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Description

Discretionary Portfolio Management: Framing the Mandate, Allocating and Reporting to Clients

Exercise a discretionary management mandate while honouring the mandate terms, the risk profile and reporting obligations

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Expert
  • Up to 6 participants

Under a discretionary mandate the client delegates the decision but judges the outcome. The portfolio manager must therefore hold three things together: a precise contractual framework, an allocation consistent with the agreed profile, and the ability to explain every performance deviation. Disputes almost always arise from an imprecise mandate or from reporting that says nothing about the decisions actually taken.

Two days designed for experienced professionals: reading and drafting the mandate, translating the profile into management constraints, implementing the allocation, monitoring limits and producing performance attribution. The programme focuses on delegated decision-making, whereas private banking training addresses the advisory relationship.

Learning objectives

  • Analyse the clauses of a discretionary management mandate and their operational effects
  • Translate a client profile into allocation constraints and management limits
  • Implement an allocation in full compliance with the mandate granted
  • Monitor adherence to limits and handle a breach
  • Build a performance attribution that the client can genuinely use
  • Conduct a mandate review after an unfavourable period

What makes this programme different

A mandate is dissected clause by clause to extract the real management constraints
Each participant manages a discretionary portfolio across several market scenarios
The annual review is role-played with a client dissatisfied with the performance delivered

Programme

1Contractual Framework of the Mandate

Writing down what you commit to deliver

  • Content and scope of the discretionary management mandate
  • Management profile and authorised investment universe
  • Management fees and billing arrangements
  • Conflicts of interest and client disclosure
  • Term, revocation and termination of the mandate

2From Client Profile to Management Constraints

Translating the mandate into limits

  • Objectives, horizon and tolerance for loss
  • Target allocation and bands by asset class
  • Liquidity and concentration constraints
  • Exclusions and preferences expressed by the client
  • Benchmark and tracking error

3Implementation and Control

Managing without stepping outside the framework

  • Portfolio construction and rebalancing
  • Selection of instruments and investment vehicles
  • Limit monitoring and handling of breaches
  • Order execution and traceability of decisions
  • Controls performed by the compliance function

4Performance, Reporting and Client Relationship

Accounting for your decisions

  • Calculating portfolio performance
  • Attribution by asset class and by decision
  • Content and frequency of client reporting
  • Explaining a period of underperformance
  • Annual review and updating of the mandate

Who is it for

Discretionary portfolio managers · private banking heads · risk controllers and compliance officers.

Prerequisites

Current involvement in portfolio management on behalf of third parties.

Dates & locations

24 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.