Foreword
In the AIMA and KPMG paper “Agile and Resilient”, we explored the impact to the hedge fund industry of working in a decentralised environment.
During the survey and the interviews which formed that paper, a resounding theme was that maintaining and optimising the culture of the organisation is a critical priority as well as a challenge for the industry.
We decided to explore this topic further in additional webinars and analyses to determine to what extent firms across the broader alternative investment landscape were managing their organisational culture during these times. Among the key questions that we looked to address included (i) what are the challenges still being faced by firms today in managing their organisational culture? (ii) what lessons did firms learn about how to manage their culture during this period of decentralisation? (iii) how important is culture to a hedge fund, to its constituents, to its investors, the regulators, its employees and to the success of the firm and finally (iv) how do senior leaders continue to deliver the firm’s mission as well as maintain a culture of compliance?
While all these matters and more are important to the sustained growth of a firm, all are continued to be tested as they return to the office or consider a hybrid model of working (working remotely some days and working in the office other days). There are unique characteristics and nuances to hedge funds operating in this environment.
To help us discuss these issues further, we hosted a manager roundtable, the key takeaways from which we compiled into this short paper.
We hope you find this paper useful.
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Tom Kehoe
Managing Director, Global Head of Research and Communications, AIMA
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John Budzyna
Managing Director, Alternative Investments KPMG in the U.S.