Douglas Funds Consulting had a steady 2023 with highlights including a business trip to London, UK in March to meet managers across a range of asset classes including multi-sector credit. After visiting London, the next stop was a major private equities client conference in Vienna, Austria held by Partners Group.
My understanding of the managed accounts market continued to grow through working with selected platforms and another year as an IMAP Awards judge.
In January 2024, the focus is again on undertaking managed accounts reviews for platforms and sitting on investment committees.
There is likely to be scope for Douglas Funds Consulting to work with additional investment committees (in Chair or voting member roles) so if you are interested, please get in touch to discuss. I can also consult on the investment framework to establish and run these committees, typically for independent financial advisors and smaller institutions.
Although the work from home (WFH) debate continues, I generally find it most effective for my consulting business in terms of completing client projects.
However, I will be in the city (Sydney CBD around Aurora Place) mainly on Wednesdays. Nonetheless, I am flexible for other weekdays given the importance of face-to-face meetings with clients and investment managers. For update meetings, Zoom or Teams works well. Domestic travel will also be on the agenda.
More overseas travel is planned (UK and US) as this is the best way to understand global investment strategies and the key people that drive them.
Looking forward to catching up with you all this year.