To underpin and challenge our own thinking, we interviewed 26 CEOs, five CFOs and six COOs of leading asset managers operating in Europe. The key findings from our research include:
- CEOs believe the firms they lead need to be more agile if they are to remain relevant to clients and grow profitably.
- The impact of the financial crisis combined with the significant market opportunities ahead means that agility will be a critically important competence to possess.
- Agility around clients, products and markets is created primarily in the asset manager's operating model.
- The sources of agility are highly interdependent and value can be enhanced by exploiting the linkages.
- There is no universal model for deploying agility. Asset managers need to blend the sources and deploy them in a manner that supports their strategic and financial objectives.
- The CEO and top management team have pivotal roles to play in creating, deploying and cascading agility down through the business for the benefit of clients and the organisation.