HNW Life Insurance - Opportunities in the Post Covid-19 World

Lee Sleight is Head of Business Development, Asia, and is responsible for designing tailored private wealth and succession planning solutions, working closely with Asia-focussed distribution partners, for UHNW clients and their families that protect, preserve and pass on their legacy to future generations. Lee has over 20 years’ experience in the wealth assurance industry across Europe, Asia and Latin America. Joining Lombard International Group in 2004, Lee successfully led the European Complex Case Structuring Team, where he built a unique track record, working in partnership with advisers to global UHNW families to offer Private Placement Life Insurance based solutions catering for their increasingly complex wealth and succession planning needs. Lee is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Born in the UK, Lee has lived in Germany since 2005 and worked in Luxembourg since 2001. A father of 3, Lee is also an avid trail runner and triathlete.

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.

Mark Smallwood TEP is based in the UK from where he advises predominantly Asian UHNW families on the structuring and ongoing administration and management of their estate and succession plan, family office, investment process and governance. He sits on the Business Advisory Council of a successful privately held business spanning multiple jurisdictions. After nearly 35 years in financial services across the global, including the UK, Caribbean, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore and having held senior positions in one of the leading global private banks, Mark has unique insights and brings an independent, unconflicted view which enables UHNW families to objectively evaluate their decision making process.

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.

Yannick Häni heads 1291 Group in Asia and holds both a Bachelor degree in Business Law (B.Sc.) as well as a Master of Law in International Taxation (LL.M.). Since the beginning of his career in 2003, he has worked in the insurance industry in different positions and has therefore has experience in compliance, product development and financial advisement of HNWI and their tax advisors and asset managers. Prior to his engagement with 1291 Group, Yannick worked for six years as an advisor of international private banking clients for one of the largest insurance companies in Liechtenstein, where he gained extensive knowledge in tax optimization, asset protection and structuring as well as estate planning.

Benn is a veteran in the financial industry and he has over 30 years of experience under his belt. He is currently the Managing Director of Raffles Family Office in Singapore. He works closely with the in-house analysts, researchers as well as other relationship managers. One of his key responsibility is to assist the HNW clients to establish appropriate investment strategies and getting the correct asset allocation to obtain the best risk adjusted return. Prior to joining RFO, Benn is the regional head of FX of a global European bank and is well known for his humour and story-telling style in his investment seminars. He holds a Master Degree in Asset and Wealth Management from the NTU and is also a ultra-marathon runner.

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.

Benn is a veteran in the financial industry and he has over 30 years of experience under his belt. He is currently the Managing Director of Raffles Family Office in Singapore. He works closely with the in-house analysts, researchers as well as other relationship managers. One of his key responsibility is to assist the HNW clients to establish appropriate investment strategies and getting the correct asset allocation to obtain the best risk adjusted return. Prior to joining RFO, Benn is the regional head of FX of a global European bank and is well known for his humour and story-telling style in his investment seminars. He holds a Master Degree in Asset and Wealth Management from the NTU and is also a ultra-marathon runner.

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.

Yannick Häni heads 1291 Group in Asia and holds both a Bachelor degree in Business Law (B.Sc.) as well as a Master of Law in International Taxation (LL.M.). Since the beginning of his career in 2003, he has worked in the insurance industry in different positions and has therefore has experience in compliance, product development and financial advisement of HNWI and their tax advisors and asset managers. Prior to his engagement with 1291 Group, Yannick worked for six years as an advisor of international private banking clients for one of the largest insurance companies in Liechtenstein, where he gained extensive knowledge in tax optimization, asset protection and structuring as well as estate planning.

Lee Sleight is Head of Business Development, Asia, and is responsible for designing tailored private wealth and succession planning solutions, working closely with Asia-focussed distribution partners, for UHNW clients and their families that protect, preserve and pass on their legacy to future generations. Lee has over 20 years’ experience in the wealth assurance industry across Europe, Asia and Latin America. Joining Lombard International Group in 2004, Lee successfully led the European Complex Case Structuring Team, where he built a unique track record, working in partnership with advisers to global UHNW families to offer Private Placement Life Insurance based solutions catering for their increasingly complex wealth and succession planning needs. Lee is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Born in the UK, Lee has lived in Germany since 2005 and worked in Luxembourg since 2001. A father of 3, Lee is also an avid trail runner and triathlete.

Mark Smallwood TEP is based in the UK from where he advises predominantly Asian UHNW families on the structuring and ongoing administration and management of their estate and succession plan, family office, investment process and governance. He sits on the Business Advisory Council of a successful privately held business spanning multiple jurisdictions. After nearly 35 years in financial services across the global, including the UK, Caribbean, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore and having held senior positions in one of the leading global private banks, Mark has unique insights and brings an independent, unconflicted view which enables UHNW families to objectively evaluate their decision making process.