Head of Client Success at Quantifeed Surveys the FinTech’s Drive to Client Hyper-Centricity

Quantifeed has enjoyed a rising count of successful digital solutions projects for retail and private banks across Asia in recent years, including well-known names such as DBS, MUFG and China CITIC. Its expanding track record of achievements has helped the firm close its Series C funding in May, with proceeds fast-tracking growth across the region. Building on these successes, the firm has created a new role earlier this year and hired Vincent Emond as Head of Client Success. Hubbis ‘met’ with him recently, when he enthused about this new mandate within Quantifeed. He explained in detail how the team continuously works to turbocharge client centricity, delivering a seamless client experience from the very first engagement through to the completion of the project. The firm’s success, he says, is entirely centered on their customers’ successes. To help them achieve those goals, Vincent is thoroughly enjoying his mandate to help shift client-centricity at Quantifeed into hyper-drive.

Quantifeed’s platform powers personalised and engaging wealth management journeys for banks, insurers, brokers, and wealth planners. Combining software engineering and quantitative finance, the firm transforms financial institutions into providers ‘wealthcare’.

Quantifeed operates in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and India, deploying QEngine to some of Asia’s largest financial institutions. This includes DBS Bank in Singapore, MUFG Bank in Japan, Cathay United Bank in Taiwan, and Kiatnakin Phatra in Thailand.

Dynamism aplenty

It’s been vibrant since the firm announced that it had completed its Series C funding in May this year. It underlines the strength and growth trajectory of the FinTech. The plan is to use the funds to strengthen solutions for advisors, portfolio managers, and end customers. The mission is to enrich portfolio design, advice and trading engines and enable wealth management across a broader set of asset classes, including structured products, private equity, and digital assets. To achieve these goals, the FinTech is keenly hiring more talent across Asia-Pacific, mainly in Japan and Southeast Asia.

“As we travel along this exciting path, we engage deeper and more comprehensively with our clients to ensure that we deliver the best ideas and services to the clients, optimising outcomes,” Vincent explains.

Defining and refining

Vincent arrived at Quantifeed earlier in 2022 to take up an entirely new role, to articulate the new mission and build a new team at the firm. “Our remit is very broad, with a mandate to take the role in the direction we believe best,” he explains. “So far we have been defining and refining our mission, working closely across different disciplines at Quantifeed to deliver success for our clients.”

The QDiscovery voyage

Vincent shares the firm has an early engagement service called QDiscovery that aims to tailor QEngine solutions to their client’s needs. ln essence, QDiscovery is a six to eight weeks programme that helps define and sharpen business propositions. “The process helps to set up the project accurately from the very beginning to ensure outcomes are aligned with objectives,” he reveals.

The value Quantifeed brings to the table lies in their ability to develop a unique proposition for each of their clients every single time. This comes from decades of industry excellence from their consultants and the deep and broad capabilities of QEngine, their technology platform.

Vincent explains, “With QEngine at the core of our offerings, we configure the platform to help our clients develop a distinct proposition that meets their business needs. This means our clients can offer delightful customer experiences, better wealth management advice, and improved services”. He adds, “In practice, this could take multiple directions, be it a robo-advisor platform for self-directed customers for one financial institution, or a structured product advisor solution for the next”.

Uplifting the experience

He reports that they focus on two major areas of experiences. First is Quantifeed’s client experience and second is the experience of the end-user utilising our platform.

“We asses our success in alignment with our clients’ KPIs,” he says. “Have we delivered the best possible solution in the best possible way? How often would our clients recommend us to their peers? The client experience is linked with the definition of the institution’s business priorities”. Vincent clarifies, “How much AUM will this solution generate? Will it allow any cost savings? Are there opportunities to penetrate new customer segments?”

Vincent continues, “The end-user’s experience is linked with the value we deliver to the end user. We study the end customer’s pain points. Leveraging design thinking, we iterate the ways in which we can help reduce their burden. What Vincent describes as the customer experience centres on the delivery of a compelling customer value proposition. He stresses that each customer is different, depending on whether it’s a private bank, a retail bank, or an insurance firm.

Vincent works closely with Co-Founder and CEO Alex Ypsilanti along with other key decision makers at the company. They work together to help refine Quantifeed’s proposition for the different categories of customers and their wealth segments. “I also have the chance to manage product design, bringing engaging designs to life. The team makes sure it is tailored perfectly to provide a delightful experience that suits the end user,” he explains.

Alignment from start to finish

Vincent summarises the key thrust of this mission. “At Quantifeed, the client experience is critical to our own success,” he reports. “It isn’t just about selling products and solutions. We want to make sure that our clients have a great experience when they do business with us and that their customers have a great experience doing business with them.” He says his team aims to  ensure that the whole Quantifeed machine is client-centric. From human resources, sales, delivery and integration, to maintenance—everything focuses on the client and their customer.

Stepping into new ground

Vincent joined Quantifeed from HSBC and AXA, both in Hong Kong. “I had become familiar with Quantifeed from the client side. I developed deep respect for the firm’s products, solutions, outlook, and approach,” he reports. “Quite simply, from my experience on the client side, I saw Quantifeed as a FinTech with a platform that powers great products. Most importantly, they have experts who know what they are talking about and understand the wealth industry intimately”. He shares,

“I came here with a purpose, I wanted to be involved in a business that delivers on its promises. I wanted to be in a place where there is great potential and room for me to make my mark. That place is Quantifeed.”

First class solutions

“Quantifeed stands out from the competition. Not only does it offer excellent and unique products, but it has proven itself capable of delivering on its promises,” he states. “For example, with its API-first development framework, Quantifeed offers great incremental solutions for clients. In my previous roles, I saw some real pain points related to product integration with core systems. Quantifeed has the capability to overcome this and does it efficiently.”

Vincent explains that he has no regrets about leaving the security and comfort of major institutions such as AXA and HSBC. “Quantifeed has an entrepreneurial, motivating, and professional environment,” he says. “The firm’s leaders and the teams here are committed to excellence. They work in an engaging, responsive, and non-hierarchical way. This career move is refreshing, and I couldn't be happier with my choice.”

Delivering value

He closes the conversation by reiterating that Quantifeed not only offers excellent solutions for clients, but a great working environment. “It is a very innovative and human organisation where people are free to swap ideas and engage,” he observes. “Ultimately, this type of culture is what drives success here. The delivery of value requires an intense and unflinching focus on the client. That is what we strive to do, and we aim to improve on this continuously.”

Getting Personal

Vincent hails from Montreal and has Masters in E-commerce and Bachelors in Administration and Marketing at Sherbrooke University.

After a great career start in Montreal leading digital transformation for one of the biggest Canadian insurance companies, decided to sell up and move to Hong Kong. He soon found himself at AXA Group Solutions, where he managed the digital centre of excellence for Asia. He stayed there for two years before moving to HSBC, working first as the Lead Product Owner for the retail bank’s app for Hong Kong. He later started focusing more on the development of wealth management platforms for the bank.

Vincent spends a lot of spare time in Hong Kong on one of his two bicycles, a road bike and a mountain bike. “I average about two hours of exercise a day,” he says. “I also managed to compete in my first 70.3 Ironman shortly after I joined Quantifeed. Life these days is really work and sports; there is not much time left after that, although I do like to do some trail running, rock climbing, and a bunch of other stuff if I have the time. Between the great working situation at the firm, and my lifestyle in Hong Kong, I would declare myself a contented and lucky guy.”