Turning Analyst Research Into Actionable Deal Intelligence for Managing Directors 

An analyst hands a managing director a carefully researched list. Every company fits the agreed criteria, with revenue estimates, ownership details, sector classifications, recent transactions, and executive contacts. 

The MD reviews it and asks, “Who can get us into the room?” 

The answer is not in the spreadsheet. 

This is not a failure of analyst research. Analysts and MDs perform different roles in origination and require different forms of intelligence. Analysts identify and qualify opportunities. MDs need the relationship context to reach the right people and enter strategic conversations credibly. 

When banks expect the same discovery tools to support both functions, the handoff may produce more names without creating more access or advancing more opportunities. 

How analysts identify where the bank should focus 

Analyst-level intelligence is essential for mapping markets and building a disciplined sourcing pipeline. Junior teams typically use company, transaction, and industry data to answer questions such as: 

• Which companies meet the bank’s sector, size, geography, and ownership criteria? 

• Which businesses have completed relevant transactions? 

• Which companies may be positioned for a sale, acquisition, refinancing, or capital raise? 

• Who are the likely executives and shareholders? 

• Which targets deserve further research? 

These questions help analysts turn a large market into a qualified longlist. But once a target reaches an MD, the challenge changes. The question becomes less about whether the company belongs on the list and more about how the bank can enter the conversation. 

What MDs need to understand access and influence 

A company record can identify a CEO, CFO, founder, or board member. Contact data may provide an email address or telephone number. Neither explains the best way to approach that person. 

Senior bankers must answer different questions: 

• Who matters to this opportunity? 

• Who within or adjacent to the bank knows that person? 

• How strong and relevant is the relationship? 

• Who owns the connection internally? 

• Which introducer would carry the most credibility? 

• Why would the target agree to a conversation now? 

A shared former employer might create a natural opening. A board member may have served alongside one of the bank’s clients. A colleague could know the target through a previous transaction, advisory engagement, university, nonprofit organization, or institutional affiliation. Relationship mapping for investment banking makes these connections visible, helping deal teams identify credible paths to decision-makers rather than relying on market data alone. 

How the analyst-to-MD handoff gap creates hidden origination costs 

If the handoff includes only company and contact data, senior bankers or business development teams must reconstruct the missing context themselves. 

That may involve internal emails asking who knows the target, manual CRM searches, and conversations dependent on colleagues remembering relationships from years earlier. If no path emerges quickly, the team may default to cold outreach or move on. 

The consequences are operational: 

• MDs spend time researching access instead of developing relationships 

• Outreach begins without the strongest available context 

• Different teams unknowingly pursue the same target 

• Valuable connections remain trapped in individual bankers’ memories 

• Promising companies stay on longlists without progressing 

• Competitors gain access and establish relationships first 

This workflow asks discovery data to perform a relationship intelligence function it was not designed to handle. 

How a stronger analyst-to-MD handoff connects fit with access 

An actionable sourcing handoff should provide a concise view of both the opportunity and the route into it.

Relevant context can include board ties, previous employers, advisory relationships, transaction histories, institutional affiliations, and connections through clients or colleagues. 

These signals do not replace banker judgment. A visible connection is not automatically useful; the MD must still assess its strength, relevance, and appropriateness. However, that evaluation can happen only when the potential path and relationship context are visible. 

How to add relationship intelligence without replacing existing tools 

Banks do not need to discard the company discovery, financial data, or sourcing platforms their analysts use. Those tools remain valuable for finding and screening targets. 

Instead, firms can add relationship intelligence to the existing workflow. Once an analyst identifies a qualified company, the investment banking origination process should reveal verified decision-makers and map relevant connections to the bank, its senior professionals, clients, and wider institutional network. 

This creates a clear division of labor: 

• Discovery tools determine where the bank should look 

• Relationship intelligence reveals potential routes to access 

• Senior bankers decide which path to pursue and how to position the conversation 

Altrata provides the relationship intelligence layer connecting analyst discovery with MD-level action. Through verified decision-maker intelligence, board-level connections, and credible relationship paths, banks can reduce duplicated research, identify stronger introductions, engage targets earlier, and move qualified opportunities toward strategic conversations and potential mandates. 

Connect with a product expert today to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is relationship intelligence in investment banking? 

Relationship intelligence is information that shows how decision-makers are connected to a bank, its employees, clients, and broader institutional network. It can include board service, previous employment, education, transaction histories, and other professional affiliations. Altrata’s relationship-mapping capabilities for investment banking help firms make those connections visible and actionable. 

How is relationship intelligence different from contact data? 

Contact data provides details such as a person’s name, title, email address, and telephone number. Relationship intelligence provides the context behind a potential approach: who knows the target, how they are connected, and which route may support a credible introduction. It helps bankers evaluate access rather than simply initiate outreach. 

What should an effective analyst-to-MD handoff include? 

An effective analyst-to-MD handoff should include company fit, relevant decision-makers, relationship context, potential introducers, and a clear reason to engage. This gives the MD both the rationale for pursuing the target and the information needed to assess how the bank should approach it. 

How does BoardEx support investment banking origination? 

BoardEx by Altrata provides human-curated executive profiles and relationship mapping across companies, boards, and senior leadership networks. Banks can use it to identify relevant decision-makers, examine professional histories, uncover connections, and evaluate potential warm paths to a target. 

Can relationship intelligence integrate with existing sourcing and CRM tools? 

Yes. Relationship intelligence can complement existing discovery platforms and CRMs rather than replacing them. For example, the integration with DealCloud was designed to make executive information and actionable connections available within an established financial-services workflow. This allows analysts and bankers to access relationship context in the systems they already use.