Fund Awards 2022

www.wealthandfinance-news.com 20 Wealth & Finance International - 2022 Fund Awards Whether clients choose the insourcing or outsourcing route, Goal Group’s cost effective solutions deliver outstanding results: higher investment returns, more efficient processes, stronger governance and ESG profile, and competitive advantage. Its prestigious client base includes major custodian banks, many of the world’s top fund managers, and all four of the US Depositary banks. Its flagship withholding tax reclaims application, GTRS, is used to process reclaims on three billion shares annually for over one million underlying beneficiaries. As a leading fintech in the securities services industry, Goal Group has radically transformed as a business over recent years, shifting away from its legacy IT infrastructure and adopting a cloud-based operating model. Even pre-pandemic, it offered its clients elevated levels of automation and since then, it has taken digitalisation to the next level and launched its full suite of digital applications. Indeed, its digital transformation programme was already well-progressed pre-pandemic, and it played a huge part in its ability to adapt quickly when the world was forced to switch to virtual ways of working. This ensured urgent business continuity requirements such as virtual collaboration and service delivery, as well as paved the way for long-term business change; agility, automation, efficiency, innovation – all qualities that are now embedded at the core of the business, enabling it to transition fully to a hybrid work model as a smarter, more sustainable, and more productive way of working. It also found that a more flexible approach to the workplace opens up a wider, more diverse talent pool – geographically, socially, and culturally – fuelling business growth and boosting its competitiveness. However, Goal Group’s success is not just the result of technological excellence; innovative thinking should extend to all areas of the business, with a particular focus on client experience. Managing Director EMEA and Global Head of Client Services, Vicky Dean tells us, “We believe that it would be a mistake to adopt a digitalfirst approach to the client service function. We prefer the term ‘client-first’ – understanding client Goal Group is the global fintech leader in withholding tax reclaims and securities class actions recoveries. For over three decades, it has pioneered technological solutions that automate and streamline both of these notoriously complex and labour-intensive areas of asset servicing. Today, Goal Group is proud to be the only provider in the world to offer both tax reclaims and securities class actions services on a Software as a Service (SaaS) basis, alongside a fully outsourced option. preferences, and applying this knowledge in order to strike a careful balance between technology and human interaction. “Even for the most high-tech business, if clients want to engage with a real person and can’t do so, they will feel frustrated and unappreciated. For this reason, we remain committed to delivering an outstanding, personalised client service at a local level through our teams of dedicated client service staff in each region. Their role is to assess client comfort level and meet client needs as efficiently as possible – answering queries, holding meetings as required, and adding that personal touch to the client journey.” Alongside this, Goal Group does not fall into the trap of making assumptions about its clients’ needs or jumping on the latest bandwagon for the sake of it. Many fintech companies introduce features and complexity in their applications without properly consulting their clients, with the result being that they are not really needed and may even alienate clients rather than improve satisfaction levels. Goal Group’s human client service model is an excellent way to keep it closely aligned with its clients’ real needs and expectations, which can then inform its product roadmap and enhancement programme. As a result of its client-centric approach, the company has further cemented client relationships and driven loyalty, which has enhanced its industry reputation and led to increased client advocacy and new business leads through referrals. None of what Goal Group does could be possible without its outstanding team and the inspiring culture behind the scenes. Equal opportunities have always been at the heart of the business, but it has recently formalised its equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy to embed its values at an operational level. As society continues to rebuild post-pandemic, businesses have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to challenge old ways of working and create a more compassionate, responsible, and inclusive workplace. Agile SMEs are ideally placed to drive real change – and Goal Group is proud to be taking the lead. Most Innovative Global Asset Servicing Firm 2022 Sep22031 Ultimately, the cornerstones of Goal Group are leading-edge technology, compelling and flexible pricing, and outstanding client service. Its industry knowledge and legal, tax, and securities expertise has been built up over three decades and is unparalleled in the industry. External consultants have described Goal Group as “a lean, mean machine”, reflecting its success in leveraging smart, sustainable technologies to drive down costs and streamline its own business processes. This, combined with the other ways it has embraced change across the business, represents a highly compelling proposition for its markets. As 2023 approaches, Goal Group is continuing to innovate, exploring the exciting potential of its digital infrastructure to add further value to investors and their intermediaries across the globe. Company: Goal Group Contact: Vicky Dean, Managing Director EMEA and Global Head of Client Services Email: [email protected] Website: www.goalgroup.com

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUyMDQwMA==