Streamlining Business Processes and Compliance in Financial Services: A Case Study of Sarasin & Partners

Sarasin & Partners, a London-based asset management firm, was grappling with inefficient paper-based processes that were hampering its operational efficiency. The firm, which is responsible for investing £13.9 billion on behalf of its clients, needed its processes to be easily auditable. However, the reliance on paper forms and manual processes was creating bottlenecks. For instance, documents requiring approval signatures could be generated by 220 members of staff and passed across up to 8 different desks, over 3 floors in the building. This led to approval processes taking many days to complete, with employees often having to phone or email their colleagues to ascertain the status of an approval. The firm also faced challenges in ensuring compliance with stringent legislation enforced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK and other regulators. While the firm’s processes already complied with relevant regulations, they were not as efficient as they could have been. Furthermore, when audits occurred, employees faced the time-consuming task of collating all the necessary hard-copy documents to provide evidence of the firm’s regulatory compliance.

Sarasin & Partners is a privately owned firm of asset managers, headquartered in the heart of London’s financial district. The firm is a specialist in sustainable investing and provides services to charities, private clients, pension funds, independent financial advisors, families, and institutions. Sarasin & Partners is responsible for investing £13.9 billion on behalf of its clients, making it crucial for the firm to have robust and auditable internal processes. The firm continually seeks ways to reduce paper consumption across the business and improve its operational efficiency.