AIM Management Group Works on Worldwide System Standardization
AIM Management Group, a subsidiary of AMVESCAP AIM Management Group 11 Greenway Plaza Houston, TX 77046
AMVESCAP 1315 Peachtree Street, NE Atlanta, GA 30309
SIZE OF FIRM:
$419 billion in assets under management as of April 30, 2006.
PREVIOUS POSITIONS:
Morgan Stanley, vice president, 1978-1987; Salomon Brothers, director, 1987-1990; PriceWaterhouse, partner, 1990-1996.
EDUCATION:
B.S. in accounting and M.B.A. in finance from SUNY Albany.
WHO WAS YOUR MENTOR?
My most important mentor was Bill Cook, who ran technology at Morgan Stanley when I was there. His very aggressive leadership made me understand the importance of not being a wallflower.
What work experience has had the most lasting impression on your career? My experience at PriceWaterhouse. The issue there was to turn IT from being a practitioner to adding value, and it taught me the importance of cultivating the business side of technology.
LAST GOOD BOOK READ:
"School Days," by Robert Palmer, because it has nothing to do with technology.
Top 3 Current Projects
Replacing Equity Order- Management System
Objective:
Standardize processes while giving the businesses flexibility pertinent to their markets and functions. We're a global company, and we're trying to install the same system and processes across the company.
Compliance
Objective:
We are deploying technology worldwide to make sure people in the company are operating in compliance; it's in the United States already, and we're expanding it globally. Everyone has to deal with personal compliance, whether they like it or not.
Improve Cost Structure
Objective:
As with last year, we have an ongoing effort to standardize our global infrastructure and consolidate it to reduce costs. Last year, we were down another 10 percent, for a total of 30 percent overall cost reduction since we started.
2007 Initiatives
Continue executing current initiatives.
Vitals
IT Budget:
$220 million.
Key Technology Management:
- Andy Johnson, Vice President, Global Head of IT Infrastructure,
- Brian Seiler, Vice President, IT Applications (AIM),
- Trevor Shires, Head of Global IT (excluding the U.S.),
- Annie Chong, Vice President, IT Canada,
- Mark Kusnir, IT and Operations, U.S. Institutional,
- Alan Birsinger, CFO (IT),
Size of Technology Team:
770 total at AMVESCAP, including 350 at AIM.
Percent of IT Projects Outsourced:
5 percent or less.
Key Technology Partners:
Hewlett-Packard, among others.
Success Metrics:
We do client surveys internally to measure success -- anything less than 100 percent is not acceptable.Would your firm consider partnering with other IM firms? We'd love to partner on a couple of issues, but it's hard to do. If the solution didn't provide a unique advantage to the company and someone else had a solution, we'd love to partner.
Portfolio modeling and trading -- the new technologies and new ways to do it are very important for the company.
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