Management Science at Merrill Lynch Private Client Group

Merrill Lynch Private Client Group won the 1997 INFORMS Prize for effective use and impact of management science on the organizational success of the firm. Merrill Lynch established its management science group in 1986. The group's mission is to provide high-end quantitative analysis to support strategic management decisions and to enhance the financial consultant–client relationship. Hallmarks of our approach include objectivity, communication skills, teamwork, and consulting skills in addition to the required technical knowledge. We have developed special expertise in selected areas that are vital to Merrill Lynch's businesses. These include asset-allocation analysis and modeling, financial-planning support and analysis, investment strategies, expert systems, marketing-information technology, prospecting and cross-selling models, and portfolio-performance measurement. The impact and success of the group can be measured in hard dollars, repeat business, the development and analysis of strategic initiatives, and the tools we developed to assist the salesforce.