The Solutions Scoop

Our guest Sona Menon, serves as the Head of the Outsourced Chief Investment Office (OCIO) within Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Sona also oversees the institutional product platform which sources and accesses institutional managers for the OCIO business. In these capacities, she oversees $145 billion in AUM across the various client segments. We discuss:Her career journeyMorgan Stanley’s business and the OCIO marketOCIO client trendsInvestment philosophy, portfolio constructionFuture prioritiesOur Meet the OCIOs series are one-on-one discussions with senior leaders from across the investment solutions and OCIO ecosystem, where we can dive deep into big issues facing the solutions industry and also get to know a bit of the person behind the title. Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Our guest Anne Marie Schultz  is a Partner and the U.S. Investments Commercial Leader at Mercer, responsible for driving growth across investment tools, advice and solutions for all clients. Anne Marie and Institute co-founder Amanda Tepper discuss a wide range of topics, including: The ‘three C’s’ Anne Marie believes are driving increasing investor demand for custom investment solutionsHow solutions clients benefit from strategic acquisitions executed by their providersWhere the solutions industry is going over the next five years And much more.Our Meet the OCIOs episodes are one-on-one discussions with senior leaders from across the investment solutions and OCIO ecosystem, where we can dive deep into big issues facing the solutions industry and also get to know a bit of the person behind the title. Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Our guest Dan Farley,  Executive Vice President at State Street and CIO for the Investment Solutions Group is responsible for the management and development of asset allocation strategies for institutional clients around the world.  He leads a team of over 150 investment professionals, managing and developing over $500 billion in multi-asset class portfolio solutions for institutional clients and intermediaries. Dan and Chestnut Solutions Institute co-founder Ravi Venkataraman discuss a wide range of topics, including: The solutions business at State StreetHow OCIO fits in a continuum of client solutions and market segmentsInvestment capabilities and other types of value add And much more.Our Meet the OCIOs series are one-on-one discussions with senior leaders from across the investment solutions and OCIO ecosystem, where we can dive deep into big issues facing the solutions industry and also get to know a bit of the person behind the title. Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

As the OCIO marketplace continues to expand, traditional investment evaluation techniques focused solely on performance and fees are no longer sufficient. The Chestnut Solutions has introduced the Holistic Value Measurement (HVM) framework — a powerful new governance tool for evaluating OCIO and investment solutions providers that can be used by asset owners, OCIOs, solutions providers, and search consultants.In this episode, originally recorded as a webinar on June 26th, 2025, Chestnut Managing Partners, Ravi Venkataraman and Amanda Tepper introduce the HVM framework and discuss business and client applications with JP Morgan's Joshua White, Head of NAI and Insurance Investment Specialists for the firm's OCIO business.Learn how HVM can enhance due diligence, provider selection, andongoing monitoring by assessing value across three critical dimensions:📊 Investments⚙️ Operations🤝 ServiceAccompanying slides may be found on Chestnut’s website here.Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Bernie Reidy, National Endowments & Foundations Executive at Bank of America, plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing his firm's national strategy serving endowments and foundations across the United States. He leads a team that develops customized OCIO mandates tailored to nonprofit clients’ missions and objectives. In this thoughtful executive conversation, Bernie and Chestnut Solutions Institute co-founder Amanda Tepper discuss a wide range of topics, including:  How Bank of America’s suite of value-added non-profit operations and strategy advisory services can impact clients’ investing approachExistential questions such as ‘What is an OCIO?’ ‘What is a fiduciary?’Why two OCIOs are not (generally) better than oneThe broader value of strategic nonprofit advisoryOur executive conversations are one-on-one discussions with senior leaders from across the investment solutions ecosystem, where we can dive deep into big issues facing the solutions industry and also get to know a bit of the person behind the title.Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Carol W. Geremia is president of MFS Investment Management and co-head of Global Distribution. She leads the firm's worldwide client-facing teams as well as product and marketing strategy. As a member of the firm's Enterprise Leadership Team, she helps drive MFS' long-term corporate strategy. In these roles, Carol oversees the management of the company's global institutional and retail businesses, which span US and non-US markets.This special episode was recorded when Carol presented at the Chestnut Solutions Institute in-person 2025 Spring Forum in Boston. Rather than talking about markets and the issues that are out of our control like interest rates, signs of recession and geopolitical risks, this talk explores how we rise above the “noise”, build resilience and Playing a Bigger Game. It is a mindset or a philosophy that looks beyond the immediate to consider transformational change, which starts with:■ Assessing where we are and how we got here■ Reexamining the purpose of the industry relative to the real world■ Facing our fear of getting it wrong. Our “GULPS”■ Investing our energy differently■ Embracing new allies/organizations who can drive change■ Moving to Bold Action to ensure we can build better outcomes in a world of intense uncertaintyPlease check out the accompanying paper at https://www.mfs.com/content/dam/mfs-enterprise/mfscom/insights/2025/March/pdfs/mfse_wp_3135734.pdf to fully appreciate Carol’s fascinating remarks and references.Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

This podcast is being jointly presented by the Chestnut Solutions Institute and Rosemont Investment Group, two firms that are deeply involved and invested in the successful growth of the solutions industry, each playing a very different and unique role in the solutions ecosystem. The conversation features:Chas Burkhart, CEO, Rosemont Investment GroupBrad Mook, Managing Director, Investments & Finance, Rosemont Investment GroupRavi Venkataraman, Managing Partner, Chestnut Advisory GroupAmanda Tepper, Managing Partner, Chestnut Advisory GroupIn our roundtable we discuss:How investment solutions are penetrating the wealth management businessOperating and ownership best practices for a successful solutions businessA new provider evaluation framework to help providers and clients ensure that any investment solution product or service is actually creating value for the end clientSend us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Canadian institutional investors are increasingly joining the growing trend of seeking custom investment solutions to help them achieve their unique investment goals.   The Canadian Institutional Client Network of PMAC (The Portfolio Management Association of Canada) invited Chestnut Managing Partner Amanda Tepper to speak with them about trends in the solutions & OCIO marketplace today.  Amanda’s presentation is an up-to-date primer on the global investment solutions and OCIO industry today, including:The definition of an investment solutions and an OCIO engagementThe factors driving investors to adopt custom solutionsThe business of solutions, from the size of the marketplace to types of providers and investor market segmentsA peek into Chestnut’s soon-to-be released tool for holistically evaluating OCIOs and other solutions providersSeveral PMAC members engage with Amanda over the course of this session. We thank PMAC for their continued partnership with Chestnut.Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Institutional and retail investors alike are increasingly seeking custom investment solutions - from multi-asset products to full OCIO engagements - to help them achieve their unique investment goals for 2025 and beyond.  In this strategist roundtable, host Amanda Tepper speaks with three senior investors who each manage a range of solutions portfolios for their clients about how they are thinking about and positioning their clients’ portfolios to succeed in 2025.Jonathan Barry, FSA, CSAManaging Director, Investment Solutions GroupMFSMichael StraussManaging Director, Senior Institutional Portfolio StrategistBank of AmericaDan FarleyChief Investment Officer - Investment SolutionsState Street Global AdvisorsSend us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Pension plans face an array of choices in managing and overseeing their investments depending upon their circumstances, objectives and resources. These critical decisions require active engagement with constant evolution and innovation. Ravi Venkataraman hosts this discussion with our guests that include leading pension solutions practitioners and a CIO that oversees one of the largest US pension plans:Jeanmarie GrisiChief Investment Officer, Pension InvestmentsNokiaJared GrossManaging Director, Head of Institutional Portfolio StrategyJP Morgan Asset ManagementEumene LeeManaging Director, Head of Defined Benefit Portfolio SolutionsMorgan Stanley Asset ManagementThis wide-ranging discussion on the pension solutions marketplace includes:The current state of the defined benefit marketplaceThe wide range of pension risk and investment products and services available todayKey considerations in pension plan asset allocation and portfolio construction approaches When and where it makes sense to outsource oversight of a pension program to an investment solutions provider?Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Lisa Shalett is Chief Investment Officer and Head of Global Investment Office at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.  In this conversation, Chestnut Solutions Institute co-founder Amanda Tepper and Lisa discusses a wide range of issues, including:How Morgan Stanley’s wealth business has evolved and the strategic role it now plays at the firmThe structural and cultural changes a traditional wealth firm must make in order to deliver holistic solutions to many different types and sizes of wealth clientsThe role of custom benchmarking in measuring the success of any truly customized investment solutionOur executive conversations are one-on-one discussions with senior leaders from across the investment solutions ecosystem, where we can dive deep into issues facing the solutions industry and also get to know a bit of the people behind the titles.Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Asset owners of all types are increasingly adopting Investment solutions and OCIO products and services, yet the industry lacks standards and norms. The Chestnut Solutions Institute has introduced a new framework designed to help all investment solutions stakeholders develop a mutual understanding of objectives and achieve optimal investor outcomes more easily.In this conversation, Chestnut Solutions Institute founders Ravi Venkataraman and Amanda Tepper introduce this framework and discuss: The breadth and depth of the current OCIO and solutions marketplace, explaining often-confusing industry definitions,An overview of the Institute’s proprietary framework for evaluating different types of solutions providers and their key capabilities,The Institute’s Asset Owner Solutions Toolkit, including a guide to selecting and evaluating providers, a due diligence checklist and access to a new web portal with resources dedicated to verified asset owners.If you are an asset owner, you may register on our website and once verified, you will be given access to CSI’s new online resource center with complimentary investment solutions research reports, proprietary Institute insights, and a solutions due diligence checklist designed specifically for asset owners. If you are an asset manager or advisor, you will also find this discussion helpful in articulating your solutions proposition to asset owners.Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Accelerating demand for alternative assets by investors of all types is being met by a wide range of new and often customized investment solutions products and services.  Join Eva Xu, PhD, CFA, and Chestnut Advisor as she hosts a panel of alternative investing experts at some of the industry’s leading asset management firms:Brandon DeesHead of Alternative Investment SolutionsMorgan Stanley OCIO & Family OfficeJake Pflaum, CFAPartner, Private Investments TeamAmerican Century InvestmentsKenneth Pitman CFA, CAIAPrincipal, Alternative Investments DirectorMercerThis panel discussion, originally recorded as an Institute webinar on July 24th, 2024 covers:What types of alternatives solutions are available - and what are not yet available to investors today?What is the outlook for various alternative asset classes?How should investors using solutions think about and evaluate the all-in value proposition of alternatives investments:  risk/return, fees, liquidity, documentation, etc?Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Non-profit institutions are increasingly choosing holistic investment solutions like OCIOs to manage some or all of their portfolios. Drawing on the exclusive market research findings in the Chestnut Solutions Institute’s new report, Defining Investment Solutions, our panel of asset owners and asset managers discuss issues including: What are the key needs of different types of non-profit institutions? Why do non-profit investors find holistic solutions-based products and services so attractive today? What are the biggest challenges that solutions providers face in meeting the needs of non-profit clients? Chestnut Advisor, Mary Jane Bobyock hosts this discussion originally recorded as a webinar on May 15th, 2024, with guests:Mark BrovakVP, CFOThe Foundation for Western Washington UniversityBernie ReidyManaging Director, National Endowment and Foundations Executive Bank of AmericaTeresa RodgersExecutive DirectorThe Presser FoundationJack SerhantVice President, Head of Solutions DistributionState Street Global AdvisorsSend us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Investors seeking holistic solutions to achieve their investment goals are increasingly turning to third party advisors known as OCIO search consultants - for support in identifying the best provider(s) to meet those needs. Our guests are three of these prominent search consultants:Brad AlfordFounderAlpha Capital ManagementLarry CoatsPresident and CEOClearView Fiduciary AllianceGregory MetzgerSenior Consultant, Practice LeaderNorth Pier Search ConsultingIn this episode, originally recorded as a webinar on July 27th, 2023, Chestnut Managing Partner Amanda Tepper and the OCIO search consultant panelists  discuss key issues in the investment solutions marketplace today, including:What different types of investors seek and value most from investment solutions providersHow OCIO search consultants evaluate the increasingly wide range of investment solutions features available to investors todayHow OCIO search consultants are evaluating OCIO/solutions providers on an ongoing basis after they have been hired.Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product. 

Investors and solutions providers are facing several critical challenges hindering a continuation of the industry’s recent rapid growth, notably a lack of standards or common definitions of solutions offered today. In the spring of 2023, Chestnut Advisory Group launched the Chestnut Solutions Institute, a membership based independent research forum, to address these challenges by providing market intelligence and insight to the entire solutions/OCIO ecosystem.  This episode was originally recorded as a webinar on June 20th, 2023 and covers a wide ranging discussion about all things Investment Solutions, one of the fastest growing segments of the investment industry.  Host Ravi Venkataraman, Managing Partner of Chesnut Advisory Group speaks with: Dan Farley (CIO Multi Asset) from State Street Global Advisors, Jen Kruse (U.S. OCIO Leader) from MercerLisa Shallet (CIO of Wealth Management) from Morgan Stanley. This conversation with market leaders in OCIO and Investment Solutions includes the introduction of the Chestnut Solutions Institute and its mission, definition of investment solutions, marketplace trends, choices and capabilities available to clients, benchmarking OCIO, managing conflicts, fees and business growth opportunities. Send us feedbackThis podcast is owned and produced by the Chestnut Solutions Institute, an independent forum for investment solutions providers and their partners, dedicated to advancing the future of the investment solutions industry.The Institute is part of the Chestnut Advisory Group, a boutique, practitioner-led management consulting firm dedicated to asset managers and investment solutions providers. Visit us at www.chestnutadvisory.com to sign up for more insights and events from the Chestnut Solutions Institute and follow us on LinkedIn. This material does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or solicitation for any security or financial product.