What Asset Owners are Thinking: Key Insights from Our Latest Peer Study with Melanie Pickett
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In this episode of Faster Forward, host Grant Johnsey sits down with Melanie Pickett, Head of Asset Servicing, Americas, to unpack the latest findings from Northern Trust’s global asset owner survey, “Asset Owners in Focus”. Their discussion dives into how institutional investors around the world are adjusting their strategies amid a rapidly changing landscape.
They also touch on the topic of cryptocurrency. While some clients are receiving crypto through gifts or distributions from private equity funds, Melanie notes that strategic asset allocation to crypto remains uncommon, though it’s a trend worth watching.
Looking ahead, Melanie emphasizes the growing influence of geopolitical events and tax policy on portfolio construction. Asset owners are shifting from regional allocations to more granular, country-specific strategies. Even traditionally tax-exempt institutions are paying more attention to after-tax investment outcomes due to changing tax treaty landscapes.
Key highlights include:
- The surprising levels of cash reserves that asset owners are maintaining
- The move towards strategic liquidity management amid market volatility
- The significance of operational efficiency in managing diverse portfolios
- A snapshot of regional variations in sustainable investing practices
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About Melanie Pickett:
Melanie joined Northern Trust in January 2017, charged with creating a new line of business centered on meeting the portfolio management and technology needs of complex asset allocators around the globe. In late 2018, Melanie led an equity investment in Parilux Investment Technology and built Northern Trust’s first cloud-native software business. In early 2019, Melanie increased Northern Trust’s equity stake in Parilux to a majority position and launched Northern Trust’s Front Office Solutions. Since launch, the platform has grown to serve over $550BN in AUM. Northern Trust fully acquired Parilux in April 2021. Melanie also serves as the global product executive for alternative investments, directing capital and strategy to the firm’s investments in services for limited partners, inclusive of a multi-year digitization initiative utilizing groundbreaking machine learning capabilities.
In January 2021, Melanie took responsibility for the firm’s not-for-profit, healthcare, public pension, and Taft Hartley businesses, and in January 2022, she added responsibility for the insurance and large corporate businesses, as well as Northern Trust’s Canada business.
Melanie’s remit now spans the entirety of the Asset Servicing business in the Americas, directing the bank’s strategy, growth, and delivery of all firmwide products & services for asset owners and asset managers in the Americas region.