Marquette Quoted on Emerging Manager Research

January 04, 2017

On January 4, Kelli Schrade, director of manager research, was quoted in a FundFire article on emerging investment manager search. The article reported on the increased attention emerging managers have been receiving as institutional investors search for new ideas to help drive returns, and the role of investment consulting firms in vetting them.

Attending conferences and receiving cold calls from managers are the two most common ways investment consultants are introduced to emerging managers. But as Kelli pointed out, some managers find it difficult to cold call consultants. Most emerging managers do not have the “robust” marketing teams of their larger competitors. So it’s often up to the research teams of investment consulting firms to help drive more diversity in the asset management industry.

Kelli is a regular speaker and moderator at emerging manager conferences such as the Opal Emerging Managers Summit in Chicago and the Pension Bridge Annual Conference in San Francisco, on a wide range of topics. Past Opal panels Kelli has participated in covered topics such as the investment consulting point of view and the role of consultants in vetting emerging managers. At the most recent Opal summit, Kelli discussed the topic “Why should we look at emerging managers?” on a panel moderated by James Maloney, chairman of the investment committee for Chicago Policemen’s Annuity & Benefit Fund.

The article also covered how eight of the top investment consultants define an “emerging” investment manager. While consultants agree on some characteristics, Kelli responded that the Marquette approach to defining what qualifies as an emerging manager depends on the client.

To read the article, visit the FundFire website (subscription required).