Shankar Venkatraman at American Century Investments says that acting outside the box will yield unexpected, positive results.
(Shankar Venkatraman, CFA, FRM, vice president, global head of investment performance and reporting at American Century Investments, says that playing it safe within his career doesn’t work for him. He says the best advice he ever got was not to limit himself to the parameters of his job title. For those who want to take on more, they should consider stepping into problems that do not exactly fall within the parameters of their position. Think outside the box. “Step into problems that aren’t ‘yours,’ and you’ll be surprised how quickly you grow — and how much impact you can have,” Venkatraman says. In his current post, he oversees team members who are responsible for performance measurement, composite governance, and providing client-facing materials across institutional and intermediary channels. At PMCR 2026, he is part of the “Breaking Down Silos: Building the Client Centric Organization” panel discussion.)
Professional Background / Expertise
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your role and what your day‑to‑day looks like at American Century Investments?
A: As the head of performance and client reporting, my role centers on ensuring that our investment results are delivered to clients in their preferred way. My team is responsible for performance measurement, composite governance, and providing timely, accurate client-facing materials across institutional and intermediary channels.
On a day‑to‑day basis, I spend a lot of time partnering with investment teams, distribution, technology, and data governance to streamline how information flows across the firm. Increasingly, my job involves breaking down silos — whether operational, data-related, or organizational — to ensure our clients get a unified experience.
Q: What’s a recent project or initiative your team has worked on that has made the biggest impact for your organization?
A: One of our most impactful initiatives is empowering our internal teams with consistent and reliable insights at their fingertips. We continue transforming our data/reporting architecture — continuing the modernization of data pipelines, automating key processes, improving data quality reviews, making processes observable and improving the accessibility of performance and client reporting data across the enterprise. This effort has reduced manual touches, improved end‑to‑end data quality, and accelerated delivery timelines.
Q: What is your dream project?
A: My dream project would be a fully integrated, enterprise‑wide client intelligence platform that stitches together performance, portfolio analytics, client interactions, and market context into a single interface.
It’s the kind of capability that not only elevates client communication but fundamentally reshapes how a firm internalizes client needs, moving from a reactive to anticipatory engagement.
Session Insights
Q: What inspired you to participate in PMCR 2026 and speak on “Breaking Down Silos: Building the Client‑Centric Organization?”
A: The industry talks a lot about being client‑centric, but operationally, many firms wrestle to truly deliver it. I’ve spent much of my career navigating — sometimes dismantling — the organizational and data barriers that stand between clients and the information they need.
I joined PMCR 2026 because this discussion is overdue. And because, frankly, the gap between aspiration and execution is widening.
Q: What makes “Breaking Down Silos” especially relevant for today’s investment operations landscape?
A: We are all operating in an environment where clients expect personalized insights at the speed of thought — yet most firms still manage data, workflows, and communication in function‑centric pockets.
Industry Challenges & Trends
Q: What’s one of the biggest challenges your team or clients are facing right now, and how are you approaching it?
A: The biggest challenge is the increasing complexity of information clients expect, combined with the increasing speed at which they desire it. Clients are increasingly expecting the same immediacy in financial information that they experience when shopping online or booking travel — intuitive, instant, and customized.
We’re addressing this through data centralization, investment in automation, and strengthening our operating model so teams can collaborate more tightly. Our goal is simple: eliminate friction — whether it’s in data access, process flow, or communication.
Q: How do you foresee technology reshaping your area over the next few years? Any major shifts you’re preparing for?
A: Gen A.I. and automation will significantly impact how performance and reporting teams operate. What used to be manual, reactive work will become more proactive. Instead of assembling reports manually, teams will spend more time validating insights, curating narratives, and advising stakeholders — work that’s higher‑value and more client-facing.
We’re preparing for a world where:
Q: Which technology has impressed you? Which has disappointed you?
A: I’ve been impressed by how rapidly AI has matured from a novelty into a practical tool—especially in analytics, quality control, and workflow optimization.
The PMCR Experience
Q: What are you most excited about learning at PMCR?
A: I’m excited to hear how peers are tackling the same structural issues — data fragmentation, legacy systems, and organizational complexity. Conferences like this give us a chance to compare approaches and understand emerging best practices across the industry.
Q: What do you hope attendees walk away with after hearing your session?
A: I want attendees to walk away with a clear belief that becoming client‑centric is achievable—but only if we challenge our existing structures and rethink how information flows across the organization.
Getting to Know You
Q: What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
A: Despite working in a data-heavy discipline, I’m a big believer in storytelling. Data only becomes valuable when it helps someone understand something better — and that mindset shapes how I lead my team.
Q: What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received (or would share)?
A: The best advice I ever received is this: never let your role or job title limit your sense of ownership. Step into problems that aren’t “yours,” and you’ll be surprised how quickly you grow— and how much impact you can have. The biggest inflection points in my career came when I stepped into problems that weren’t technically ‘mine.’