The Ninth Annual WealthBriefingAsia Awards 2021

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.

Bobby is the Head of Sales, Strategy & Execution for Wealth Solutions at Refinitiv (an LSEG business). In this role, Bobby defines the strategy for the wealth business across Asia Pacific, ensures the development and implementation of solutions are market leading, and supports the sales team to bring the value of our offerings to our customers.

Bobby has more than 14 years of experience in both financial services and wealth management industry in the region. Prior to joining Refinitiv (f.k.a Thomson Reuters), he was a Wealth Management Consultant with Mercer Singapore, providing bespoke investment consultancy to financial organizations in Asia.

He was also one of the lead Sales Director with Morningstar Asia, accountable for strategically positioning of Morningstar's capabilities and driving business in the South East Asia region. Bobby's past experience in this field also include working in Citi Private Bank and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).

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 and JDX Consulting.

A founding partner in Huddleston Jones, Danny leads the group’s retained search practice focused on the traditional private wealth management markets of Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Danny has an excellent understanding across a broad spectrum of disciplines within wealth management, delivering cross-border recruitment solutions whilst providing thematic industry research and market intelligence.

Prior to executive search, Danny’s experience within his area of specialty included work for an international wealth manager in Dubai, Tokyo and Johannesburg. Relocating to Asia in 2008, Danny has since led ‘front office’ search businesses in Hong Kong and Singapore, where he is recognized as one of the leading private banking and wealth management sector executive search specialists.

David Varley is Chief High Net Worth Officer at Sun Life Financial in Hong Kong.

He specializes in HNW and Ultra HNW Planning and Insurance Structuring solutions for clients and families in Asia. He has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, with an Honors in Management, and a thesis in Innovation – from Melbourne University. Previously he was Head of HNW for Asia for AXA, and Head of International Business for Aviva.

Dawn advises high net worth families on their tax, trust and estate planning issues on a multi-jurisdictional cross-border basis with a particular focus on using onshore and offshore trust structures and other vehicles to help clients hold and transfer wealth. She also advises the financial institutions that provide services to high net worth individuals on a wide range of issues including advice on structuring their business operations and product offerings for tax efficiency and the legal issues surrounding their business. Dawn has worked in both the Singapore and Hong Kong tax practices of Baker & McKenzie as well as a private bank in Hong Kong.

She is a member of the Singapore Trustees Association Executive Committee and Technical Committee and is quoted extensively in local and international media on issues affecting the wealth management industry and the international tax planning landscape. Dawn sits on Baker McKenzie's Global Steering Committee for Wealth Management. Dawn is recognised as a key individual in the area of Private Client / Wealth Management by WealthBriefing Asia, Chambers HNW Guide, Chambers Asia Pacific, Legal 500 and in Singapore Tax by Chambers Asia.

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.

Katie moved from the London office to Hong Kong in 2010. Her practice involves tax, trust and estate planning for wealthy international families. She has particular expertise in assisting clients with the establishment of private trust company structures and related fiduciary and governance issues. Katie has advised a number of families in relation to the creation and ongoing running of single-family offices.

In addition to this Katie advises UK expatriates, and Asian families with UK connections on their personal tax issues, and trustees on a range of matters including the consequences of holding UK assets or having UK resident beneficiaries.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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 2015. 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.

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.

Anthonia has achieved great success and recognition in the international private wealth management arena with her exceptional drive, determination and perseverance. Ms. Hui is the co-founder of AL Wealth Partners Pte Ltd, a specialty firm that provides independent wealth advisory, fund management and multi-family office services. She co-founded the Association of Independent Asset Managers (AIAM) in Singapore to support Singapore’s drive to be a leading global wealth management center. She was involved in setting up and is currently an active member of the Advisory Committee for Financial Industry Competency Standards of The Institute of Banking & Finance Singapore, which sets benchmarks for professional achievement in the wealth management industry.

Mr. Kenny Ho is a Founder and Managing Partner of Carret Private Investments, Ltd., the Hong Kong-based affiliate of Carret Asset Management, an SEC registered investment advisor located in
New York. Carret Private is a renowned boutique independent asset management firm providing wealth management, principal investing and corporate advisory services to select high net worth
families and individuals throughout Asia. Mr. Ho has worked in the banking industry for over 25 years, the last 15 of which in private wealth management. He is recognized as one of the forefathers of wealth management’s open-architecture model and an entrepreneur who has helped to set up two of Asia’s largest wealth management platforms - Credit Suisse and Bank
Julius Baer. In 2020, he was selected by an independent panel of industry veterans as the winner of the “Outstanding Individual” in wealth management at the Fifth annual Wealthbriefing Asia
Greater China Awards. Prior to Carret Private, Mr. Ho was most recently with Julius Baer where he was one of the core regional executive management members to set up and establish the Asian franchise in 2006. He held various leadership positions at Julius Baer, including Deputy Global Head of Investment Solutions Group, Head of Investment Solution Group for Asia Pacific, member of the Asia Executive Board, and a member of the Bank’s Investment Committee. As Head of Investment Solutions Group Asia Pacific, he managed all of the advisory, discretionary, asset management along with its wealth planning franchises. Prior to Julius Baer, Mr. Ho was on the regional executive committee and the Head of Products for Credit Suisse Hong Kong. He began his career as an Investment Banker at Salomon Brothers where he worked for almost a decade. Previous to that, he worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. Inc. Mr. Ho earned his Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is an active participant in the Asian business community. He sits on the Board for numerous companies, including being an active member of the Governor’s Advisory Board for the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a member of the Church Council of Christ Church Hong Kong. Mr. Ho has a Bachelors Degree from James Madison University.

Lucie Hulme is chief executive officer and member of the Investment Committee. She was part of the founding team of TriLake Partners in 2011 and has years of experience gained in the independent asset management and private banking industry.

Lucie is also honorary secretary of the Association of Independent Asset Managers in Singapore (AIAM).

Prior to joining TriLake Partners, Lucie was a relationship manager at Société Générale Private Banking (Suisse) S.A. She also worked for the Middle Eastern desk at Crédit Agricole (Suisse) S.A. and for an independent asset management firm based in Geneva - The Forum Finance Group (Suisse) S.A

After being instrumental in building three Private Banks (Credit Suisse, ABN AMRO and Clariden) in Asia from 1986 to 2009, Urs decided to build his own business as an Independent Asset Manager / Family Office with a total focus on the client. Urs is a co-founder of the Association of Independent Asset Managers, Singapore (AIAM).