Zeno AN Solutions and The Hackett Group Partner to Offer Asset Owners New Best Practices and Fiduciary Oversight of Discretionary MWBE Brokerage Programs

New York, NY, March 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zeno AN Solutions, a division of Abel Noser Holdings, LLC, and a leading provider of multi-asset trade analytics and consulting services to the institutional asset owner community, today announced it has partnered with The Hackett Group, LLC, an investment advisory consulting firm based out of New Orleans to introduce Abel Noser's unique suite of TCA-generated trade strategy and execution tools. One of the key components of this partnership is to highlight both firms' mutual goal of supplying the world's best investment and execution services to minority and women-owned business enterprise programs (MWBE) around the country. The driving feature of Abel Noser's offering is their revolutionary START platform, a customizable execution algorithmic solution integrated with industry-leading analytics. The Hackett Group will recommend the platform to asset owner and pension fund clients as a way for their managers to proactively meet diversity and inclusion goals while mitigating best execution risk in an increasingly challenging trading environment.

"The increased electronification of trading has affected the entire industry. For MWBE-focused investment firms, our offering brings greater focus on diversity and inclusion principles in today's very dynamic marketplace," remarked Doug Rivelli, President of Abel Noser LLC, the firm's brokerage entity. "Once installed, START provides investment managers with customized execution strategies that improve costs while helping them to achieve diversity goals. As a result, a START MWBE brokerage program can easily be implemented in a seamless manner, so the totality of an investment manager's trade data creates transparent strategies that are controllable, performance-centric, and broker-neutral."

"We are excited to have Abel Noser join in The Hackett Group's efforts to provide customized investment counsel and consulting services to public funds, retirement plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and private wealth clients," commented Toni Hackett Antrum, President and Senior Consultant at The Hackett Group, LLC. "This partnership allows us to offer a program that promotes trade execution best practices while simultaneously engendering diversity and inclusion goals through a full-lifecycle trading approach. We truly believe this could provide a unique and valuable option for our clients."

"While emerging manager programs have been a long-standing protocol and aspiration of institutional investors, diverse and inclusive brokerage has often been under-utilized and overlooked. We aim to change that imbalance," said Eric Darrisaw, Senior Advisor, The Hackett Group. "We are quite pleased to join with Abel Noser who, like our firm, has focused over many years on providing top-notch alpha preservation strategies and business intelligence coupled with an adherence to high standards of care, acting and serving in the client's best interest."

"This initiative is an exciting example of how two client-focused firms who take pride in promoting innovative investment and analytic services can merge their collective experience to provide clients with a superior execution solution," added Steve Glass, Co-CEO of Abel Noser and the head of Zeno AN Solutions. "We also look forward to partnering with The Hackett Group on additional initiatives with a focus towards expanding diversity, equity and inclusion goals that are in conjunction with robust regulatory and compliance reporting and industry best practices, particularly with respect to the creation of prudent and performance-enhancing electronic trading strategies."

For more information on Abel Noser's START product offering, click here.

About Abel Noser

Abel Noser has long been respected as a leader in the campaign to lower the costs associated with trading. Abel Noser Solutions, the company's analytics subsidiary, along with Zeno AN Solutions, is the industry-leading provider of transaction cost analysis with hundreds of global clients subscribing to its multi-asset TCA and compliance products through a network of resellers, distribution partners and strategic alliances. Abel Noser LLC, the company's registered broker-dealer and a member of FINRA, SIPC and MSRB, provides a wide range of trading, transition management, and analytics services to institutional asset owners, investment managers and brokers. Abel Noser was recently named the Top "Best-in-Class" Vendor in the Global Multi-Asset Class TCA Aite Matrix Report. Learn more at www.abelnoser.com.

About The Hackett Group, LLC

The Hackett Group's practice reflects the diverse strengths and values of the firm's principals and consultants, independently evaluating investment portfolio, pension portfolios, governmental finance, and processes to ensure equitable and sustainable solutions over the long term for the organization and its people. The Hackett Group works closely with their clients, providing them with the experience, and resources tailored to their specific needs. The firm is an independent institutional investment consulting firm and a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA). Learn more at www.hackett-group.com.