Future-Proofing Asset Management with a Total Portfolio View | Panel Recap

Events and Conferences

Key Takeaways from Alpha’s Panel Event Co-Hosted with Jacobi 

As the investment landscape evolves, firms are embracing data centralization, total portfolio management, and AI-driven solutions to navigate an increasingly complex market. At ‘Future-Proofing Asset Management with a Total Portfolio View’, panelists explored the challenges and opportunities in building a unified portfolio approach, optimizing risk, and future-proofing investment operations. 

Key Takeaways & Topics of Discussion: 

  1. Data Centralization in Asset Management

Data architecture is the foundation of investment success, ensuring consistent, structured, and secure data across public and private markets. 

Key considerations for system architecture: 
  • Data sources and models: Cloud vs. on-premise solutions 
  • Security master and risk data management 
  • Integrating risk and analytics data for deeper insights 

Jason Almeida stated, “Like the foundation of your house, a strong data architecture is essential for investment success.” 

 

Challenge:  

Firms struggle to normalize data across asset classes, making cross-portfolio analysis difficult without automation. 

 

  1. Achieving a Total Portfolio View

Investors are moving away from siloed investment strategies and adopting a Total Portfolio Approach (TPA) to optimize risk-adjusted returns and improve capital allocation. 

Key themes: 
  • Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) vs. TPA: Finding the right balance 
  • Performance measurement and optimization 
  • Managing risk and diversification effectively 

Panelists further discussed, “Bridging public and private investments in a unified framework remains one of the biggest hurdles for investors today.” 

 

Challenge:  

Communicating risk-reward dynamics across an entire portfolio remains difficult, requiring more advanced analytics and reporting tools. 

 

  1. Engagement with the Total Portfolio View

For firms adopting TPA, investor reporting, client views, and downstream integration are critical. Transparency and seamless communication with stakeholders ensure better engagement. 

Key themes: 
  • Customizing outputs for different investor views. 
  • Client reporting in a TPA model. 
  • Challenges in integrating reporting across multiple asset classes. 
Challenge:  

Firms must standardize data outputs and investor reporting while maintaining flexibility for customized insights. 

 

  1. Future-Proofing in a TPA World

As technology, AI, and market structures evolve, firms need agile, scalable solutions to remain competitive. 

Key themes: 

Adapting investment strategies in an evolving landscape. 

The future of AI in investment research, reporting, and automation. 

Vendor innovations and the impact on asset management. 

Challenge: 

 Avoiding vendor lock-in while leveraging emerging AI and data technologies for enhanced investment decision-making. 

 

Conclusion 

The industry is shifting toward a data-driven, objective-based investment approach, but success depends on: 

  • Building a scalable data architecture to support cross-portfolio analysis  
  • Optimizing total portfolio views for better performance measurement 
  • Leveraging AI and automation to enhance reporting and investment research  
  • Staying ahead of technology evolution to remain competitive in a changing market 

As firms navigate these challenges, technology, automation, and smarter data strategies will separate industry leaders from the rest.  

 

Event Moderator: 

Patrick Eldridge – Director, Lead for Investments, Practice West Coast, Alpha FMC 

Event Panelists: 

Peter Ottomanelli – Head of Investment Management Technology, American Century 

Owais Rana – Head of Investment Solutions, Principal 

Jeff Iverson – Chief Operating Officer, Eldridge 

Tony Mackenzie – CEO & Co-Founder, Jacobi 

Jason Almeida – Senior Partner, Alpha Alternatives