Agentic AI, document automation and AI governance for fund administrators, asset managers and advisers, from someone who has shipped it inside a regulated firm.
From 2020 to 2026 I ran the AI function at Alter Domus, a global fund administrator.
That meant agentic AI, document automation and AI tools used by more than 4,000 people every day, all running under a governance model the compliance team signed off. The lesson that carries over to every regulated firm: controls are what let a tool reach production, not what stops it.
Now I bring that experience to fund administrators, asset managers, wealth and mortgage advisers, and other firms that handle sensitive financial data.
Book a free 30-minute callHead of AI & Automation at Alter Domus, a global fund administrator, 2020 to 2026. The figures below are from that work.
- Multi-agent trade settlement doing the work of roughly 25 people, with a person approving every irreversible step and a full audit trail.
- Document AI classifying regulated documents across 13 categories and 73 sub-categories, straight through.
- RFP automation, and knowledge agents answering support questions from internal documentation.
- Founded the AI Governance Committee that let all of it run under the EU AI Act.
- Led 7 developers and 4 business analysts across APAC, North America and EMEA.
“Highly recommend him to any organization serious about scaling AI and automation in a pragmatic, business-driven way.”
Zaid Marji, Tech Executive, Alter Domus
“I had the pleasure of working with Davendra Patel at Alter Domus, and I can say without hesitation that he is an exceptional professional and innovator. He consistently finds practical, high-impact ways to apply technology that deliver real business value.”
“Davendra consistently demonstrated a high level of commitment and professionalism, taking the time to understand our needs and delivering practical, well-designed tools that improved efficiency and workflow. His work was thoughtful, precise, and delivered on time.”
“The domusAI virtual assistant has achieved strong user engagement and adoption, demonstrating his ability to create tools that employees actually find valuable and integrate into their daily workflows.”
“His enthusiasm for all things AI is infectious. On numerous occasions he was able to suggest, and maybe more importantly, demonstrate to me how AI could solve a problem or enhance a process for me.”
“Davendra brings a strong mix of technical depth and practical thinking to AI.”
“A supportive and accountable leader who always stands by his team. He takes responsibility during challenges and gives his team the freedom to take ownership and grow.”
“…sharp, calm under pressure, and someone who actually moved things forward rather than just talked about them.”
“He’s supportive, thinks ahead, and has a strong grip on AI and product development.”
From recommendations on Davendra’s LinkedIn profile.
- Agentic workflows with a person approving every irreversible step and a full audit trail
- Document AI for regulated documents: classification, extraction and checks against your own rules
- Automation of repeated operational work, from onboarding packs to RFP responses
- AI governance that lets tools ship: a committee, controls and evidence mapped to the EU AI Act and your regulator’s expectations
- Training for non-engineers, so subject-matter experts can build and own their tools
- An independent second opinion on an AI plan, vendor or pilot
In a regulated firm, the controls are why the tools ship.
Private tenancy. An audit trail on every action. A person approving anything irreversible. Anything touching a client number checked in code rather than trusted from a model. These are agreed before any data source is connected, alongside the responsible AI principles used on every engagement.
Alongside client work, I build my own products.
FundAdmin AI, a set of 62 Claude skills for private fund documents; Paperloom, for document extraction at volume; and The Counsel, an AI legal assistant for England and Wales.
Running AI inside a regulated firm and want a second opinion? Book a free 30-minute call. No deck.