Morningstar Names Scott Brown as President of Direct Platform Business

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Key Terms

ai‑enabled technical

ai‑enabled describes products, services, or processes that use artificial intelligence to add automation, prediction, or decision support to tasks that were once done entirely by humans or simple rules. For investors, ai‑enabled offerings can mean faster work, lower costs, new features, or competitive differentiation, but they also bring questions about accuracy, ongoing training costs, regulatory oversight and how reliably the technology performs in real-world conditions.

data platforms technical

Data platforms are the combined systems and tools a company uses to gather, store, organize and analyze large amounts of information so employees can turn raw facts into useful answers. For investors, they matter because a strong platform can make a business faster at spotting trends, cutting costs, improving products and creating new revenue streams—like a well-organized kitchen that helps a restaurant serve better dishes more efficiently.

cloud transformation technical

Cloud transformation is the process of moving a company’s software, data and operations from in‑house servers to internet-based services and rethinking how technology supports the business. Like switching from owning and maintaining a car to using a ride‑service, it can cut upfront costs, speed product launches and make scaling easier, but also changes ongoing expenses, risk exposure and regulatory or vendor dependencies — all factors that can affect future revenue and valuation for investors.

ai model deployment technical

Putting an AI model into regular use—making software that learned from data run day-to-day tasks inside a product, service, or business system. Think of it like moving a prototype machine from the workshop onto a factory line so it actually produces results; deployment determines whether the model delivers value, scales reliably, and fits legal or safety limits. For investors, deployment affects a company’s costs, revenue potential, operational risks, and how quickly AI work turns into measurable business outcomes.

consumer-permissioned banking data financial

Consumer-permissioned banking data is financial information—like account balances, transaction history and payment patterns—that a person explicitly allows a third party to access for a defined purpose. It matters to investors because companies that use this consented data can build faster credit decisions, targeted services and more efficient operations, which can boost growth and reduce risk; at the same time, reliance on consent introduces regulatory, privacy and customer-retention considerations.

02/19/2026 - 07:30 AM

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: MORN), a leading provider of independent investing insights, has appointed Scott Brown as President, Direct Platform, effective March 2, 2026. Brown will lead Morningstar’s largest business segment and a core growth engine, with flagship products such as Morningstar Direct, Morningstar Data, and Direct Advisory Suite (the latest evolution of Advisor Workstation) and capabilities such as manager research and ratings embedded within it.

Brown brings more than two decades of experience building and scaling data platforms, modernizing legacy systems, and delivering technology-led and AI‑enabled products that support growth and operational excellence. He joins Morningstar from Experian, where he led a multi-billion-dollar portfolio across the Financial Services & Data and Marketing Services divisions, delivering technology-enabled growth.

While at Experian, Brown advanced the Ascend platform with AI product innovation, including the launch of Ascend Ops, an AI model deployment capability that was quickly adopted by over 50 institutions. He also oversaw the introduction of the Credit + Cashflow Score, the first combined credit score using consumer-permissioned banking data. Earlier in his career at Nielsen, he modernized its flagship audience measurement product line and spearheaded its cloud transformation.

“Direct Platform is central to how we empower clients with our unique intellectual property,” said Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor. “Scott has repeatedly scaled large data businesses, unified platforms, and built great products that translate into real client value. I expect his appointment to strengthen our ability to innovate at a time when demand for data and research content is surging, and as we grow our offerings to help investors navigate the increased choice and opportunities they face.”

At Morningstar, Brown plans to build on the strong foundation in place, advance platform capabilities, and deliver product enhancements faster across key client segments in asset and wealth management. He has a strong track record of unifying complex data ecosystems, including integrating streaming and television measurement at Nielsen and combining credit and banking data at Experian. This experience aligns with Morningstar’s vision to unify public and private market data, analytics, and tools for an AI-enabled marketplace.

“Morningstar has a clear mission and a strong foundation of trusted data and independent insights, which is a significant competitive advantage,” Brown said. “The opportunity is to accelerate how that advantage is delivered through a connected platform, faster product innovation, and AI-enabled capabilities that help clients navigate increasingly complex markets. I'm excited to work alongside the team to execute the vision and scale this business to the next level."

About Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment insights in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The Company offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers and owners, retirement plan providers and sponsors, institutional investors in the debt and private capital markets, and alliances and redistributors. Morningstar provides data and research insights on a wide range of investment offerings, including managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, debt securities, and real-time global market data. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with approximately $378 billion in AUMA as of Dec. 31, 2025. The Company operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries in 32 countries. For more information, visit www.morningstar.com/company. Follow Morningstar on LinkedIn @Morningstar.

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