Building the Future of Private Markets Technology With Gareth Lewis

The rapid growth of private markets has exposed outdated systems, fragmented workflows, and inefficient client experiences, making it difficult for financial firms to scale. Many organizations struggle to balance flexibility, compliance, and operational efficiency while also adapting to the growing influence of AI. How can firms modernize their infrastructure without sacrificing the unique needs of their advisors and clients? Gareth Lewis, a private markets technology and financial infrastructure expert, explains how building configurable operating systems instead of rigid software enables firms to create better advisor and investor experiences. He shares why maintaining a customer-first mindset, embracing continuous collaboration through an always-on implementation approach, and staying focused on core strengths lead to stronger long-term partnerships. Gareth also discusses using AI to accelerate product development, improve internal efficiency, and enhance advisor workflows while allowing firms to maintain control of their customer experience. In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker interviews Gareth Lewis, Chief Business Officer at Helm, about transforming private markets infrastructure through customer-focused technology. Gareth discusses the benefits of configurable software platforms, the impact of AI on product development, and the leadership lessons that shaped his entrepreneurial journey. 00:00 - 01:00 Introduction 02:06 - 02:43 The Hidden Infrastructure Powering the Private Markets Boom 03:06 - 04:34 Private Markets Explained in Under 90 Seconds 06:01 - 07:20 The Broken Customer Experience That Sparked a Business 07:56 - 09:13 Why Enterprise Software Must Meet Customers Where They Are 10:01 - 11:38 The Secret to Building Software That Works for Every Enterprise 13:42 - 14:51 Why We Chose Infrastructure Instead of Chasing the Spotlight 15:58 - 17:22 The Best Customer Success Strategy Is Never Really Finished 20:34 - 21:55 How AI Is Making Great Teams Faster, Not Smaller 22:20 - 23:24 Why Financial Institutions Must Control Their AI Experience 25:18 - 26:46 The Vision to Build Enterprise Infrastructure for Private Markets 28:28 - 29:27 What a Chief Business Officer Actually Does 31:19 - 33:01 The Leadership Lesson Gareth Lewis Learned from His Father Full Episode: http://quickforms.com/post/building-t... Mentions: David Reeve of InvestorCOM, Liz Fritz of F2 Strategy, Eden Ovadia of FINNY Powered by Rise25 Podcast Production Company - https://rise25.com/