Wealth & finance International - Finance Awards 2016

www.wealthandfinance-intl.com 7 day. Whilst the clients determine the frequency and nature of contact, Standish’s portfolio managers, client portfolio managers, relationship managers, and/or product managers, as well as other senior level employees, meet with Standish s client at least semi-annually. Members of the firm s Operating Group, including the Chief Investment Officer, are available for client meeting on an as needed bass. In addition to formally scheduled meetings, clients can have daily access to all of Standish’ s investment professionals via phone, email and fax. Typically, however, relationship managers are the client s primary contact for day- to-day inquiries or issue resolution. In addition to constant contact with these investment professionals, Standish provides clients with regular, thought-provoking content to reinforce or challenge current perspectives, as well as provide market updates. As the market evolves and clients seek insightful pieces from their investment managers, Standish is focused on evolving as well and delivering for their clients. To round out Standish ‘s communication efforts, they provide monthly reports and detailed quarterly appraisals, which they believe provide the total communication package for their clients. They believe that their dedication to clients and the ability to meet investment objectives is demonstrated in their many long-term relationships with clients. The confidence and trust that th clients of Standish demonstrate also extends to their employees; several of Standish’ s portfolio managers have been with Standish for over 20 years. Their investment professionals are highly seasoned and educated, with direct interaction with clients who are an important source of knowledge and feedback to the process. Their collegial, team-driven culture sets them apart from other managers. As their team approach is so integral to their investment process, their investment teams meet every day to combine perspectives from all sectors and regions. Christine Todd, President, Head of Tax-Sensitive and Insurance Strategies, notes that as an integral part of a global fixed income investment firm, they understand that imminent risks and opportunities can impact valuations in their market. Inefficiencies in the municipal bond market afford opportunities to investment managers who are experienced on both a macro and individual security perspective. Our firm-wide fixed income process is designed to uncover value and exploit market inefficiencies by marrying fundamental and quantitative analysis that first defines and clarifies that macro view, and then emphasizes sectors where valuation and fundamentals are strongest. Our single sector investment teams, such as our municipal bond team, provide security selection ideas within each sector, creating a true best ideas portfolio. When looking for people to join our team, we seek to hire employees who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their field, with a proven track record of success. We seek innovative thinkers who are passionate about our business and can demonstrate leadership, professionalism and adherence to the highest ethical standards. All new employees go through a rigorous interview process to assess their experience and skill-set. While we seek to promote from within, we also hire professionals with several years of work experience at leading institutional managers. Most professionals have an advanced degree, such as an MBA. In addition, many have demonstrated progress toward completion of the CFA program, or have already earned the CFA designation. We asked Christine about the culture of the firm, and how this encourages a positive relationship between Standish and its clients. “We focus on five cultural attributes that support our goals of delivering outstanding products and performance, providing excellent client service and growing our relationships with current and future clients. The first of these is teamwork. Our investment teams work closely together in a highly respectful and professional manner. Working as a team is critical to the free flow of information within and among our investment teams. Superior flow of information allows the team to capitalize on other teams research, such as macroeconomic views, and incorporate those ideas into portfolios. Teamwork allows each member of the team to focus on their particular area of expertise. We also strongly believe in client focus. We are focused on delivering to our clients the result they expect and which they hired us to deliver. Within our culture, everyone is cognizant that we are here, first and foremost, to serve our clients. We believe that instilling a client focus throughout the organization leads all associates to take those extra steps to deliver results. This focus feeds into our willingness to accommodate our clients’ needs and provide high quality service. “At Standish, we describe ourselves as having a hallway culture. Many great investment ideas have come while standing around the trading desk debating investment opportunities. This is efficient and leads to a positive comfort level among colleagues. This helps our research, as our professionals exchange ideas and solve problems. This has proven to be an effective way to share ideas and ensure the best research is reflected in our investment for clients. As mentioned previously, we also pride ourselves on our experienced staff members; Standish has a highly experienced group of investment professionals, many of whom have been with the firm for many years. The firm has both developed its own leaders, as well as attracted experienced leaders from outside the firm. We believe our experience allows us to understand markets better and develop the convictions necessary to make good investments and effectively manage risk. It also allows us to grow and develop our less experienced associates, thereby building our strength ready for the future. One area of growth in the financial service marketplace is environmental, social, and governance (ESG). “In Europe, we have seen tremendous growth in sustainable investing from insurance companies, defined-benefit plans and sovereign wealth funds. Standish became a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing in 2012 because we believe the Principles are consistent with our long-term approach in allocating capital. Not only are we committed to incorporating ESG factors into our research process, but we are also exploring the launch of a dedicated product. “In a world where change seems to be the only constant, Standish continues to uphold the guiding principles set forth by our founders over 80 years ago: professionalism, integrity, leadership and, above all, a commitment to our clients. We feel lucky to be headquartered in Boston at this time, as it is a city of growth in areas such as technology, healthcare, and education, and is a significant hub of investment. We also have operations in San Francisco, London, and Singapore, which helps us to garner a competitive advantage. “Our distinctive municipal-bond expertise places Standish as a leader in USnicipal Bonds investing. We believe our ability to deliver US Infrastructure Bonds for global investors sets us apart from our competitors. We expect that our ability to deliver high quality, low volatility returns and income will attract investors from around the globe for many years.”