Expand Your Perspective: Data & Distribution Q&A

The combined breadth and depth of global data from S&P Global and IHS Markit provides detailed information on the companies, industries and markets that matter to you — delivered when and how you need it. In this Q&A, leaders from across the combined organization give their thoughts on how we are expanding perspectives through data and distribution.

When you think about the future of data and distribution — how can we help clients?

Warren Breakstone — Desktop and Channel Distribution:

When data meets distribution, that's where the magic happens. Our role is to help clients address many of their toughest challenges by providing high-quality data in a consistent, easy-to-use fashion, so they can quickly gain important insights. We combine our deep industry and broad financial data with modern tools such as our Data Lake and Workbench platform, multiple distribution channels, compelling research, and data science capabilities to provide our clients with the building blocks for better decision-making. 

Justine Iverson — Channels & Platforms:

Clients are looking to decrease the time to insight and find more efficient ways to address pressing issues. Our mission is to make that possible. Decisions aren’t made with discrete sets of data, but instead when related information comes together to tell a broader story. That’s why we structure and link our data offerings in a way that enables clients to quickly reveal rich insights.

Tasha Gonska — Data, Valuation, and Analytics:

Our pricing data and risk metrics help provide transparency in financial markets. Much of this information is mission-critical, requiring us to deliver large volumes of data in a timely and efficient manner. That means our quality-control techniques and delivery infrastructure must be state-of-the-art.

Ed Chidsey — Data, Valuations, and Analytics:

We have a broad set of customers that have a full range of data needs, covering multiple assets classes in both the public and private markets. Obtaining the breadth and depth of data they require from a coverage and quality perspective can be a real challenge. We solve this problem by delivering deep company-level information, comprehensive fixed income and derivatives market data, valuation services, and a broad suite of data and analytics focused on the equity markets. Our ability to provide comprehensive access to these data services — through multiple distribution channels — enables customers to operate in a much more informed and efficient manner.

How will we partner in this space to drive innovation?

Tasha Gonska — Data, Valuation, and Analytics:

At the core of our relationship with clients is partnership. We continue to look for new ways to help our clients with their trading, valuation, and risk management decisions. This includes building out the next generation of products that will be needed, like our rate and spread alternatives to LIBOR.

Warren Breakstone — Desktop and Channel Distribution:

We built our reputation on unrivaled financial data and now offer a host of alternative data as well. And clients can access this many different ways ‒ via our Capital IQ Pro desktop solution, Xpressfeed™ data feed, APIs, and the cloud. We continue to make substantial investments in flexible delivery options. For example, Capital IQ Pro is loaded with analytical tools and AI capabilities from Kensho to enhance client workflows. Our Workbench solution, which we designed with our clients, provides the ability to apply modern technologies to our data, and explore our many pre-built notebooks in a secure cloud hosted environment. 

Justine Iverson — Channels & Platforms:

Understanding the quality and relevance of data is essential. S&P Global Marketplace offers a modern digital platform for exploration, discovery, and evaluation of datasets and solutions from across all of S&P Global. Marketplace provides dataset definitions, metadata, interactive visualizations, related research, and more to help clients find exactly what they need. As we bring these two businesses together, Marketplace will serve as the singular source for clients to explore the datasets and solutions available from the combined organization.

Ed Chidsey — Data, Valuations, and Analytics:

We look at customers as partners and often use them as design partners during product development process. One example that is top of mind is a product we just released called Liquidity Navigator. We’ve integrated several of our data sets into a single solution that helps customers better understand the liquidity characteristics of instruments and issuers. We developed this with some of the leading buy-side firms and they will use it in their portfolio management and trading processes.

How do you think we are expanding perspectives across our new combined company?

Ed Chidsey — Data, Valuations, and Analytics:

When you combine our collective data services with robust distribution channels -- like our Desktop, Feed, and APIs – we really will be an information powerhouse. We’ve also invested in next gen platforms like Data Lake and Workbench so customers can more easily integrate our datasets into their data science processes. Taken together we’ll be one of the most strategic partners for our customers – providing not only the full range of data services, but the tools to help them uncover even more value from our data. 

Justine Iverson — Channels & Platforms:

We are now combining two world-class organizations that, together, can help our clients further unleash the power of data. Clients will seamlessly gain access to a wide range of data that has been structured, linked, and organized in a way that makes it quicker and easier to enable analytics. By bringing these organizations together, we provide a deeper range of expertise and insights to better serve our clients.

Warren Breakstone — Desktop and Channel Distribution:

Expanding perspectives starts with unlocking the power of our people. Finding ways to learn from each other’s experiences. Bringing new thinking to existing challenges. And reinforcing a culture that really thrives on open and honest communication. This doesn’t just happen, we need to work at it, to reach our full potential as a team and as individuals.

Tasha Gonska — Data, Valuation, and Analytics:

The merger puts so many possibilities at our or fingertips. We will marry disparate datasets to provide more unique insights, while helping our clients save time and improve efficiencies.