BrazilGerman data services consultancy for asset management joins Alpha FMC
Track Two, a specialist consulting and data solutions company based in Frankfurt, has joined Alpha FMC, an international consulting firm for the asset management industry with eight offices in Europe and North America.
Founded by Stefan Maszynski and Alexandra Maszynski in 2005, Track Two provides asset managers in Europe with consulting and data services to standardise and enhance fund transactions data. Both Maszynski’s have prior to co-founding the Frankfurt based consultancy gained extensive experience in the consulting industry. Stefan previously served Oliver Wyman and worked for a boutique financial services firm in Germany, while Alexandra was previously employed by McKinsey & Company for four years.
The data solutions proposition they developed, 360 SalesVista, helps asset managers to match transactions and holdings data back to the client and product master to enable processes in sales, finance, compliance, and product management. The data tool can process span among others management information, segmentation analysis, campaign management, customer relationship management, sales planning and regulatory reporting.
Last month the Maszynski’s unveiled that they have joined Alpha FMC, a midsized European consulting firm dedicated to the asset and wealth management industry. The acquisition of Track Two coincides with Alpha’s launch of a Data Solutions arm, with Track Two being integrated into the unit. “The asset management industry is looking to reduce costs and find its competitive edge. At Track Two, we offer both. By joining Alpha, we deliver a tailored, end to end solution to the new challenges within the sector,” said Stefan Maszynski, now a Director at Alpha FMC. Fellow co-founder Alexandra Maszynski has joined the consultancy as a Senior Manager.
Data solutions
In October, Alpha FMC went public, trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, in a move that is geared towards paving the way for further global expansion. One of the areas the consultancy wants to branch out in is data solutions, mirroring the moves of other consultancies that have successfully embarked in the field, including the likes of McKinsey & Company, The Boston Consulting Group, European-origin consultancy BearingPoint and the Big Four.
Alpha FMC’s decision to move into data services follows from the growing demand from clients to capitalise on the potential of data assets in order to improve services and operations. “As part of our data solutions expansion strategy, we are delighted to have acquired Track Two, a data science consultancy with extensive expertise in asset management and transaction data, underpinned by pioneering technology,’ said Alpha FMC’s Global Chief Executive Officer, Euan Fraser.
He added, “The data solutions market is growing rapidly, driven by cost pressure, client insight requirements and, of course, regulatory pressures. Alignment of data is becoming one of the big games in town. The dispersed nature of asset management data from diverse sources and formats and complex distribution chains mean that data is ‘messy’. Accurate and granular data about investors activity in funds across the distribution chain is an area of great interest to asset managers, who recognise that a single ‘golden source’ of enterprise level data can be invaluable to teams across their firms.”
The announcement comes a month before Mifid II regulation comes into effect – under the new regulation asset and wealth managers will have a lot more data to collect and store. The increase in data-volume risks spiralling costs, so companies are therefore keen on investing in their systems and bench-marking performance to cope with Mifid II efficiently.
Earlier this year in Germany, Accenture purchased a majority stake in SinnerSchrader, one of Germany’s leading digital agencies.
