EFG Insurance Summit – Hong Kong

Eddie Fung joined AXA Hong Kong in 2009 as the Head of Sales, Financial Intermediaries and was promoted to the Head of Life Broker & IFA in 2012.  In 2015, Eddie was appointed as Chief Alternative Distribution Officer of AXA Hong Kong.

With over 20 years of experience in life insurance and wealth management, Eddie has a proven track record of achieving high sales performance and diversifying distribution risk.  He has led the team to achieve historic high production year in Financial Intermediaries channel and become the market leader in broker market in 2012.  Starting from 2013, the wealth management arm of AXA Hong Kong, Swiss Privilege, is also under his leadership.  Eddie is also the Project Sponsor of the Universal Life Project of AXA and responsible for the product development.  Heritage Builder, the new Universal Life product of AXA, has successfully launched to the market in 2016.

Prior to joining AXA Hong Kong, Eddie had been the Assistant Vice President in charge of the High Net Worth business of AIA and Sales Director of Transamerica Life Bermuda Ltd.  During his tenure, Transamerica has over-achieved the overall Hong Kong sales target significantly which was a record high production in Transamerica since 1993.  He has broad experience across different financial institutions, namely CIGNA Worldwide Insurance Company, Manulife (International) Limited and HSBC.

John has over 20 years of experience working in banks, international brokerages and insurance carriers, with knowledge of High Net Worth client market in North America and Asia through his hands on experience specialise in High Net Worth products such as universal life deliver to clients through partnership with broker and premium financing arrangement with private banks. 

Before joining AXA as the Senior High Net Worth Business & Partnership Development Manager, John managed the broker channel for universal life distribution in a state-owned Chinese Bank and during this time revenue from this channel has grown 800%.  He has a MBA degree from University of South Australia. 

Nigel Rivers qualified as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1989. He practiced law in London, becoming partner of a law firm in 1991. Nigel specialised in corporate and commercial law, with a niche area of clients in sports and entertainment, advising athletes, sports personalities and investors in sports across the globe.

In 1998, Nigel left formal legal practice to join in the establishment of a new Formula One motor racing team, called British American Racing. He was involved in creating, implementing and monitoring the commercial and regulatory arrangements for the team, working directly with the Team Principal as part of the senior management of the sports franchise. The role involved Nigel in the contractual arrangements with drivers, sponsors and merchandise partners, as well as with the governing body of the sport.

After British American Racing was taken over by Honda Motor Company, Nigel established his own law practice to advise athletes and companies involved in sport, particularly in motor racing. He was also engaged in sports management with clients in Formula One, Formula 3, DTM, Le Mans Racing and NASCAR. Nigel advised clients on commercial investments (including acquisition of race circuit and team franchises in multiple countries), sponsorship, endorsement and merchandising arrangements.

In 2008, Nigel and his family moved to Asia and settled in Hong Kong. He joined TMF Group (then Equity Trust) in August 2008 as the head of Private Client Services in Hong Kong. At the start of 2010, Nigel was appointed Head of Private Client Services for the Asia region, and took on the additional role of Managing Director of Hong Kong office. From early 2014 until the end of March 2016, he was the Global Head of Private Client Services. TMF Group has grown to be the largest global independent trust and fiduciary service provider to private clients.

Nigel established Capital Solutions in Hong Kong and Singapore to deliver consultancy and advisory services to clients in relation to their wealth asset needs.

Hugh Ellerton was born and educated in the United Kingdom.

Hugh is Senior Director and Head of Business Development of EFG Wealth Solutions (Singapore) Limited, which he established in 2008 and which is a wholly owned subsidiary of EFG Investment and Wealth Solutions AG.

Hugh joined EFG Private Bank in London in 1998 where he was a senior director. In 2004 he moved to EFG in Hong Kong and then to Singapore in 2008, where he is based.

Prior to joining EFG in 1998, Hugh worked as assistant bee-keeper to the King of Libya, then qualified with Binder Hamlyn as a Chartered Account in 1972 

From 1978 to 1998 Hugh worked for the family office of the Ermitage Group in Paris and London; he was an early pioneer of hedge funds as well as specialising in all aspects of wealth preservation for clients in Europe, Africa, and latterly in Asia.

Hugh became a member of Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners in 1991.

David has over 25 years experience in the international financial services arena. He has lived and worked in seven countries and has played a significant role in the development and execution of strategy at several of the world’s premiere banks and trust companies.

A qualified barrister and solicitor in Ontario, Canada and Bermuda, David served as General Counsel to Wood Gundy Inc., one of Canada’s largest Investment Banks and to Bank of Bermuda Limited. He has subsequently held increasingly senior management roles with Coutts, UBS, Franklin Templeton, the law firm of Conyers, Dill & Pearman, Barclays and EFG.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts from Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. David is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and has served on the STEP Branch Executive in the Bahamas, Bermuda and Guernsey.

Amongst his professional accolades, David has been named to the Citywealth Leaders List every year since 2009 and serves on the STEP Private Client Awards Panel of Experts. David is a frequent speaker at industry trade gatherings and has published numerous articles on topics of interest to the international private banking, trust and investment community.

David has served as trusted advisor to ultra-high-net-worth families, numerous family offices, select institutional clients and several philanthropic enterprises on matters relating to succession, growth, leadership, risk mitigation, regulatory control and governance.

David has counselled clients on six continents and has been engaged in the establishment and administration of over 100 private trust companies. He has extensive experience in all transactional aspects associated with the structuring, financing and management of diverse asset classes such as multi-national manufacturing and production facilities, new and old media assets, entertainment conglomerates, hotel chains, professional sports franchises, commercial and residential real estate, ships, aircraft, intellectual property and a variety of chattels including wine, classic automobiles, antiquities, bloodstock and fine art.

Gerard Gardner is Global Head of EFG International’s wealth structuring business, EFG Wealth Solutions. Headquartered in Jersey, Gerard has responsibility for fiduciary platforms and wealth planners in Asia, Europe and the Americas. He has been a director of various EFG group companies for over 20 years and is a member of EFG’s senior management college, the International Management Forum. Gerard also serves as a Director on the boards of a number of private client structures and real estate and private equity funds.  

Mr. Kelso is responsible for developing institutional relationships, managing the company's consultants, Regional marketing and general oversight of the Asia operations.

Prior to joining the company, Mr. Kelso was the Chief Executive Officer of Boom Securities (H.K.) Limited, the first company to launch Internet stock trading in the Asia/Pacific region.

Mr. Kelso was employed by Prudential Securities for 21 years in a variety of roles; most recently, he was the company's Director of the Asian Pacific region, based in Singapore.

Mr. Kelso is a former Certified Public Accountant and received an undergraduate degree from Colgate University, where he majored in History, and a Masters of Business Administration from New York University.

Michael Olesnicky is a Senior Adviser to KPMG in Hong Kong. He left legal practice in 2014 after spending more than 25 years advising on corporate tax and tax dispute work, as well as on wealth management, trust planning and estate succession matters.

He is the vice chair of STEP in Hong Kong and chairs its China sub-committee.  He has served on a number of governmental and quasi -governmental tax committees in Hong Kong. He has been the Chairman of the Joint Liaison Committee on Taxation, which is a quasi-governmental committee which interfaces between tax practitioners and the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department, from 1986 to now, and formerly served on the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Board of Review.  He was previously a member of the Law Faculty at Hong Kong University where he remains as an Honorary Lecturer in the Department of Professional Legal Education.

David Varley is Chief High Net Worth Officer at Sun Life Financial in Hong Kong. He specializes in HNW and Ultra HNW Planning and Insurance Structuring solutions for clients and families in Asia. He has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, with an Honors in Management, and a thesis in Innovation – from Melbourne University. Previously he was Head of HNW for Asia for AXA, and Head of International Business for Aviva.

Patrick Jiang is responsible for the development and execution of Sun Life Hong Kong's High Net Worth (HNW) Strategy, across the spectrum of product solutions, operations and services, distribution and overall HNW value proposition. 

With extensive HNW operations experience, Patrick spearheads the formulation of a best-in-class HNW servicing platform by enhancing operational efficiency and high-touch distribution support.

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) degree from the University of Sydney Business School, with previous background in financial advisory and investment research in the Australiasia region. 

Chris has worked in the insurance industry since 1996, starting in London and moving to Singapore in 2005 giving him over a decade of experience in the Asian HNW/UHNW market. Chris was initially responsible for South East Asian distribution of HSBC's Jade Universal Life, overseeing multiple internal and external channels before moving to Old Mutual International and rolling out their Silk Variable Universal Life product. In January 2017 Chris launched Swiss Life's Hong Kong representative office. Swiss Life specialise in EU and Asia compliant private placement life assurance products and a Singapore regulated variable universal life product line.

Peter Guang Chen is both a certified public accountant and an attorney with more than 20 years of experience in tax advisory and planning. He has advised China, Hong Kong and US and other multinational corporations and high net worth individuals on their inbound and outbound transactions, China and international tax issues, investment structuring, regulatory, and business issues; mergers , acquisitions; and the reorganizations of multinationals in China and the Asia Pacific region; structuring of trusts, foundations, estate planning and asset preservation for individuals. He has represented companies and individuals to resolve tax disputes with tax authorities in China and the US.

Recently, Peter has been engaged by the Ministry of Finance of a South Asian nation to draft the country’s tax regulations and to provide consulting on international tax matters.

Previously, Peter was a with a major economic consulting firm and also was a tax partner at a Big 4 accounting firm, where he was responsible for the China Desk in New York, and served as China leader at the firm’s International Centre of Excellence.

Gerard Gardner is Global Head of EFG International’s wealth structuring business, EFG Wealth Solutions. Headquartered in Jersey, Gerard has responsibility for fiduciary platforms and wealth planners in Asia, Europe and the Americas. He has been a director of various EFG group companies for over 20 years and is a member of EFG’s senior management college, the International Management Forum. Gerard also serves as a Director on the boards of a number of private client structures and real estate and private equity funds.  

David Varley is Chief High Net Worth Officer at Sun Life Financial in Hong Kong. He specializes in HNW and Ultra HNW Planning and Insurance Structuring solutions for clients and families in Asia. He has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, with an Honors in Management, and a thesis in Innovation – from Melbourne University. Previously he was Head of HNW for Asia for AXA, and Head of International Business for Aviva.