Castle Hall Alternatives has launched Due Diligence University, a growing collection of educational resources including webinars, white papers and online courses.

Commenting on the launch, Chris Addy, President and CEO of Castle Hall, says: “The guiding principle of Due Diligence University is to support asset owners as they conduct due diligence on third party asset managers. Due Diligence University operates with an investor centric perspective to deliver up-to-date knowledge and access to industry metrics and best practice benchmarks.”

The first Due Diligence University subject area will focus on cybersecurity. “Evaluating an Asset Manager’s Cybersecurity Environment” is the topic of an upcoming webinar and detailed white paper, which identifies ten key due diligence risk areas related to technology security and includes a cyber risk management evaluation tool.

Vladimir Rabotka, Director – Security and Systems Administration, prepared the white paper and will host Castle Hall’s cybersecurity webinar. “Due Diligence University aims to provide practical guidance for due diligence practitioners,” says Rabotka. “What are the questions to ask, and how should an investor rate a manager’s responses? Above all, our goal is to help bridge the gap between often technical subject matter and more practical guidance as to how to approach risk areas during a real world operational diligence review.”

Anne Coady, Castle Hall’s Managing Director, has also been involved in the creation of the Due Diligence University program. “Operational due diligence covers many technical subjects, and industry associations and service providers have produced a wide range of resources which are often helpful for the diligence practitioner,” she says. “However, the majority of industry materials remain focused on the needs of the asset manager, rather than the investor. Operational due diligence is, at its heart, a process to provide oversight over external vendors of asset management services. Due Diligence University will provide materials to help asset owners and their diligence teams execute their responsibilities to ensure vendor best practice.”