Asset management consulting

Shape your fund ranges, secure your transformations

Axis 1 Advisory supports asset managers and financial institutions with product strategy, regulatory compliance and the delivery of their transformation projects.

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Analyse, coordinate the teams, then recommend, steer and transferAfter the analysis, coordination connects portfolio management, distribution and sales, risk, compliance, legal, marketing and IT. Their work comes together to recommend, then steer and transfer.Portfolio managementDistribution & salesRiskComplianceLegalMarketingITAnalyseCoordinateRecommendSteerTransferAnalyse, coordinate the teams, then recommend, steer and transferAfter the analysis, coordination connects portfolio management, distribution and sales, risk, compliance, legal, marketing and IT. Their work comes together to recommend, then steer and transfer.Portfolio managementDistribution & salesRiskComplianceLegalMarketingIT
Experience gained at
  • Natixis IM
  • Mirova
  • Ostrum AM
  • Aviva Investors
  • Edmond de Rothschild AM
  • State Street GA
  • Groupama AM

Positioning

A combined product and regulatory perspective

A fund range is shaped by the market, by regulation and by the organisation behind it. Axis 1 Advisory brings these three perspectives together to turn constraints into clear decisions, from strategy to delivery.

I

Industry expertise

In-depth knowledge of asset management, financial products and their distribution.

II

Regulatory command

SFDR, AIFMD, UCITS, MiFID, PRIIPs, ESG: requirements turned into concrete actions.

III

From strategy to delivery

A senior counterpart who frames, steers and delivers, in France and abroad.

Aurélien Capron, founder of Axis 1 Advisory

The founder

Aurélien Capron

Founder & President

After more than fifteen years at the heart of asset management, I founded Axis 1 Advisory to put this experience at the service of asset managers and financial institutions.

I have worked across the full product spectrum — market intelligence, strategic marketing, range management and product development — at leading firms: Edmond de Rothschild AM, State Street Global Advisors, Groupama AM, then more than seven years at Aviva Investors France, up to Head of Product Development. There I managed a range of around one hundred retail and institutional funds, launched innovative funds — including a European climate transition fund — and ran the product committee.

Within the Natixis Investment Managers ecosystem — at Ostrum AM, Mirova and Natixis IM — I led the development of UCITS and AIF strategies in a multi-affiliate model (France, Luxembourg), range rationalisation (changes, mergers, liquidations, transfers) and cross-affiliate ESG projects: SFDR articles 8 and 9, French SRI label, ESMA requirements.

One conviction came out of it: a successful range stems from aligning commercial ambition, regulatory requirements and organisation. That is what I bring to every engagement — understanding your challenges, turning them into concrete decisions and steering their delivery with all stakeholders, from portfolio managers to compliance.

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Expertise

Six areas of intervention

Targeted assignments or end-to-end support, depending on how mature your project is.

  1. 01

    Product & range strategy

    Launch, structuring, rationalisation, repositioning, merger or closure of funds, investment vehicles and savings solutions.

  2. 02

    Regulation & product compliance

    Compliance with SFDR, AIFM/AIFMD, UCITS, MiFID, PRIIPs and ESG requirements, in France and across Europe.

  3. 03

    Market studies & benchmarks

    Competitive, pricing and positioning analyses to inform range and distribution decisions.

  4. 04

    Governance & organisation

    Product governance, processes, operating model and organisational recommendations.

  5. 05

    Project management & PMO

    Project and programme management, business analysis and change management.

  6. 06

    Data, automation & AI

    Data processing tools, process automation and AI-based solutions.

Working alongside asset management players

  • Asset management companies
  • Financial institutions
  • Platforms and distributors
  • Insurers
  • Family Office

Track record

Representative experience

Every engagement starts from a concrete range, compliance or organisational challenge.

Aviva Investors France

~100

funds managed, retail & institutional

Managing a range of around 100 funds

Review and revitalisation of the retail and institutional range, recommendations on mergers and closures, running the product committee and coordinating with the group in the United Kingdom.

  • Range
  • Mergers
  • Product committee

Mirova

Art. 8 & 9

ESG monitoring & SFDR positioning

Strategic approach and governance

Set up a full competitive analysis and quantitative and qualitative reporting framework, built on Morningstar and Lipper data. Led active monitoring of ESG funds and SFDR requirements (articles 8 and 9) to optimise fund positioning, define relevant peer groups and support decisions on how the range should evolve.

  • SFDR
  • ESG
  • Benchmark

Natixis IM

FR · LU

UCITS & AIF, multi-affiliate model

Product development and multi-affiliate projects

UCITS and AIF strategies in France and Luxembourg, overall management of range development and rationalisation across all affiliates, structuring of the offer around sustainability standards (French SRI label) and a cross-functional project securing the regulatory framework against ESMA requirements.

  • UCITS
  • AIF
  • SRI label
  • ESMA

Achievements delivered in-house at asset management firms.

Regulatory frameworks

Regulations we master

For each framework, what I have actually delivered.

Sustainable finance

SFDR & SRI label

My contribution

Article 8 and 9 fund classification, SFDR monitoring and range repositioning accordingly.

See definition

Combination of the EU SFDR regulation (transparency, classification of funds by article and the fight against greenwashing) and the requirements of the French SRI label (rigorous non-financial selection, impact management and reporting).

Alternative funds

AIFM / AIFMD

My contribution

Development and structuring of AIFs in France and Luxembourg, from design to launch.

See definition

Directive governing alternative investment fund managers (AIFs): authorisation, risk and liquidity management, reporting.

Retail funds

UCITS

My contribution

Launches, changes, mergers and liquidations of UCITS funds.

See definition

EU directive providing a harmonised framework for open-ended retail funds, enabling cross-border distribution across the Union.

Distribution

MiFID II

My contribution

Operational integration of regulatory requirements (MiFID II) at every stage of the product lifecycle.

See definition

Markets in Financial Instruments Directive: product governance, target market definition and investor protection.

Investor disclosure

PRIIPs

My contribution

Coordinating the production and consistency of regulatory documents across the range.

See definition

Regulation requiring a standardised Key Information Document (KID) for investors: risks, costs and performance scenarios.

EU supervision

ESMA

My contribution

Cross-functional project securing the range against new ESMA requirements.

See definition

European Securities and Markets Authority: harmonises supervision and issues guidelines and Q&As, notably on ESG fund names.

Responsible investment

ESG

My contribution

ESG competitive monitoring, peer group definition and cross-functional sustainability projects.

See definition

Environmental, social and governance criteria integrated into research and portfolio construction.

Approach

A four-step method

From diagnosis to your teams’ autonomy.

Analyse

Understand your context, range and regulatory constraints; studies and benchmarks.

Recommend

Build quantified scenarios and a strategic and operational roadmap.

Steer

Lead the project, coordinate teams and secure deadlines.

Transfer

Embed new processes, train teams and document.

Contact

Let's talk about your project

Describe your needs in a few lines.

contact@axis1advisory.com

  • Reply within 2 business days
  • First conversation with no commitment
  • Strictly confidential exchanges