INSIGHTS Culture

“The landscape of global markets will change significantly in the coming few years, driven by the mega-trends of sustainability and technology that are transforming finance.”

With a career spanning almost 20 years in strategic consulting and financial services, Matthias Hübner recently joined Arabesque as a Partner and as the group’s new Head of Germany and Financial Services Advisory, EMEA, based in Frankfurt.

Matthias was previously at Oliver Wyman as a partner and a member of its global leadership team, and was the firm’s German, Austrian and Luxembourg lead of the Wealth and Asset Management practice. In this role, he served financial institutions from leading European banks, insurers, asset managers and fast-growth FinTech firms, advising on strategies from digital transformation to data analytics.

Prior to Oliver Wyman, Matthias held senior consultancy roles at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and before that, McKinsey & Company, where he served in the asset management and corporate finance practice, working with banks and corporates across Europe, the US, and the Middle East, focusing on transformation projects and value creation for investors. He started his career in the asset management industry, working as an equity analyst and portfolio manager, among others at Allianz Asset Management.

In his new role at Arabesque, Matthias will be focused on scaling-up the group’s activities in the German market, where clients include leading multi-national corporations and financial institutions, as well as leading Arabesque’s Financial Services Advisory business across Europe.

“The landscape of global markets will change significantly in the coming few years, driven by the mega-trends of sustainability and technology that are transforming finance”, says Matthias when outlining his vision for Arabesque.

“From banking and insurance to asset management, the evolution of financial services is being reshaped by artificial intelligence and the integration of ESG factors, and we will see the ushering-in of a new generation of products and services across the industry”, he says. “Besides changing client expectations, increasing regulatory scrutiny, particularly in the EU, will act as a catalyst.”

“I think Arabesque is uniquely positioned to play a key role in this major transition, with its combination of artificial intelligence expertise, market-leading data assets and insights, and investment technology. I am beyond excited to start my journey here, and join the mission of establishing Arabesque as the provider of choice in this space!”

Over the past several years, Matthias has been involved in a number of pro bono activities around digital transformation. In 2015, he co-initiated the DVFA FinTech Forum in Frankfurt, which focuses on topics such as digital asset and wealth management and big data, and for a number of years has been a member of the jury of the FinTech Germany Award.

Matthias is also serving as a member of the Advisory Board of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG and as a mentor for start-up firms at the leAD Sports Accelerator in Berlin, the incubator of the Adi Dassler family. Speaking about what he brings to Arabesque from these roles, Matthias says: “I think big incumbents can learn a lot from start-ups when it comes to adaptability. This attitude will also be crucial when preparing for their own sustainable transformation.”

Looking forward, Matthias believes that the growth of the global sustainability movement will only accelerate. “Technological change, the climate crisis, and long-term social trends are propelling ESG investing and corporate sustainability forward at a faster rate than ever before”, he says. “Intelligent ESG integration will become the new norm, and businesses and investors will need to transform their models in order to remain competitive in our future world.”