Proactivity and a sense of partnership is what asset managers seek when they outsource their post-trade processing to service providers. But yes, the price does matter a lot too, Arne Martin Moen, COO of Storebrand Asset Management, and Salla Österman, head of back office at Sweden’s AP7, confessed.

In the panel on operating models, and outsourcing of fund administration services, they were joined by Jonas Gomer, head of investment operations with SEB – as representative of the service supplier side of the administration outsourcing.

Jonas Gomer pointed to the benefits of leaving some room for decisions to the provider, and not to make the scope of the collaboration too narrow.

“It is my responsibility also to introduce ideas,” he said.

Salla Österman of AP7 agreed: “That is definitely something we expect from our providers – to see our needs, also our future needs, especially in IT.”

Read also our detailed story about Arne Martin Moen’s huge change project in the operations of Storebrand Asset Management.

The talk was led by Bastiaan Aalders, CEO at the Dutch office of consultancy firm Alpha FMC.