Onawa Promise Lacewell, PhD
Director, Consulting
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
Anna Schneider
Senior Research Analyst
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
John Refford
Managing Director
John Refford joined Cutter Associates in 2018 as a consultant in the client-facing practice. John brings deep expertise in digital marketing technology within the financial services industry. Prior to joining Cutter, John spent 20 years at Natixis Investment Managers, most recently as Senior Vice President, Marketing Technology. There, John led the effort to digitize and modernize the firm’s marketing strategy by launching new digital capabilities and marketing channels. He pioneered the firm’s social media and lead generation programs focused on building brand awareness and driving advisor engagement. Prior to joining marketing at Natixis, John spent 12 years in IT, where he was responsible for the firm’s system, network, and security for global offices. John was a member of the Investment Management Education Alliance and served as a Digital Council board member from 2015 to 2017. A recognized leader in digital strategies, John has presented numerous times at industry events on digital marketing topics. He holds a bachelor of science in computer science from Fitchburg State College, a graduate certificate in technology management from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and an MBA from Babson College.
This research examines the common applications for automation and AI-driven technology in the wealth management client acquisition process and also addresses common challenges wealth managers face when using automation.
Client acquisition is a pain point for many wealth managers as prospecting remains time consuming, expensive, and mostly manual. Automating client acquisition workflows—specifically focusing on marketing automation—can help ease this pain by reducing the repetition in sales tasks, by increasing the number of “warm” leads, and by decreasing overall client acquisition costs. This report examines common applications for automation in client acquisition from lead generation to personalization. The report also addresses common challenges that keep wealth managers from getting the most out of their efforts to automate the client acquisition workflows and explores ways that wealth managers can overcome these challenges. Finally, the research includes detailed profiling of six leading vendor solutions.
Vendors included are: Broadridge Financial, Exceed AI, Finantix, Fortuna AI labs, Squirro, and Wrench.ai