Head of Innovation

Reporting to Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer

With a track record of continued organic growth, we are now preparing the business for the next stage of our journey. In an increasingly globalised market, we are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Innovation Director with a background in, or understanding of, the Private Equity and/or Alternative Assets market, to drive commercial opportunities across the Group as part of our growth strategy.

This senior role will involve leading strategic innovation initiatives across the Group, leveraging market insights and emerging trends to enhance growth opportunities. In this role, you will grow and develop a pipeline of unique innovative products & services and generate new revenue streams. This includes systematically identifying, evaluating and delivering new opportunities with Product teams across the Aztec Group, working closely with our technology organisation, marketing, legal, compliance, and client facing teams.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Executive Committee to shape the firm’s innovation agenda, drive digital transformation, and support the firm’s long-term investment strategies.

Key responsibilities:

• Identify, develop and execute a high-impact innovation strategy and roadmap that supports our growth plans and identifies new business opportunities for our clients and investors.
• Create and manage a well-balanced innovation portfolio of growth projects that span sustaining and disruptive initiatives and drives top line growth, focused on product, process and business model innovation.
• Ensure the innovation portfolio and roadmap are aligned with the innovation strategy, support business direction, goals, and priorities and can be clearly linked to commercial benefits that drive significant new revenue growth.
• Evaluate new innovations and business opportunities for commercial potential and conduct deep market research to identify emerging trends, disruptive technologies, and investment opportunities that align with the firm’s growth objectives.
• Conduct and support problem definition and solution development with innovators and craft the associated value proposition development and business modelling.
• Lead initiatives to integrate technology and data-driven solutions into the investment processes, improving operational efficiencies and market positioning.
• Innovate and launch new investment products or solutions within Private Equity or Alternative Asset product groups, ensuring they meet client needs and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure timely, successful commercialisation of innovation initiatives that promote service excellence and deliver maximum revenue benefits from ideation through to Go to Market execution.
• Work closely with senior leadership and key stakeholders, including the ExCo and external partners, to drive innovation and transformation across the business.
• Promote the company’s innovation agenda; influence and obtain support from business leaders and senior management for successful execution of the agenda.
• Partner and collaborate closely with the business teams and product development to create viable business models and commercialisation strategies for mature innovation.
• Develop and maintain strong ties with teams to educate, and inspire adoption of new solutions, innovations through clear communication, presentations, innovation sessions and trainings.
• Educate and provide necessary support for new innovators in the company and lead by example.
• Lead, manage and develop a high performing team of senior innovation specialists, providing ongoing coaching and ensuring input to, ownership and execution of, roadmap deliverables.
• Mentor and assist the innovation team in solution experiments, product prototyping and validation testing.
• In collaboration with other Innovation team members, prepare business plans and develop and execute implementation plans for new capabilities.
• Identify external assets and companies that may accelerate innovation and market access through partnership and acquisition.
• Identify & develop relationships with potential technology partners and support marketing activities to generate interest in new propositions.
• Develop technology commercialisation plans, including early-stage commercialisation strategies, value proposition validation, and business case development.
• Prepare and present funding requests to the Executive board.
• Lead the initiation and negotiation of commercial agreements with vendors, partners and clients.
• Provide programme management for projects as needed, including recommending and executing metrics and reporting on key achievements.
• Establish the company as a recognized innovation leader among customer and industry groups through innovations that differentiate the company in the marketplace and provide unique value to clients and investors that help to build long-term relationships.
• Grow an Industry network of like-minded people who can unlock future opportunities.
• Champion and drive a culture of innovation and change within the Group, encouraging forward-thinking and fostering a collaborative environment that promotes company-wide participation in the creation and implementation of new solutions for standard practices.
• Create, track and report on innovation metrics and business impact.

Skills, knowledge, expertise:

• 10+ years of experience in an incubator/start-up/Innovation environment, ideally within a large Private Equity, Alternative Assets, investment banking, consulting or other related sector company, with a strong understanding of financial markets and investment strategies.
• Deep understanding of significant aspects of technologies, business models and regulations relevant for the industry.
• Proven track record of leading innovation and transformation initiatives in a senior role, ideally reporting to Executive Committee level executives.
• Ability to think strategically, identify trends, and create long-term value through innovation.
• Experienced in growth and innovation, with strong examples of growing businesses by building and delivering innovative propositions.
• Solid understanding of digital technologies, data analytics, and the integration of technology in financial services.
• Hands on experience of designing and developing data centric digital products and monetising with clients.
• Experience in innovation scouting and ideally in an Innovation team/hub/lab/function.
• Passionate about building businesses that are creative and imaginative whilst being commercially viable in the marketplace, with a demonstrable track record of analytical and commercial thinking.
• Creating compelling business cases, which articulate customer propositions, explain the market opportunity and are supported by a financial case that can stand up to an investment committee.
• Proven experience of evaluating and developing plans to commercialise technology centric opportunities.
• Legal or contractual experience with understanding of licenses & collaboration agreements.
• Experience of leading the process for negotiating commercial agreements from start to close.
• Comfortable producing and presenting financial models for business case and funding requests.
• Experience in leading testing of new propositions and able to master Agile, design thinking and lean techniques for user involvement throughout the development processes.
• Good programme, project management and change management skills, with the ability to manage complex work streams and the drive to follow-through on ideas.
• Highly developed collaboration and engagement techniques, able to motivate and communicate to “sell the dream” of new ideas to the team, the wider organisation and clients.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to identify & develop relationships with potential technology partners, colleagues, collaborators and clients.
• Demonstrable success in defining and leading a culture of innovation and driving dramatic growth through new revenue source.
• Proven ability to build, manage, lead and retain a high performing Innovation team in a change and growth environment.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and work collaboratively across departments at all levels.
• Experience working in international markets, ideally with Europe, US and APAC experience, with a deep understanding of the Global financial landscape.
• Strong regulatory knowledge of the UK and European financial markets.
• Prior experience in launching new financial products or services.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, business, economics, or a related field; an MBA or equivalent is preferred.

We will provide the training, both in house for relevant technical knowledge and also professional qualifications to enhance your professional development. You will need to be quick to learn new systems and great with people, as close working relationships between our colleagues and clients is at the heart of what we do.