What do advisers look for in a solutions provider?

Using data from the Schroders Annual Adviser Survey, Gillian Hepburn, Head of UK Intermediary Solutions, and Alex Funk, CIO, Schroder Investment Solutions, will take a look at the increase in the outsourcing of some or all of the investment proposition. What do advisers typically look for in a provider and how important are factors such as performance, cost, process and service?

They will also discuss where Consumer Duty fits into all of this.

Learning Objectives By the end of the session, delegates will be able to:

• Identify the increase in outsourcing trends and why it is important to adviser firms
• Understand the criteria advisers use when selecting a solutions provider 
• Understand the relationship between using a solutions provider and Consumer Duty

Speakers

Gillian Hepburn, Intermediary Solutions Director, Schroders

Gillian has over 30 years’ experience in financial services and joined Schroders in 2019 as Intermediary Solutions Director. She is responsible for investment solutions for the UK Intermediary channel which includes the new Schroder Investment Solutions, a range of model portfolios and multi-asset funds. Gillian is a well-known and respected industry figure and regularly judges industry awards.

Alex Funk, CIO, Schroder Investment Solutions

Alex Funk is the CIO of Schroder Investment Solutions which offers a range of Model Portfolios and Multi-Asset Funds. Previously Alex was the CIO of Benchmark Capital where he was responsible for all Portfolios and Funds managed under its discretionary permissions. Alex has many years of financial services experience which ranges from Discretionary Fund Management, Corporate Finance, Banking, Capital Raising, Private Equity to Venture Capital. Alex started managing a discretionary fund management business in South Africa and Mauritius, where he designed and managed model portfolios for financial advisors and wealth management firms across the world. Alex has extensive experience in managing Multi-Asset Portfolios in the UK and is responsible for a range of Portfolios and Funds. Alex holds a Bcom Honours in Financial Analysis (Cum Laude) from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and is a CFA Charterholder. Philip Martin, CEO, Unique Financial Planning Philip co-owns and manages Unique Financial Planning, a general advice business with thirty advisers operating predominately in the south of England, alongside a couple of other non-executive roles. Before this, he was Proposition and Marketing Director at Openwork for six years, with responsibility for product propositions, marketing, PR and leading its investment company, Omnis Investments. Prior to that, Philip spent two years with F&C Investments with responsibility for the asset manager’s UK retail proposition and was Business Development Director at wrap provider Nucleus Financial Group, which he co-founded in 2006. He had previously been a founder-director of consultancy Abacus Financial Marketing, working with more than 65 life companies, asset managers, IFAs and industry bodies on a variety of strategic and proposition projects.