Drive to Boost Malaysia’s Wealth Management Market

Carolyn Leng Head of Maybank Private Malaysia, Wealth Management A pioneer of Malaysia's Private Banking sphere with over 20 years of experience, Carolyn Leng is a leading authority in the country's wealth management industry. Carolyn is currently the Head of Maybank Private in Malaysia and is responsible for driving the strategic growth of the high net worth business segments for the Bank in Malaysia, while accelerating its regional expansion. This involves talent and infrastructure development, as well as formulation of impactful business strategies to deliver wealth management solutions to meet clients' financial requirements in Malaysia, and abroad. Since joining Maybank in 2019, Carolyn has been laser focused on growing Maybank Private's customer base and assets under management (AUM). Within her first year at the helm, she has successfully grown the domestic AUM by 42% as well as developed and trained a robust regional sales force of over 60 client advisors. Prior to joining Maybank Private, Carolyn was attached to CIMB Private Banking since its launch in 2002, with the last position held being Head of Private Banking in Malaysia. During the tenure, Carolyn had built and led teams to drive client relations, as well as expanded the Private Banking business by establishing presence in four new states - Penang, Sarawak, Sabah and Johor. She had also served at unit trust and mutual fund companies namely CIMB Principal Asset Management in Malaysia, and Templeton Management Limited, one of Canada's largest mutual funds, where she managed sales for the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Carolyn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Hons) in Economics from the University of Toronto and has completed various Financial Planning courses.

Chan Ai Mei is the Chief Marketing & Distribution Officer of Affin Hwang Asset Management Bhd ("Affin Hwang AM"). In her capacity as Chief Marketing & Distribution Officer, she is responsible for the overall management and development of Products, Wealth & Advisory, Marketing & Communication as well as to oversee the distribution of funds through the Financial Institutional channel. She joined the company as the Head of Financial Institutional business in 2010 and assumed the role of Chief Marketing Officer in 2014. She was re-designated to her current role in 2017. During her stint as the Head of Financial Institutional Distribution, she was responsible for overseeing and driving the growth of third-party distribution channels for Affin Hwang AM and developing a team that services the financial institutions and business partnership teams that distribute our products. Prior to her role at Affin Hwang AM, she was with Standard Chartered Bank for five (5) years where she was involved in the Wealth Management business driving sales of investment products as well as leading a team of Investment Consultants. She also spent close to seven (7) years in Citibank as a Personal Banker and subsequently managed a team. She graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Marketing) from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and is also a Certified Financial Planner.

Jovin joined CREALOGIX in September 2020 and has nearly twenty years of professional experience in various positions within the financial industry. He began his professional career at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. His career is focused in Wealth, Brokerage, and FinTech. With a long history in helping banks and financial institution enhancing their digital offerings, he is very well connected in the market. Jovin has lived in Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore and has experience across multiple regions including APAC.

Lakshey Gangwani, Regional Sales Director for ASEAN and India at InvestCloud, works with leading Financial Institutions in the region to help them solve complex and costly challenges by expediting their Digital Transformation. Laksh is based in InvestCloud’s Singapore office.   Prior to joining InvestCloud, Laksh started and scaled Symphony’s Wealth and Retail proposition by helping Financial Institutions improve operational efficiency and offer a frictionless customer experience. He has held similar positions with Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, and Threatmetrix.

Wong Wai Ken, is StashAway Malaysia's Country Manager. Wai Ken has also accumulated asset management experience in the Investments division of Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Premium China Funds Management in Australia. He has gained capital markets experience at Affin Hwang Capital serving in both its Corporate Strategy and Equity Capital Markets departments. With Affin Hwang, he first played an instrumental role in the post-merger integration of the two investment banks. He later gained deals experience with the Equity Capital Markets team, and successfully helped list companies and raise equity on Bursa Malaysia. As Country Manager of StashAway Malaysia, he led the launch the local business by establishing partnerships and marketing channels.

Chan Ai Mei is the Chief Marketing & Distribution Officer of Affin Hwang Asset Management Bhd ("Affin Hwang AM"). In her capacity as Chief Marketing & Distribution Officer, she is responsible for the overall management and development of Products, Wealth & Advisory, Marketing & Communication as well as to oversee the distribution of funds through the Financial Institutional channel. She joined the company as the Head of Financial Institutional business in 2010 and assumed the role of Chief Marketing Officer in 2014. She was re-designated to her current role in 2017. During her stint as the Head of Financial Institutional Distribution, she was responsible for overseeing and driving the growth of third-party distribution channels for Affin Hwang AM and developing a team that services the financial institutions and business partnership teams that distribute our products. Prior to her role at Affin Hwang AM, she was with Standard Chartered Bank for five (5) years where she was involved in the Wealth Management business driving sales of investment products as well as leading a team of Investment Consultants. She also spent close to seven (7) years in Citibank as a Personal Banker and subsequently managed a team. She graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in Marketing) from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and is also a Certified Financial Planner.

Wong Wai Ken, is StashAway Malaysia's Country Manager. Wai Ken has also accumulated asset management experience in the Investments division of Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Premium China Funds Management in Australia. He has gained capital markets experience at Affin Hwang Capital serving in both its Corporate Strategy and Equity Capital Markets departments. With Affin Hwang, he first played an instrumental role in the post-merger integration of the two investment banks. He later gained deals experience with the Equity Capital Markets team, and successfully helped list companies and raise equity on Bursa Malaysia. As Country Manager of StashAway Malaysia, he led the launch the local business by establishing partnerships and marketing channels.

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.