WealthBriefing Swiss Awards 2018

Nick Blaydes has 25 years’ experience in corporate finance, with a focus on the financial services sector. Nick is a partner at EY where he leads the financial services corporate finance team in Switzerland. He has an extensive track record in advising clients in the wealth management industry on a variety of strategic development areas, including strategic options analysis, M&A, market entry strategies and co-operations, as well as on valuation and corporate finance issues. Nick is a dual British-Swiss national and is fluent in English and German. He is a graduate of Oxford University and of London School of Economics.

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.

Ludovic Bonnamour is managing director and partner of TCA Asset Management, a Swiss-based advisory boutique specialising in wealth management, corporate finance, fund services and family office solutions. Ludovic has worked for 14 years in international companies such as Allianz and HSBC in several functions from risk management to advisory services, and alongside internal and external clients in retail banking, private banking and corporate banking activities. Specialising in alternative investments as well as in quantitative fields, Ludovic has worked in the hedge funds industry, credit advisory, portfolio leverage analysis, Basel regulatory capital requirements and lending activities, while liaising with group offices before developing new services from TCA Asset Management since 2011.

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.

Dr. Christoph Gosdenoz has more than 15 years of international professional experience. Before joining the Swiss Finance Institute, a private foundation created by Switzerland’s banking and finance community and leading Swiss universities, he worked as a financial analyst specialized in mergers and acquisitions, entrepreneurial finance, impact finance and risk management. Former employers include UBS in Zurich and in Mexico, as well as BNP Paribas in Geneva and Singapore. Christoph Gosdenoz graduated with a Master of Science in Business Administration from the University of Geneva, is a CFA charter-holder and holds a doctorate from the Edinburgh Business School. He has completed teaching and research assignments at top business schools and leading financial institutions and serves today on several boards and investment committees.

Felicity joined J Stern & Co, a family owned private investment office in 2013, and runs their operation in Zurich. With over 30 years of private client, family office and private banking experience within Switzerland, serving in senior roles such as senior executive, managing director, in-house lawyer, and as trustee, Felicity has experienced a 360-degree view of the wealth management sector. Felicity also holds board positions and has acted as a consultant to various firms seeking to establish their operating businesses in Switzerland. She has also acted as an expert to the judges of the STEP Private Client Awards and is a member of the professional development committee and a council member of STEP Worldwide.

Matthew co-heads the U.S. tax practice in the Zurich office. He specializes in private client practice and accommodating the needs of the private banking industry. His practice focuses on cross-border tax and structuring, asset protection, multi-jurisdictional investment structures, as well as international tax controversy work for clients involving the use of trusts, foundations, insurance solutions, and other fiduciary arrangements. Matthew also advises clients on non-tax elements of structuring, and has developed specialized knowledge in residence and domicile solutions, including obtaining alternative citizenships in various jurisdictions, in particular European-based programmes. Matthew is admitted to practice law in New York and England and Wales.

Justine Markovitz is global chairperson of Withers. She joined the firm in 1999, and in 2005 moved to Switzerland to open and head their Geneva office. She focuses on advising private clients and financial institutions in relation to onshore UK and offshore tax, trust and estate planning, with particular emphasis on planning for UK resident non-domiciliaries. She also advises on wills and trust drafting matters as well as on international tax investigations. Justine advises families on succession and governance issues, working closely with those families to create structures and legal solutions to implement their long-term succession plans both for their personal assets and business interests.

Daniel worked in management positions in leading trust companies in Canada prior to taking up roles in offshore trust companies in Nassau, Jersey and Geneva with Coutts International Private Bank. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, he subsequently earned his Master of Business Administration at the University of Miami. He is accredited as a member of the Financial Planning Institute of Canada and a member of the Society of Trust and Estates Practitioners (STEP). Daniel is a founder of the Swiss Association of Trust Companies (SATC). Daniel is a Canadian and Swiss citizen and speaks English and French.

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.

Elmar Meyer is the founder and CEO of Lexpert Partners, a specialized law firm focused on financial services providers and their clients located in Zug. Elmar’s areas of specialization include advising Swiss and foreign banks, asset managers and family offices in all legal and regulatory areas. He also advises and assists HNW individuals in their (often cross-border) asset and estate planning. Before founding Lexpert Partners, Elmar was founding partner of GHM Partners, a legal and tax advisory firm in Zug.  Prior to this he headed the legal and compliance department of Julius Baer in Dubai serving on its management committee and acting as a member of the board for Julius Baer in Cairo. Elmar also serves on the board on a number of major asset management companies in Switzerland.

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

Osmond Plummer, is a Geneva-based wealth management expert active internationally as a trainer, coach and adviser of wealth management professionals. He is a senior lecturer in finance at the London Institute of Banking & Finance and visiting faculty at EU Business School in Geneva. Osmond worked in private banking in Guernsey, Hong Kong and Dubai prior to moving to Geneva in 1999. The Swiss correspondent for WealthBriefing and the founder of www.wealthcoaching.ch, Osy holds an MBA from Warwick University Business School and PGCHE in Banking & Finance. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

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.

Mark Summers is a qualified English solicitor and heads Charles Russell Speechlys’ Swiss offices. Mark specialises in providing international estate planning, trusts and taxation advice. He has particular expertise in working with US and Continental European clients, family-owned business structures and clients working in the hedge fund and private equity sectors. Chambers Global ranks Mark as a leading individual for international private client work: he is described as the “architect of innovative solutions and is praised for his “outgoing and charming client service.” Legal 500 describes Mark as a “go-to on complex jurisdictional matters”.

Dr. Marcel Tschanz has over 20 years of professional experience that embraces a record of leading large multi-cultural teams in international environments and of managing complex long-term projects. Over this period he has worked in several financial serviced firms with P&L responsibilities in global wealth management organisations. In his last assignment Marcel headed VP Bank (Switzerland) AG as its CEO. Marcel has developed and implemented new service and business models and led the implementation of sustainable cultural change programmes.  His current role as partner at PwC means he is responsible for WM strategy consulting and services for several large global private banks.

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.

Niels Bom-Olesen is the CEO of Hyposwiss Private Bank in Geneva, a family owned private Swiss bank. An economist (Canterbury, UK 1983) and banker (DK Bankers Association 1987) by training, he started his career by working for Crocker National Bank, a major US bank in San Francisco before moving to Nordea Bank in 1986, first in Copenhagen and subsequently in Geneva. In 1992 he joined Credit Suisse and led the UK International private banking team for almost 20 years before joining Hyposwiss in 2012 where he was appointed CEO in June 2014. An avid cyclist and golfer, he also enjoys taking time out with his family in Switzerland and Denmark.

Etienne d’Arenberg, born 1967, is a Limited Partner at Mirabaud since 2011. He joined the group in 1999 and has developed a very significant portfolio of private clients, including large families and entrepreneurs, who learnt to appreciate his strong investment convictions, his holistic approach to assessing their environment, and his very close attention to their needs.

In 2016, he took over the management of the UK market for the group and sits on the board of Mirabaud Europe Ltd, the European bank of the group. In 2019, in the context of Brexit, Etienne moved to the UK to follow more closely the development of the UK political, legal and tax environment.

Starting his career at the Compagnie Générale des Eaux, one of the world's largest utilities at the time, Etienne joined in 1995 Creditanstalt Investment Bank (CAIB) in Vienna as a Managing Director focusing on CEE countries and in charge of the group wide asset management and of the private equity departments.

Etienne d’Arenberg sits on or chairs several charity boards, most notably linked to music, in Switzerland, Europe and United Kingdom and sits on the board of his own family's Family Office. He holds a MSc (Mgt) from Boston University and graduated from the Hotel Management School of Lausanne. He speaks fluently French, English, German and Italian and has a fair knowledge of Spanish and Dutch.

Ariel is currently a Partner at Davidoff Law and a former Partner at Swiss law firm LINDEMANNLAW looking after the legal requirements of international and Swiss UHNWI entrepreneurs, their companies and families. His expertise inter alia comprises M&A, corporate structuring, regulatory advice, relocation, real estate, succession planning, charity etc. He is on the board of successful Swiss, EU and UK companies.

His industry exposure is in energy, solar, water, fertilizer, wealth and asset management, banking, trust, finance instruments including NFT. Beside a doctorate of business administration, Ariel holds an MBA from Rochester NY and an LL.M. of the University of Zurich. He is a STEP, IFA and IISS member.

Duncan joined Banco Santander in 2018. He was previously managing director with Bank Lombard Odier in Geneva where he was responsible for the UK private client team. Duncan has nearly 40 years finance experience, the majority of which has been spent in Switzerland in the field of private banking, with a particular focus on UK resident non-UK domiciled clients. In addition to direct client experience, Duncan has for many years been responsible for managing private banking teams across jurisdictions. Duncan has previously held management positions in Geneva, Zürich and Copenhagen with HSBC Private Bank (Suisse), the Lloyds TSB Group and Jyske Bank.

JCP has over 25 years of working experience in finance and management in Switzerland, France and the United States. He is the chief risk officer of the Edmond de Rothschild Group. Earlier in his career he was the partner in charge of the Geneva office of PricewaterhouseCoopers and then chief financial officer of EFG International. He is a graduate from IEP and EDHEC and has completed the Columbia Business School Senior Executive Programme.

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.

Stefano started his career at UBS in 1981. Having served as client advisor for corporate and wealth management clients in Switzerland and New York he has also covered a wide range of line management position in several areas of wealth management. Stefano was head of HNW and UHNWI business for Italy International before being appointed head of the firm’s UHNWI business for the global established markets in Switzerland. Prior to his current role, Stefano led wealth management Europe international and Forex distribution and active advisory. He was appointed group managing director in 2014.

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.

Bruce is a chartered accountant with over 40 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 Ten Lifestyle Group Plc as well as a non-executive of a number of companies including , The Wisdom Council and ComPeer.

With more than 25 years’ experience as a senior banker working in the financial services industry, most recently at Credit Suisse, Urs Bolt founded bolt.now in 2017 where he focuses on wealth management, investment banking, risk & regulation, and banking technology business.

Urs’ core expertise centres on developing and launching new digital business platforms and establishing prime services for HNW/UHNW clients.  His focus is to help FinTech companies and financial service providers review/refocus business strategies, develop products and markets, execute sales, scout for FinTech solutions, build business partnerships, manage projects, and implement corporate structures and processes.

Urs has been consistently ranked as one of the top FinTech and RegTech influencers in Switzerland by Fintech Switzerland.

Stephen is an analyst focused on the global wealth management sector. With over 12 years’ experience in the sector, he has recently co-founded a new global digital market network called The Wealth Mosaic.

Stephen has been involved in over 70 different research projects covering a board variety of wealth manager types, service providers to the sector, a wide array of international jurisdictions and a diverse project focus such as market analysis and sizing, competitive intelligence and benchmarking, market entry strategy and client, advisor and intermediary insight. In his current role, Stephen has built a dedicated platform to support wealth managers in their discovery, understanding, engagement and tracking of the changing marketplace of solutions and solution providers.