(Systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics are becoming part of how companies interpret performance, flows and attribution, says Evan Witkowski, CIPM, director of institutional relations at Wespath Institutional Investments. Witkowski says the company’s team uses AI to spot patterns faster, run stress test scenarios, and enhance reporting clarity. However, he added that AI will not replace investing, making human decisions, or building relationships. Witkowski participated in “Building a Successful Client Portal: Strategy, Self-Service, and Engagement” and “Crisis Management: When Performance, Reporting, and Client Relationships Collide?” Session at PMCR 2026. )
Professional background/expertise
Q: Can you tell us a little about your role and day-to-day life at Wespath Institutional Investments?
A: I work with approximately 50+ clients with approximately $2 billion in assets and am responsible for business development for the outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) market. It’s a cliché, but no two days are the same. One day you might be talking about the market, and the next you might be solving a business problem with a client.
Q: What recent project or initiative has your team worked on that had the biggest impact on your organization?
A: Over the past year, we have had several projects to improve the accuracy of our client retention metrics and internal reporting.
Q: What is your dream project?
A: I’ve bitten off more than I can chew right now, but I want to automate the daily work life of myself and my colleagues.
session insights
Q: What inspired you to attend PMCR 2026 and speak on “Building a Successful Client Portal: Strategy, Self-Service, and Engagement” and “Crisis Management: When Performance, Reporting, and Client Relationships Collide”?
A: There are two reasons.
#1: As I get more involved in the world of customer service and business development, I feel like I’m being pulled away from my past love of investment performance. The performance taught me a lot about this industry and allowed me to simplify my investment-related messages when speaking to all types of audiences.
#2: We are a growing organization and face friction from growth and changes to existing processes. There are days in my life when performance, reporting, and client relationships collide.
Industry challenges and trends
Q: What is one of the biggest challenges facing your team or clients today? Can you tell us how you are tackling it?
A: Time is a challenge! There are many projects that I would like to be the center of, but I can’t because of competing demands. We’re adding support staff and rethinking our technology needs to meet evolving client demands. Essentially, a focus on training and automation is key at this time. The organization reimagined how to best support its teams and established an organization-wide working group to address some of its strategic priorities.
Q: How do you expect technology (AI, blockchain, digital assets, automation, data analytics, etc.) to reshape your profession in the next 1-2 years? Are you preparing for any major changes?
answer: AI and advanced analytics are already embedded in how we interpret performance, flow, and attribution. Internally, the focus is on using AI to uncover patterns faster, stress test scenarios, and improve reporting clarity, rather than replacing investment and relationship decisions. We have been able to use AI for many of our internal processes, all the way to automation.
Clients are increasingly asking questions about digital assets, not necessarily because they want instant allocation, but because they want to understand:
- How digital assets fit into a diverse portfolio
- How risks, storage, evaluation and regulation are handled
- How do these assets align (or not) with fiduciary responsibility and values-based investing?
Q: What technology impresses you?
A: It’s hard to have a conversation without talking about AI. AI will have a huge impact on our daily lives, but it will never replace building relationships. I think AI’s ability to write code in VBA and Python is amazing. It can now take hours, compared to work that previously took weeks or months.
PMCR experience
Q: What are you most excited about learning at PMCR?
A: I’m excited to learn from others and want to solve the same challenges others may face.
Q: What do you hope participants leave feeling after listening to your session?
A: Great question! If you want to know more about what we’re working on at Wespath, there’s no other way than to find me and share some of their struggles.
know you
Q: What is one thing people might be surprised to know about you?
A: Introverts who once loved analyzing portfolios and working with data may prefer a career in sales.
Q: What is the best career advice you have ever received (or would like to share)?
A: Find a mentor and stay in touch with your mentor. Also, kindness doesn’t cost money.
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