ou'Ye a Wr'eealth M We Managger and their assets ... - The Wealth Net

available,” said James Anderson, chairman of the
Judging Panel. “This reflects the rigour and
robustness of a judging process that uses verifiable
quantitative and qualitative data. Over the years
this has enabled the Judging Panel to identify and
recognise the best wealth managers available long
before the rest of the market.
“No process is perfect, however. As a
consequence we have continued to refine the
PAM Awards judging process on the back of
feedback received from both entrants and judges
to provide something that is manageable, fair and
representative. This year we have streamlined the
data collection process as well as giving invited
firms the opportunity of presenting directly to the
judges. We hope that this will encourage more
firms to enter. If firms have a good story to tell we
certainly want to hear about it.”
Private asset management firms entered
themselves for individual award categories via the
completion of a category specific submission.
Submissions addressed the criteria highlighted by
the Panel and an in-depth questionnaire,
including approximately 65 questions across
several subject areas, encapsulating: group
structure & personnel; investment management
process; pooled funds/unlisted securities;
regulation and investor protection and fees,
charges and interest.
The entry process begins in the early autumn
the year before the Awards. In 2012, the criteria
for each category was further refined to give
better guidance to entrants as to what the Judges
expect an entry to contain, as well as being
accompanied by guidelines and tips on how best
to present the entry and what areas were of
particular importance.
Whilst the judges emphasised the importance of
taking time to prepare the category submission,
the extended questionnaire was reduced by 37
percent to focus on the information felt to be
most relevant and to reduce repetition.
All entries received by the deadline were
presented to the members of the Panel. Each
entry was considered by a category sub-committee
which presented their recommendations to the
entire Panel. Firms attaining a high standard of
entry were invited to meet with the panel in the
last week of January, for a short presentation and
Q&A. In its inaugural year, the presentations
received very positive feedback from managers:
The Panel members reviewed the remaining
entries and ranked their individual preferences in
ascending order, with 1 as the highest rank. The
managers were placed in order, starting with the
the highest ranked firm. This list was then
presented to the Panel in a closed plenary session.
The Panel debated the respective merits of the
nominated firms and determined the (unlimited)
number of finalists for each Award category. The
Panel then discussed and evaluated the list of
finalists, from which it chose a winner in each
Award category.
The PAM Awards is proud of the diligence and
rigour behind the judging process, and take great
pains to ensure that it is robust, fair and
transparent. Feedback is prepared for entrants
following the announcement of the winners and
finalists, the only Awards programme to offer
such openness about the rationale behind the
decision-making, and on how entrants can
improve. The process itself is reviewed on an
annual basis, and suggestions on further
improvements are always welcome.
the entry process
“Many thanks for giving us the chance to present our thoughts last week
for the award entry. David [Scott] and I found it extremely useful to be
able to present to the judges, not only to clarify some of the concerns that
they may have had, but also to explain fully the reasons and rationale
behind the strategy that we have at Vestra. I believe that the presentation
process adds further gravitas to the award entry process and whilst it was
hard to prepare for in Year 1, I think going forward it is a fantastic
opportunity for entrants.”
-Lizzie Anstey, marketing manager at Vestra Wealth
“Edward [Allen] and I enjoyed presenting to the panel and think that this
innovation is an excellent enhancement to the judging process. My feeling is
that by allowing the panel to eye-ball the representatives of each firm and to
question them in depth on their submissions, the panel members can be more
confident that their decision making process will result in the correct outcome
and the firms applying for Awards can be confident in the transparency of
the Awards process.”
-David Rosier, chairman of Thurleigh Investment Managers
www.pamonline.com PAM Awards 2012
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