The Thirteenth WealthBriefing Swiss Awards 2026

Marc is a passionate leader, who heads EY’s Swiss Financial Services Strategy and Transaction team. He has more than 20 years of experience in advising financial institutions in the context of corporate transactions and corporate finance strategies. He has a deep understanding of the challenges and priorities faced by the wealth management industry in Switzerland and abroad. Beside advising clients on traditional financial services transactions Marc has a vast track record in providing the whole range of corporate finance services in related markets such as software, brokerage, platform economy or payment services.

Marc started his career as a bank auditor in 2000. He was member of the core audit team of one of the ten largest banks worldwide, responsible for wealth management and private banking. After four years in assurance, he joined the Transaction Advisory team in Zurich and gained international experience on a secondment in London. In 2012 he left EY and spent four years as a partner at a Corporate Finance Boutique specialised in M&A and consulting. In 2016 he re-joined EY as transaction support team leader. Four years later he took over the management of the FSO Strategy and Transaction service line.

Marc is a Swiss Certified Accountant, member of the FSO Switzerland Executive Committee and the EMEIA FSO Strategy and Transaction Leadership team.

Judith is a UK qualified solicitor with over 30 years in estates & succession planning in the UK, Cayman and Switzerland. She has extensive experience with Middle Eastern and non-Resident Indian families and their family offices. She also sits on the board of several Charitable Foundations. She has held Director positions for over 16 years, representing both independent and bank owned trust companies and is an executive committee member of the Swiss Association of Trusts & Companies.

Cécile is the CEO for Trustconsult in Switzerland as well as Head of Private Client for the Trustconsult Group. She has an extensive wealth & estate planning career, earning a solid reputation for her work on international trust & foundation. Her experience includes managing complex & sophisticated trust and corporate structures for private and corporate clients located around the globe, including Latin America and Asia but more specifically in the Middle East.

Cecile is chairing the Wealth Management & Estate Planning focus Group of XLNC, she is also an active member of several significant professional bodies including The International Bar Association (IBA) and The International Tax Planning Association (ITPA). Former Chairwoman of the STEP branch in Geneva and also Former Chairwoman of the STEP Swiss & Liechtenstein Federation, acknowledged as a "prominent figure in the Leading Trustees" category of CityWealth Leaders List. Cécile has also been a presiding judge for the STEP Private Client Awards and for WealthBriefing Awards Switzerland & Liechtenstein for many years.

Cécile has qualifications in company law and practice, tax compliance, international trust
management, trust administration and accounts, and trust creation.

James is founder and managing director of Peritus Investment Consultancy, established to provide impartial guidance to private clients, family offices and trustees. The company’s expertise encompasses investment profiling, strategic and tactical asset allocation, extensive manager research, manager selection and ongoing consolidated reporting and monitoring. James draws on 30 years of industry experience at Ernst and Young Trust Company, ABN AMRO and Morgan Stanley Quilter. James is a regular participant in family office investment committees and is Fellow of the CISI.

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.

Founder and Portfolio Manager at Aurea, with extensive experience managing multi-asset global portfolios for high-net-worth individuals. Previously worked at Investment Banks in Brazil and in Private Equity in Germany. Holds a degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Poli-USP and a Master's in Business Economics from FGV and the University of St. Gallen. CFA Charterholder.

Carmen Kiavila, has a unique background, having worked in various areas of tech, tax, financial services consulting, businesses, and international law throughout her career..

For more than a decade, her practice has focused on compliance and litigation matters related to the Tech, Tax, and Financial Services industries.

Me Carmen Kiavila worked as an auditor in the financial services department at Deloitte in Geneva and as a consultant in the financial sector in Geneva.

In addition to be a searcher, a presenter, and an expert, Me Kiavila holds a Master of Science in financial economics from the very prestigious HEC Paris business school with majors in finance and economics, an LLM in Dispute resolution from QMUL, a law degree from Toulouse Capitole University.

Carmen Kiavila passed the Paris bar exam and has displayed her activity throughout Switzerland, France, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Dubaï.

Me Carmen Kiavila is based in Bern, in Switzerland

Andrew is Senior Partner of the Swiss firm, leading both the Zurich and Geneva offices and having responsibility for the oversight of the Swiss firm’s trust, corporate administration, accounting and audit services.

Andrew is a bilingual private client and corporate services partner with 25 years Swiss and international experience at board, trustee and audit committee level on trusts, foundations, companies, family offices and not-for-profit entities. He specialises in both private client and corporate services, including estate planning and the establishment and ongoing administration of complex international trust and foundation structures, private trust companies and purpose trusts. In addition to being trustee on family trusts, Andrew undertakes the accounting and auditing of trusts and underlying entities for other trustees and family offices.

Andrew is a Chartered Accountant (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland), an authorised “expert-auditor” in Switzerland, a qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and holds an MBA.

Andrew sits on several industry leading boards and committees at the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), the Swiss Association of Trust Companies (SATC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). He is currently Chair of the Swiss and Liechtenstein STEP Federation (2018-present), is Treasurer and Committee member of both STEP Geneva (2010-present) and the Swiss Association of Trust Companies (2018-present), is a member of the STEP Worldwide Governance Committee (2021-present) and is the Vice Chair of the Audit and Risk Commission of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2009- present). Previously, he was member of STEP Worldwide Professional Standards Committee (2013-2020). Andrew is fluent in English and French, and is a dual British-Swiss national.

He is a regular speaker at conferences and training courses and publisher of articles, and he has been called upon to provide expert evidence to Court in the area of private client financial statements and business analysis.

Mark is a Partner in Aon’s Human Capital practice, leading the management and development of key clients in
Financial Services sector across UK and EMEA.

Leveraging insight from Aon’s unrivalled proprietary data sets, key topics cover Workforce Analytics, RM/Adviser
Productivity gains, Total Rewards Strategy, Skills Based Organisations and Human Capital M&A.

He has over twenty five years’ experience in the Financial Services industry, focused on the Banking and Wealth
Management sectors, both as a consultant and in senior banking leadership roles.

Mark holds a Masters (MEng) from St John's College, Cambridge University

Daniel Müller serves a Partner and Global Wealth Management Leader for PwC. With over 15 years of Financial Services experience, Daniel has been leading PwC teams in audit as well as consulting projects for the largest wealth management businesses in Switzerland. Thanks to his deep knowledge of the business and his expertise, he brings to the Judges Pannel a thorough understanding of the local and global wealth management landscape across all client segments.

Ray Soudah is the founding partner and chairman of MilleniumAssociates, the independent international M&A and Corporate Finance Advisory firm, based in Switzerland and the UK. Founded in 2000, the firm marks twenty-two years of exceptional, independent M&A and corporate finance advisory service. Originally focused on executing M&A transactions in the global financial services industry, as the industry developed and private banks recognised the need to offer their clients more specialist corporate finance advice, Millenium Associates launched their Entrepreneurs and
Corporates Practice, extending their M&A and corporate finance services to the clients of private
banks as well as corporates and entrepreneurial business owners globally.
Ray has extensive multicultural wealth management and private banking/investment banking experience working in territories as diverse as the US, Asia, Middle East and Europe. Earlier positions include; Managing Director and member of the Private Banking Management Board for SBC/UBS AG; Chief Investment Officer, Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Board of Cedel Bank (renamed Clearstream); Chief Investment Officer for the National Bank of Bahrain including Head of International Banking and Private Banking; CEO of Hong Kong, CEO of Japan, Head of Global Capital Markets office (London) and head of FIG for Midland Montagu Investment Banking and MD/CEO of
Midland Montagu Securities as well as various senior positions within Citigroup, including Head of Asia Pacific Treasury and Capital Markets.
Ray is a Harvard Business School & INSEAD alumnus and speaks English, French, Greek and Japanese.

Patrick Stauber has been actively engaged in the financial sector for over thirty years.

Currently, he holds senior positions within the Marcuard Heritage group, serving as the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Alpinum Investment Management AG board. Additionally, Patrick is a shareholder of the Marcuard Heritage group and was a founding executive member of the Alliance of Swiss Wealth Managers.

Before joining Marcuard Heritage group in 2009, Patrick held top positions with a Swiss external asset manager and in various UCITS vehicles in Luxembourg. His previous experience includes roles at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management in Zurich and London, Citicorp Private Bank Zurich, and Citibank NA in London.

Tobias Wagner is the founder & CEO of Calliopa Capital, a Zurich based Multi-Family Office. Prior to that he served on the executive committee for Societe Generale Private Banking Switzerland and was their Zurich CEO for 4 years. He spent 10 years as a Managing Director at Credit Suisse overseeing Northern Europe, North & West Latin America and the European business in Singapore. He joined Credit Suisse as Head of PB strategy development and worked as relationship manager Germany offshore. Before joining Credit Suisse he spent 6 years with management consulting firm Oliver Wyman. He is the Chairman of the Board of Goldstrom Group AG, a Singapore & Dubai based gold trading company. Tobias Wagner holds a masters degree in International Business Studies from the University of Maastricht/The Netherlands and management education from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston.

David Wallace Wilson heads Schellenberg Wittmer’s private wealth team in Geneva and is regarded as a leading practitioner in this field. He is listed Tier 1 by Chambers and Partners HNW since 2015 and appears in the Private Client Global Elite since 2012. David assists private clients and their families with wealth structuring and succession planning. He also acts in family, guardianship and inheritance disputes, including domestic and international litigation. His particular expertise includes the (future) Swiss trust, relocating to Switzerland, art transactions and defending clients against automatic exchange of  information (CRS). David is the founder of www.trusts.ch, the leading website on trusts in Switzerland, served as the chairman of STEP Geneva as well as an editor of the Trust Quarterly Review.

Philippe is the CEO of FNZ for Switzerland and Private Banking. FNZ is a global leading tech company offering IT & Operations outsourcing services to financial institutions allowing them to leverage the scale of a 1.5 Trio AUM platform and be able to focus exclusively on their key differentiation activities. Prior to his current role, Philippe advised both wealthy individuals on leaving a legacy as well as Wealth Managers. He headed the Wealth & Asset Management practice of leading consulting firms where he advised global, regional or domestic leaders on all continents and in both offshore and/or onshore markets - seeking to improve their competitive position and economics. He also had operational roles in strategy, business development, sales management and digital, notably at UBS Weath Management.

Laurent started his career at Rothschild & Co in 2011 as head of the Geneva office. He was later appointed as head of private clients Swiss onshore & Iberia and was made chief executive officer of Rothschild & Co Bank on 1 June 2016. He became global partner of Rothschild & Co in 2017.

Laurent joined Rothschild from Investec Bank, Geneva where he was senior private banker and head of the Geneva office successfully building a new business that provided tailored solutions to private clients. Prior to Investec, Laurent was executive director at Goldman Sachs, Geneva where he focussed primarily on entrepreneurs in technology and financial services.

Karin is an experienced financial professional with over a decade of expertise in private banking and wealth management. Currently serving as a Director at Vontobel in Zürich, she is responsible for managing relationships with External Asset Managers (EAMs) in Latin America, as well as Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) in the United States. She joined the EAM International Team 2023 as a Relationship Manager.

Prior to this role, Karin was a Vice President at Citi Private Bank, where she was part of the team covering Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals (UHNWI) and Single Family Offices. Before Citi, she spent nearly 9 years at EFG Bank, focusing on Latin American High-Net-Worth Individuals (HNWI) and Multi-Family Offices. Her earlier career includes roles as an Assistant Relationship Manager at BSI Bank and Clariden Leu, where she refined her skills in client relationship management.

Outside of work, Karin is passionate about traveling, exploring culinary experiences, and attending classical concerts.

Philippe has over 30 years of leadership experience in the Banking and Financial Services’ industry and has held a variety of senior management roles in companies in Switzerland and abroad, having previously served as Country Manager, Sales and Marketing Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Chief financial Officer and Relationship Manager. His most recent role was Managing Director at Reyl Intesa Sanpaolo, based in Geneva. Philippe was in charge of the operations within the Asset Services business line and more specifically for the Fund Representation Solutions department. This service enables foreign fund managers to raise assets in Switzerland in full compliance with the local regulations.

He has thus acquired a wide range of experience that allows him to have a 360° vision of all business lines of an international banking group.

Both Swiss and Italian, Philippe is completely comfortable operating in multicultural and multilingual environments and holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Marketing Manager diploma.

Nicolas Syz is head of private banking at Syz Bank, where he leads the entire front office. The client relationship team is split into independent asset managers and regional focuses (Switzerland and Europe, Latin America and Iberia, as well as Middle East and Africa).

Prior to this role, Nicolas headed the investments team which is comprised of advisory, discretionary, and alternative investment management. Before that he led business development at Syz Bank, managing the business support function and product development process for Syz’s four key regions and focus countries: Switzerland, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. In this role he built the entire Swiss product offering, including wealth planning, pension planning and mortgages.

Preceding Syz Bank, Nicolas started his career as a junior sales manager at Firmenich managing the Unilever Fine Fragrance Division in London and then Paris. Following this he joined UBS as an equity strategist in the wealth management CIO office in Switzerland where he was a part of the Equity Team and Active Global Tactical Asset Allocation (TAA) position taker for discretionary mandates. Nicolas was also responsible for global regional equity investments through qualitative and quantitative research. 

Outside of finance, Nicolas is an avid sportsman, previously being part of the Swiss National Skeleton Team, and a passionate photographer.

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.

Steve is a founding director of Investment & Wealth Management Consultants (“IAWMC”) who provide a full spectrum of consulting services, from strategic advice through to delivery for wealth managers, private banks, family offices, asset managers, software vendors and service providers.

Steve has over 30 years’ experience in the Financial Services’ industry and has held senior positions in the Wealth Management sector as Operations Director for Schroders Private Bank and Head of Product Development for State Street's Wealth Manager Services division. In addition, he has worked at The Bank of New York
where he managed their enterprise level global banking relationships and at Citisoft Consultants where he was Head of European Business Development.

Steve is a regular keynote speaker at Wealth Management events and is often quoted in the press. He also serves on the judging panel for a number of prestigious industry awards covering the UK, Channel Islands and Switzerland and has been included in the Top 100 Most Influential People in Service Provision for Alternative
Investment Firms for the past 3 years.

By utilising his extensive network of contacts and market knowledge, Steve is able to add value to start-up & scale up Fintech companies and private equity organisations.