ALaS Consulting Launches Trading Contract Solutions Practice

Small Jewels 2009: ALaS Consulting, by Jacqueline Durett, Consulting Magazine
March/April, 2009
http://www.consultingmag.com/article/ART235782T?C=V6H2PQ1yUJJL5voy

ALaS is named by Consulting Magazine as one of Seven Small Jewels: The Hidden Gems of the Profession

To hear that a financial services consultancy is treading water in this economy is impressive. But to hear of one that’s growing from $18 million in 2008 to $24 million in 2009—well that’s truly something special. And that’s exactly what AlaS Consulting is doing, says Harjinder Sidhu, managing director of the firm. “The firm is built upon industry expertise,” Sidhu explains, “and when you’re using AlaS, you’re actually talking to somebody who has been in your shoes and understands and empathizes with the problems that you’re facing.”

"Producing usable information that shows the health of a process is how Risk Managers will demonstrate their value to the firm. Firms won't avoid risks forever (despite the current logic) and will start taking them again," he said. "[Former Fed Chairman Alan] Greenspan said that today's market is a 'once-in-a-century type event.' I suggest that 75-100 years is about the collective memory of an industry and once we recover from this period I expect the devices we deploy will last another century or so. With the expansion in data and automation, those devices will need to cross divisions, entities, market-players and likely industries."

Soc Gen: Bank's Controls Didn't Work, says report, by Melanie Rodier, Wall Street & Technology
February 4, 2008
http://www.wallstreetandtech.com/blog/archives/2008/02/soc_gen_banks_c.html

ALaS Managing Director, Harjinder Sidhu, is interviewed by Wall Street & Technology about product control. This little known and less talked about function within a financial firm is giving everyone from audit, control to "C" level management something to worry about these days. 

"Harjinder Sidhu, managing director of New York-based ALaS Consulting, suggests that many banks are "'disjointed in their control structure. A lot of money is spent on developing good systems. But not a lot of work is done in bringing them together,'" Sidhu says. "'There should be an enterprise wide control infrastructure. I need to know that all the different trade systems and reporting are all saying the same thing and are consistent.'"