Chris Mackey is CEO and Founder of MackeyRMS, a SaaS-based research management platform.

What were the key theme(s) for your business in 2020?

Our client base consists of front-office investment teams for actively managed investment organizations. In 2020, we heard increased calls for mobility, transparency across individual and team workflows, and virtual collaboration, which we were in a fortunate position to provide for our clients. Those technology capabilities will be must-haves in 2021 as we move beyond work-from-home toward a home-office hybrid work cadence.

What technologies do you think will make a big impact in 2021?

In 2021, you will see artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing play a more prominent role in the fundamental investment research process. These technologies are already being used to create more efficient research workflows, but they have the potential to materially transform how fundamental analysis is ingested by investment organizations. That transformation will begin to take shape in 2021.

What trends will have the biggest impact on your clients in 2021?

M&A will have the biggest impact on the asset management industry. Major mergers are happening in every region, APAC, EMEA and the Americas, and it’s a trend that appears to be gaining steam. We will see a reshaping of the landscape among the largest investment organizations. While these mergers present a tremendous upside for organizations, the process won’t come without significant cultural and operational hurdles, many of which will be felt by the front-office investment teams we serve.