WealthBriefingAsia – Singapore Awards, 2015

Titien Ahmad is a key member of WeathBriefingAsia's team of correspondents having been a seasoned observer of the financial services industry in Asia Pacific over the last decade. She is also 'The Brain' that runs 3 Degrees Asia, a B2B marketing agency that co-creates content platforms for businesses to engage with clients and prospects.

Titien has been instrumental in developing and launching a number of information products and services that now provide critical input into strategic decision-making for those operating in the region. These include the Asia Pacific Banking Advisory programme in IDC Financial Insights, and The Benchmark Exchange and Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards in The Asian Banker.

Andrew Au is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of AGDelta, an award-winning Singapore-based company that connects the financial products supply chain. He has more than 20 years’ experience in investment banking and the Financial Services industry, having worked for top-tier global banks including Bankers Trust, Macquarie Group and Deutsche Bank, and global financial technology providers such as SunGard, before he co-founded AGDelta in 2004.

Andrew is a strong advocate of the adoption of disruptive technologies and ‘out of the box’ thinking to address the business challenges within the financial services industry, and regularly pushes for such thinking at events and conferences. Over the past 10 years he has been actively engaging retail and private banking institutions globally in transforming their business by leveraging E-commerce and digital channel models and technology, and is keen to play a leading role in developing the nascent ‘Digital Technopreneur’ movement in Asia. Andrew holds a Bachelor’s in Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and postgraduate studies in Applied Finance from Macquarie University Australia.

Pierre-F. Baer is the CEO of IBBM, a private equity fund manager and acts as independent advisor to UHNW individuals. Prior to this Pierre was co-head Asia and CEO of Societe Generale’s private banking entity in Singapore responsible for ASEAN and the Indian subcontinent. He sat on the board of Societe Generale’s trust company in Asia. Before joining SG Private Banking in 2003, Pierre was the CEO of Credit Suisse Private Banking Singapore supervising south-east Asia.

A financial veteran with over 25 years of experience in the banking industry, Pierre has worked in Switzerland, Malaysia and Singapore assisting both institutional and UHNW investors.

Seamus Donoghue, ceo of Allocated Bullion Solutions (ABS), is a seasoned investment banker with over 20years experience in financial markets where he is a strong champion of electronic trading and infrastructure in OTC markets. Prior to ABS, he headed Asia G10 FX forwards and short-term interest rate trading at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Japan, and earlier co-headed global Yen linear interest rate derivatives at Barclays Capital Japan. Seamus also worked as a portfolio manager at Bluecrest Capital and previously co-headed the global finance group for Deutsche Bank in Japan. He started his career with JP Morgan in Toronto, Canada, in 1991.

Tim Gibson-Tullberg is head of global private wealth management for Sheffield Haworth, a financial services executive search business which acquired his search business in London, Singapore and Geneva in 2012.

Tim, who is based in Singapore, has over 13 years of executive search experience in private wealth markets. Over this period he and his team have worked with some of the most prestigious brands and independent boutiques. His focus is on helping firms and family offices launch new projects where he also has a solid reputation as a career advisor. He was an officer in the British Army for 20 years previously.

Jonathan Hollands is an experienced execu­tive search professional and as managing director of Carraway Group covers all areas of the wealth management sector across the Asia-Pacific region. Jonathan began his career as a headhunter in 1998 when he focused on the German and Swiss markets. Before his return to Asia 12 years ago, Jonathan covered senior management positions across central and eastern Europe. Jonathan’s recent successes in the wealth management sector include placing a head of onshore private banking, securing managing director level relationship managers, a head of Hong Kong, senior advisory specialists, China focused bankers and C level officers. Prior to entering executive search Jonathan was a British Army Officer in the 14th/20th Kings Hussars serving in Operation Desert Storm 1991 and in Brunei and Hong Kong in the late 1980’s.

Having previously worked in PwC’s London office, Julia Leong is currently the key client relationship partner in the firm’s Singapore office where she focuses on a number of international financial services institutions, including private banks, and clients from across the financial services industry.

Julia’s topics of specialism range from improving customer engagement and finance function effectiveness, to operational risk management and managing large-scale transformational change. In addition to her partnership and client management responsibilities, Julia overseas the firm’s key client relationship and business development teams.

Since moving to Singapore as a partner in Lawrence Graham in 2013, Zac Lucas has concentrated on business succession planning involving Asian family businesses based in south-east Asia. His particular expertise is advising on governance solutions involving private trust companies and family businesses, and pre-IPO and international investment trust structures. As a consequence, he is regularly instructed by international law and accounting firms, private banks, independent trust companies, and wealthy individuals and families.

Zac joined Lawrence Graham from Ogier in the British Virgin Islands. While there he contributed to legislative amendments which led to the Trustee (Amendment) Act, 2013, Virgin Islands Special Trusts (Amendment) Act, 2013 and the Financial Services (Exemptions)(Amendment) Regulations, 2013.

Philip Marcovici is retired from the practice of law and consults with governments, financial institutions and global families in relation to tax, wealth management and other matters. Philip was the founder and CEO of LawInContext (now called Baker McKenzie Link), the interactive knowledge venture of global law firm, Baker & McKenzie. Philip retired from his CEO role with the company as from the end of 2010, and from his chairmanship of the company as from the end of 2011. He was a partner of Baker & McKenzie, a firm he joined in 1982, and practiced in the area of international taxation throughout his legal career. Philip was based in the Hong Kong office of Baker & McKenzie for 12 years, relocating to the Zurich office of Baker & McKenzie in 1995. Philip has also practiced law in each of New York and Vancouver, British Columbia. Philip retired from Baker & McKenzie at the end of 2009.

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.

Dr Angelo Venardos is founder and CEO of the Heritage Trust Group, an independent trust and corporate services company with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and the BVI, and has associated entities in Brunei, New Zealand and Seychelles.

In December 2013, Dr Venardos was appointed to the board of directors of STEP Worldwide in London. He is a member of the Singapore Trustees Association, Singapore Academy of Law, Singapore Institute of Directors and Singapore Institute of International Affairs. He is the editor of World's Leading Financial and Trust Centres , and Islamic Banking & Finance in South East Asia: Its Development & Future.

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.

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 Blake was appointed chief executive officer of Coutts & Co effective from May 2015. Prior to this he served as general manager Asia for Coutts. Michael brings to the role a track record of leading cross-cultural teams during periods of growth and transformational change. He has lived and worked in Asia, Switzerland and London over the past decade and is active in various international affairs forums.

Hans-Peter Borgh was appointed head of wealth management of Banque Internationale a Luxembourg in November 2015. Hans-Peter’s responsibilities include leading BIL’s private banking and investment related activities in Denmark, Dubai Luxembourg, Sweden and Switzerland. A banker with 20 years experience, Hans-Peter joined BIL from ABN AMRO where he was chief commercial officer Asia & Middle East. Prior to that he was regional head of affluent banking Asia Pacific at ANZ. Hans-Peter started his career at ABN AMRO where he held positions in Amsterdam, London, New York, Hong Kong and Zurich.

Lionel Choi is a private client director of the RBC Trust Company, the Singapore-based private client fiduciary services business of RBC Wealth Management.

Qualified as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore and as a solicitor in England and Wales, Lionel specialises in advising, establishing and administering trust and fiduciary structures for high net worth individuals and their families, particularly those connected to Asia.

Lionel is responsible for the operation and supervision of a client relationship team and managing the financial and estate planning interests of a portfolio of private clients. He is also active in business development working with advisors in Singapore and internationally.

Rob Ioannou joined DBS Private Bank as managing director and head of international in July 2016.  His responsibilities include the Global South Asia and non-resident Indian teams, and cover Europe, Middle East and Africa, as well as the Japan International segment.  Rob serves on DBS’s regional wealth management committee.

Prior to joining DBS, Rob was co-head of HSBC’s Private Bank for Southeast Asia and a director of HSBC Trust Company Singapore.

A career private banker with over 20 years of financial services experience, Rob started his career with Citibank in London, after which he moved to J.P Morgan as a senior coverage private banker for UHNW and international clients.

Kwong Kin-Mun joined Deutsche Bank as head of wealth management SEA in late 2009 after seven years as head of South Asia private banking with DBS Bank.  He has 30 years of wealth management industry experience.  Kin-Mun is also a member if WM APAC executive committee.

He is responsible for a group of over 140 client-facing professionals of which half are relationship managers and investment advisors providing tailored wealth management solutions to HNW/UHNW clients mainly based within the Southeast Asia region.

Peter Triggs joined DBS Private Bank in 2012 as managing director and head of international clients and wealth structur­ing moving to his current regional wealth planning role in April 2015 covering trusts, insurance, family offices, philanthropy and family governance. Peter’s last position before joining DBS was deputy CEO for three years at Bank of China (Suisse) in Geneva. He worked for Citi Private Bank for 19 years prior to this with trust and private banking roles in Jersey, Zurich, Singapore, Geneva and London. Prior to his banking experience, Peter was a tax principal for Deloitte in their London office.

Renato de Guzman is chief executive of Bank of Singapore, formerly ING Asia Private Bank (IAPB), which was acquired by OCBC Bank in 2010.

An influential banker with more than 35 years of experience, Renato has grown the private banking business to become one of Asia’s leading operations; from the time he was chief executive of IAPB in 2000.

Under his leadership, Bank of Singapore’s assets under management crossed the US$49 billion mark as at 31 March 2014, which is more than twice the AUM recorded when Bank of Singapore was launched in January 2010.