Kenn Taylor, Kimberly Yurisich and Philip Gregory join Alpha FMC
Alpha FMC, an international wealth and asset management consultancy, has in recent weeks added three senior advisers to its European team. Kenn Taylor has been named a Director in the UK, Kimberly Yurisich joins as Head of the firm’s Digital practice, and Philip Gregory has been added to Alpha FMC’s Data service line.
Kenn Taylor has over 20 years’ experience advising clients on changes to the retail distribution and retirement landscape. Prior to joining Alpha FMC, he was a Partner in the Financial Services Advisory Practice at Grant Thornton, where he led the Investment Management Business Consulting Team. Previously, he worked for nine years for Navigant and Troika (acquired by Navigant in 2007), latterly in the role of Managing Director Financial Services. Taylor’s track record covers business and markets strategy, particularly proposition development, platform assessment and selection, operating models, business case development and deal negotiations, delivered at, among others, wealth and asset managers, as well as retail and workplace platforms.
Taylor has been appointed a Director and made responsible for leading the UK consulting team. “Our Wealth Practice has been expanding steadily over the past few years and the appointment of Kenn will only accelerate this growth”, says Alpha FMC Global CEO Euan Fraser.
Commenting on his new challenge, Taylor says, “I know from experience that Wealth Management businesses value the dedicated sector support which Alpha provides and I am looking forward to working with the team to help our clients address their opportunities and challenges.”
Kimberly Yurisich has over fifteen years of experience advising clients on their digital strategies. She joins Alpha FMC from EY, where she served for two years as EMEA Digital Lead for the Big Four’s Wealth & Asset Management Advisory Practice. Prior to that, Yurisich worked more than ten years as a freelance consultant and interim manager. In the capacity, she served a range of large clients, including Merrill Lynch Investment Management (now BlackRock) and QuantumBlack, an analytics specialist that is now part of McKinsey & Company.
Earlier in her career Yurisich held roles at Amazon, where she was one of the firm’s first employees in Europe, at Accenture, and at Citibank, where she started her career in 1993. In her new role, Yurisich has been tasked with leading Alpha FMC’s Digital practice – a unit which today comprises around ten consultants. She brings experience across a diverse range of digital topics including platform strategy, big data and analytics, robo-advice and artificial intelligence, digital marketing and social media, Peer2Peer and social investing models as well as Robotics Process Automation.
The expansion of the Digital Practice is, according to Fraser, a key part of Alpha’s growth strategy (“we expect the Digital Practice to continue to grow as the market as a whole responds to the shifting digital landscape”), with Kimberly’s appointment described as “a milestone” in the development of the division. According to a recent report from EY, growth in the wealth management landscape is being driven by digital avenues, however, another report, from Strategy&, highlights that wealth managers are overestimating their digital skills and face a “digital disconnect” with customers.
Reflecting on her appointment, Yurisich says, “We are seeing increased demand for digital services from asset and wealth managers looking to address an array of challenging issues. I look forward to working closely with the team at Alpha and our clients to fully capitalise on the opportunities and value which the Digital Practice presents for their businesses.”
Philip Gregory expands Alpha FMC’s dedicated Data practice, he joins as a Senior Manager. Previously, Gregory worked for CGI, for nearly three years, and PA Consulting Group, for nearly two years. At CGI, he served as Head of Data Science, focused on information strategy and management services, while at PA, he held the role of Principal Consultant.
In his new capacity, Gregory will leverage his extensive experience in information management, emerging technologies, data analysis, and analytics to boost Alpha FMC’s Data practice. “Organisations that successfully execute sound information strategies that are able to act at pace and scale to opportunities may create a sustainable competitive advantage over those who do not”, he says.
Commenting on this new hire, Alpha Director and Head of the Front Office Technology Practice, Greg Faragher-Thomas, says, “Philip brings a strong combination of data and IT professional skills combined with a strong data science approach from both within and outside financial services. We see this as a fresh approach and allows Alpha to bring new solutions and advice to our clients.”