Culture as a key distinguishing factor

In a 2019 interview with Patrick Thomson, the CEO for Europe, Middle East & Africa at JPMorgan Asset Management, he highlighted company culture, liquidity and technology as some key areas that selectors and institutional investors should be focusing on when evaluating asset managers. In a recent interview at the company’s London headquarters, he was asked whether these are still the most important areas that differentiate one asset manager from another.

“The main thing is obviously performance,” he responds. “That goes without saying because we’re an active manager, but I think when trying to explain what distinguishes us, the culture really is at the heart of it.” He adds that technology is becoming even more important. “We will spend some USD 600 million on technology this year and I think that’s another key differentiator for us. It’s one of the great things about being part of the JP Morgan group. We can leverage their technology and cyber security,” he says. On the theme of company culture, Patrick Thomson argues that the