Chinese HNW clients - Wealth management structures and strategies

John Shoemaker is Senior Counsel with Butler Snow in their Singapore office. John has more than 30 years’ experience in tax, legal & regulatory compliance, and is a common law lawyer with educational emphasis on taxation, trusts & estate planning. He also has extensive experience in ensuring multi-jurisdictional compliance for fiduciary product offerings (working with multijurisdictional outside counsel & adapting products for sale in relevant jurisdictions), including product management skills to direct complex products from concept to fully operational status.

Woon Shiu has over 20 years of expertise in marketing, client development and professional training in family office structuring, trusts, high-net-worth life insurance and estate planning in Asia Pacific (especially China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia). Over the years, Woon Shiu has handled multiple landmark transactions, advising ultra-high net-worth individuals and founding members of banking conglomerates on matters relating to taxes, multi-generational endowment funds, planning of global assets, and much more. Woon Shiu is also an adjunct professor at the Wealth Management Institute (in Nanyang Technological University) and regularly lectures private bankers, lawyers and trust practitioners on wealth structuring and estate succession. He has also spoken as a guest lecturer at universities in China, and his views on family businesses are regularly featured in the Financial Times, Barron’s Asia, Singapore Business Times, China Daily and other renowned publications. Woon Shiu has advised numerous ultra-high net-worth families across Asia Pacific in the areas of strategic structuring of their estate and succession planning. He commonly engages multi-generation families, giving them advice on successfully establishing and implementing their desired family governance and philanthropic strategies. He holds a STEP certification and is a Solicitor in England and Wales, as well as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore. Woon Shiu is fluent in English and Mandarin – often lecturing in both languages – and is also conversant in Cantonese, Hokkien and Hainanese.

Wei is a private wealth and global estate planning lawyer based in Stephenson Harwood's Hong Kong office. She has extensive experience in complex family trust, tax advisory and compliance and succession planning involving multiple jurisdictions. Wei has advised high net worth families on a variety of private wealth matters including the design and implementation of family trusts and foundation structures, family governance, pre-immigration planning, philanthropic structuring, family office structure establishment, corporate restructuring, wills and estate and family business succession. Wei has also advised trustees and institutions on operational issues for asset protection structures and fiduciary risks. Wei's familiarity with both onshore and offshore matters have uniquely positioned her to address the multi-jurisdictional issues which are inherent in any wealth planning involving high net worth clients, and clients have relied on her for her practical advice and holistic approach to succession issues. Wei is qualified in Hong Kong and British Columbia (Canada), and practised laws at the Vancouver office of a leading Canadian national law firm before relocating to Hong Kong in 2019. She was seconded twice to the legal department of a global bank advising both its wealth business and trust company. Wei is fluent in English and Mandarin. She has completed the In-Depth Tax Course of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.

Katrina G. J. Leung is Associate Director of Trust Services at Trident Trust’s office in Hong Kong. Katrina is a Canadian lawyer and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia. She helps lead one of the largest and most experienced trust administration teams in HK, providing private and corporate clients, and their professional advisors with a range of services from trust planning through implementation to all the aspects of the trust administration lifecycle. Prior to joining the HK team, she drove business development strategy for Trident North America region with a focus on cross-border planning for North American and Greater Chinese clients. Katrina started her career practicing as a corporate commercial, securities and finance lawyer, and as in-house advisor to closely-held companies and families. She has been lecturer and curriculum developer on various business and securities law courses.

Hengka focuses on international tax and transaction tax and advises on a variety of cutting-edge tax matters, including as they relate to tax planning and compliance, tax-efficient structuring, and tax dispute resolution. Hengka is also a trusted adviser in relation to wealth planning and he serves numerous Chinese Ultra HNWI, leading private banks and family offices for global asset protection scheme and handle their offshore trust, ESOP, CRS, immigration, and succession matters. Beyond that, Hengka contributes substantial efforts on non-profit and philanthropy legal practice. He is a pioneer lawyer in the NGO sector and has advised more than 50 international NGOs, United Nations Agency and charitable foundations and philanthropist on a full range of legal issues, advising the legal implications under INGO Law, handling transactions and day-to-day operation for these entities and representing them in structuring, entity formation, fundraising, donation, due diligence, tax incentives application, governance, litigation and internal compliance investigation. He has been appointed to serve as the China representative of CEPI and authorized representative of one famous international educational NGO. Henry is also selected as the Global Fellow of Salzburg Global Seminar, and Asia Fellow of AVPN for Impact Investment (funded by Ford Foundation).

John Shoemaker is Senior Counsel with Butler Snow in their Singapore office. John has more than 30 years’ experience in tax, legal & regulatory compliance, and is a common law lawyer with educational emphasis on taxation, trusts & estate planning. He also has extensive experience in ensuring multi-jurisdictional compliance for fiduciary product offerings (working with multijurisdictional outside counsel & adapting products for sale in relevant jurisdictions), including product management skills to direct complex products from concept to fully operational status.

Woon Shiu has over 20 years of expertise in marketing, client development and professional training in family office structuring, trusts, high-net-worth life insurance and estate planning in Asia Pacific (especially China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia). Over the years, Woon Shiu has handled multiple landmark transactions, advising ultra-high net-worth individuals and founding members of banking conglomerates on matters relating to taxes, multi-generational endowment funds, planning of global assets, and much more. Woon Shiu is also an adjunct professor at the Wealth Management Institute (in Nanyang Technological University) and regularly lectures private bankers, lawyers and trust practitioners on wealth structuring and estate succession. He has also spoken as a guest lecturer at universities in China, and his views on family businesses are regularly featured in the Financial Times, Barron’s Asia, Singapore Business Times, China Daily and other renowned publications. Woon Shiu has advised numerous ultra-high net-worth families across Asia Pacific in the areas of strategic structuring of their estate and succession planning. He commonly engages multi-generation families, giving them advice on successfully establishing and implementing their desired family governance and philanthropic strategies. He holds a STEP certification and is a Solicitor in England and Wales, as well as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore. Woon Shiu is fluent in English and Mandarin – often lecturing in both languages – and is also conversant in Cantonese, Hokkien and Hainanese.

Wei is a private wealth and global estate planning lawyer based in Stephenson Harwood's Hong Kong office. She has extensive experience in complex family trust, tax advisory and compliance and succession planning involving multiple jurisdictions. Wei has advised high net worth families on a variety of private wealth matters including the design and implementation of family trusts and foundation structures, family governance, pre-immigration planning, philanthropic structuring, family office structure establishment, corporate restructuring, wills and estate and family business succession. Wei has also advised trustees and institutions on operational issues for asset protection structures and fiduciary risks. Wei's familiarity with both onshore and offshore matters have uniquely positioned her to address the multi-jurisdictional issues which are inherent in any wealth planning involving high net worth clients, and clients have relied on her for her practical advice and holistic approach to succession issues. Wei is qualified in Hong Kong and British Columbia (Canada), and practised laws at the Vancouver office of a leading Canadian national law firm before relocating to Hong Kong in 2019. She was seconded twice to the legal department of a global bank advising both its wealth business and trust company. Wei is fluent in English and Mandarin. She has completed the In-Depth Tax Course of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.

Katrina G. J. Leung is Associate Director of Trust Services at Trident Trust’s office in Hong Kong. Katrina is a Canadian lawyer and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia. She helps lead one of the largest and most experienced trust administration teams in HK, providing private and corporate clients, and their professional advisors with a range of services from trust planning through implementation to all the aspects of the trust administration lifecycle. Prior to joining the HK team, she drove business development strategy for Trident North America region with a focus on cross-border planning for North American and Greater Chinese clients. Katrina started her career practicing as a corporate commercial, securities and finance lawyer, and as in-house advisor to closely-held companies and families. She has been lecturer and curriculum developer on various business and securities law courses.

Hengka focuses on international tax and transaction tax and advises on a variety of cutting-edge tax matters, including as they relate to tax planning and compliance, tax-efficient structuring, and tax dispute resolution. Hengka is also a trusted adviser in relation to wealth planning and he serves numerous Chinese Ultra HNWI, leading private banks and family offices for global asset protection scheme and handle their offshore trust, ESOP, CRS, immigration, and succession matters. Beyond that, Hengka contributes substantial efforts on non-profit and philanthropy legal practice. He is a pioneer lawyer in the NGO sector and has advised more than 50 international NGOs, United Nations Agency and charitable foundations and philanthropist on a full range of legal issues, advising the legal implications under INGO Law, handling transactions and day-to-day operation for these entities and representing them in structuring, entity formation, fundraising, donation, due diligence, tax incentives application, governance, litigation and internal compliance investigation. He has been appointed to serve as the China representative of CEPI and authorized representative of one famous international educational NGO. Henry is also selected as the Global Fellow of Salzburg Global Seminar, and Asia Fellow of AVPN for Impact Investment (funded by Ford Foundation).

Michael is a prominent figure in the financial services industry in Asia. He is the founder and CEO of Hubbis, a renowned provider of intelligence and connectivity for the Asian wealth management industry. With a depth of experience and expertise, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the industry for over 30 years, becoming a leading industry presence in the events, professional development, and publishing space in the region. Hubbis is a multi-generational family-owned and managed business.

He has been actively involved in the Asia-Pacific region since 1993. And has lived in Asia since 1995, holding positions in Hong Kong, Sydney, and Singapore. 

For over 14-years, Hubbis has established itself as the gold standard media and events brand in wealth management thought leadership in Asia. Each year providing a very large body of cutting-edge editorial and sponsored content, organizing top-flight events. During that time Hubbis has become the platform of choice for many high-profile C-suite leaders to communicate their vision of the Asian wealth management.

Before his involvement with Hubbis, Michael founded Pacific Prospect in 2002, a financial services media company. Under his leadership, the company achieved significant success and was subsequently acquired by global business-to-business publisher Incisive Media in 2006. Michael continued to serve as the CEO of Pacific Prospect until October 2008. Prior to his entrepreneurial ventures, Michael garnered 5 years of experience in financial markets publishing.

His career in this field began in 1993 when he joined Euromoney Publications as the publisher of the quarterly magazine, International Bond Investor. In 1995, Michael joined Thomson Financial Services (now owned by LSEG) and spearheaded the conception and launch of Finance Asia magazine. During his tenure as Managing Director of Finance Asia, he also initiated the Asian Debt Review, Asian Private Capital Magazine, and the Finance Asia Conference Business. In 1997, he founded FIA Limited, further expanding his contributions to the financial publishing industry.

Born in North Wales, Michael served as the head boy of St David's College Llandudno. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Cardiff University. Beyond his professional endeavours, Michael is a family-oriented individual and is happily married with three children: Reanna, Garett, and Tarryn.