tml Partners was delighted to partner with Living Group to publish The Intelligence Advantage, an event report examining how marketing, growth and commercial leaders at the world’s leading financial and professional services firms are aligning strategic identity with digital execution, in a landscape being reshaped fast by AI.
The report combines Living Group’s proprietary Living Ratings™ research, which scores the brand and digital performance of the world’s top 100 asset managers and law firms, with insights from a roundtable event co-hosted in New York. The conversation brought Living Group’s data together with candid peer discussion on brand differentiation, digital fundamentals and the rise of private equity investment across professional services.
In the room
We were delighted to bring together marketing, growth and communications leaders from some of the world’s leading financial and professional services firms. Attendees included:
- Craig Annis – A&O Shearman
- Dan Tauber – Blackstone
- Brenda Tsai – Bloomberg
- Suzanne Escousse – Blue Owl Capital
- Richard George – BNY
- Jay Linder – Cadwalader
- Julie Cohen – Cahill
- David McClune – Davis Polk
- Andrew Katznelson – Epstein Becker Green
- Kon Shishkin – Goodwin
- Jennifer Meyers – McDermott Will & Emery
- Jose Castillo – PGIM
- Chris Goodman – UHY
- Allan Schoenberg – Vinson & Elkins
- Jodie Collins – Willkie
In the report
The full findings, data and roundtable discussion are in the report. Here’s a summary of what’s inside.
The research
Living Group evaluated the top 100 asset managers and law firms across more than 100 criteria, blending AI analysis with human insight, scoring each on Engagement (website functionality and social channels) and Evidence (brand presence and content quality).
- AllianceBernstein topped asset managers at 81.85%. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, fell to 7th.
- Hogan Lovells topped law firms at 86.08%, ahead of Reed Smith and Akin.
- Just 13% of asset managers and 24% of law firms have search functionality that actually works.
- Law firm Evidence scores rose 6% year on year, driven by rebranding and AI-focused content investment.
What we heard on the day
- Most firms are stuck in a sea of sameness: near-identical positioning produced by governance structures that reward consensus over distinctiveness.
- The firms getting it right separate what they do from how they do it, and treat the latter, culture, relationships, service over time, as the more durable differentiator.
- As AI intermediates more client interactions, authentic human leadership becomes a genuine competitive asset, but only where internal alignment comes first.
- Private equity ownership of the top 100 accountancy firms has risen from roughly 5% to closer to 50%, reshaping governance and partner retention across the sector.
The Blueprint of a Market Leader
Five things the highest-performing firms consistently do differently:
- They build for both audiences. Leaders optimise for AI discoverability while anchoring their messaging in human authenticity.
- They treat websites as commercial engines. Intuitive information architecture, high-quality search, and rich editorial fund, strategy and practice pages, not static gateways.
- They commit to evidence and case studies. AI agents evaluate content for evidential value, not just its existence.
- They lean into creative risk. Bold, unconventional choices in visual identity and campaigns, rather than the lowest common denominator.
- They enforce total internal alignment. Every partner aligned with a sharp, unified narrative, not a disjointed collection of individual brands.
About tml Partners
tml Partners specialises in sourcing marketing and commercial leaders for the world’s most ambitious businesses, providing a fully integrated suite of talent solutions including Executive Search, Leadership Insights, Interim and Fractional Talent, and DEI Solutions.
If you’re interested in learning more about how tml Partners can support your hiring needs, please get in touch.
