Representative mandates for regulated financial services businesses — delivered on a project, retainer, or interim executive basis.
Overview
An institutional allocator — pension fund, endowment, or family office — looking to initiate or expand an ILS allocation. Arcus Advisory provides independent advisory on manager selection, strategy construction (cat bond vs. private ILS vs. sidecar), portfolio sizing, risk budgeting, and investor terms review. No product to sell, no manager relationship conflict.
A Swiss-based EAM or boutique seeking FINMA authorisation under FinIA. Arcus Advisory guides the process end-to-end: organisational structure, governance framework, risk and compliance documentation, second line of defence setup, and regulator liaison. Grounded in SRILIM licensing experience — built from scratch under live regulatory scrutiny.
A new alternative investment fund — private credit, ILS, or hedge — needs operational leadership during the launch phase but is not ready to hire permanently. Arcus Advisory steps in as fractional COO or CFO: fund infrastructure, service provider selection, NAV oversight, investor reporting setup, and board representation. Typical engagement: three to twelve months.
A family office or pension fund allocating to alternatives for the first time needs a structured ODD process. Arcus Advisory designs the framework: manager questionnaires, on-site review protocols, red flag scoring, and ongoing monitoring cadence. Based on the Man Investments RMF methodology covering 300+ hedge funds.
An insurance group or corporate treasury with an outsourced investment programme needs a formal manager oversight structure. Arcus Advisory builds and runs the oversight layer — performance attribution, risk monitoring, governance reporting, and manager review meetings. Directly replicates the SRGAM platform covering USD 50bn+ in external assets.
A Cayman or Irish-domiciled ILS fund needs an independent board member with genuine asset class expertise. Arcus Advisory provides a non-executive director with deep ILS operational and risk knowledge — able to challenge management on portfolio construction, collateral management, loss reserving, and investor terms. A rare profile in the ILS fund governance market.
A Swiss EAM or portfolio manager licensed since 2023 needs to verify its compliance framework is genuinely fit for purpose — not merely minimum viable. Arcus Advisory conducts a structured gap analysis against FINMA expectations, covering client classification, suitability documentation, conflicts of interest, and second line of defence effectiveness. Deliverable: a written assessment with prioritised remediation steps.
A single or multi-family office with USD 200m–1bn in alternatives exposure needs structured investment governance without the cost of a full internal team. Arcus Advisory attends IC meetings, provides independent risk challenge, oversees manager selection decisions, and ensures documentation meets institutional standards. Ongoing retainer model.
A regulated entity facing an upcoming FINMA audit or having received a regulatory finding needs experienced support. Arcus Advisory prepares the documentation, coordinates the response, and where needed acts as the interface with the regulator. Credibility anchored in five years conducting regulatory audits at KPMG on FINMA's behalf.
A regulated Swiss wealth manager losing its Head of Risk to departure or leave needs immediate coverage. Arcus Advisory steps in as interim: maintaining the risk monitoring framework, satisfying regulatory obligations, managing the second line of defence, and if needed supporting the search for a permanent replacement. Engagement typically two to six months.
To discuss a mandate, get in touch.
