Northern Trust Survey: Few Asset Managers Say They Fully Capture Value from Data

An independent survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and sponsored by Northern Trust revealed that a flexible data strategy governed by strong leadership facilitates business decisions and helps asset managers capture more value from their data.

The survey, conducted across the United States and Europe among more than 200 asset management and insurance company executives, highlighted that while managers have access to better tools and technologies to help them benefit from new sources of data, many struggle to make sense of the deluge of data they receive on a daily basis.

Only 13 percent of respondents indicated they successfully capture the full value from all of their data. Nearly 30 percent reported that the volume of data makes it difficult to determine what is useful.

“This survey confirmed for us what we recognize as some of our clients’ biggest challenges,” said Pete Cherecwich, Americas head of Corporate & Institutional Services at Northern Trust. “Whether they are looking for ways to manage their investment decisions, monitor their risks, or improve their reporting, they need to extract more value from their data to gain actionable insights.”

The EIU survey showed that executives who believe their organization captures value from data “entirely” or “fairly well” twice as often (67 vs. 33 percent) also say that their data strategy is “mostly” or “entirely” flexible. Those organizations with “entirely” or “mostly flexible” data strategies more often reported monthly or quarterly assessments to review the effectiveness of their data strategies. The survey findings underscore the importance of a nimble approach to data management combined with strong executive leadership to prioritize goals. The data suggested that companies should set up a centralized leadership structure, orchestrated by an individual or team with a holistic overview of the company and a strong collaborative spirit, to leverage data more effectively.

“We collaborate with many of our clients by providing meaningful data to help them focus on the direction of their core businesses,” said Serge Boccassini, Global Product Solutions Manager at Northern Trust. “Developing a comprehensive and flexible data management strategy is essential for asset managers to succeed in a competitive marketplace.”

In addition to providing data management solutions, teams within Northern Trust’s Corporate & Institutional Services business unit share the latest research and thought leadership on data strategies with institutional clients.

The survey was conducted in the third quarter of 2015 with more than 200 asset management and insurance executives involved in decisions regarding data sourcing, management and strategy. Approximately half of those surveyed work for managers with assets over US$5 billion. Geographically, survey respondents were evenly split between the United States and Europe. Five in-depth interviews were also conducted with industry experts and academics to complement the survey.

A whitepaper highlighting the survey findings can be found here.

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has offices in the United States in 19 states and Washington, D.C., and 20 international locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2015, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$6.1 trillion, and assets under management of US$875 billion. For more than 125 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust.

Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at http://www.northerntrust.com/disclosures.

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