Asset Control, a data management and analytics solutions provider, recruited Stef Nielen as director of strategic business development for the buy-side. The new appointment will enable Asset Control to more specifically focus on the requirements of its buy-side customers around self-controlled data sourcing, mastering, derivation and integration across the investment decision processes.

Following its recent next-generation data quality management and business user enablement product releases, Asset Control signed several new buy-side customers and continues to see high levels of engagement from asset managers, hedge funds and institutional investors.

The decision to appoint Nielen also comes against a backdrop of industry developments around increasing data diversity, volumes and controls on data consumption; onboarding of alternative data sets; and increased use of ESG data, self-indexing and more granular reporting.

Nielen has 20 years of experience and domain expertise on the distinct processes hedge funds, asset managers, investment managers and asset owners perform. Having worked for MSCI, RiskMetrics and Axioma, he has been an advisor to some of the largest asset managers and asset owners.

“It is rewarding to see how our new technology and managed services are being embraced by the industry,” Mark Hepsworth, CEO of Asset Control, said. “Buy-side firms face significant challenges in data onboarding, mastering and exploration and face increased competitive pressures. Asset managers are looking to differentiate through intelligent data management, increased data accessibility and managed data services. In short, the buy side needs ever more control over the data that they want to take in. This is where Asset Control can help.”