Alpha Financial Markets Consulting Regulatory News (AFM)

Global leader in asset and wealth management consulting formalises market offering with dedicated ESG & Responsible Investment practice in response to the growing demand for their consultancy services from clients across the industry.

Alpha FMC, a leading global provider of specialist consultancy services to the asset and wealth management industry, today announces the launch of its dedicated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Responsible Investment (RI) practice. The practice will comprise a global network of 20+ ESG practitioners; most of whom are already working with clients, on ESG & RI programmes.

Alpha already plays a central role in helping clients meet ESG & RI requirements, and has completed a large number of projects in this space with asset managers, wealth managers, and asset owners across the globe. Today's announcement reflects the formal establishment of this capability as a standalone practice within Alpha with the capacity to serve a greater number of clients.

Alpha's ESG & RI work to date has spanned across the entire operating model of investment organisations, with the types of initiatives ranging from 'strategy & advisory', 'planning & design', through to 'execution'. Examples include the use of Alpha's proprietary framework to benchmark firms against their peers, as part of the process to define a firm's vision and strategy, through to embedding ESG across the entire value chain. Alpha has also helped firms address the technology foundations that enable these changes in a scalable and efficient way. It has deep expertise in delivering practical, on-the-ground change in investment organisations - and provides strategies which it is able to deliver.

Alpha's sole focus on the investment management industry, coupled with its practical ESG project experience means it is uniquely placed to support organisations on their ESG journey. Alpha's proprietary insights and industry network enable firms not only to take a clear view of what they need to do to remain compliant, but to establish and maintain best practice, and remain at the forefront of this highly competitive space.

The launch of a dedicated ESG & RI practice represents a key milestone in Alpha's expansion strategy. Since its inception in 2003, Alpha has grown rapidly. Alpha has dedicated practices covering the full asset and wealth management value chain and is now the leading global consulting firm to the industry.

Vanessa Bingle, a Senior Lead in the ESG & Responsible Investment Practice, said: "ESG & Responsible Investment has gravitated from a "nice to have" to a critical offering for asset managers to remain competitive. With clients demanding their asset managers "show them" rather than "tell them" about their approach to ESG & Responsible Investment firms are under increasing pressure.

We are quickly seeing leaders emerge in this space, with the most successful moving away from organically developed, siloed approaches to a whole-of-organisation transformation with the strategic focus that a change of this magnitude requires. We hope that by applying our skillset and experience to this new area, we can support the investment industry in its transition to a more sustainable way of investing for the future.

Euan Fraser, Alpha FMC Global Chief Executive Officer, said:

"We are seeing ESG & Responsible Investment as a top strategic priority for so many of our clients globally, so we are delighted to announce a dedicated team that can support our clients with their response. This topic has evolved at a speed unparalleled by anything we have seen in recent times, with changing client and regulatory demand impacting every function in our clients' businesses. Having a coordinated front-to-back response, linked to a long-term strategy, is proving challenging for many. Alpha has a reputation for delivering the most complicated and important programmes within the industry, and our ESG & Responsible Investment team are no different, with a fantastic reputation that couples deep SME expertise with core consulting skills, to deliver practical change."

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Enquiries

Imogen Gardam: igardam@smithfieldgroup.com 07715 375 571

About Alpha FMC

Alpha FMC is a leading global provider of specialist consultancy services to the asset and wealth management industry.

With over 400 consultants across twelve offices spanning the UK, Europe, North America and Asia, Alpha FMC has the largest dedicated team in the industry. Alpha FMC has provided consultancy services to 380 clients, including 80% of the 20 largest global asset managers by AUM and a range of other buy-side firms.