Mercatus is excited to welcome Chris Stewart to its growing team. Chris comes to Mercatus from Dynamo Software, bringing over his years of experience in finance, private markets, and technology. Ali Mamujee, VP of Product Marketing, recently sat with Chris to learn more about his new role, what brought him to Mercatus, and his thoughts on the future of the private market technology.
What is your background / story?
Started my career in the Business Development team at Preqin selling their data to a variety of organisations across the alternative asset ecosystem – this provided a fantastic introduction into the industry. I then moved from the data world into the software world through transitioning to the Preqin Solutions team (a dedicated portfolio monitoring solution for private capital investors). In April 2019, I joined the Dynamo software team as part of their acquisition of Preqin Solutions. This broadened my role and ultimately developed my knowledge and ability to advise firms on front, middle and back office products.
What is your role at Mercatus?
I will be joining Mercatus as a Sales Executive, focussing on growing the client base in the EMEA region. I hope to capitalise on the momentum the team has created, and contribute significantly to the expansion of the business in 2021 and beyond.
In your past role(s) what are some unmet needs from private market investors around data management technology?
The ability to manage and report on information from an array of different and complex data sets, across asset classes / departments / regions, from a single source, is something that I don’t believe is currently being met by software vendors serving the private capital market. There are a number of high-quality “point” solutions that are solving specific problems – such as; deal management, portfolio monitoring & ESG – however, these systems are disconnected and don’t offer the customer the same value and transparency as operating from a single solution. I see there being a huge opportunity for firms to leverage an all-encompassing data management solution that adds value to all departments within an organisation.
How do you see private market technology evolving over the next decade?
I think it’s probably fair to say that the Private Capital industry is somewhat of a laggard in terms of adopting technology. I think it’s therefore evident that there will be an increased drive towards more adoption, and that leveraging technology will become more of a necessity, rather than just a “nice to have ”. Furthermore, other factors such as increased LP demands for data transparency, remote working, and increased risk from challenging market conditions, will only accelerate the widespread adoption of technology.
What excites you about Mercatus?
Many things! But if I had to choose just one, it would have to be the quality and culture of the entire Mercatus family. I’m extremely excited and grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside and learn from the talent that exists within the company.
What is your go-to karaoke song?
Going to go with two here as I’m a huge karaoke fan:
- Will Smith – “Gettin’ Jiggy With It”
- Kanye West ft Estelle – “American Boy”
Give us a fun fact about yourself.
I’m a (dubious) scratch golfer… Useless at just about every other sport though!
