CutterCast: Data Governance Implementation

Mary Storrs has more than 35 years of experience in the investment management industry. She has been with Cutter Associates for more than 20 years, first as a consultant focusing on front-office projects and then with Cutter Research since its inception. Mary has authored Cutter Research reports on many topics, including trading, portfolio management, transaction cost analysis, investment research management, and market data systems. She led the Research and Benchmarking division for eight years, overseeing all content development and helping members understand their capabilities compared with industry peers and best practices. Since 2019 she has been responsible for spearheading firm-wide management and delivery programs. Mary holds a BS from Boston College and an MBA from Babson College.

Arnie Wachs, Head of Consulting at Cutter Associates, brings extensive business and technical knowledge to the role, with over 30 years of investment management industry experience. Arnie advises clients on their strategic technology direction, data governance practices, trading platforms and practices, portfolio management tools, and operational organization, as well as data management architecture, tools, and practices. He has extensive experience working for investment management firms, financial software vendors, and consulting firms, in roles that included business analyst, developer, system architect, development management, project management, product management, sales, and executive positions. He has a deep understanding of investment management system use and design. He also leads the firm’s Technology and Architecture practice.

Prior to joining Cutter, Arnie worked for ITG, where he led the product management efforts for the development of the next-generation OEMS platform. Prior roles include Head of Equity Systems at BlackRock Solutions, Senior Product Manager at Charles River Development, and Vice President at Fidelity Investments, where he designed and developed the firm’s global trading platforms. Arnie also led efforts at State Street Global Advisors to create an enterprise-wide, cross-asset class security and benchmark master. He holds a Bachelor of Science in physics from Clarkson University.

Vicki has been working in the financial services industry for more than 25 years. She joined AustralianSuper in October 2015. She is responsible for the delivery of a strategic data management solution that encompasses the sourcing and delivery of data for the management and analysis of the investment portfolio. Vicki is also responsible for ensuring there is an appropriate data governance framework operating that meets the needs of the Investment Department and oversees the management of external data relationships.

Prior to joining AustralianSuper Vicki was a Vice President at Northern Trust and played an integral role building out their middle office capability and client servicing team in Australia. In addition, Vicki has held a number of senior roles in relationship management and product development at National Australia Bank’s Asset Servicing business where she worked closely with both Super Funds and Asset Managers.

As the Manager of Investments Data for QBE Group Investments, Jwalant is responsible for ensuring the investments-related data is accurate, complete, validated, and meets the needs of all stakeholders. He is responsible for stakeholder management including establishing and maintaining relationships across the business.

Jwalant holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Systems) and a Master of Quantitative Finance from The University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

As the COO of QBE Group Investments, Derek is responsible for the global investment operations of the QBE Insurance Group. He specialises in delivering technology-driven operating model solutions for investment managers, focusing on insurance and institutional funds management.

Derek holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), is a CFA charter holder, and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.