Watson Wyatt launches research project to identify the future shape of the investment industry

Watson Wyatt has launched a research project called 2020 Vision, in association with the Financial Times, to develop a consensus view on how the investment landscape is likely to evolve in the next decade. The first stage of the project is to produce an expert opinion survey of investment industry participants globally, which will run on FT.com until early-December 2007. The results of the survey will be analysed by Watson Wyatt in a report to be released in early 2008.

The survey focuses on a number of challenges facing the industry where Watson Wyatt research has highlighted change:

• The talent bubble boiling up further
• Governance of institutional funds – large-scale change for some funds
• Product proliferation – any shape of investment product under the sun
• Extra-financial factors – deriving value from environmental and social factors
• Pensions – increased power to the people with the shift to Defined Contribution
• Organisational change – increased levels of competition with firms and funds running as fast as possible just to stay level

Graeme Miller, Head of Investment Consulting at Watson Wyatt Australia, said: “The investment world is subject to change on an unprecedented level and the pressures on asset owners, asset managers and consultants to at the very least keep up are intense. We view thinking ahead research as an essential input to firms’ and funds’ success. We have structured this research to be particularly informative to our clients and the whole industry going forward.”

Pauline Skypala, editor of Financial Times fund management (FTfm) said: “The investment industry is at a fascinating stage in its evolution and its shape by 2020 may well surprise us. This research will be valuable in shedding more light on its likely form and we encourage all our readers to contribute their views and ideas via the survey.”

The 2020 Vision expert opinion survey is available on FT.com at http://www.ft.com/ftfm/vision.

For more information contact
Sonja Lee
National Marketing Manager
Telephone:+612 9253 3176
sonja.lee@watsonwyatt.com

About Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting
Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting, a division of Watson Wyatt, is focused on creating financial value for institutional investors through independent, best-in-class investment advice. We are specialist investment professionals who provide co-ordinated investment strategy advice based on expertise in risk assessment, strategic asset allocation, and investment manager selection. Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting provides investment advice to some of the world’s largest pension funds and institutional investors, and has more than 450 associates in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

In the US investment advisory and investment consulting services are provided by Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc. Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting, Inc., is a registered investment adviser with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In Australia, Watson Wyatt is the leading investment consultant to institutional investors, and advises clients with assets of nearly $200 billion. It has offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

About Watson Wyatt

Watson Wyatt (NYSE: WW) is a leading global human capital and financial management consulting firm. The firm specialises in employee benefits, investment consulting, human capital strategies, technology solutions, and insurance and financial services and has 7,000 associates in 31 countries. The firm is located on the Web at www.watsonwyatt.com.