SunGard today announced that JO Hambro Investment Management Ltd had gone live with SunGard's APSYS for private client wealth portfolio management, back-office settlements and client reporting.

JO Hambro Investment Management was the first pilot customer of APSYS III in the UK, and took part in a comprehensive gap analysis, during an implementation that took 18 months including the roll-out and testing of large pieces of UK-specific functionality. It is one of the first SunGard customers to implement the APSYS III service in the UK. APSYS III is already a well-established wealth management solution in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and in a number of off-shore centres.

In addition to investment and portfolio management, settlements and processing, JO Hambro will use SunGard's APSYS III for management fee calculation, BACS payments, and Global Investment Reporting Standards (GIPS)–compliant performance measurement, attribution and analysis.

JO Hambro Investment Management was an existing SunGard customer, having previously used SunGard['s ePAL solution for more than six years. It made the decision to migrate to APSYS III following its clients' demand for access to a wider range of securities and markets, whilst maintaining the efficiencies already achieved with SunGard's outsourcing service. APSYS III is highly customisable: for example, JO Hambro Investment Managment is able to have client-specific booklets, and can perform its own SQL queries to the database, whilst APSYS can be fully integrated into its existing workflow. APSYS III's Strategic Investment Management System provides JO Hambro with decision support, portfolio modelling and asset allocation information.

APSYS III provides a platform to help private client wealth managers increase their revenues without increasing their costs. Choosing SunGard's APSYS III solution helps JO Hambro to focus on its core skills of investment and client management, whilst partially outsourcing its back-office functions to an established and trusted partner in SunGard.

Andy Steel, chief operating officer at JO Hambro Investment Management, said, "We have had a long and successful relationship with SunGard, having used its ePAL solution for more than six years. This has allowed us to experience SunGard’s outsourcing business model, which we value highly. APSYS will help facilitate the anticipated growth of our business through increased efficiency in all areas of the business as a result of this implementation."

Damian Powell, general manager of SunGard’s APSYS III business unit, said, "APSYS III is already a well-established solution for private client wealth managers in continental Europe. A number of UK customers already use SunGard technology in this space through the ePAL solution. We expect JO Hambro to be the first of many to migrate to APSYS III's improved functionality now that it is fully compliant for the UK market in the front, middle and back-office."