An internationally influential investment performance reporting company – eVestment Alliance – is to set up an Australian office from November, challenging the dominant position of Mercer Investment Consulting for the provision of analytics and information to the industry.

A senior analyst, Frithjof (Fridge) van Zyp, will relocate from head office in Georgia, US, to set up the Australian arm of the business.

The company was commenced in 2000 but has already developed an impressive clientele of about 125 US consultants who rely on its performance numbers from managers. The firm set up a European office last year.

The eVestment Alliance (eA) database currently includes about 2,100 managers, with about 14,000 products.

eA already has some Australian clients, according to van Zyp, and is looking to widen its collection of information in the region.

He says he will be collecting a lot more data from Australia and the region and expects Australian managers to be receptive to the process, which streamlines the provision of information to consultants.