Cost reduction and accelerated growth – can these goals be aligned?

Published on April 18, 2013 by Guest Blogger

Just about.

That was the broad conclusion of a panel discussion I moderated at our 3rd Annual Offshoring Strategy Conference last week. One way or another, this is a topic that impacts everyone in the investment research ecosystem. Our panel reflected that diversity – there were two global COOs of sell-side investment banks on one side and on the other end of the problem spectrum was the buy-side head of research at a Middle Eastern firm that is trying to deploy a growing pool of funds into emerging markets.

There was plenty of discussion on how the budgeting process and the role of the COO have changed, and how the buy side is adapting to an environment where the sell side produces less research.

However, one of the biggest lessons was pretty much the same in this cycle as in the previous ones: time spent up front communicating with stakeholders makes the budgeting process a lot less disruptive and contentious.

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