Independent Advice for Asset Managers Preparing for Important Client Engagements
We put you in the evaluator's seat, revealing how your investment capability is understood and valued
You have your go-to-market message and investment due diligence materials ready to present. It's based on what you do every day, so it's easy to assume you will hit all the right notes and the dots will line up. Sometimes they won't and this will impact decisions assessors make after the meeting.
The gap between a good rating and the highest one is often small. So is the gap between managers competing for a mandate. These margins can decide whether the strategy makes a model portfolio or whether you win the mandate. The outcome can come down to how the capability is presented, how it is positioned for the assessment criteria and how the Q&A is handled.
Our investment due diligence readiness service is designed to unearth those potential enhancements while there is still time to act on them.
Investment due diligence readiness
A dress rehearsal for the meeting that matters. Each engagement is scoped to your requirements. A typical structure:
Agree scope
Desk based review
Practice due diligence meeting
Written assessment
Feedback call
Detailed Australian Market Overview
Australia, decoded for offshore managers.
Clear Independent Strategic Advice
Supporting the growth of your business.
Allocator Perspective Masterclass
Tailored coaching for distribution teams.
Expertise spanning asset manager research, investment governance and risk.
Matt Conacher has spent his career assessing asset managers, conducting investment due diligence from four vantage points:
- A retail dealer group
- A research house
- An institutional asset consultant
- An asset owner (insurance)
Our services and the independence behind them
Investment due diligence readiness
Each engagement is scoped to your requirements. A typical structure:
Agree scope
Context, objectives, agreed assessment criteria and deliverables.
Desk based review
Agreed materials and data provided.
Practice due diligence meeting
In person or MS Teams dress rehearsal, with live questioning.
Written assessment
Report delivered to you.
- Quantitative assessment
- Qualitative assessment
- Due diligence materials and presentation
Feedback call
Discuss the written assessment.
- Capability
- Value proposition
- Positioning for specific assessment criteria
- Q&A responses
Scoped to a defined objective, arranged as required.
Our advice is focused solely on your business
Challenge established thinking
An independent perspective overcomes the familiarity that builds inside any team, with challenge that isn't shaped by internal relationships or organisational dynamics. We complement the expertise already within your organisation.
No capital raisings, no introductions
No third-party marketing, capital raisings, prospect introductions, competitor analysis or benchmarking. This is deliberate, so you can speak openly, knowing our advice is centred on your business alone. It also means we can work directly for third-party distributors.
Every engagement confidential
What we learn inside your business stays there. It is never carried into another engagement, and never informs work for another manager. Where a conflict would arise, we say so before we begin.
Expertise spanning asset manager research, investment governance and risk.
Matt Conacher has spent his career assessing asset managers, conducting investment due diligence from four vantage points:
- A retail dealer group
- A research house
- An institutional asset consultant
- An asset owner (insurance)
His experience also includes investment governance, risk management, portfolio construction and implementation. He's presented recommendations to investment committees, executive teams and boards throughout his career.
Outside work, Matt spends time with his two children and still plays basketball socially, now shooting considerably more three-pointers than his previous coaches would have approved of.
Master of Business Administration
Macquarie Graduate School of Management
Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment
FINSIA
Bachelor of Applied Finance
Macquarie University
Frequently Asked Questions
01Why not just run a practice meeting internally?
With an internal only practice, there is the question of who runs it. Usually the relationship manager. They probably put the material together, so they aren't necessarily well placed to find what could be improved. It also takes them out of the seat they'll be in on the day.
A Conacher Advisory Investment Due Diligence Readiness process simulates conditions you'll actually face. The relationship manager sits alongside the investment team member/s. They can step in on meeting structure when it goes off track, or momentarily on tricky questions, as they would on the day.
02What criteria do you assess against, and what are allocators really looking for?
The criteria are agreed with you at scoping.
A research house review, a session with an asset owner's investment team and an investment committee presentation are three engagement examples which will have different focuses. A research house works systematically towards a rating. An asset owner's investment team are often trying to build an investment thesis for the strategy. An investment committee has less time to cover the detail, but you still need to impress.
Across these examples, the Q&A is often where most ground is won or lost. A common pitfall is answering with too much complexity. However, the Q&A is a great opportunity to provide a specific proof point relating to your investment capability, which adds credibility.
03What do you need from us before we start?
A starting point is the material and data you are planning to use for the meeting you are preparing for. In the absence of a clear agenda and request for information for that meeting, we can provide some guidance.
What's included is agreed at scoping, along with the assessment criteria and deliverables.
04What happens during the feedback call?
We talk through the written report and the observations behind the findings. How something came across may not be how you intended it. These examples can be valuable. If it landed that way with Conacher Advisory, there's a fair chance it lands that way in the real meeting.
A feedback call is a working session rather than a presentation. We discuss potential enhancements and alternative approaches together.
The feedback call could also prompt a healthy internal debate, which can further sharpen the approach and the messaging ahead of the client engagement.
05How much of our time will this take?
Expect a similar time commitment from your relationship managers and investment team as preparing for the real engagement. The rehearsal only works if it's treated like one.
If your team is genuinely time poor, we can weigh the engagement towards the desk-based review with a shorter live session.
06What does it cost?
There's no standard charge rate, as engagements are tailored for each client's scope.
Factors impacting the Conacher Advisory fee include:
- How complex the strategy is, and how much preparation it needs
- How many products or strategies are covered, and how similar they are
- How much engagement you want with your team
- The balance of written assessment against face-to-face time
For context, a practice due diligence engagement sits well below what a retail research house charges a manager for a review and rating. This fee can generate a great return on investment if it is the catalyst for improvement which results in a mandate win, upgrade in research house rating or inclusion in a model portfolio.
The fee is agreed with the scope and fixed before any work begins, so there are no variations later. Tell us what you're preparing for and any budget in mind, and we can scope it quickly.
07Do you work with our competitors?
We work with a range of asset managers, so it's likely we've worked with firms you compete with. The simplest thing is to ask. Tell us what you're preparing for and we'll say straight away whether there's a potential conflict. For example, we won't act for two clients pitching for the same selection exercise, where we know enough to realise it's the same one.
Beyond that, what we learn inside your business stays there. It isn't carried into other engagements and doesn't inform work for another manager. A mutual non-disclosure agreement forms part of the engagement terms, which protects both sides. We can also agree to delete your materials at the end.
08How would working with a third-party distributor be different?
We take no part in raising capital or introducing prospects, so we can work directly for third-party distributors.
We can support a third-party distributor's investment due diligence efforts, where the outcome informs a commercial decision. That might be which asset manager to partner with, or whether to continue with an existing one.
It can run as a desk-based assessment or as a full investment due diligence process.
09Can you help with something that isn't listed on the website?
Every engagement is scoped to a specific objective, so work outside the listed services is a normal conversation rather than an exception. If it's within our expertise and doesn't compromise our integrity or independence, we'll look at how we can help.
If we can't help, we'll say so and suggest alternatives where possible.
Let's start a conversation.
What clients say about working with Conacher Advisory
Every engagement is confidential, so testimonials are shared only with the client's permission and at the level of detail they are comfortable with.
Placeholder for a featured testimonial. Two or three sentences that capture what changed for the client after the engagement. This one is displayed full width in navy.
Placeholder testimonial. A short, specific comment about the due diligence readiness process or the written assessment.
Placeholder testimonial. A short, specific comment about the practice due diligence meeting or the feedback call.
Placeholder testimonial. A comment on the Australian market overview or the allocator perspective masterclass.
Placeholder testimonial. A comment on Matt's independence and the value of an outside perspective.
Privacy Policy, Disclaimer and Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 2026
01Our commitment to your privacy
Conacher Advisory Pty Ltd (ABN 31 700 570 903) ("Conacher Advisory", "we", "our" or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we collect and use it, who we may disclose it to, how we protect it, and your rights under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
By using our website or contacting us, you acknowledge this Privacy Policy.
02What information we collect
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to operate our business and provide our services.
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
- Your name
- Company name
- Job title
- Email address
- Phone number
- Business address (where relevant)
- Information you provide in enquiry forms, emails or phone calls
- Information relating to your organisation, projects or consulting requirements
- Records of our communications with you
We ask that you do not provide sensitive personal information (such as health information, government identification numbers or financial account details) through our website unless we specifically request it or it is necessary for the services we provide.
If you choose not to provide requested information, we may be unable to respond to your enquiry or provide our services.
03How we collect your information
We collect information when you:
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When you submit an enquiry through our website, the information you provide is sent to us by email and may also be stored within our website platform or customer relationship management system so we can respond to your enquiry and manage future communications.
We may also collect limited technical information automatically through cookies and website analytics.
04Why we collect your information
We collect personal information only where it is reasonably necessary to:
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You may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time.
05Who we share your information with
We do not sell your personal information.
We may disclose your information to trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business, including providers of:
- Microsoft 365 and email services
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We may also disclose information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights.
06Overseas disclosure
Some of the technology providers we use may store or process information outside Australia.
Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is handled securely and in accordance with Australian privacy laws.
07Cookies and website analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and understand how visitors use our website.
These technologies may collect information such as:
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We may use website analytics and similar services to help us understand website performance and improve the user experience.
You can disable cookies through your browser settings, although doing so may affect how parts of the website function.
08Security
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
We use reputable technology providers and appropriate technical and organisational security measures, including Microsoft 365, to safeguard the information we hold.
While we take reasonable precautions, no method of transmitting information over the internet or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
09Data breaches
If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information that is likely to result in serious harm, we will respond in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act, including notifying affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) where required.
10Access and correction
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
To make a request, please contact us using the details below.
11Retention of information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our services, maintain business records, comply with legal obligations or resolve disputes.
When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or permanently de-identify it.
12Third-party websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.
13Complaints
If you have a question or complaint about how we handle your personal information, please contact us using the details below.
We will investigate your concerns and respond as soon as reasonably practicable.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
14Contact us
Conacher Advisory Pty Ltd
ABN: 31 700 570 903
Email: matt@conacheradvisory.com
Postal Address: PO Box 414, Ryde NSW, 1680
15Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, technology or legal obligations.
The current version will always be available on our website and will take effect from the date it is published.
Website Disclaimer
Last updated: September 2026
The information published on this website is provided by Conacher Advisory Pty Ltd (ABN 31 700 570 903) for general information purposes only.
While we make reasonable efforts to ensure the information is accurate and current, we make no representation or warranty, express or implied, that the information is complete, accurate, reliable or suitable for your particular circumstances.
The content on this website does not constitute business, commercial, legal, financial, investment or other professional advice and should not be relied upon as such.
Every organisation operates in different circumstances. Decisions should be made only after obtaining advice that considers your specific objectives, commercial arrangements and legal obligations.
Your use of this website does not create a client relationship between you and Conacher Advisory. A professional engagement only arises when both parties have entered into a written agreement, such as a Master Services Agreement, Statement of Work or other written engagement document.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Conacher Advisory excludes all liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on information contained on this website or from the use of this website.
This website may include links to third-party websites for your convenience. Conacher Advisory does not endorse, control or accept responsibility for the content, accuracy or availability of those websites.
Nothing on this website constitutes an offer to provide services or a guarantee that Conacher Advisory will accept any engagement.
If you would like advice about your specific circumstances, please contact us to discuss how we may be able to assist.
Terms of Use
Last updated: September 2026
01Acceptance
These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of the Conacher Advisory website ("Website").
By accessing or using this Website, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree, please do not use the Website.
02About us
This Website is operated by:
Conacher Advisory Pty Ltd
ABN 31 700 570 903
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Throughout these Terms, "Conacher Advisory", "we", "our" and "us" refer to Conacher Advisory Pty Ltd.
03Purpose of this Website
This Website provides general information about our consulting and advisory services.
Nothing on this Website constitutes professional, legal, financial, investment or other advice. You should obtain advice appropriate to your own circumstances before making business decisions.
04Intellectual property
Unless otherwise stated, all content on this Website, including text, graphics, logos, branding, reports, templates, downloads, images and other materials, is owned by or licensed to Conacher Advisory and is protected by Australian intellectual property laws.
You may:
- View the Website for your own personal or internal business use
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You must not reproduce, modify, distribute, publish, sell or commercially exploit any Website content without our prior written permission.
05Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- Use the Website for any unlawful purpose
- Interfere with the operation or security of the Website
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems
- Upload malicious software or harmful code
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06Accuracy of information
We make reasonable efforts to ensure information published on this Website is accurate and current.
However, we do not warrant that all information is complete, accurate or suitable for your particular circumstances.
Content may change without notice.
07Third-party links
This Website may include links to third-party websites.
These links are provided for convenience only.
We do not control, endorse or accept responsibility for the content, products, services or privacy practices of third-party websites.
08Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Conacher Advisory excludes all liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense arising directly or indirectly from:
- Your use of this Website
- Reliance on information contained on this Website
- Interruptions, errors or omissions
- Viruses or other harmful software
- Third-party websites linked from this Website
Nothing in these Terms excludes any rights that cannot lawfully be excluded under Australian law.
09Privacy
Your use of this Website is also governed by our Privacy Policy.
If you provide personal information through this Website, we will handle that information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
10Changes
We may update these Terms of Use from time to time.
The latest version published on this Website replaces all previous versions.
11Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.
You submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales and the Commonwealth of Australia in relation to any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Website.