DSTi appoints asset management industry expert Brouwer

DST International (DSTi) South Africa has appointed Dirk Brouwer to add momentum to its financial asset management business.

Brouwer, who is now operations manager - asset management at DSTi, has 15 years of experience in the industry in various sectors, among which he served as director of operations for RMB Asset Management.

"I have extensive experience in using investment systems such as HiPortfolio from DSTi and other vendor products. I have also worked directly with most of the industry players, such as custodians, outsourcing companies, pension funds, JSE/ STRATE, middleware providers, Swift and others, which gives me an overall understanding of the market. Since I understand the client`s business, I can quickly translate client needs into effective requirements," says Brouwer. "Through this understanding, we can save time and effort and deliver effective solutions that much quicker."

His experience includes in-depth knowledge of the expanding investment outsourcing industry, having started the asset management outsourcing business at AOS. His experience at multi-manager, Mcubed Capital, enhanced his understanding of the investment process from this angle.

"Because of my active participation in industry forums in the past, such as the Money Market Forum which co-ordinates the dematerialisation of money market assets, we are well positioned at DSTi, having joined the forum, to lead clients through the changes in the future, before they become a pressing issue," says Brouwer.

He has been an independent straight-through processing (STP) consultant for the past two years, dealing specifically with process automation and STP between different systems. His expertise in this field will enhance DSTi`s focus on this important area of effective management and administration of investments.

"My main focus for STP was on pension funds, adding a further dimension to my experience. They too need sophisticated investment systems such as HiPortfolio/HiInvest to manage and monitor all their investments on a consolidated basis," says Brouwer.

DSTi has an integrated suite of 17 asset management products catering for the front, middle and back office, from pre- and post-trade compliance monitoring to specialist administration and processing for private client business.

"With his experience, knowledge and reputation in this industry, Dirk will be an asset to our organisation," says Marisa Bellini, director, DSTi SA.