and a significant investment in technology. Our role was to work with the CEO and HRD on the people and culture elements.
The Engagement
There are many different aspects to globalising an asset management business, the highlights were:
Develop a global leadership conference, to be held outside the UK for the senior leaders in the business. This became an annual event and was critical for building relationships and empowering new decision makers.
Develop and deliver a global strategy roadshow to all regional executive committee members, with the purpose of communicating the group strategy and establishing alignment. The delivery was consistent in structure and message, with allowance for discussion and debate.
Enhanced leadership development through designing and delivering a series of enhanced leadership development programmes for global leaders focusing on empowerment, autonomy and decision-making.
The Outcome
The firm is operating more effectively on the global stage. This was a huge project involving all aspects of the client’s business. However, we can say with pride that our part significantly contributed to the overall success of the strategy.
