Copyright © 2009 by The Diel Group, Inc.

Introduction to The Diel GroupMarch 2009

Real World Management Consult ing

Prepared for:

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• Background: The Diel Group– Our Business Model– Our Offerings– Our Expertise

• Selected Biographies

• Next Steps

Agenda

Background: The Diel Group

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Members of our core team work with you to define and complete the engagementOur core team is made up of highly-experienced industry and consulting veterans We fill a role similar to that of an independent film producer – to qualify and define the opportunity, assemble a team with the particular skills required, and oversee deliveryThe Diel Group maintains a broad network of resources from which to build our teams and provides the methodologies and tools required for the projectLike independent film producers, we believe that this model better enables us to cost effectively deliver the high-quality, tailored work demanded by our clients

Once the project is defined, we draw upon our network to form the full project teamPartner/principal-level independent consultants Managers and staff members drawn from your firmA network of smaller professional services firmsTeams and individuals from selected large consulting and professional services firmsFinancial services software development firms with on- and off-shore capabilitiesFinancial and compliance system and service vendorsWhere appropriate, we also will support the recruiting and use of contract staff

The Diel Group remains responsible for the quality and timeliness of the team s work

Our Organization

The Diel Group forms the hub of a network of internal and external resources from which we assemble teams to execute approaches we tailor specifically to meet your needs

Films were mass produced in large film factories and exhibited in studio-owned theater chains… In contrast to the major studios, the independent producers made hand-crafted quality films. Independents understood that masterpieces were best made by individual artists, not studio committees. Without the studio restrictions the independents were free to break new ground with such films as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Gone With the Wind, Fantasia, City Light, and Citizen Kane.

From the Hollywood Renegades Archive, www.cobbles.com/simpp_archive

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The integrated teams we form are composed of experienced, highly skilled expertsWe forgo the pyramid structure of larger firms to staff projects with industry and consulting veterans who can meaningfully contribute to the project s successYou can avoid the expense, delays and frustrations imposed when your staff has to “educate” the consulting team – on our teams the experts do the workExperience enables our teams to create innovative, forward-looking recommendations tailored to your specific needs and capabilities

Our core team members have extensive backgrounds in industry and consulting roles We re experienced at implementing projects in real-world corporate settings; we won t propose solutions that can t be approved or implementedOur teams quickly establish credibility and team with your staff and clientsDeliverables are structured to add value, not to fit the limited skills of junior staffWe recognize and plan for the organizational steps required to advance a project

Our multidisciplinary teams leverage strategic, technical and operational expertiseBecause the tough problems span functional boundaries, our teams include the cross-functional expertise needed to integrate strategic, technical and business recommendations – we re not constrained by our firm s internal organizational considerationsAs projects move through conceptual, design, planning and implementation phases, the same team has the skills required to continue delivering value

By controlling overhead, we are able to deliver exceptional value

Our Value Proposition

Our structure recalls an earlier paradigm: professional services firms with capabilities and business models more closely aligned with their clients needs and interests

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We draw upon our extensive project experience to create a customized approach for each project, one that is tailored to meet your specific objectives and constraints

In creating a tailored approach, our leads leverage their real-world experience in creating and executing complex workplans for a wide variety of engagement topics and structuresThe selection of resources from internal and external sources to form the project team is done in consultation with you, not presented as a fait accompliBefore the kickoff, we work with you to create and syndicate the structured workplan that will be used to define, manage and report on your projectOur project management skills ensure disciplined execution of the project workplan

Our action bias is reflected throughout our project plans, tools and teamsWe work with you to structure deliverables that are useful within your business context – we aren t constrained by pre-defined templates or the need to deliver PowerPoint decks to keep junior staff employedWe take into account the reality of your business setting – including the requirement to gain approvals and budgeting, and your organization s execution capabilitiesOur recommendations are delivered in interactive senior-level working sessionsSenior consultants remain available on an as-needed basis to update recommendations, plans, business models, etc. as you act upon our recommendations

Diel Group engagements are performed by joint DGI / network / client teams By providing a team with seasoned leadership, we provide an effective way to leverage your internal expertise and staff to reduce costs while increasing project impact We have the skills and experience to lead all project phases from initial investigations through post-implementation reviews

Our Approach

Our approach is designed to efficiently move from analysis through planning into implementation of a solution expressly tailored to your needs

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Our Service Offerings

We focus on high impact engagements, leveraging our expertise across diverse disciplines to design and execute customized engagement approaches that meet your specific needs

The Diel Group specializes in traditional management consulting engagementsSignificant projects that have the potential for strategic impactSituations where your requirements and challenges are unique, not suited to cookie-cutter project plans or off-the-shelf solutionsProjects that call for participation from, and interaction with, multiple disciplines within your firm; these often include several of the following:– Front-office Executives – Marketing and Sales– Operations – Technology– Legal – Compliance– Risk Management – Transaction Execution

Extended efforts that require significant program management expertise during both planning and execution phases

Illustrative qualifications include:Re-engineering the organization, processes and systems of a securities clearing firmDefinition of the role, organization and processes for a regional CIO of a global bankAnalysis of operational and compliance risks for a large investment firmAssisting in the remediation of compliance issues in response to regulatory dictatesBusiness strategy development, including business case preparation and implementation planning for systems, procedures and organizationStructuring and operating program management offices for multiple complex initiativesSupporting the design and creation of new business units and product offeringsMerger planning and post-merger integration at the business-unit level

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Our Expertise

Business StrategyCorporate strategy development and execution

Alliance planning and developmentBusiness unit strategic planning

Electronic commerce strategyElectronic markets

Info

rmat

ion

Tec

hn

olo

gy

Op

eration

al Effectiven

ess

IT architectureROI improvementOrganizational designTechnology alignmentProcess improvementSystems selectionTechnology riske-Procurement

Cost reductionProcess reengineering

Performance improvementOrganizational Advisory

Operational riskCompliance

STP

Channels strategyCompetitive analysis

New product developmentMarket entry and extension

Customer relationship management

Product and Market Strategy

Each of our core team members has significant hands-on experience working in multiple financial industry segments, dealing with diverse topics, and using varied toolsets

Risk managementCompliance management

Program managementChange management

Merger integrationCommunications

E-Discovery

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Our consultants have worked with many of the leading firms in financial services, and the professional services firms that support them, both as consultants and as employees…

Our Real World Experience

The Diel Group is an innovative management consulting firm focusing on the financial services industry. Our business model is derived from the one used by independent producers in the film industry. Members of our core team act as the producers, working with our clients to identify and qualify appropriate opportunities. As these opportunities develop, we tap into our large network of independent experienced resources to involve project managers (directors), methodologists (writers), and subject matter experts to create a tailored approach (script) that meets your needs. Once the approach is approved, we use our network of resources to identify and secure the experienced team members (the cast) who will be best able to complete your project. Each project team is a hand-picked, one-time group assembled specifically for the project they will be doing.

Since we don t have a dedicated staff of employees, we are under no pressure to try to force fit (miscast) resources onto a project, but are instead free to select the best fit. This enables us to create teams that are highly experienced in the subject matter of the project and the practices in your business area. Because the project staff members, including our producer-leads, do not have the same firm-building responsibilities as senior members of larger firms, they won t disappear once the project has been sold or spend their days on internal conference calls. The Diel Group, through our assigned producer, remains responsible for the quality and timeliness of the team s work, actively working with you to ensure we are meeting your needs. In short, you will have the undivided attention of the full project team.

You will also benefit from our business model which does not incent us to build a project team pyramid with numerous junior resources who conduct inefficient interviews that annoy your team (“what is a preferred stock?”) and create PowerPoint slides because that fits their skill set rather than because the presentations are required.

We find that our model meets the needs of increasingly sophisticated financial service clients who have learned from experience that the success of a project team depends upon the capabilities of the team presented, not on the imprimatur of the firm presenting them.

Additional information about The Diel Group is available upon request, at the address below.

The Diel Group, Inc160 Riverside Blvd, Suite 8S

New York, NY 10069(212) 419-4300