Cutter Research and Cutter Wealth ASIA-PACIFIC Member Meeting

Rob has over 15 years of experience in financial services, spanning portfolio construction, asset allocation, portfolio management, investment risk, investment systems, quantitative manager, and quantitative specialist supporting the end-to-end investment process, solutions, and performance. He is a senior investment professional with experience across the superannuation, asset management, and treasury spaces as a portfolio manager and quantitative specialist supporting the end-to-end investment process. Prior to joining Cutter, Rob was a senior portfolio manager in QSuper’s Investment Strategy team, with responsibilities across asset allocation, the whole of portfolio construction and risk management, as well as supporting the equities, fixed income, and alternatives teams. Rob holds a graduate certificate in applied mathematics, specializing in computational and discrete mathematics from the Queensland University of Technology. He also holds a bachelor of business and a bachelor of applied science and more recently completed the diploma of superannuation. Rob is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Fixed Income & Credit forum run by the Centre for Institutional Investors (CII).

Lisa Masten has more than 20 years of experience in the investment management industry, leading projects and designing solutions in the areas of performance and attribution, data management, market data administration, portfolio analytics, and investment accounting. Lisa leads Cutter Associates’ Data and Performance practice, where she advises and designs operating models, selects systems, and implements business and technology solutions. She also organizes the Implementation practice for Cutter, including leading development of its adaptable delivery framework and project toolkit.

Prior to joining Cutter, Lisa was a Senior Manager at Invesco, where she managed a global team responsible for designing and implementing data, performance, and accounting solutions. She has held roles implementing and supporting processes and technology across the front, middle and back office at multiple asset management firms. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts in finance and computer science from North Central College in Illinois.

Gina McCafferty has 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. She served at Cutter from 1999 to 2011 as Principal and Managing Director of CutterResearch, and she was instrumental in growing that business. Gina returned to Cutter in 2017, and established and ran the company’s Wealth Management research division. In 2019, she was appointed to Head of Research, responsible for Asset Management and Wealth Management product development and delivery to over 200 member firms around the globe. Gina was previously at Investit Ltd., where she served for six years as head of the company’s research service. Prior to that, she held senior positions at DST International with product responsibility for their global accounting and performance measurement systems, and at SunGard as Vice President of Client Services for their securities trading products.

Angela Centeno has more than 25 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining Cutter in 2015, Angela worked for The Northern Trust Company in multiple roles including sourcing and procuring enterprise market data, investment operations outsourcing, and vendor and custodian relationships. She previously held senior positions in operations management, project management, data management, and solutions implementation. Angela earned a bachelor of science in accounting and a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Kansas, as well as an MBA in finance from DePaul University. She is a registered CPA.

Recent research assignments and publications include the following:

• AI Use Cases in Investment Management: Infinite Possibilities
• Alternative Investments
• Client Reporting Systems
• Cutter Benchmarking: Alternative Investments
• Cutter Benchmarking: Derivatives and Collateral Management
• Cutter Benchmarking: Firmwide ESG Capabilities
• Derivatives and Collateral Management Solutions
• ESG Data Management
• ESG: It’s a Jungle Out There ─ A Look at the Data Provider Landscape
• ESG Investing: One Vision, Many Lenses
• Market Data Administration
• Private Debt

Jon Chandler has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Cutter Associates in 2014, Jon was a senior business analyst for State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), where he was involved in a number of projects for the front and middle office, including UAT design and execution for an order management system (Fidessa IMS), the implementation of a web-based due diligence platform (FundInsight), and an enterprise solution to support blended benchmarks. Prior to his project roles, Jon was a principal in fixed income trade operations at SSGA. He has extensive experience with post-trade operations and applications, such as OASYS/CTM, PORTIA, MBSExpert, and FailStation. Jon earned a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Florida and an MBA from Northeastern University.

Recent research assignments and publications include the following:

• Alternative Investment Systems
• Cutter Benchmarking: Alternative Investments
• Cutter Benchmarking: Derivatives and Collateral Management
• Cutter Benchmarking: Investment Risk
• Cutter Benchmarking: Performance Measurement and Attribution
• Derivatives and Collateral Management Solutions
• Execution Management Systems
• Managed Data Services
• Order Management Systems
• Outsourcing Solutions
• Performance Measurement and Attribution Systems
• Portfolio Analytics Solutions
• Private Debt
• Risk Management Systems
• The Evolving Front Office Support Model

Michael Conn manages Cutter Associates’ relationships with the vendor community and brings extensive financial services experience to the role. He manages the firm’s advisory and sponsor relationships, ensuring that vendors gain visibility, as appropriate, to Cutter’s analysts and member firms. He joined the firm in 2013, and as well as vendors is responsible for client relationships in the Tri-state areas, where typically some of Cutter’s largest client reside. Prior to joining Cutter, Michael was a Sales Specialist at Thomson Reuters specializing in selling the Corporate Intelligence software to a corporate client base. There he built relationships with leading C-Suite executives across Fortune 500 companies. Michael has also held business development roles at State Street Global Markets and First Albany Capital. From 2006-2008 he was an Implementation Manager at Charles River Development. Michael began his career as a Pricing Analyst at Fidelity before moving to MFS Investment Management where he worked on the Fixed Income trading floor. Michael holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of New Hampshire.

Stacia Graham has more than 25 years of experience in investment management, bringing a deep understanding of end-to-end asset management processing and project management to her role as Managing Director, Asset Management Research Lead at Cutter Associates.

Stacia also serves as a subject matter expert for targeted engagements in Enterprise Risk and Compliance.

Prior to joining Cutter in 2018, Stacia worked at Wellington Management Company LLP in Boston in various senior roles within compliance, investment administration, and operational risk, including leading and managing the global Investment Guideline Compliance team for eight years. She earned a bachelor of science in business administration from Bryant University and an MBA from Bentley University.

Recent research assignments and publications include the following:

• Client Portal Solutions
• Client Reporting Systems
• Cutter Benchmarking: Client Reporting
• Cutter Benchmarking: Modern Compliance in Investment Management
• Electronic Communications Surveillance Systems
• Hybrid Work Arrangements and Their Impact on Firm Culture
• Performance Measurement and Attribution Systems
• Portfolio Analytics Solutions
• Research Management Systems
• Using RPA to Automate Business Processes

Recent Consulting Engagements include:

• Assessment of business processes and systems to support regulatory reporting (shareholder disclosure reporting) for a large asset manager

• Assessment of requirements and vendor solutions for Electronic Communication Surveillance for a small asset manager, to rectify SEC findings

Andrew Jenkins brings more than 20 years of experience in buy-side financial services, with a focus on project management in the areas of performance measurement and attribution, portfolio analytics, GIPS compliance, risk management, and data management. At Cutter Associates, Andrew works in the firm’s Strategy & Data Management and Performance Measurement practices.

Andrew is a thought leader on performance measurement business practices and GIPS compliance, regularly speaking on the topics at industry conferences. Andrew has a deep understanding of asset management operational and technology processes, and has successfully managed several large-scale operational and systems integration projects throughout his career, including data warehouses, performance measurement and attribution systems, web-integration services, and the acquisition and implementation of a client reporting service. He is active in multiple industry groups in the areas of performance measurement and risk and in board-related forums.

Prior to joining Cutter, Andrew was a director at Charles Schwab Investment Management, where he oversaw performance measurement and attribution, risk, client reporting, and competitive research. He previously worked in the Board Analysis Services Group at Lipper Analytical (now Thomson Reuters). Andrew holds a bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Colorado.

Laura Jesson has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry as a project manager, business analyst, and consultant. She joined Cutter Associates in 2013. Prior to Cutter, Laura spent eight years at Wells Capital Management and Evergreen Investments, where she managed investment operations projects, including those focused on outsourcing, client reporting, and trade management. She previously worked at Omgeo as a member of the Central Trade Manager (CTM) product design team. Laura started her career at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) as a process consultant supporting a variety of projects for clients in the financial services industry. Laura earned her bachelor of arts in economics and psychology from Amherst College. She holds the Project Manager Professional (PMP) certification.

Recent research assignments and publications include the following:

• AI Use Cases in Investment Management: Infinite Possibilities 
• Business Intelligence Tools
• Cutter Benchmarking: Client Reporting
• Cutter Benchmarking: Firmwide ESG Capabilities
• Cutter Benchmarking: Managing Vendors and Service Providers 
• DataOps: In Theory and Practice
• Enabling Data Analytics
• ESG Data Management 
• ESG: It’s a Jungle Out There ─ A Look at the Data Provider Landscape
• ESG Investing: One Vision, Many Lenses 
• Execution Management Systems
• Hybrid Work Arrangements and Their Impact on Firm Culture
• Using RPA to Automate Business Processes
• The Role of the CRM for Asset Managers

Onawa Promise Lacewell has a research focus on the impact of disruptive technologies on the financial services sector and on the client-facing technology that wealth managers use to support the digital experience of UHNW and HNW end clients. Specifically, she is interested in how wealth managers use digital portals and mobile apps to support the client experience of UHNW and HNW end clients. Onawa holds a PhD from the University of Missouri.

Recent research assignments and publications include the following:

• Behind the Login of Wealth Management Client Portals
• Benchmarking of Value-Added Services for UHNW clients
• The Rising Popularity of Family Offices
• AI Throughout the Wealth Management Lifecycle
• UHNW Benchmarking

Kathy McDermott has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Kathy, who joined Cutter Associates in 2011, has authored multiple Cutter Research reports on a wide range of topics. She spent ten years as a consultant for a variety of asset management firms, with a focus on business analysis for front- and middle-office projects. Kathy was previously the senior business analyst, equity trading systems, at Wellington Management, specializing in the firm’s proprietary electronic and basket trading applications. Earlier in her career, Kathy worked for Thomson Financial Services (now Thomson Reuters), supporting FirstCall and PORTIA clients in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand, and later went on to manage PORTIA implementations. She also worked at LongView (now Linedata) as an account manager and then product manager of electronic trading. Kathy earned her bachelor of arts in mathematics from Hamilton College.

Recent research assignments and publications include the following:

• Alternative Data and the Expanding Universe of Investment Information
• Cutter Benchmarking: Data Management
• Cutter Benchmarking: Market Data Administration
• DataOps: In Theory and Practice
• Enabling Data Analytics
• The Evolving Front Office Support Model
• Evolving Data Governance: Building a Data Culture
• Making Snowflake Part of Your Modern Data Platform
• Managed Data Services
• Market Data Administration
• Order Management Systems
• Outsourced Trading: Has the Time Come?
• Reference Data Management Solutions

Katrina Pirner has a research focus on financial regulation and the digital transformation within the private wealth management industry. Katrina previously worked in research and investor relations at North America-based financial institutions, including Clarus Securities, Height Securities, and Citco Fund Services. Katrina also acquired experience in EU regulations while completing an internship in Brussels with FIPRA International, a public affairs firm. She holds a bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Toronto and a master of arts in international relations and international economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Recent research assignments and publications include the following:

• Digital Education Tools for Financial Literacy
• Client Segmentation: How Wealth Managers Can Capitalize On Emerging Demographic Shifts
• Regtech Solutions for KYC
• US Data Protection Regulation

Anna Schneider researches and analyzes market data, conceptualizes and writes research reports, and presents research to relevant networks in international settings. Anna is focused on researching the Asian wealth management landscape. She is especially focused on the China’s financial services sector, including how it is impacted by disruptive technological, economic, legal, and regulatory developments, and the related implications for wealth management industries worldwide. Anna holds a double master’s degree in Chinese-European economic and business studies from the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China, and the Berlin School of Economics and Law in Germany. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies and management from the University of Applied Sciences in Constance, Germany. Anna is fluent in English and holds an Advanced Certificate HSK 6 in Chinese. Her native language is German.

Recent research assignments and publications include the following:

• Wealth Management in Asia
• Mobile Apps for Wealth Management Benchmarking
• Thinking Beyond the Crisis: Developing a Strategic Approach to Mobile Communication
• I, Advisor: Implementing AI Throughout the Client Journey
• Mobile Trading on the Rise - Background, Trends, and Relevance for Wealth Managers

Kamal Bhatia is responsible for the enterprise reporting and business intelligence strategy at GMO Investment Management, where he manages a team of developers and database programmers to deliver BI projects through mentorship and planning. Kamal also leads GMO’s Business Intelligence Center of Excellence and helps enable a self-service analysis environment across the firm using tools such as Qlik Sense, QlikView, and Power BI. He works closely with vendors and IT infrastructure to implement GMO’s long-term BI vision and move the on-premise environment to the cloud.

Prior to joining GMO in 2014, Kamal was a business intelligence architect at Aereo LLC, and before that he was a business intelligence analyst at Grasshopper LLC. He also was previously a business intelligence analyst at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

Kamal holds a master of science in management information systems from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor of engineering in information technology from Mumbai University.

Randy Dry is chief operating officer for Thornburg Investment Management, Inc. He joined Thornburg in 2001 as an associate portfolio manager, was promoted to director of separate accounts in 2002, director of the institutional group in 2014, chief administrative officer in 2016, and chief operating officer in 2020. As chief operating officer, Randy is responsible for oversight of the firm’s investment operations, technology, data-management and administrative functions.

Randy started his financial career in 1997 at Davis Advisors in Santa Fe, where he helped Davis develop and launch its managed accounts business. He earned a BBA in finance from the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management. Randy is currently registered with FINRA with a Series, 7, 24, 63, 65, and 99.

Data governance

Strategy and architecture

Analysis and design (incl. data modelling)

Data warehousing and business intelligence

Metadata

Data quality

Data security

Reference and master data

He has been involved in numerous small-, medium-, and large-scale business and IT initiatives for clients within Australia, Europe, and New Zealand across a broad range of industries.

Currently, John is the Data Governance Manager for Cbus – one of Australia’s largest industry superannuation funds – responsible for establishing and sustaining data and analytics governance to deliver digital business success.

‘In case of an emergency oxygen masks will fall from the ceiling. Please put yours on first before helping others.’

Known worldwide for pursuing an incredible list of 100 Things that he wants to achieve before he dies, Sebastian Terry’s story is surprisingly not about a bucket list. It’s about something more far reaching; permission, choice, growth, and connection.

Affected by a curious mind and the death of a close friend, Sebastian experienced a moment in his life where he asked himself a simple question; ‘Am I happy?’. The answer was NO and so he decided to pen down a list of 100 Things that he’d always wanted to achieve. Following his heart and armed with nothing but a list, Sebastian's incredible story has grown from an entertaining tale of adventure into a global philanthropic movement that engages a growing tribe of hundreds of thousands to not just set meaningful goals, but also pull the trigger and achieve them – all while helping others do the same.

“I thought initially that it would take me 100 Things to reach a state of fulfillment, but it’s taken me 72 things to realize that ‘ticks’ are just the beginning. The key to growth and happiness is finding out who you are on a primal level and then being that person, each and every day.” Today, 100 Things acts as a conduit introducing those in need of help to those who are able to help. In this way, the journey has become less about Sebastian's list and more about the art of helping, where he now spends his time traveling the world connecting strangers to help each other. This evolution into the kindness space has spawned birth of Kindsum, a peer-to-peer platform activating acts of kindness in the general public and within organizations.

Sebastian has grown his 100 Things journey into a best-selling book (‘100 Things’) translated into three languages, two international documentaries on ESPN and Discovery Channel (‘100 things to do before you die’), and a US-based reality TV show (‘100 Things’) where he travels the world helping complete strangers achieve their specific dreams.

From marrying a stranger in Las Vegas, delivering a baby in Canada, and even representing the Mauritian national rugby team at the African Championships (they won!), Sebastian’s most profound moment was when he was first contacted by a suicidal stranger who needed help. 100 Things is no longer about one person, it’s about everybody. Currently a Make-A-Wish ambassador, Sebastian has raised over $400,000 for various charities as part of his challenge.

With ten years of keynote experience, Sebastian has spoken live to over 300,000 people globally, inspiring organizations to gain perspective, think big, and be the best they can be on every level so that others can follow suit. Guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and inspire motivation, the 100 Things keynote is like no other and will re-engage, connect, and inspire your organization to move forward as one.

What’s on your list?