A vacancy has arisen for a Client Director within the M&G Wholesale Business Team. As a Client Director at M&G, you will focus primarily on developing and managing existing strategic relationships and partnerships with the wholesale market, particularly discretionary fund managers, multi-mangers, investment consultants, umbrella funds, and insurers.

This role encompasses a broad range of functions, including developing existing business relationships and exploring new business opportunities and initiatives for potential clients. This also includes managing client visits, monthly and quarterly client reporting, undertaking client presentations, participating in industry events, responding to ad hoc client queries, and working closely with the Wholesale Team to execute the business strategy.

This pivotal role will support the business’s strategic growth objective by credibly representing the business and our various investment capabilities locally and globally. The ideal candidate must demonstrate a deep understanding of the South African wholesale market.

Reporting directly to the Wholesale Segment Head, the ideal candidate will be a proactive self-starter with a client-centric approach who will foster collaboration across distribution segments both within South Africa and globally.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with existing wholesale clients by taking a strong client-centric approach to service delivery and developing collaborative, value-adding partnerships with them.
• Work and collaborate across various internal business units to effectively deliver superior client solutions for a dedicated panel of clients and potential clients.
• Develop and maintain an ongoing client-specific strategic account plan for each client, thereby maintaining excellence in understanding client portfolios, industry segments, and supporting regulations.
• Deliver high-quality investment presentations to existing and potential clients.
• Participate in public forums, host/present webinars, fund conferences, and investor road shows to support investment and distribution teams.
• Ensure that all client queries are efficiently and timeously resolved due to having built good internal stakeholder relationships.
• Provide oversight and input into service-level agreements, mandates, policy documents, and fee agreements.
• Coordinate client due-diligence visits and report-backs, including agenda development and appropriate presenters required.
• Take strategic ownership of driving fee negotiations with clients and internal stakeholders.
• Identify clients that are at risk and develop the appropriate strategy for engagement with those clients.
• Build, develop, and maintain new relationships with potential clients and consultants across different market segments to grow the wholesale business.
• Develop a strategy aligned with M&G Investments' business objectives and appropriately leverage global resources.
• Provide regular internal market intelligence that contributes to thought leadership.
• Analyse competitor products concerning flows, performance, and fees to strategically retain and grow assets under management.
• Analyse global industry-specific trends and discuss them within the team and the broader distribution business.
• Contribute towards and/or drive strategic and innovative marketing initiatives to position thought leadership.
• Maintain accountability of client onboarding processes and collaborate on distribution projects.
• Manage the client relationship system with high data integrity.
• Mentor staff and foster a high-quality learning environment by demonstrating thought leadership within the team to ensure knowledge sharing and development.
• Facilitate and oversee the completion and review of due diligence questionnaires for existing and potential clients.
• Ensure compliance with distribution processes and practices and internal/external standards.

Attributes, Qualifications, Skills & Experience

• Postgraduate degree in finance or related field (CFA, MBA, or Master's preferred) with a solid understanding of investment markets.
• Minimum 7-10 years of relevant senior client-facing experience in asset management or investment consulting, with a proven track record in client-facing wholesale/institutional distribution.
• Strong commercial acumen and business insight, solid understanding of investment products and the wholesale landscape.
• Exceptional listening skills to understand the client's goals, risk tolerance, and investment preferences.
• Skilled at cultivating long-term partnerships and maintaining regular client communication.
• Clear and effective communication is critical for a client director.
• Strong presentation skills are crucial for client meetings and pitching investment strategies.
• Skilled in identifying and pursuing new business opportunities.
• Adept at analysing situations, identifying solutions, and making informed decisions.
• Integrity and ethical conduct are crucial for building long-term relationships.
• Adaptable to changing market conditions and continuously enhancing skills.
• Collaboration is critical in investment management, fostering a cohesive working environment.
• Results-driven mindset focused on achieving results and exceeding client expectations.
• Willingness to travel extensively and function effectively when working remotely.

Contract type

Permanent

Location

Cape Town

Published Date

2024-09-13

Application Deadline

2025-03-31