Case Study
Team Lift-Out
Helping a Team move to a more supportive platform
Working closely with a team leader to move his strategy to a new platform, whilst maintain strict confidentiality and avoiding any breach of restrictive covenants
​The Challenge
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Godliman was approached by a franchise leader within a US-headquartered Asset Manager, who was feeling dissatisfied with the support he was receiving from the US-based head office.
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He had successfully built a market-leading franchise in a niche strategy, with very little support from the wider platform, and wanted to develop this further, without the distraction of his wider managerial and investment responsibilities.
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However, his contractual restrictions were very stringent, and he was uncertain how to make a move without breaching legal obligations. Our brief was therefore to ensure that neither the team nor the hiring company risked any legal recourse from the move.
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The team leader also did not know which houses might have an interest in considering his niche product as he lacked detailed knowledge of the wider market.
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Godliman worked with him over a period of 12 months to discreetly identify potential houses which might provide a more supportive platform, whilst ensuring strict confidentiality.
“I would be extremely likely to recommend them due to their thoroughness and understanding of high-end sales skills, focus on fit not experience, Godliman was available and fully supportive.”
The Results
We successfully moved a two-person team to a new platform with a contract that offered a revenue share to the team, seed capital to get a fund off the ground, and the full support of the distribution team. Ironically, the final employer was a firm that the team head had tried to approach before contacting Godliman but had been unsuccessful in initiating contact, and so had assumed was a ‘no-go’.
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If you are a franchise leader feeling dissatisfied with your current platform, please contact us for an exploratory discussion on how Godliman may be able to help.
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The Solution
Best-Fit Research
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We produced a map of the EMEA market, identifying the houses that had investment capabilities with similar risk profiles in that asset class, and so might be open to expanding into his product as an adjacent strategy.
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We were then able to advise on which of those houses would most likely be open to team lift-outs, from a cultural and strategic point of view.
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We agreed a priority list of 22 Companies to approach, split into an A List and B List.
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Using a carefully structured process, we made initial enquiries within these firms to gauge their appetite for this type of strategy – without revealing the team’s identity.
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From this list, we identified 6 firms that expressed an initial interest.
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We maintained strict confidentiality throughout the process through the use of NDAs, and coordinating meetings with three houses, leading to a firm offer almost exactly a year later.
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We also ensured legal restrictions were adhered to and that there was no breach of restrictive covenants through careful management of the process.
