Our Experience

Apache’s management team comprises highly experienced and connected business managers. Apache’s principals have been providing consulting services to some of the world’s leading investment houses in the past 20 years. Consulting assignments have covered all aspects of the finance and investment industry. Some examples, which highlight the variety of clients we have supported and the assignments carried out are shown below

Recent Non-Executive Director Positions
  • Apache Advisors partnered with Signature Group in September 2010. As part of this partnership, Apache Advisors will provide strategic input to Signature’s global distribution and product structuring strategies. Paul Forsyth has taken on the role of Non-executive Director of the Group. Signature Group is a specialist private equity and corporate finance firm focused on India, the GCC, Africa and other emerging markets. Priority sectors are infrastructure, logistics, real estate, energy, media and entertainment, education, healthcare, food and agriculture. Signature is a pioneer in structuring innovative transactions with more than US$1.3 billion of assets under management and investment professionals based in Dubai, UAE and Delhi, Mumbai, India.
  • Felix Sim acts as a Non-executive Director of Royal Investment Bank which is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. The Bank provides a full range of advisory, origination and capital raising services to corporate and Government clients around the world.

Product Development

  • A major review of the entire product range of a major international retail bank with the aim of providing recommendations as to the viability of specific fund offerings, product profitability and the distribution focus to be followed. This was coupled with an extensive examination of the business development function within the bank including the identification of suitable candidates to fill newly created international sales roles
  • A review of a high net worth private client portfolio management business with a view to providing recommendations on the offering of suitable core investment strategies, performance criteria and suitable benchmarks. The commission was undertaken for a leading international trust bank and also involved an assessment of competitor offerings

Distribution Strategies

  • Market segmentation projects for a number of clients involving recommendations of product suitability for different client types in different markets around the world. Several projects involved recommendations for packaging products using life insurance wrappers and structured products
  • Establishment of a distribution strategy for non-European investment management business introducing a focus towards the EC markets. The assignment involved extensive work on geographical segmentation and segmentation by client type with the aim of proving a robust and structured approach

Business Development

  • A commission for a European based fund management boutique as to viability of its product range. An extensive assignment which led to a major restructuring of the European business including the establishment of a regulated entity in the UK, the selection of senior employees and a fundamental refocus of the investment processes and related product and marketing literature
  • A commission to determine the nature of products and tailor-made services offered by a leading global bank with retail and private banking operations in different locations. Product proliferation was a major issue with significant duplication of offerings across the different units, together with inconsistencies in investment methodology. The project outcome was a significant consolidation of products, the elimination of duplication and the establishment of a more consistent investment approach

Regulatory Advice

  • Setting up a fund management firm in the DIFC which manages a multi-strategy Gulf-focused hedge fund. Fund manager was previously Managing Director of one of the largest asset management companies in the UAE
  • Project for a Saudi Arabian family to set up an investment banking advisory firm in the DIFC. The firm is focused on providing corporate finance advice and arranging deals for Saudi-based businesses
  • Establishment of a fund management firm in the DIFC for a Russian client which manages a Russia-focused hedge fund and commodities investment fund. Provision of compliance support to the firm

Investment Process

  • Restructuring of a globally non-integrated investment process – a commission undertaken for a major UK based fund management business. The commission involved the providing an analysis of the existing process and recommendations as to how the domestic UK and global investment functions should be reorganised to maximize the investment potential going forward. Full documentation of the functionality was required together with high-level and detailed investment process presentation material
  • A long-term project for a significant government controlled investment manager in Europe seeking to move onto the international stage and develop its external focus. The assignment involved a significant repositioning of the business with the established of a methodology to handle its non-domestic investment management and a major overhaul of product offerings across all asset classes. The project involved a critical analysis of the capabilities of senior investment personnel which needed to be handled in a sensitive political environment. The recommendations resulted in a fundamental restructuring of the investment function