March 13, 2026
Lunch and Learn Events are hosted by CFA Society Chicago’s Professional Development Advisory Group. The intent of these events is to provide career and networking information for CFA Society Chicago Members. These events provide an overview of the participating firm(s) as well as related career advice. Many of the insights may be applicable to the broader industry.
The panelists for this event were the following professionals from Grandview Analytics:
Jen Pavlus is Managing Director of Talent Management at Grandview Analytics, where she leads talent acquisition, development, deployment, and engagement. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Pavlus has leveraged her passion for career development, coaching, communication, and continuous learning in a variety of client service, project management, human resources, and operations leadership roles at high-growth financial firms.
Chris Lamb is Co-Founder and President of Grandview Analytics and focuses on running the Consulting Services Practice. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Lamb has developed a passion for helping to drive business and cultural transformation for organizations of all sizes.
Allyson Buckles, CFA, CPA, CIPM is Director at Grandview Analytics where she leads clients through new system implementations, enhanced data reconciliation, process flows, and research projects. With nearly 20 years of experience in the financial industry,
Buckles is an expert in performance measurement, attribution, appraisal, and compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®).
Introduction
Grandview Analytics is a consulting firm that helps financial institutions manage investment operations, technology platforms, and data infrastructure. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Chicago, the firm works with clients across North America, primarily within the investment management ecosystem. Its engagements typically involve implementations of large technology platforms, modernization data architecture, and improving reporting and analytics capabilities.
The Grandview Analytics Firm Overview
Grandview Analytics serves a range of financial industry clients, with a particular concentration among buy-side asset managers, asset owners, and insurance company investment divisions. The firm has also worked with banks, market infrastructure providers, and fintech vendors. By working across various client segments, Grandview gains insight into industry trends and the challenges organizations face when implementing new systems or transforming data environments.
The firm’s engagements typically combine strategic advisory work with hands-on implementation. These engagements are organized around what it refers to as the “Grandview Way,” a structured framework that begins with detailed project scoping, followed by a governance-focused onboarding period known as the “First 45,” and then iterative project delivery. The goal is to complete projects on time and on budget while building trusted relationships that lead to future opportunities and engagements.
Projects often involve enterprise systems widely used in the investment industry. This includes accounting platforms such as Clearwater Analytics and BNY Eagle, as well as investment book-of-record and order management systems such as BlackRock’s Aladdin platform and the Charles River platform. Consultants assist clients in selecting, implementing, and integrating these systems within their operational environments.
Additionally, Data management has become an increasingly important component of the firm’s work as financial institutions move toward modern data architecture and cloud-based platforms. Grandview helps clients design and implement data environments that support efficient reporting and analytics while ensuring appropriate governance and data quality controls. These initiatives often involve platforms such as Databricks and Snowflake.
The Grandview Analytics Consultant Profile
Grandview’s consulting model relies heavily on professionals with deep industry experience. Rather than hiring more traditional career consultants, the firm focuses on individuals who have spent significant portions of their careers working directly within financial institutions. Many consultants previously held roles in front-office, middle-office, or back-office functions and bring strong investment operations knowledge.
This background is particularly useful because the fundamental role of a Grandview consultant is to bridge the gap between business teams and technology groups. Consultants translate operational requirements into system specifications, analyze investment data, and help ensure that technology implementations align with business processes. Depending on the engagement, consultants may take on responsibilities related to project management, data analysis, or data engineering. Their work often requires familiarity with investment assets, operational workflows, and the systems that support trading, accounting, and reporting.
Successful consultants must also demonstrate adaptability and strong problem-solving skills. They must quickly assess existing systems and processes of new client firms while also building relationships with new stakeholders. Consulting also requires distinguishing between advising and decision-making. Consultants are responsible for analyzing problems, asking detailed questions, and recommending potential solutions, but the final decisions ultimately rest with the client. This dynamic requires the ability to present options, explain trade-offs, and help clients arrive at well-informed decisions.
An Example of a Consultant Profile
Buckles shared her own experience as an example of what type of professional background aligns well with Grandview’s consulting model. Buckles began her career as an investment accountant. In this role, she developed a strong understanding of securities and the operational processes required to maintain accurate portfolio records. She later transitioned into external auditing where she evaluated a wider range of operational processes and internal controls. For example, during this period, she expanded her expertise to include investment performance examinations associated with the Global Investment Performance Standards. This broad experience provided a comprehensive view of how investment data moves through financial institutions.
This ultimately led to consulting roles where she helped organizations improve their systems and processes. At Grandview Analytics she has worked on projects ranging from system implementations to data infrastructure assessments. One engagement involved helping an insurance company evaluate its existing data warehouse environment, define requirements for a new platform, assist in vendor selection, and support implementation of the chosen system. This type of multi-phase engagement illustrates how consultants combine subject-matter expertise with hands-on project execution.
Conclusion
Looking ahead, Grandview Analytics outlined upcoming engagements in areas such as advanced analytics, alternative data integration, and enhanced tools for portfolio construction and risk analysis. As these projects develop, the firm will continue seeking individuals with strong quantitative skills, experience working with financial data, and an interest in applying technology to investment decision-making. The panel encouraged audience members interested in learning more, to connect with members of the Grandview team.
This article was prepared by Thomas Prendergast, based on a transcript summarized with the assistance of ChatGPT (OpenAI). All content was revised, edited and reviewed for accuracy and clarity by the author.