We understand that investors have different tolerances for risk, so we offer a bespoke service to help you create a portfolio that fits your investment needs. Our flexible approach and demonstrable track record have given clients the conviction to entrust us with assets exceeding €30 billion in multi-asset portfolios.

Our approach

First, we need to understand your requirements. We focus on what you expect from us and consider factors including ease of withdrawal, time, and risk tolerance. Then, our highly experienced team will consider how we can fulfil your needs. They will look at a range of different investment assets, risk exposures, and investment styles to provide a solution that is tailored to you.

We use our own proprietary models to analyse investment opportunities. This bespoke approach sets us apart from our competitors and lets us offer a tailored service that is focused on you.

Our portfolio modelling framework features four key elements, each of which aids in designing client portfolios. These features are supported by our proprietary multi-asset modelling tool.

Our services

Our Portfolio Solutions team carries out in-depth analysis to identify any factors that might impact the portfolio’s performance and risk level.

We can also help you integrate alternative investment strategies into your portfolio. These could include (but are not limited to) overlay strategies, active strategies, dynamic asset allocation strategies, and life-styling strategies.

Here are some examples of the services we provide:

The benefits of our approach

When designing our portfolio solutions framework, we sought to address a number of key aspects that we felt significantly impacted performance. These include modelling for extreme events, allowing for the changing volatilities and correlations of asset classes through different economic periods, and allowing for tactical positioning as per client demand.

  • Modelling extreme events: Instead of making assumptions about future portfolio performance, we use a method called 'statistical bootstrapping' to model returns. This involves including a random sample of variability in annual portfolio returns to more closely represent real life, and lets us assign a more realistic probability to extreme events that might impact the portfolio. It ensures that the portfolio’s design is more appropriate for its real-life environment.
  • Serial correlation of returns: Asset returns tend to exhibit serial correlation. Basically, this means that if the previous month’s returns were positive, it is more likely that the current month’s returns will also be positive. Usually, simulations of portfolio performance assume that asset returns are not related to each other, but this does not really reflect real life. To address this, we allow for the serial correlation of asset returns in our model, and thus ensure that the analysis is more representative of the real world.
  • Changing correlations: Over time, differing market conditions change the relationships between assets. Normal simulation models assume that these relationships are constant through time. But, by sampling from history, our model allows these relationships to change as much as they have done in the past.

 

Our team

Key Contact

 

  • Darragh O’Dowd

    Head of Portfolio Solutions & Quantitative Portfolio Management +353-1-704-2048 Email

    Darragh is Head of ILIM’s Portfolio Solutions team. He is responsible for the overall design and management of Irish Life’s MAPS, Ireland’s fastest growing retail multi-asset solution. Darragh and his team are also responsible for helping our clients, across all distribution platforms, design portfolios congruent with their specific objectives and constraints.

    Darragh joined ILIM in 2007 as a Quantitative Analyst within the Quantitative Strategies Group. Prior to joining ILIM, Darragh worked as a research assistant within the College of Business at UCD and taught various courses undergraduate and postgraduate courses. While at ILIM, Darragh has also lectured on a part-time basis at the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School to MSc Finance, MSc Quantitative Finance and MSc in Aviation Finance students.

    Darragh earned a Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) from University College Dublin in 2000, a master’s degree in Quantitative Finance from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in 2002, and a master’s degree in Statistics (MSc) from UCD in 2013. He holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designations.

  • Ruoxi Dong

    Quantitative Portfolio Solution Analyst +353-1-856-3768 Email

    Ruoxi has worked in ILIM’s Quantitative Strategies Group since June 2015. He is primarily responsible for portfolio modelling as part of the Portfolio Solutions team. This includes simulation, backtesting, research and implementation of modelling methodologies, along with modelling system maintenance. 

    Prior to joining ILIM, Ruoxi obtained a BSc in both Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Finance from Xiamen University China over the course of 2010-2014. He graduated with first class honours in MSc Quantitative Finance at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, Ireland in 2015.

  • Brian Faley

    Senior Portfolio Manager +353-1-856-3609 Email

    Brian joined ILIM in 2012 and is a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Portfolio Solutions team. He is responsible for the development and management of multi-asset solutions, portfolio modelling and product research and design.   

    Brian previously worked on ILIM’s Indexation team, where he was responsible for managing a range of equity, fixed income and fx hedged indexed funds.

    Prior to joining ILIM in 2012, Brian spent three years as an investment analyst with Johnson & Johnson where he was responsible for the management of Johnson & Johnson’s money market investments.

    Brian has an MSc in Business Analytics from UCD Smurfit Business School, a B.A. Honours degree in Business & Economics from Trinity College Dublin and is a CFA charterholder.

  • Jack Delany

    Quantitative Portfolio Manager +353-1-856-3693 Email

    Jack joined ILIM in 2018 and is a quantitative portfolio manager within the Quantitative Strategies Group.

    Prior to joining ILIM, Jack worked for RPMI Railpen in London where he was responsible for strategic asset allocation and investment modelling across a range of multi-asset funds.

    Jack holds a BA Economics from Trinity College Dublin and an MSc Finance from Warwick Business School. He is a CFA charterholder.

  • Leonie MacCann

    Senior Multi Asset Portfolio Manager Email

    Leonie joined ILIM in 2020 and is a Senior Multi Asset Portfolio Manager in the Portfolio Solutions team.

    Prior to joining ILIM, Leonie worked for IBM in their in-house asset management team covering the non-US pension plans. This covered strategic asset allocation, manager selection and portfolio management of a number of pension plans and in-house funds. Before this Leonie worked with Davy in their Private Clients business and spent a number of years as an investment consultant with Willis Towers Watson.

    Leonie earned a B.A. Honours degree from Trinity College Dublin in Economics and Philosophy, a Masters in Finance from Cass Business School London and is a CFA charterholder.

  • Sarah Lewis

    Quantitative Analyst Specialist Email

    Sarah joined ILIM in 2020 as a Quantitative Analyst Specialist within the Quantitative Strategies Group. As a member of the Portfolio Solutions team, Sarah is responsible for modelling portfolios for our clients across all distribution platforms.

    Prior to joining ILIM, Sarah graduated with a first class honours Bachelor of Science degree in Financial Mathematics from University College Dublin.

How can we help?

Irish Life Investment Managers (ILIM) is the appointed asset manager to Irish Life Group Limited. ILIM is committed to innovating and leading the market with best in class investment solutions designed to meet the specific investment needs of our clients. Call us at: +353-1-704 1200 or email [email protected]

Contact us