A Fast-Growing Asset Management Company
Director of Product Development and Management
The Client
Our client is an independent asset management firm providing institutional quality investment strategies to individual investors, corporation and retirement plans. For over 30 years, the firm has been passionate in helping clients achieve their life goals and knows that their key to success is not just the investment strategies they offer, but also the people involved. As a 100% family and employee-owned asset manager, the firm designs custom investment plans in a completely independent and conflict-free environment with solely its clients in mind. The boutique nature of the firm allows it to offer a true partnership with financial advisors and their clients.
The Challenge
As the firm continues to grow and has interest in expanding its product and service offerings, they created a high-impact opportunity for its first Director of Product Development and Management. Reporting to the EVP, Chief Investment Officer and working closely with the CEO and other members of senior leadership, the Director was charged with developing a rigorous market-driven approach to product development and management, as well as leading other growth-oriented initiatives. The Product leader would need to quickly understand the current state of the firm’s product offerings and leverage market insights and competitive analysis in order to create new products that drive additional growth, market share and profitability. The Director would need to have excellent relationship ability working across all areas of the firm, as well as being change-oriented bringing fresh ideas and new thinking to the management team.
The Solution
Our client was very open and transparent in sharing its unique values and mission and interest in recruiting an individual who shared their values and would be excited to take on an entrepreneurial challenge to create a product development and management function that would inspire continued success and future growth. While investment management experience was a prerequisite for prospective candidates, our client was open to the type of experiences candidates possessed. The client appreciated meeting with the slate of candidates presented as they all demonstrated their capabilities for the role. The candidate who was selected as Product leader had worked primarily in larger organizations and was very interested in working closely with senior leadership in more of a fast-moving, quick decision-making environment. He quickly made an impact in the firm, joining just prior to the onset of Covid-19 and has quickly become a valuable team member contributing well beyond the initial position description.