The Eleventh Annual WealthBriefingAsia Awards 2023

Mario brings extensive experience to the industry as senior advisor driving sales and business initiatives in Asia Pacific for UHNWI/FO service providers. He draws upon his detailed understanding from roles such as global head of business management for ANZ Private Bank in Australasia, where he defined and delivered the strategic and operational needs for the business.

Previously Mario worked for leading wealth managers such as Vontobel, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, holding positions across a variety of disciplines including relationship management, business and financial planning, training and development, strategy, business development and marketing communications in both Europe and Asia. He was also managing director for Solution Providers Management Consulting, leading its growth in Asia Pacific, specifically Singapore.

He wrote and published his Ph.D. thesis about the supervision of External Asset Managers [EAM] in Switzerland (“Der bankunabhängige Vermögensverwalter: Analyse des Handlungsbedarfs einer möglichen Aufsicht unter Berücksichtigung des amerikanischen und englischen Rechts”), build up/out of various EAM desks in Switzerland and Singapore and serviced this segment.

Bobby is a seasoned business leader with over 16 years of experience in the financial information and wealth solutions industry. As the Head of Sales, Asia Pacific at GTN, Bobby is responsible for delivering revenue growth, customer retention, and market penetration for GTN's innovative and cutting-edge fintech and wealth solutions across the region.

His core competencies include revenue generation, business strategy, growth strategies, sales management, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and fintech. He has a proven track record of driving sales performance, pipeline, and operations for the ASEAN and North Asia markets, where he previously held senior roles at LSEG Data & Analytics and Refinitiv. He's also a certified Financial Information Associate (FIA) and completed Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, to further enhance his skills and knowledge in this emerging field.

Bobby is  passionate about creating value for customers and stakeholders by delivering innovative and impactful solutions that address their needs and challenges. He's also committed to fostering a culture of collaboration, diversity, and excellence within his team and across the organization. His goal is to leverage his expertise and experience to drive the digital transformation and growth of the fintech and wealth solutions industry in Asia Pacific.

Gary Dugan is CEO of The Global CIO Office and of Asset Manager, Purple Asset Management based in Singapore. Gary Dugan is a seasoned investment professional with 37 years’ experience working in Managing Director roles at some of the world’s leading Banks and Wealth Managers. For the past twenty years he has held Chief Investment Officer roles manging money for institutions such as sovereign wealth funds through to Ultra- High Net Worth clients. For the core of Gary’s career (1993-2004) he worked at JPMorgan. Subsequently he held CIO roles at Barclays, Merrill Lynch in Europe, and Emirates NBD and NBAD in the Middle East. Gary is well-known in the industry for his outspoken but often-timely call on financial markets. He has a track record of calling the markets crashes of 1987 and 2007 and the tech wreck of 2000. But he also saw the upside in markets advising clients at Merrill Lynch to buy equities on March 17th, 2009 within two days of the market low. More recently he was advising extreme caution on markets in early February 2020. His views are widely featured on TV and quoted in the financial media. He regularly speaks at investment conferences throughout, the Middle East and Asia. In 2015, he was awarded GCC Private Banker of the year by Wealth Briefing. He has a degree in Economics from Salford University. He is an ASIP in the CFA Institute.

Pierre is Managing Partner at WIZE by TeamWork, the all-in-one Wealth & Asset Management solution, which is one of the fastest growing WealthTech companies in Switzerland dedicated to External Asset Managers, Family Offices, Fund Managers and Banks.

He brings the judges panel an extensive banking operations & IT expertise acquired in his current role since 2020 but also during the 9 previous years while heading business development of Bank Lombard Odier global custody & reporting services which he joined after 10 years as Private Banking Client Executive at IBM Geneva.

Both Swiss and Belgian, used to work in multi-cultural and multilingual environments, his motivation has been during his whole career to understanding customer's pains, translating those to experts who are able to solve them and setting the right level of expectations on both sides.

Alain Esseiva is the Co-Founder and CEO of Alpadis Group. Alain leads the business, development, strategy and growth aspects of the Group, and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Singapore office as well as growth in Switzerland.

Alain brings over 30 years of combined experience in wealth planning and fiduciary services both in Switzerland and internationally. He has a calculated appetite for risk and embraces change, constantly looking at new markets and opportunities.

When he is not advising his clients across Switzerland and Asia, Alain enjoys running ultramarathons around the world, including the Gobi Desert, Kazakhstan and Antarctica.

Richard Grasby is a Partner in Appleby’s Hong Kong office, leading the Private Client, Trusts and Family Office practice.

Richard advises trustees, ultra-high net worth individuals, private trust companies and family offices on the establishment, restructuring and administration of trusts, including special trusts i.e. BVI VISTA, Cayman STAR and Employee Benefit Trusts. He regularly assists in estate administration, succession planning and family governance. Private clients and family offices instruct Richard to advise on the use of corporate vehicles for asset holding and succession planning purposes. Richard is an expert in regulatory law including AML, AEOI, economic substance and licensing and risk management for trust companies. He also advises on collective investment funds, particularly unit trusts and private label funds.

Richard has acted for many of the world’s leading trust companies, financial institutions, wealthy individuals and related structures. He has experience with dealing with clients and advisors across the globe.

Richard has over 20 years’ post qualification experience with the majority spent in offshore firms. Richard has lived and worked in Jersey, London, the Cayman Islands and (since 2009) Hong Kong. He is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales and the British Virgin Islands and is a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong. He has also been admitted as an Attorney in the Cayman Islands.

Richard is an active member of STEP. He has been on the local executive committee since 2012 and is a former chair. He is on the global steering committees for the Business Families and International Client Special Interest Groups. He is a member of the Academic Community.

Richard is an elected Academician of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law (the only such offshore practitioner in APAC). He is also a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist.

Richard is a lecturer on trusts and family offices for the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute and for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

He is a member of the Hong Kong Trustee Association, the Family Firm Institute the International Bar Association and the Investment Migration Council.

Richard is an active speaker at events across the world and a writer for many journals.

As a Founding Partner at Huddleston Jones, Danny leads their retained search practice, specializing in Private Wealth Management across Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Prior to his executive search career, he gained extensive experience working for an International Wealth Manager in Dubai, Tokyo, and Johannesburg.

Since 2008, he has successfully led 'front office' search firms in Hong Kong and Singapore, recognized as a top executive search specialist in private banking and wealth management. With deep market knowledge, Danny has built a global network. He emphasizes comprehensive market research and candidate intelligence, aiming for excellence in client service.

Danny also served in the Royal Air Force and holds a Bachelor's degree with First Degree Honors in Business Management.

Professor Francis Koh is Emeritus Professor of Finance and the Founding Director of the MSc in Wealth Management Programme at the Singapore Management University.

He is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Manulife US Real Estate Management Pte Ltd and China Taiping Insurance (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Employed by the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation between 1994- 2002, he was involved in investment projects in various countries, including China, Thailand and Indonesia. He is active in consulting, executive development and public service. He was conferred with the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2013. In 2012, Francis was awarded an honorary doctorate (honoris causa) in economics by the University of St Gallen. In 2016, Francis was honoured with the lifetime achievement award by WealthBriefingAsia.

Kylie has over 20 years of experience in Singapore and international tax. Prior to joining BDO in 2015, she was a tax principal with a Big Four firm. Currently, Kylie leads BDO’s Asset Management and Private Wealth Tax practice in Singapore.

Kylie has worked on a broad range of tax advisory assignments involving cross-border tax planning, private wealth structuring, due diligence, post-deal restructuring, supply-chain modelling, incentive negotiation, alternative investments, debt offerings, permanent establishment issues, etc.

Kylie has also served a wide range of clients from different industries with particular expertise in fund and trust structuring, serving family offices and financial institutions with tax advice on their investments as well as assisting high net worth families with their tax, trust and estate planning issues on a multijurisdictional basis.

Kylie holds an Honours degree in Accounting and Finance from Monash University in Australia and is an accredited tax advisor in Singapore. Kylie is also regularly involved in various international tax seminars held in the region, and has also frequently published articles on taxation in the press.

Kylie was voted as the leading advisor in WealthBriefingAsia Awards 2019.

Denis is the CEO of The Buckingham Academy, a partnership of coaches and training professionals delivering learning programmes to the Wealth Management and Investment Banking industries.

Based in Hong Kong for 20 years, Denis was previously the Head of Recruitment for Merrill Lynch Private Bank where he built the Greater China UHNW and HNW teams. Denis then joined Coutts & Co Hong Kong where he built the Front-line Private Banking Teams as well
as the Investment teams, Risk and Compliance.

With a deep understanding of the Private Banking industry, Denis is also certified in AML, CTF and Regulatory Compliance.

Since 2013 Denis has specialised in coaching Private Bankers across Asia-Pacific in sales effectiveness, relationship management and leadership.

Valérie is head of CRM –Asia Pacific based in Singapore and has overall responsibility for business development and the services delivery for the Asia and MENA region. Prior to joining Sanne, Valérie worked for more than fifteen years as a corporate law and funds lawyer at leading law firms in Paris, Luxembourg and Dubai. She has gained considerable experience working with asset managers and family offices with respect to structuring their cross-border investments globally.

Michael was previously the partner in charge of Baker McKenzie’s tax group in Asia. At the firm, Michael focused on estate and succession planning for high net worth individuals. His practice also involved general corporate tax advice, tax disputes and litigation and stamp duty matters. He focused on Asia generally and Hong Kong specifically. Michael sits on the executive committee of the Hong Kong branch of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and chairs its China sub-committee. He is also a member of STEP’s global Board and Council. Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Joint Liaison Committee on Taxation in Hong Kong and sits on the board of the International Fiscal Association's branch in Hong Kong. He has been a full-time lecturer in the Law Faculty of Hong Kong University and remains a visiting lecturer in tax law there.

Steven Seow is the founder and executive director of Singapore Consultancy. He has more than 16 years of working experience in banking and consulting. Prior to running Singapore Consultancy, he was the Asia head of wealth management for Mercer (2013-2017) and a director in EY Advisory (2008-2013). Over the course of his career, he has also worked in Citi Private Bank, IBM, PwC Consulting and Odyssey.

Nicolas is part of the management committee of Lynceus Partners, an independent investment boutique specialised in alternative investments with a deep in-house expertise in derivatives and structured products. As Managing Director of the firm in Singapore, Nicolas leads the developments of the group in Asia and is responsible for building durable partnerships with independent wealth management firms and investment banks in the region.

Nicolas brings the panel 10 years of experience in private banking working closely with Ultra High Net Worth individuals and Family Offices in Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, and Singapore. His previous position was in the Global Family Office team of UBS in Geneva, where he provided coordinated institutional coverage for clients that require complex and bespoke solutions across divisions.

Bruce is a chartered accountant with over 37 years financial services experience, previously a partner in PwC, latterly as Global leader of their Wealth Management practice and the key driver of their bi-annual Wealth Management Report. Bruce is now CEO of Weatherill Consulting providing advice on client centricity and wider strategic matters to wealth managers. He is the author of The Value of Trust: the quest by Wealth Managers for Trusted Advisor status and a number of other thought leadership reports. Bruce is chairman of ClearView Financial Media and a non-executive of a number of companies including Fidelity Holdings UK, The Wisdom Council, ComPeer, JDX Consulting and Ten Group.

Drawing upon his extensive leadership experience and industry knowledge, Arjan is responsible for the entire products and services offering in Asia and overlooks the regional investment strategy.

Arjan started his financial career with Hollandsche Bank Unie (HBU), serving Private, Corporate and Institutional clients within a dealing room environment, and subsequently became Head of Treasury & Special Products Private Clients in the Netherlands. He has over 14 years of experience with ABN AMRO Private Banking, of which more than 7 years were spent in Asia. In early 2006, he relocated to Singapore to take up the position of Regional Head of Treasury & Special Products for Private Banking in Asia with ABN AMRO. With his strong understanding of the needs of Asian clients, Arjan moved to Hong Kong in April 2010 and was appointed Head of Private Banking for North Asia. Following this, he was appointed Head of North Asia at ANZ Private Bank before being appointed Head of Integration for ANZ Retail & Private Wealth Asia in April 2016. Arjan was appointed Head of Markets, Investments & Structuring, Asia at Indosuez Wealth Management in February 2017, initially based in Hong Kong and as of August 2022 based in Singapore.

Arjan graduated with a Master of Science in Business Economics from Nyenrode University, the Netherlands.

Rolf Gerber lives in Singapore where he holds a number of board positions having retired after almost four decades in the finance industry at the end of 2016. Rolf joined LGT Bank in 2002 to establish a banking platform for the bank in Singapore. His last role was chairman of LGT Bank (Singapore). Before joining LGT he worked at UBS Investment Banking for over 20 years in various leadership positions in Zurich, London, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Elizabeth has dedicated her entire career, of over 30 years, to advising private clients and provides holistic advice on wealth preservation, succession planning & family wellness. 

Elizabeth is the CEO & Founder of Legacy Wealth Advisors Pte Ltd which provides independent succession planning and investment services to support families to ensure a smooth transition of wealth to the next generation. Legacy Wealth Advisors was awarded Independent Wealth Manager, South East Asia at the WealthBriefingAsia Awards 2024 and Most Promising New Entrant at the WealthBriefingAsia Awards 2022. 

Elizabeth is also Managing Director of The Life Academy Pte Ltd, which provides bespoke family wellness programs and empowerment coaching to ensure harmony through generations and to prepare the next generation for being future wealth owners. 

Elizabeth is an independent non-executive director of British & Malayan Holdings Ltd, an SGX listed company established since 1924 and a pioneering member of the Singapore Stock Exchange. 

Previously, Elizabeth has held senior managerial positions including Managing Director, Head of South East Asia, Rothschild Wealth Management and Director, Rothschild Trust for 12 years until 2016. Elizabeth has been covering Asia & Australia for over 20 years. The industry awarded Elizabeth Banker of the Year in 2000. 

Elizabeth is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors and an Ambassador for WealthiHer and Ladies Finance Club. Elizabeth, a UK citizen and Singapore permanent resident, is married with three children.

Jason joined Schroders in 2019 as CEO, Asia for Wealth Management, where he is responsible for the management and overall strategic development of the business across the region, and where he serves as a member of the group’s Wealth Management Executive Committee. This followed the acquisition of the wealth management business of Thirdrock Group by Schroders. Jason was the Founder and CEO of Thirdrock Group, a leading Asian independent asset manager, between 2010 and 2019. Prior to that he was Head of China at ABN AMRO Private Bank in Hong Kong, where he spearheaded various North Asian strategic initiatives while advising some of Asia’s wealthiest families.

Philippe is CEO and co-founder of LCA Solutions, an award winning multi-family office that services high net worth clients as a one stop solution. Beyond a standard wealth management offering and corporate advisory solutions for the family business, LCA offers family governance guidance and also provides a forum to source answers to numerous non-financial issues (succession & generational transfer, legal structuring, immigration, family charters etc.).

Philippe has accumulated more than 30 years of senior management experience with international banks in private, corporate and investment banking.

Before founding LCA in 2010, he developed the Asian private banking platform for Rabobank/Sarasin in the late 1990s and subsequently headed the private banking North Asian operations of ABN AMRO. He was previously deputy CEO of BNP Paribas Wealth Management, North Asia, a group for whom he worked for over 13 years.

Based in Hong Kong since 1995 he has also worked in Europe, North America and India; Philippe is a regular speaker at wealth management and asset management conferences in Asia as well as being a judge for various awards within the industry.

Philippe won the Asian WealthBriefing 2017 Award for “Outstanding contribution to wealth management thought leadership”.

Ms. Loh has specialised in the private client industry for more than 20 years, with experience as a trust and tax lawyer before moving into the private banking sector, setting up and managed private trusts for ultra-high net-worth families in Hong Kong and Taiwan; and their philanthropic vision. Jacqueline has recently joined Ogier in Hong Kong as Director, Head of Private Wealth, Asia. Jacqueline is a Member of Law Society of Ontario, Law Society of Hong Kong and Law Society of England and Wales and Member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

She is a former Chairman of STEP's Hong Kong branch and continues to have material involvement as Council Member.

Simon is a veteran wealth planner and private banker with more than 25 years of experience in wealth planning, trustee administration and private banking. Previously he was the Managing Director, Private Banking, North Asia and Wealth Solution, Asia, for Bank of Montreal for over 5 years.  Prior to that, he was the managing director and head of RBC Wealth Management’s Trust Company - Asia for almost 20 years, as well as the head of their private banking business in Hong Kong for about 16 years.

Madame Wang Dian is CEO of Hywin Wealth, the leading independent wealth manager from China with 2,700 staff serving 110,000 HNW clients across 170 locations in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, UK, and US.

Madame Wang Dian is seen as one of the leading figures shaping Greater China’s wealth management industry. Her philanthropic passions and cultural pursuits also set the benchmark for China’s entrepreneurial classes.

David Wilson leads Accenture’s Asia Wealth Management practice, working with the senior leadership teams of the region’s wealth management firms to enable business growth and improve organizational enablement and efficiency. Previously, David was a team lead within UOB’s Group Strategy & Transformation function leading key Board- and Executive Committee-level strategy and digital transformation programs. Prior to UOB he spent over a decade in consulting and wealth management with Capgemini, Merrill Lynch, and UBS.

Anton Wong is Head of Taiwan Market based in Hong Kong.  Along with his team of Relationship Managers, he supports and services clients of Taiwanese descent in the region.

This is in addition to his extended responsibility of articulating the Next Generation strategy for the bank, which he continues to champion along with other key stakeholders.

Joining the Bank in 2011, and prior to his current role, Anton headed the Key Client Group in Asia with a focus on the bank’s Ultra High Net Worth proposition. He oversaw the private bank’s cross-selling efforts with Corporate & Institutional Bank and other business lines, and brought customized solutions to this client segment.

He is also a member of BNP Paribas’ Hong Kong CSR Committee.  He is actively engaged in the promotion of the arts and inclusive activities for disabled artists through his involvement in local NGOs.

Anton obtained his bachelor and master degrees in accountancy from the University of Illinois, and an MBA in finance from Columbia Business School.