The Twelfth Annual WealthBriefing European Awards 2024

Ausaf Abbas founded Coombe Advisors to provide strategic, business and financial advice to a network of clients and associated businesses, with a focus on family offices, the wealth management industry and growth-oriented companies. Prior to that, Ausaf had a 25-year career at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, where he held various senior management positions in both investment banking and wealth management. His international experience includes 13 years based in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo, and extensive experience managing wealth businesses across the MENA region. His broad range of interests include acting as senior advisor to a real estate investment banking firm and serving as a director of SEO London and Tara Arts, two charities focused on education and Asian theatre.

Paul joined BDO in 2000 becoming a partner in 2006 and is now head of BDO’s national private client practice. Paul advises in respect of all private client related tax matters but with a particular specialism in advising clients on their residence and domicile positions. Recognised as one of the most influential individuals in the wealth management industry, Paul is also is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Trish Botoff is the Managing Principal for Botoff Consulting, which focuses on providing compensation, benefits, and other consulting services.  She founded the firm in 2014 to better serve the needs of family clients. She has assembled a diverse team of consultants that brings not only a deep array of insights, but also a long history of prior experience working together. With offices in three major cities on both the east and west coasts, the firm is able to serve clients nationally as well as globally.

Ms. Botoff has more than 25 years of professional experience, including fifteen years as a consultant working with family enterprise/family office clients in the US and globally. She is a frequent speaker at US and international conferences and events.

Rosalyn Breedy, is a Corporate, Funds and Financial Services lawyer and Managing Director of Breedy Henderson. She has 30 years of experience working in private practice, investment banking and at a multi-family office. Rosalyn has a particular interest in financial regulation, and financial policy work alongside ESG, diversity and inclusion and she regularly writes and speaks on these matters.

Rosalyn is a non-executive director of Abdrn Smaller Companies Income Trust plc, Artorius Wealth Ltd,   Lanware Ltd  and Greengage Global Holding ltd. Chairman of the Milltrust International Advisory Council, sponsor of the Climate Impact Asia fund. Additionally, she is a member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment Integrity and Ethics Committee, a member of the Advisory Council to Black Women in Asset Management and an Associate fellow Said Business School, Oxford University.

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.

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.

Elise is Communications Director of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA), the only multi-sector collaboration connecting international finance and insurance sectors, governments, non-profits and stakeholders from coastal communities to pioneer finance products that incentivise investment into coastal and ocean Nature-based Solutions.

She previously served as COO, Head of Investor Relations and Board Director at a London-based impact fund, investing across the UK and Europe in clean technology solutions within the energy, food and water sectors.

With over a decade of experience in communications, finance and sustainability, she has also worked in various roles across global private equity and European venture capital. Elise relocated to India for over two years, working with NGOs focused on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and biodiversity where amongst other duties she handled communications, relations between the various projects and their donors and event management.

She has a Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute, in Environmental Management from IEMA and attended The Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Keith has been a partner advising financial services firms for over 35 years, leading businesses for EY, CapGemini and Capco.  He led EY’s Wealth Management and Private Banking business for over 10 years and continues to advise organisations in this sector.  He is currently advising a range of fintechs and other start/scale ups on strategy, distribution, partnerships and funding.  He is also a trustee and adviser to several philanthropic and charity bodies.

Antoine is Head of Business developement of Taranis, a swiss asset management firm. He spent 14 years at UBP in London. He started his career there in 2007 in Hedge Fund advisory and moved to Private Banking in 2010. Antoine developped a strong network amongst family offices, HNWI and EAM.
He holds a Master in Finance and Econometrics from University Paris Pantheon Assas (Paris II)

Mr. Grégoire Mure is the CEO of Trustconsult Luxembourg S.A., whose experiences include accounting tax and audit departments of a Big Four. He completed his Master’s degree in Economics and Management – Management Controller, specialized in Audit and Accounting. He worked overall 15 years in the financial sector. He is directors in several boards of entities (real estate sectors) and investment funds (private equity, cryptocurrencies funds and start-up)

Philippe is a Managing Director at Reyl Intesa Sanpaolo, based in Geneva. Philippe is 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.

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.

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.

Ian is an experienced plural board and executive advisor to wealth managers ,technology providers and is part time Strategy Advisor to Multrees Investor Services. Through an innovative partnership approach, he helps craft market responsive strategies, navigate client, operational, technology and partner changes to optimise success.

He is recognised as a trusted advisor, having supported a range of firms as an independent advisor and as executive of major technology and business consulting brands. These include EY,IBM, PwC and Orbium ,a core banking software platform integrator, sold to Accenture in 2019, where he then held a European wealth industry business and technology transformation advisor role across key markets and clients until late 2023, when he became an independent plural board advisor.

Liz Bottomley was appointed General Manager of BOS Wealth Management Europe's (BOSWME) UK Branch in January 2019, having joined the London branch of OCBC Banking November 2018. As the General Manager of the UK Branch, she is responsible forgrowing the business for BOSWME in the UK, targeting internationally focused clients who
are UK resident. BOSWME is an asset management business, headquartered in Lux, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of BOS.

Liz has been advising private clients for over 25 years in Europe and Asia. Liz was previously the Head of Private Banking at Arbuthnot Latham, a boutique private bank in London
where the private banking business grew substantially under her tenor. She created a team to focus on international clients, particularly those living in Europe and Singapore
and Hong Kong in terms of Asian focus. Previously she had a successful and varied career with Coutts & Co covering private, commercial and international private banking and asset management. This culminated in her leading the Asia/Africa Team in London targeting high net worth clients living in those areas.

Liz is married to John and they have 3 children.

Jacqui Brabazon is a retired financial services professional with over 35-years of experience covering Marketing, HR, Talent, Philanthropy and Client Management including 20 years in global and regional roles.

Most recently Jacqui was Chief Marketing Officer of the International Private Bank at J.P. Morgan prior to which she ran the Private Bank’s Asia Marketing function. Before J.P. Morgan, Jacqui spent 14 years at Standard Chartered Private Bank (formerly American Express Private Bank) where she held a variety of positions that combined the Global CMO role with the Head of Talent Enhancement, Philanthropy and Alternative Distribution and Key Client Management.

Previous experience also includes 11 years at Kleinwort Benson in various roles including running a Private Bank Client Management unit, Marketing, Business Development and HR.

Jacqui holds a BSoc Sci from Birmingham University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management.

James Fleming has enjoyed a long career in banking and finance. He is currently a Non-Executive Director and adviser to several small companies across the Wealth Management, Debt Advisory and Commercial Real Estate sectors. Previously James was Head of International Private Banking at Coutts & Co and then Chief Executive and Vice Chairman of Arbuthnot Latham & Co Limited.

More recently, he was Chief Executive of Sandaire, the Multi-Family Investment Office that was sold to Schroders in December 2020. James started his career with Hambros Bank.

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.

Martin heads the Schroder Wealth Management (US) team specialising in international wealth management for US clients residing in the US, UK and elsewhere. Prior to joining Schroders, Martin was managing director and head of Americas at the Royal Bank of Canada Wealth Management International in London, and before that head of private wealth management at Kleinwort Benson. A stockbroker by training, Martin has over 30 years’ experience in advising clients and working in partnership with clients’ other professional advisors. He is also a Registered Investment Advisor with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and sits on the expert panel for the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Mark Hussein is the UK CEO of HSBC Life and Head of UK Insurance at HSBC. Mark has spent more than two decades in a variety of financial services roles, with the majority working for HSBC Group. He was appointed CEO, HSBC Life (UK), and Head of UK Insurance in November 2015. He is responsible for the Life manufacturing business and General Insurance Partnerships across HSBC, First Direct and M&S Bank.

Between two tenures at HSBC, Mark spent three years with Kleinwort Benson as Head of Private Wealth Management UK and the Channel Islands. This gave him responsibility for both Private Banking and Private Fiduciary Services in the UK, Channel Islands and Internationally. He was a member of the Kleinwort Benson group regional executive committee and sat on the board of Kleinwort Benson Trustees.

Sean is the Founder and CEO of Greengage. He has extensive experience in financial services, having worked in various executive management positions. He founded Greengage after working at the first bank in the world to offer crypto products to clients, Falcon Private Bank, where he served as the COO and Interim CEO of the London operation until leaving to establish Greengage.  

 Prior to that he held management positions at Clariden Leu, a division of Credit Suisse, and Zurich Financial Services. Mr Kiernan has an MBA from the University of St. Gallen and a BSc from Georgetown University. 

Robert is a Partner at London & Capital and leads the US Family Office, a team of 31 professionals managing c. $2bn of client assets. He is widely considered to be one of the leading experts in advising US-connected families, individuals and Trusts on the management of their international wealth. As a result, he is regularly asked
to speak on the challenges of managing money within the complex tax regime of the US.

He specialises in advising on the structure, asset allocation and coordination of international wealth. And in doing
so, works with a wide network of leading private client professionals in the UK, Europe and America.

Between 2016-2022, Robert has been named ‘Top Recommended’ for international clients in the Top 50 Ultra
High Net Worth Wealth Manager section of the Spears 500 index.

Robert acts as a Trustee for the London & Capital Foundation and also as a Trustee for the Roald Dahl
Marvellous Children’s Charity.

He lives in Hampshire with his wife and three children.

Combining both an in-depth knowledge of marketing strategy and business development, Matthew has sat on senior management teams and led significant business growth. His deep experience with HNW/UHNW clients, knowledge of wealth management and expertise in marketing strategy to improve brand awareness, client experience and business development are extensive. Until recently he was Managing Director, Head of Business Development & Marketing at Close Brothers Asset Management having previously held senior management positions at Deutsche Bank, Coutts and Credit Suisse.

Billy is a headhunter and the Chief Executive of Stephenson Executive Search (SES), a multi-award-winning executive search firm focusing on appointments in the financial services and legal sectors.

Billy focuses on C suite and senior appointments in the private banking, wealth management and family office sectors and works across management, investment, distribution and operational functions. He operates at board level and his clients include FTSE 100, FTSE 250, AIM listed and private companies. Billy is a former investment advisor, he is a Chartered Fellow of Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments, a Freeman of the City of London and serves on the board of a charity.

In 2021, SES was awarded Best Wealth Management Executive Search firm at the WealthBriefing Awards, Boutique Recruitment Specialist of the Year in the Innovation and Excellence awards and the company is part of the Race Fairness Commitment.

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.

Debbie Wills currently heads the Wealth Management & CMPS business for SCB Europe. Based in London, Debbie leads a team which services both Private & Priority clients who are advised from UK, Jersey and Dubai.
Debbie has had a distinguished career of over 30 years in banking and has been with the Bank for more than 20 years.

Having joined the FM business in Corporate FX sales, she then went on to lead the product team in Jersey, servicing offshore retail clients. Given her in-depth knowledge and experience, she has held a variety of roles within the bank and in diverse leadership positions.
As a senior leader, she is well-respected within the industry and is an authority on the Bank’s Wealth Management business.

Prior to joining the bank, she was with RBC for 11 years working in corporate sales.
As a strong business leader, Debbie enjoys leading global teams, building new business lines and thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic & challenging work environment.
She is also passionate about mentoring women & high- performance teams and a member of our D & I Council.

Outside of work, Debbie is a regular runner, enjoys skiing and is passionate about fitness.

Matthew joined JM Finn in March 2022 as a Business Manager in our Investment Management Team. Prior to joining JM Finn, Matthew spent 16 years with Bordier UK, where he was an Associate Director with responsibility for the company’s operations, including dealing and CASS. Matthew is a Chartered Member of the CISI, has a degree in Classics from the University of Bristol and holds both the Investment Operations Certificate (IOC) and the Investment Management Certificate (IMC).

Mike is advisor to families, venture capital houses, start-up and growth business (as Board Adviser/NED). He is an investor, Co-Founder and formerly group chief operating officer of wealth manager and multi-family office Artorius. Mike was the architect behind the model that delivers a multi-jurisdictional client-centric wealth-planning proposition. Mike was previously a partner at accountancy firms RSM and Baker Tilly. Prior to this he has years’ experience in financial services and banking with KPMG, Santander and UK mutual societies. He also helped found a Saudi family office and managed a substantial private equity portfolio.