Client Challenge
A sovereign wealth fund with $200+ billion AUM realised that its current Investment Data Management (IDM) capability was not in a position to support the fund’s long-term growth. To meet this challenge, the fund required the help of an external advisor to design and implement its future state Investment Data Management (IDM) strategy. The fund also required the external advisor to identify potential IDM solutions to operationalise the data management strategy and assist with implementation.
The fund selected Shoreline as the external advisor to lead their IDM strategy design, and support the mobilisation and implementation of the data management strategy.
Shoreline Approach
Shoreline leveraged its top-down, business needs driven approach to inform the design and ensure the resultant data management strategy met business needs and is commercially viable. A key directive of the client that influenced the data strategy design was to come up with a strategy that was implementable within a 2-year timeframe.
Key activities:
- IDM Strategy Planning: Working with the client data management team, Shoreline identified the overall IDM strategy goal as “provide investment teams with the right data at the right time to make informed investment decisions”. Shoreline reviewed the available current state documentation and conducted workshops with the client team to finalise the design approach and scope. Strategy design activities and communication plans were also finalised.
- Needs and Options Analysis: Shoreline conducted stakeholder interviews to confirm key investment data needs and priorities. We identified the relevant IDM data management model options using Shoreline industry peer case studies and best practice trends. Also, we developed the option evaluation criteria to assess and select the preferred option. We confirmed the preferred data management model option with the client leadership for detailed design
- IDM Strategy Design: Shoreline designed the key business processes to support to support the preferred IDM operating model and identified the required changes to the client’s existing data governance framework. Leveraging Shoreline’s experience, we developed the organisational design of the IDM function and the data management accountability matrix. Further, we designed the target IT architecture to support the data management strategy
- Implementation Roadmap: Shoreline identified discrete initiatives that would deliver transition to target state. Working with client stakeholders, we prioritised the initiatives based on business needs and strategic priorities. We developed an implementation roadmap (along with one-time and ongoing costs) that was reflective of the agreed priorities. Shoreline also developed a detailed project plan for IDM solution selection and project mobilisation
- Solution / Vendor Selection: Shoreline leveraged its proprietary vendor selection process and extensive IDM vendor selection experience to run the selection process for the client and recommend a preferred and an alternate solution to the client (based on a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment)
- Strategy Implementation: Shoreline is currently supporting the client in implementing the IDM solution. We helped the client stand up the program and currently support the program by providing support for strategic leadership, contract negotiation, program execution, change management, vendor management, communication planning and business analysis
Results and Client Benefits
Shoreline provided the client with a clear path forward to uplift its investment data management capability (focusing on supporting the needs of the investment teams). The client received an actionable roadmap of prioritised initiatives for the next two years. The client began executing on the roadmap immediately post completion of the IDM design phase.
Additional key benefits delivered by Shoreline:
- Provided client executives with a structured approach to meet the organisations current investment data challenges and future business needs
- Enabled early delivery of new front office technology capabilities that required datasets not available in current state
- The implementation roadmap provided an objective and structured approach to determining what investment to make in technology and operations
- Shoreline provided the client with an independent vendor assessment. We have no affiliation with vendors or service providers and make decisions based only on what is best for our clients
- Secured buy-in of all senior client stakeholders for the preferred vendor solution based on Shoreline’s tried and tested vendor selection methodology. Post the engagement, senior client stakeholders clearly understood the capabilities the IDM system would support and not support
- Shoreline helped the client with successful program mobilisation and implementation for the IDM system on-time and within budget