Féten Ben Hariz: “I provide our customers with my expertise in the finance sector and my knowledge of the media”.

Féten Ben Hariz, Head of Asset Management & Private Banking at Fargo-Sachinka, shares her expertise, her background and her views on the role of finance in transforming the global economy.

What is your role at Fargo-Sachinka?

I advise the agency’s asset management and private banking clients in defining and implementing their media communications strategy. In concrete terms, this means building their messages and enabling promotion in an accessible and efficient way to their target audiences. This requires a clear understanding of the client, its market positioning and goals, as well as the functioning of the media and journalists’ expectations.

I produce content for our clients, with the support of our editorial team. Editorialized media relations is one of the tools we offer within the agency, thanks to the skills of former journalists.

Internally, I manage a team of consultants whom I continue to train with great pleasure. I’ve noticed that media training and the art of storytelling are still key areas of training.

My job is fascinating, but you have to find a balance, because you’re constantly connected to your customers.

In a few words, would you describe your career before joining Fargo-Sachinka?

After graduating from university with a degree in economic intelligence, I started my career in an agency. I immediately immersed myself in the finance and asset management sector, a field I quickly became passionate about. In 2013, I joined the Fargo agency, a human-scale structure specializing in editorialized media relations for players in the financial sector. Finance is a rich and fascinating world. Capital markets are constantly evolving and are profoundly impacted by economic and geopolitical events.

How do you see the evolution of asset management and private banking?

There was a before and an after to 2008. The subprime crisis, from Lehman Brothers to the Madoff affair, turned the financial sector upside down, revealing major structural flaws and leaving a lasting mark on people’s minds. Faced with this situation, financial institutions had to evolve to restore customer confidence and prove their ability to withstand future economic turbulence. This transformation demonstrated that, despite the crises, finance could adapt, stabilize and continue to play its central role in the global economy.

Finance has an essential role to play in helping the transformation of the economy, and this of course includes the success of more responsible investments. Discreet in its early days, responsible finance has become a must in 2010! It’s no longer an option, but a focal point of all communication. From the SRI label to SFDR regulations, asset management companies have had to adapt their offerings to meet the expectations of institutional and retail investors. But much remains to be done. To avoid being accused of greenwashing, they must now prove that the products they market meet very precise requirements. The era of declarations of intent is over. The more precise a financial player’s communication is, the more respected and credible it will be.