Peregrine Communications, a strategic communications firm for asset managers, has released its inaugural CEO Report looking at the personal brands and communication strategies of leaders at the world’s largest 100 asset management firms and 50 leading alternative investment (“alts”) managers.
The report analyzes CEOs across a range of criteria, including personal brand awareness, share of voice, sentiment of media coverage and social media presence.
The report found that the top five CEOs based on a composite score are:
- Larry Fink, BlackRock
- Nicolas Moreau, HSBC Global Asset Management
- Robert F. Smith, Vista Equity Partners
- Mary Callahan Erdoes, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
- Luke Sarsfield, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (International)
While many CEOs in financial services shy away from the limelight, there is demonstrable interest from earned media and investor audiences. Media interest in CEOs was high in the last 12 months, with leadership changes at New York Life Investment Management (15th among CEOs ranked in the report), Bridgewater, and Carlyle capturing notable attention. The almost 10% CEO turnover fueled some of this media interest. Many asset management CEOs received more attention than CEOs at household names in other sectors, such as Starbucks, Exxon, and McDonald’s.
It is noteworthy that many CEOs in the top 10, especially among alts firms, are founders with decades of tenure, highlighting that legacy and track record are significant drivers of investor and media interest.
“The past few years have been incredibly difficult for senior leaders in all industries, but especially asset management firms’ C-suites,” says Max Hilton, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Peregrine Communications. “With a challenging macro environment, fast-changing regulations, high CEO turnover, and the conflicting demands of stakeholders, particularly notable in the case of ESG, a cohesive personal brand that helps to tell a wider authentic corporate story is invaluable. As the market witnesses a secular shift from ‘business as usual’ communication, it is important for leaders to drive communications through a strategic, data-driven, and multi-channel lens.”
