Asset Management Awards: request for pitches (part 2)

Today AsianInvestor launches part two of our Asset Management Awards for 2017. We invited pitches for the asset services categories last week.

Here we publish details on how to pitch for the investment performance categories. This information is only intended as a guide.

For the investment performance awards – which are categorised by asset class, country and marquee prizes – you must apply through our online submission form. All pitches must be made using this digital process – we will not accept separate pitches.

For details on categories, date, pitch deadlines and all other relevant information, please see part 2 of our Asset Management Awards, which also appears in today's newsletter.

ASSET CLASS AWARDS
For our public market awards we study statistical data provided by independent third parties. Based on that analysis, we shortlist candidates, whom we then invite to pitch. If you don’t hear from us, you have not been shortlisted.

For your information, the asset class categories are as follows: 

• Global fixed income, hedged
• Global fixed income, unhedged
• Emerging-market debt
• Japan fixed income
• Asian fixed income, US dollar
• Asian fixed income, local currency
• Chinese domestic fixed income
• CNH (offshore renminbi) bonds
• Global equity
• Emerging-market equity
• Japan equity
• Asia ex-Japan equity
• China A-shares
• Real estate investment trusts
• Smart beta (new category this year)
• Asian real estate (new)
• Asian private equity (new)
• Asian hedge fund (new)

MARKET AWARDS
Fund House of the Year (by country)
We invite submissions from businesses with local licences and locally domiciled investment products (regardless of whether the applicant company is headquartered locally or overseas) to compete to be named their market’s Fund House of the Year. We welcome submissions from managers of long-only, public, hedge and private funds.

Please provide the following information using our online submission form:

• Your company’s name and contact details
• Your performance and returns for 2016, relative to peers
• Proof of your team's experience and stability 
• Your AUM and how it has changed year-on-year
• The mix of your business in terms of institutional/wholesale/retail
• Examples of where and how you have been innovative in the past year
• New products and services you have introduced in the past year
• Information on your participation in investor education
• Details of how your operation has grown local-for-local, local-for-global and/or global-for-local business lines in the past year
• Any other relevant argument you can make for your company to be named Fund House of the Year in your market

In addition, we will accept testimonials from third-party clients, as well as client contacts. These documents/conversations will be off the record, but the client must be identified. We will not accept additional information: no glossy pamphlets, charts, bios, photos, etcetera. 

MARQUEE AWARDS
Distributors
Consumer Bank of the Year
This award is based on the provision of in-house and third-party fund products in one or more markets in Asia Pacific. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Year-on-year change to profitability and revenue figures for calendar 2016
• Overall AUM and how it has changed over 2016
• Details on your client retention and market share
• Your split of in-house to third-party product distribution
• Size and geographic diversity of your distribution team (and how they changed in 2016)
• Any improvements you have made in client advisory
• Evidence of your approach to open architecture and details of your funds platform (third-party versus in-house)
• New strategies or products you have introduced in the past year
• Your involvement in improving investor education and staff training
• What made 2016 a definitive year of success for you versus peers?

Private Bank of the Year
This award is based on the portfolio management and discretionary advisory services in one or more markets in Asia Pacific. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Year-on-year change to profitability and revenue figures for calendar 2016
• Overall AUM and how it has changed over 2016
• Your net new assets for the past year and where they have come from
• Details on client retention and market share
• Any improvements you have made in client advisory
• Evidence of your approach to open architecture and details of your funds platform (third-party versus in-house)
• How you have enhanced your product selection process
• The split of discretionary, institutional and wealthy individual business
• Geographic diversity, size, make-up, stability and experience of investment and client servicing teams
• Any strategic or structural initiatives or innovations you introduced in 2016
• Details on your wholesale distribution relationships, including strategic partners
• What made 2016 a definitive year of success for you versus peers?

Best Business Development
This goes to a firm raising assets from Asian clients based on superior organisation, product, performance and/or execution. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Details of how and how much your business grew and otherwise changed for the better in 2016 – either on the institutional or retail side or both (this should include figures such as AUM, revenues, profits, new clients and new mandates, where possible).
• Description of what drove this growth and/or improvement otherwise.
• Details of new offerings/ products/ services/ hires/ reorganisations/ technology that have enhanced your business in 2016 (and how they have performed so far)

Best Retail Product
This goes to a firm introducing a product for retail investors in Asia that is innovative, tailored for Asian clients and successful. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Details on performance, including funds raised and composition of the product, as well as returns and fees/management charges.
• Outline the key decisions the team made and how they contributed to performance, including relative to peers.
• Details on speed to market, timing of launch and fulfilment of investor needs.

Best ETF Manager

This goes to the firm with not only a successful Asia business but one that is helping to grow the pie for ETFs and their investors. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Details of asset growth and size of business in Asia, including breadth of offering, listings and make-up of platform such as details of whether products are synthetic or physical.
• Outline any product innovation and fulfilment of investor needs, as well as advancement of the market in Asia.

Best ESG Strategy Adviser (new)

To the firm that is most adept at offering environmental, social and governance (ESG)- themed funds, indexes or overlaying strategies. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form;

• Details of asset growth and size of ESG-related business in Asia, including breadth of product offering, available ESG strategies and growth in AUM of said funds during 2016. 
• Outline any ESG product innovation and fulfilment of investor needs, as well as advancement of the market in Asia.

Best Institutional Product/Strategy
To the firm introducing a product for institutional investors in Asia that is innovative, tailored for local clients, and successful. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• An outline of an institutional product or strategy launched in or shortly before 2014 that truly satisfied the client or clients’ needs – probably in the sense that it was fully tailored to their requests, and the service and performance provided met or beat expectations.
• Details of the product/strategy including AUM, performance, the motivation and purpose for the product/strategy, and of why it was innovative in terms of features, structure, types of assets or types of client involved.
• Client testimonials and/or client contacts for confidential and off-record feedback on the product/strategy.

Institutional Solutions Provider

This goes to the firm that provides the best products, services, strategies and/or tools to enable Asian institutions to meet their investment challenges. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Details of why and how your firm has on a regular basis (and particularly in 2016) provided the best products, services, strategies and/or tools across various asset classes that have fulfilled client needs according to the points made under the institutional product/strategy category above (including figures and specific examples of deals/products/strategies etcetera).
• Client testimonials and/or contacts for confidential and off-record feedback on the product/strategy. Please also provide the relevant contact person’s details.

Alternative Manager of the Year (hedge or private market funds)
This award is open to all firms with a base in Asia providing alternative solutions to institutional clients in Asia Pacific. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Details of business growth in AUM, revenues, profits, performance, new clients, new mandates, new products, new services, new hires and/or other measures – including figures and examples across institutional business.
• Details of changes in business strategy – be they through personnel, reorganisation, use of technology or innovation – that have demonstrably improved your business and client offering (with facts and figures to back this up).
• Client testimonials and/or contacts for confidential and off-record feedback on the product/strategy. Please also provide the relevant contact person’s details.

Asia Fund House of the Year
This goes to the best overall fund house headquartered in Asia Pacific, recognised for a combination of business strategy, execution, investment performance, asset gathering, innovation and success. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Details of business growth in terms of AUM, revenues, profits, performance, new clients, new mandates, new products, new services, new hires and/or other measures – including figures and specific examples. Across either or both the institutional and retail business.
• Details of changes in business strategy – be they through personnel changes or reorganisation or use of technology or innovation – that have demonstrably improved your business and client offering (with facts and figures to back this up).
• Client testimonials and/or contacts for confidential and off-record feedback on the product/strategy. Please also provide the relevant contact person’s details.

Asset Manager of the Year
This goes to the asset management firm, global, regional or local, that demonstrates the best combination of business strategy, execution, investment performance, asset gathering, innovation and success. Please provide the following information, where applicable, using our online application form:

• Details of business growth in terms of AUM, revenues, profits, performance, new clients, new mandates, new products, new services, new hires and/or other measures – including figures and specific examples. Across either or both institutional and retail businesses.
• Details of changes in business strategy – be they through personnel changes, reorganisation, use of technology or innovation – that have demonstrably improved your business and client offering (with facts and figures to back this up).
• Client testimonials and/or contacts for confidential and off-record feedback on the product/strategy. Please also provide the relevant contact person’s details.

All award winners will be announced online during the week of March 27.

AsianInvestor will celebrate the awards at a black-tie gala dinner on Thursday, May 11 in Hong Kong. This will form part of AI Week, a three-day series of industry events from May 9-11, comprising workshops, panels, private discussion groups, awards and conferences. It will include our 12th annual Asian Investment Summit featuring speakers and delegates from the region’s leading institutional investors.

Thank you for your interest in AsianInvestor's Asset Management Awards for 2017. Good luck!