Spotlight on: Investment Management

It is a turbulent time for global markets, and investment management firms are feeling the pressure of balancing low growth in equity and fixed income markets with the need to grow clients’ capital. 

However, the modern investment management firm needs to do more than just manage its portfolio successfully to beat off fierce competition. Standing out from the crowd through effective marketing campaigns is a hugely important part of successful strategy in the sector, with firms needing to make their propositions more attractive than new Fintech competitors and government schemes as well as traditional adversaries. 

While this turbulence has prompted firms to hold back on marketing hiring over the past two quarters, we expect to see this change heading into mid-2016. There is an appetite among firms for marketers who can bring request for proposal (RFP), presentation, and client communications skills to the table as they aim to give themselves an edge when pitching to institutional investors. There is also a clear demand for marketers who have digital skills, with many marketing directors at large fund managers looking to build on their digital offering. 

Salaries and conditions for marketing and communications professionals in the investment management sector are good. According to the EMR Salary and Market Trend Report 2016, typical salaries for marketing managers in investment management start at £50,000 and can rise to £90,000 for seniors, while directors in the sector typically take home six figures. 

Read about 60 seconds with Clara Melia: Investor Relations Director