Gresham House, a specialist alternative asset manager, has launched a new online investor portal aimed at providing the firm’s clients with a co-investment service, greater visibility into their holdings and a level of transparency on underlying private assets that is typically only seen in the public markets.
The portal will enable clients to access deal by deal co-investment opportunities in a structured and simple manner. Users will have access to information on the underlying assets, including appraisal and investment papers where available, allowing them the discretion to increase their investment into the regions, sectors or deals specific to their interests.
As well as facilitating co-investment opportunities, the portal will provide a portfolio monitoring and reporting service and a secure platform for client communication.
The portal underpins Gresham House’s technology strategy and was developed by Chief Technology Officer, Andy Hampshire (pictured), in conjunction with existing investors. Investors sit at the heart of the project and were involved from a very early stage; commenting on aspects of the initial design and the development of the prototype.
The portal was built by MMT Digital, a leading digital agency that works in partnership with clients to create digital solutions that transform business performance. By combining MMT’s consumer brand design principles with Gresham House’s expertise in asset management, clients have the same high quality digital user experience that they have come to expect from well-known online retail and technology companies.
Hampshire says: “As a Group, we want to differentiate ourselves from our competitors by providing a best in class digital experience for investors. The consumer sector has traditionally been on the front foot when it comes to innovative user engagement and is better at meeting the digital needs of its clients so this is where we chose to focus when it came to developing our own portal.
“We understand that in addition to financial returns, investors are looking for greater transparency, more informed decision making in their co-investments and a higher level of engagement and communication. With the launch of this platform we believe that we are at the forefront of the alternative sector in formalising the co-investment process. We are executing a sophisticated technology strategy that not only meets the demands of clients but readies the Gresham House asset management’s digital era.”
Rupert Robinson, Managing Director, Gresham House, says: “It has always been our plan to put technology front and centre of Gresham House’s business model. We wanted to deliver a world class digital offering that would enhance the client-manager relationship. To achieve this, we need to bring clients much closer to the investment DNA of the firm, giving them better access to our research papers, investment and decision-making process. Our goal was to provide a level of transparency that would allow clients to make better informed decisions at their discretion, and to set new industry standards on client reporting, particularly for private assets.”
