Private asset management firms enter themselves for individual award categories via the completion of a category specific submission addressing the criteria highlighted by the Panel and an in-depth questionnaire, including approximately 40 questions across several subject areas, encapsulating: group structure & personnel; investment management process; pooled funds/unlisted securities; regulation and investor protection and fees, charges and interest. The entry process begins in the early autumn the year before the Awards.
The PAM Awards feature three classes of the leading organisations in each Award category: commended, finalist and winner. There is no limit to the number of firms which can be commended or be finalists, as the decision is based solely on merit, and sometimes there can be more than one winner. Equally, if the Panel decides that no firms have made a significant impact, a category may have no finalists and/or winner(s).
All entries delivered by the deadline are presented to members of the Panel. Each entry is considered by a category sub-committee which presents their recommendations to the Panel. Firms will be invited to present if:
1) the entry does not represent the firm to the standard experienced by the Judging Panel and the Panel agrees to give them the opportunity to redress the issues in a presentation; or
2) the entry has raised or left some questions that the Panel would like the entrant to address in a presentation.
NB. Investment Performance and Reporting categories are not asked to presentations.
The Panel members review the entries and rank their individual preferences in ascending order, with 1 as the highest rank. The entrants are placed in order, starting with the lowest average score (the highest ranked firm).
This list is then presented to the Panel in a closed plenary session. The Panel debates the respective merits of the nominated firms and determines the (unlimited) number of finalists for each Award category.
The Panel then discusses and evaluates the list of finalists, from which it chooses a winner in each Award category.
Given the greater sophistication and demands of high net worth investors, entry evaluation is carried out via a Panel of leading experts who combine their market expertise to deliver a combination of quantitative performance attribution analysis with their experience of live client portfolios held with organisations in the market.
The Judging Panel reserves the right to withdraw any Award given if any regulatory issues arise within the succeeding 12 months.
The criteria for the investment performance categories of the PAM Awards do not currently include any information on the consistency with which different firms match investment mandates to individual investor risk profiles. This information is not provided by entrants to the Judging Panel, due to confidentiality constraints. Investors should always seek professional advice as to the suitability of any investment mandate before entering into any agreement.
