Erich Gerth has some advice for the growing list of asset management bosses currently striking M&A deals to bolster their alternatives credentials: don’t lose sight of your culture. 

“Traditional firms are trying to get into the alternatives space because they see buyer preferences changing, and alternative shops want to move into wealth management,” says the chief executive of RBC BlueBay Asset Management. “Both will have challenges. Culturally, alternative firms have been set up differently to traditional asset managers. It’s one thing to buy a manager, it’s another to integrate it.”