Both Solutions Providers and Investors Are Limited by the Industry’s Current Lack of Standards, Norms, and Transparency

This inhibits investors from easily selecting the right solutions provider who is aligned with their needs and objectives.  While other more mature investment industry segments enjoy standards and norms that create clarity and investor trust, the investment solutions industry’s current range of models and capabilities are poorly defined and poorly understood today. To address these challenges we have established the Chestnut Solutions InstituteTM.

The Chestnut Solutions Institute^TM will be the preeminent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners.

This includes OCIOs, multi-asset solutions providers, and their ecosystem of investment managers and evaluators. The Institute’s goals are to:
 

• Educate the marketplace and investors about the solutions industry
• Help establish and promote high ethical operating standards and best business practices.  Solutions providers today are largely disparate standard takers, not makers, with niche parties increasingly setting the solutions marketplace agenda with little transparency and consistency.
• Promote a fair and level playing field by enhancing transparency and advancing a holistic measurement of client outcomes, performance and the value of solutions providers
  

How Will the Institute Achieve Its Goals?

The Institute will serve as a respected independent think tank, providing market intelligence and insight that solutions providers and their clients cannot find elsewhere.

The Institute will achieve its goals by providing:

 

• Timely market research and thought leadership into key solutions business issues such as client/asset manager partnership models, OCIO investment performance reporting standards, value measurement, etc.
• Peer-to-peer forums (in person and virtual) promoting industry transparency and best practices. Interactive discussion topics will serve to enhance the understanding of the solutions industry by promoting dialog and debate
• Effective public communications, visibility and impact facilitated by a respected, independent and objective entity to help educate and inform investors and solutions partners, and to influence burgeoning new solutions industry standards

Membership Benefits

The Institute will serve as a transparent, industry-backed forum to identify and address issues critical to solutions providers, their clients and partners.

Key Member benefits include:

• Opportunity to help establish the Institute’s research agenda and participate in our research through working groups

• Delegate attendance at quarterly Member Forums. We are planning two in-person half day forums and two virtual two-hour forums annually.

• Meet key stakeholders, learn about, expand and enhance the asset management solutions ecosystem

• Access to all research published by the Institute. Members will be allowed to use the Institute’s research

 The Institute’s value to you and your firm

The institute will be one of a kind in this globally expanding solutions segment of the investment industry. By participating in the institute, you and your firm will be able to better capitalize on this opportunity in the following ways:

 Accelerate Your Business Development

• Accelerate the expansion of the market for investment solutions and outsourcing by raising awareness amongst key buyers across existing and emerging market segments.

• Increase buying activity across market segments by directly educating prospective buyers on the various OCIO and solutions models and key benefits of each.

• Differentiate your firm from the competition by demonstrating your commitment, knowledge and expertise in investment outsourcing and solutions through your membership and participation in the Institute.  Members can share their Institute role with prospects and clients via RFPs, due diligence responses and finals presentations.

Enhance Your Firm’s and Your Personal Reputation

• Establish your firm as a knowledgeable, expert provider in the marketplace by participating in the Institute’s research and its distribution to the membership and the marketplace.

• Raise visibility for you and your organization through active participation in the Institute via carefully curated Institute events, speaking engagements, published research and PR.

• Build an influential, unified voice in the marketplace by establishing standards, transparency and best practices that are provider led rather than inefficiently intermediated by disparate third party providers.

Deepen Your Solutions Industry Understanding and Relationships 

• Learn about existing and emerging market segments and how to approach these by sharing best practices and interacting with peers.

• Efficiently educate all your internal stakeholders via access to Institute research, webinars and networking events.

• Establish and enhance personal relationships with key solutions business leaders and senior people in the solutions and OCIO ecosystem – asset managers, consultants, plan sponsors and professional buyers. 

• Lower your cost of sales by communicating directly with intermediaries and buyers and promoting better understanding of outsourcing and solutions.

• Have a seat at the table where the latest developments and innovation in the solutions space are discussed.

Who at Chestnut Will Be Involved in the Institute?

Michele Browne, Senior Advisor has been appointed as the dedicated Executive Director of the Chestnut Solutions institute.

Amanda Tepper and Ravi Venkataraman, co-owners and Managing Partners. will be a key contributors to the Institute.

For more information on the Chestnut Solutions Institute^TM, please contact us at info@chestnutadvisory.com

Chestnut Solutions Articles

Defining Investment Solutions Article

Both solutions providers and investors are struggling with the industry’s current lack of standards, norms and transparency.​​ 

Back to Basics: Investors Seeking Solutions Turn to OCIOs

Increasingly what investors want are holistic solutions to help them achieve their investment goals.​​ 

Client Experience: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Chestnut’s Back to Basics series continues examining the research insights we have found are the key to successful asset management growth. In this article we turn to the lifeblood of any asset management business: client experience.​​ 

A Future of Investments Research Report: The Widespread Impact of OCIO Growth

IOCIO is the fastest-growing asset management segment today. We examine the trends driving this growth and discuss steps asset managers and OCIOs can take to ensure their firms benefit from this growth.​​ 

OCIO and Consultant Views for a Post-COVID World

When we saw the COVID crisis beginning to upend the capital markets, we turned to consultants and OCIOs to gain a clearer understanding of the state of the investment marketplace.​

Chestnut Solutions Webinars

Evaluating OCIOs: The Search Consultants’ Role: Webinar

The Chestnut Solutions Institute hosted a public webinar with three leading OCIO search consultant as part of the Institute’s mission to help educate and inform investors and other solutions industry professionals.  It is a lively, informative discussion of key issues facing investors seeking to retain an OCIO.

.

Defining Investment Solutions Webinar

Chestnut’s Ravi Venkataraman discusses key issues facing the OCIO and Solutions industry with Lisa Shalett, Chief Investment Officer at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Dan Farley, Chief Investment Officer – Investment Solutions at State Street Global Investors and Jennifer Kruse, US OCIO Leader at Mercer.

Back to Basics: Client-Centered Solutions with Samantha Davidson of Mercer

Samantha Davidson of Mercer joined us to discuss the top factors creating world-class, client-centered solutions, and how Mercer has implemented them.​​

The Impact of OCIO Growth with Ed Bardowski of Aon

We discuss our latest OCIO research findings with Ed Bardowski of Aon.​​

The Future of Investments: The Widespread Growth of OCIO Panel Discussion

We discuss our research with panelists from Mercer and Alpha Capital.​​

OCIO Report from the Front: Boutique OCIOs Disciplina and Wespath

Matthew Wright of Disciplina and Joe Halwax of Wespath share timely insights into how their firms select asset managers for their clients’ portfolios and how their unique business models differ from the largest OCIOs’.​​

OCIO Report from the Front: Steven Beinhacker of SEI

Stephen Beinhacker, SEI’s Global Head of Manager Research, discusses many aspects of SEI’s manager research and the firm’s unique business model.​​

OCIO Report from the Front: Russel Panel Discussion

Andy Kitchen and John Forrest of Russell Investments join Chestnut’s Simon Segall and Elyse Goodman to discuss their approach to client service.

OCIO Report from the Front: Chris Philips of Vanguard

Chris Philips, Head of Institutional Advisory Services at Vanguard, shares with us key elements in the evolution of Vanguard’s rapidly-growing. OCIO business.

OCIO Report from the Front: Greg Calnon of Goldman Sachs

Goldman’s $143B Global Portfolio Solutions business has grown rapidly via a compelling mix of build and buy strategies. Greg Calnon, who has been leading this business since 2019.

OCIO Report from the Front: David Eisenberg of Cambridge Associates

David Eisenberg rejoined Cambridge Associates in December 2019 as an OCIO in the firm’s pension practice. In this webinar, he discusses: questions about COVID’s impact on the OCIO business and what consultants want most from asset managers.