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BMO Capital Markets Focuses on Data Integration, Business Management and Straigh-Through Processing

BMO Capital Markets Managing Director Trent Gavazzi integrates and reference and client data, enhances business management platform with that data, and reviews straight-through processing platform to increase efficiency.



BMO Capital Markets
Trent Gavazzi
Managing Director, Head of Business Solutions and Trading Services

BMO Capital Markets
3 Times Square, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10036

SIZE OF FIRM:

$268.5 billion in assets.

PREVIOUS POSITIONS:

Gerard Klauer Mattison, CIO; Madison Consulting Partners, partner; Nomura Securities, assistant vice president of technology; PriceWaterhouse, analyst.

EDUCATION:

B.A. in computer information systems and business management from Buffalo State University.

LAST GOOD BOOK READ:

"Freakonomics," by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. It offers a unique way of looking at issues along with a fresh set of ideas and viewpoints. It inspires thought, whether you agree with it or not.

Top 3 Current Projects

Reference and Client Data Integration

Objective:

In order to cross-sell products to our client base, it is critical to be able to look at where we're getting penetration for which clients, what their product mix looks like, and how we integrate the data in a meaningful way and normalize it so we can continue to analyze and focus on these cross-sells.

Business Management

Objective:

This is linked to the reference data project. Once that is fixed, the aim is to take the customer reference data and transaction data, and roll it up into our business management platform for all our capital markets businesses to use as a cross-sell-enabling tool. This is 100 percent revenue generation to maximize the relationships we have with our clients across product lines by being able to see what business this customer has done with us in the past, how often we talk to them and so on.

Straight-Through Processing Platform Review

Objective:

Any place we're seeing increased volumes and thinner margins, we need to eliminate human intervention. So we are reviewing all of our platforms.

2007 Initiatives

Common Communication

Within the investment bank, we just had an internal reorganization on the business side that is giving us an opportunity to look at how we can make everybody communicate better on the same platform.

Vitals

IT Budget:

N/A

Key Technology Management:

  • Michael Routolo, Vice President of Business Solutions,
  • Lynn Maki, Vice President, Business Solutions Project Manager,
  • Jeremy Kaber, Business Solutions,
  • Erin Moran, Business Solutions,
  • Donna McDonald, Finance Administration

Size of Technology Team:

30 employees in New York.

Percent of IT Projects Outsourced:

I look to use as many third parties as possible. We're an investment bank, not a software development organization. Our success will be based on how we best use a tool and how we integrate it within our business. It would take a tremendously compelling revenue upside for me to embark on a large internal development project for our investment banking group.

Key Technology Partners:

NSIGHT Enterprise Software for our business management platform, and Fidessa for trading.

Success Metrics:

We have a formal intake process in which we discuss who a project is for and what it's going to do. We talk through the architecture, etc., and determine which people need to be involved, and get the resources in place. I do regular one-on-one reviews with my team every two weeks. I'm also constantly talking to the clients, to the IT teams, and doing deeper dives here and there.

Vision: The Next Big Thing

We are pumping more technology into our businesses, and the professionals have more pressure on them to derive revenue from their businesses. But because the systems are getting so complex and require such deep industry knowledge, they are taking front-line people off the desk to devote weeks and months to these projects. So I'm seeing a whole new breed of technologists arising that is like special ops: small, smart, nimble teams that understand technology and also know the business inside and out. Without that talent you end up with a frustrated business and the IT groups unable to deliver anything of value.

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