As the talent market within the finance industry shifts towards prioritizing employee satisfaction and embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), recruiters are looking for innovative ways to both attract and retain top prospects – such as leaning into data-driven executive search capabilities.

Executive search consultants assist businesses by identifying strategic hiring needs through a robust discovery process. Top recruiters will utilize a repertoire of tools such as mapping sheets, interaction logs, private databases, assessments, and feedback from conversations with clients, prospective candidates, and colleagues in the field to assess each candidate’s asset-raising capabilities and individual style.

After thoroughly analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, executive search consultants can make better, more informed decisions more efficiently. In turn, they can offer clients a wealth of knowledge about a company’s specific talent or diversity needs, as well as advise on which prospective employees are best suited for the position.

Jensen Partners, a top executive search firm in the alternative asset management space, is an example of a company doing this extremely well. The team leverages the expertise of its global and multi-disciplinary data science and origination team, combining it with a unique proprietary investor referencing methodology and an extensive mapping database containing 600 alternative investment firms. This powerful combination enables Jensen Partners to provide comprehensive support for their clients’ hiring needs and assist them in achieving their assets under management (AUM) growth objectives.

The story of Jensen Partners and how it solves hiring woes

Founded in 2012, Jensen Partners is an advisory, corporate development, and executive search firm focused on identifying and placing top capital-raising professionals in the alternative asset management industry. In 2022, they introduced Jensen DiversityMetrics^™, a software platform and proprietary database that enables managers to quantify, measure, report, and improve workforce DEI, as well as talent development.

Their data-driven DEI and talent solutions are unmatched across the asset management industry. One of their standout methodologies is the innovative 360 Investor Referencing. This methodology evaluates capital-raising candidates by meticulously verifying their resumes against references provided by investors with whom they have previously raised funds. By systematically investigating a candidate’s fundraising abilities and the amount raised within specific periods and across different products, they provide their clients with a comprehensive understanding of each candidate’s relevant skill sets and experience.

Additionally, Jensen Partners utilizes their proprietary software and database, Jensen DiversityMetrics^™, to generate a holistic view of how alternative investment firms measure up against crucial diversity objectives. By utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data, including self-reported and third-party data on racial and gender diversity among investment and distribution professionals, anonymized survey data, and employee assessments, they have created an invaluable tool for benchmarking firms against their extensive network of 600 institutions worldwide.

Through scaling Jensen DiversityMetrics^™, they have consistently exceeded client expectations, successfully identifying and placing more senior-level professionals between September 2021 and 2022 than ever before. Their data and insights, distributed via Jensen Partners newsletters and whitepapers, have been utilized by key players in the alternative asset management industry such as Institutional Investor and The Wall Street Journal, fostering accountability and transparency to address critical challenges across all asset classes.

Jensen DiversityMetricsTM — Jensen’s advantage

With its specialized expertise in alternatives and an unwavering commitment to staying ahead of industry trends, Jensen Partners sets itself apart, achieving remarkable results through a data-driven approach and the utilization of their powerful tool: the Jensen DiversityMetrics^™ platform.

Jensen DiversityMetrics^™ empowers asset managers to embrace diversity and inclusion as key differentiators in their investment strategies. Through its innovative visualization portal, this platform uncovers often overlooked pain points related to diversity and inclusion within organizations, such as employee retention and advancement, as well as lack of representation of diverse identities. By analyzing various dimensions of diversity including gender, race, ethnicity, age, nationality, location, and education, Jensen DiversityMetrics™ identifies the competitive advantages that specific team structures can offer, providing a realistic roadmap for improving diversity and inclusion efforts. Equipped with intuitive visualization tools and a downloadable scorecard, users are empowered to identify high-value opportunities and cultivate high-potential partnerships.

Furthermore, Jensen Partners is committed to sharing this valuable tool through their LinkedIn channels. This platform serves as an excellent avenue for amplifying their work and reaching a wider audience of industry decision-makers and leaders. It provides their audience with the opportunity to gain insights into Jensen Partners and Jensen DiversityMetrics’^™ perspective and underscores the importance of prioritizing DEI in hiring, retention, and talent development efforts, among other critical areas.

The importance of DEI at Jensen Partners and elsewhere to truly promote workplace diversity

Extensive global research has shown that DEI is paramount in the alternative asset management industry as it drives innovation, enhances employee performance, increases business profits, and improves decision making. Furthermore, a study conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2020 found that companies with diverse executive teams were 36% more likely to outperform their industry peers in terms of profitability. Embracing DEI is not only the right thing to do, it is also a strategic business move that ensures long-term success in this highly competitive industry.

Since launching Jensen DiversityMetrics^™ in 2022, the pool of talented candidates and networks that the Jensen Partners executive search team can tap into has greatly increased, expanding business opportunities for their clients, and generating talent results that exceed their expectations. More importantly, it has allowed asset managers to lead with diversity and inclusion as a differentiator in their investment strategy.

Furthermore, Jensen Partners was able to announce in 2021 the first pledge in asset management to begin all human capital searches with an extensive list comprised of at least 51% of candidates who come from underrepresented backgrounds. This initiative showcases their dedication to promoting diversity, as well as their position as a true industry changemaker that’s setting a new industry standard for inclusive hiring practices.

In addition to being an industry innovator, Jensen Partners prides itself on being women-owned and led by a remarkable 100% female executive team. Their Founder and CEO, Sasha Jensen, holds a deep commitment to ensuring that Jensen Partners reflects the diverse identities that have long been underrepresented within the industry. This dedication has resulted in the formation of a team where 73% of the members come from underrepresented backgrounds encompassing gender, race, and sexual orientation.

That unwavering dedication to promoting gender equity and ethnic diversity is a true cornerstone of Jensen Partners’ mission. They actively incorporate practices such as providing flexible work environments, fostering mentorship and job growth opportunities, and engaging in proactive discussions to identify biases within their workplace culture. Their commitment to diversity is more than just lip service – it’s an integral component of every single part of their business – from their internal practices to their work with clients. That’s one of the key things that sets Jensen Partners apart from their competitors and demonstrates their passion for making a positive, lasting impact on the alternative asset management industry.  

Solving organizations’ hiring woes through innovative metrics

Sasha Jensen is the Founder and CEO of Jensen Partners and Jensen DiversityMetrics^TM. Jensen Partners, a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) approved, woman-owned business was founded in 2012 on the principle that diversity is a critical and immediate need in the alternative investment space.