Asset management consultancy Cutter Associates enters Australia

Cutter Associates, an international research and consulting firm to asset and wealth managers, has setup shop in Australia and New Zealand with the launch of an office in Sydney.

“We are excited about this expansion and the opportunity to work more closely with leading organisations in Australia, and bring our consulting services to the market,” said John Clark, CEO of Cutter Associates. 

Founded in 1998 in the United States, Cutter Associates supports the asset management industry with their operational and technology needs, providing consulting, benchmark and performance improvement services, as well as tools and solutions. The company, owned by Japan-based NRI Group, is headquartered in Massachusetts and has a further office in London, the United Kingdom. 

The new office in Sydney is the firms third globally, and comes at a time of “growth and major change” in Australia’s investment management industry, said Clark. With an on the ground operation, Cutter Associates will now be “better able to serve its clients” in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), he added.

The Australia and New Zealand market is not entirely new to the consulting firm. Over the past four years, Cutter Associates has provided research services to some 20 domestic firms, and it will now seek to leverage that expertise with its Sydney locale to extend its local offerings. 

Tapped to lead the drive is Chanelle Crabtree, who joined the firm from Deloitte, where she was a Director. Before that, she worked for Morse Consulting (a financial services consultancy that joined Deloitte in 2016) and for financial institutions and custodians RBC Dexia, State Street and Rothschild Asset Management, among others. 

Crabtree brings around three decades of experience in the investment management and superannuation industry to the firm, as well as expertise in operating models, back office operations, sourcing, operational excellence, business analytics, implementation and project management. 

Commenting on the hire of the Australian native, Arnie Wachs from Cutter Associates said: “Chanelle is a valuable local addition to our team, skilled at addressing inefficient structures and operational risks for asset managers, amidst increasing client demands and regulatory change.”