Issue 3 2019

Acquisition International - Issue 3 2019 31 Dec18261 Castle Hall Diligence is a leading specialist in operational due diligence of alternative and traditional asset managers. Following their success in the 2018 Global Excellence Awards, we profiled the firm and caught up with Christopher Addy who provided us with a detailed insight into the innerworkings of the innovative company. Company: Castle Hall Diligence Website: www. castlehalldiligence.com Helping to Build Comprehensive Due Diligence Programs astle Hall Diligence is pleased to assist global institutional investors, fund of funds, advisors, family offices, endowments and foundations in the assessment and monitoring of business, governance, controls, cyber and investment risks of asset managers. With a team of more than 50 professionals, Castle Hall deploys one of the industry’s largest and most experienced due diligence teams. In addition to this, the company’s core competitive advantage is DiligenceHub™, the firm’s proprietary online diligence platform which has helped clients review diligence across several thousand fund entities. Castle Hall is committed to building a transparent and cost-effective operational due diligence solution that responds to each client’s unique needs. Going into further detail, Chris begins by informing us of the types of clients the firm serves and how they ensure they deliver a service which surpasses their customers’ expectations. “Castle Hall serves Institutional Investors, Private Investors, Financial Institutions / Advisors and Professional Corporate Governance Firms. We usually meet our future clients in conferences or other industry events, and through recommendations from asset managers we have diligenced. Also, we are frequently contacted by prospects on a referral basis from very satisfied clients. “The following principles are at the core of our business model: Flexibility – The guiding principle of our services is flexibility. DiligenceHub allows investors to outsource their diligence program in full, co-source a program with Castle Hall in combination with internal diligence, risk and compliance professionals, or simply use Castle Hall’s services on an ‘ as needed ’ basis. Coverage – Our procedures can be applied to any fund: unlike typical advisors, we do not limit coverage to an existing database. They can also be applied across all asset classes – from hedge funds to private equity to long only – and all investment structures, including private funds, regulated, public funds, and managed accounts. Efficiency – Castle Hall leverages the power of FinTech through our proprietary DiligenceHub online client portal to deliver services that improve the efficiency of our clients; allowing them to quickly focus on the important work of analysis and response, rather than data gathering and manipulation. Unconflicted – Castle Hall works only for asset allocators, not managers. All of our reports are unbiased and unconflicted.” C Working behind the scenes to ensure that deadlines are met, and goals are achieved is the dedicated, passionate team of talented individuals who form the backbone of Castle Hall. When discussing the internal culture, Chris is delighted to highlight the significant role the team play in the overall success of the award-winning firm. “Castle Hall clients leverage our technology, bandwidth and expertise to assess and monitor the evolving risks across their investment portfolios. “From data security and platform development to diligence data and assessment, everyone at Castle Hall is committed, every day, to working with our clients to generate consistent, evidenced and auditable due diligence information. We are very proud of the diverse team of professionals that we have built in six offices around the world, helping us to serve the diligence and risk management needs to our clients. Ultimately, our people are critical to delivering successful solutions to our clients.” Looking ahead to what the future holds for the firm, Chris signs off by revealing the exciting plans which lie in the pipeline for Castle Hall, especially following their recent success in Acquisition Intl.’s 2018 Global Excellence Awards as the Most Outstanding Investment Due- Diligence Firm 2018. “Moving forward, we are delighted to launch DiligenceHub in 2019. Castle Hall is committed to innovation in due diligence, and to delivering industry-leading tools and resources for its clients. The platform will include DiligenceExpress, DiligenceProfessional and DiligenceExchange.”