Middle East Wealth Management Forum 2017

Cedric has been the Head of Wealth Management (WM) in Dubai since September 2017 and is responsible for the ongoing management and growth of UBS' WM business in the Dubai office. He is also the Senior Executive Officer (SEO) for the UBS Dubai branch. Prior to joining UBS, Cedric worked 10 years at Barclays Wealth Management. He started in Singapore as COO for Asia where he built the platform for the Asia WM business, established robust risk and control frameworks, and built an onshore business in Japan. Cedric then moved to Dubai where he led Barclays' Middle East and Africa WM businesses globally in addition to the onshore Japan business. Cedric was Head of Business Management South East Asia at Credit Suisse before joining Barclays. He started his career as an analyst in a Belgian bank, following which he joined McKinsey where he led strategy and business building engagements for close to 6 years in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Chandrima Das is the CEO & Co-Founder of Bento, Asia first B2C Bionic Advisor. She has over 18 years experience in asset management and private banking industry. Bento was conceived to bring a simple portfolio based investing that large institutions follow to the wealth management space. Prior to setting up Bento, Chandrima was a Managing Director in Bank of Singapore heading up fund selection and advisory. She joined the bank from ING Investment Management where she was CEO Singapore. She has worked  in a number of markets in Asia and in the UK in various capacities in product development, investment marketing and sales.

After a career in the global precious metals industry spanning four decades working across four continents for Samuel Montagu (now HSBC), Credit Suisse, Standard Bank and INTL FCStone, Jeffrey founded Rhodes Precious Metals Consultancy DMCC in 2013 offering specialist advisory and management services to the global precious metals industry. 

Widely recognized as a leading figure in the international bullion market, Jeffrey has been prominent in the development of the Dubai Multi Commodity Centre, a Government of Dubai enterprise, and has been a member of Dubai’s Gold Advisory Group since its inception in 2003. He is a past chairman of the Public Affairs Committee of the London Bullion Market Association and was the founding editor of its popular trade magazine The Alchemist. 

Jeffrey has now joined Global Precious Metals as part of its expansion into the Middle East. 

Yann is the Managing Partner of M/HQ, a Dubai based multi-services platform primarily providing for the needs of successful individuals and wealthy international families. He chiefly focuses on private wealth, tax and immigration practice and is regularly solicited as a speaker on these themes. 

He has vast experience advising successful individuals and entrepreneurial families with Middle Eastern exposure on implementing inter-generational wealth transfer strategies and structuring their operational assets and global wealth. He notably advises on mitigating exposure to mandatory local ownership rules in Middle East corporate vehicles and complying with Shariah succession principles.

Yann is the Chair of STEP Arabia and the sole Attorney in the Middle East referenced on the Who’s Who’s Private clients list.

Mohieddine (Dino) Kronfol is the chief investment officer of Global Sukuk and MENA fixed income at Franklin Templeton Investments. Mr. Kronfol is responsible for the investment process, research and performance of the Global Sukuk and MENA Fixed Income teams. He is one of the founding partners and a board member of Franklin Templeton Investments (ME), formerly Algebra Capital, and has been with the firm since its inception in 2006. He is the lead portfolio manager of the FTSF Global Sukuk Fund and FTIF GCC Bond Fund.

Dino is a pioneer in Arab capital markets where he has committed the past 20 years to the development of MENA debt markets and Sharia compliant finance across the globe. He has one of the longest track records managing global Sukuk assets, since 2008, and under his leadership, Franklin Templeton has established itself as a prominent player in Global Sukuk investing. Dino frequently shares his views as a commentator on regional and international media and is a regular speaker at industry events.

Preceding his tenure at FT, Dino was part of a small team that, in 2000, helped build from scratch and run what became SHUAA Capital's financial services business. He was initially head of Capital Markets and later became head of Debt Asset Management and, in 2002, fund manager of the first fund to focus exclusively on MENA debt. Prior to that, he was an early employee at one of the first pan-Arab investment banks, Middle East Capital Group (MECG).

Mr. Kronfol has received international recognition from clients and peers over the years, winning numerous awards on behalf of the firm and as an individual, including the first Failaka Islamic Award for "The Best Sukuk Fund" in 2010, the first Employee Provident Fund of Malaysia (EPF) Award for "Best Global Sukuk Portfolio Manager" in 2014 and the MENA Fund Manager Award for "Outstanding Contribution by an Individual" in 2016. Mr. Kronfol holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and an M.B.A. from the American University of Beirut.

Deepak Mehra is the Head of Investments at Commercial Bank of Dubai. Starting in Mar 2007, he has been instrumental in launching and developing the bank's wealth management capabilities across different asset classes. In his banking career spanning 27 years, he has worked for organizations like Citibank, Credit Suisse and Dubai Bank. Deepak secured an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1989 and an MBA from IMT in 1991. He is a regular speaker on Bloomberg television and is the author of a professional self-help book “Ready, Steady, Go!”

Shiraz is Executive Director & Head of Investment Products & Solutions at the First Abu Dhabi Bank. He and his team are responsible for the sourcing, selection, development, and management of investment products & solutions for distribution primarily through First Abu Dhabi Bank’s retail, elite, wealth and‎ private banking business. The investments platform is across asset‎ classes whether Islamic or conventional and offered through ‘in-house’ management or through open-architecture to include funds, discretionary portfolio management, investment advisory, structured products, bancassurance, and select other bespoke solutions.

Stijn advises governments, multinationals, (private equity) investment funds and Sovereign Wealth Funds as well as ultra high-net-worth individuals, families, and family offices.

He advises on international tax issues including structuring global cross border investments, (pre-IPO) group restructurings, mergers and acquisitions, and on family succession planning and wealth structuring. Stijn has advised GCC clients on some of the region’s most prominent real estate, hospitality and portfolio investments in Europe, US and Asia.   

Having spent more than 15 yrs with Loyens & Loeff (in Amsterdam, Tokyo and Dubai), Stijn set up their Dubai office in 2008 which he managed for 5 years. In 2013, he moved to EY (Dubai) where he led their International Tax practice in Dubai, and the Private Clients practice for the MENA region.

Stijn has been a frequent speaker at conferences in Europe and the Middle East, including Academy & Finance, STEP and IFA.   

Walter Jopp is Chief Executive Officer for Zurich International Life in the Middle East. Within this role Walter is responsible for developing and executing Zurich’s strategy in the region, enhancing the value of Zurich’s strategic partnerships and identifying opportunities for further profitable growth.

Walter held several senior roles with Zurich in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and was been responsible for developing key bank relationships at a global level and Zurich’s International business in Latin America & Scandinavia as well as being Global Head of Sales for Zurich’s International business where he led the sales operation for individual and corporate businesses with teams in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Following a distinguished career in the Royal Navy, Tim relocated to the Middle East and established Globaleye in 1999. His vision was to build a global organisation that met the demands of the modern financial services industry whilst addressing the ever-growing complexities of financial planning of global citizens. This is continuously achieved by working collaboratively with Private Banks, Trustees, Law Firms, Family Offices and Fiduciaries to create effective client liquidity and inter-generational wealth transfer solutions that meet the modern needs of HNW families. He is now the CEO and Chairman of Globaleye group, spanning offices from Asia, Africa, Middle East and Europe. Under his leadership, the company has been recognized and awarded for adhering to international standards of financial advice, fully regulated and partnered with some of the largest global financial and insurance institutions. Having appeared on TV and Radio he is a regular commentator in the financial press too. Normally based in the UAE, his partner is a member of the Ruling family of Dubai. When not in Dubai, he has a farm in Devon with his wife Louise, four children, one grandchild and is an avid MG enthusiast.

Oliver has over 15 years of industry experience and he joined Mashreq in 2015. Oliver is part of the investment committee and advises on top-down asset allocation, positioning of duration, regions, sectors and currencies. He is lead manager of three multi-asset funds and is deputy manager of the Mashreq Al Islami Income fund, the firm’s flagship sukuk fund. His market views are broadcast across a range of financial media including Bloomberg and CNBC.

From a youth spent collecting sporting injuries, and a financial services profession starting as a Management Trainee with Midland Bank, Sean has evolved into a frustrated armchair sports fan and a keen observer of the financial services industry.  As a Financial Adviser, Sean has been voted “Middle East Financial Adviser of the Year” on three occasions. Today, his main work revolves around IFA management. After helping put together a merger of 7 IFAs to form Financial Partners in 2002, Sean’s main professional activity now revolves around his job as CEO to Mondial (Dubai) LLC.

Philip Cernik joined Friends Provident International (FPI) in 2013 and is Chief Marketing Officer, Middle East & Africa, responsible for product, marketing, investments and proposition for the region. Philip has worked in financial services since 1983, and has spent the last 26 years working in the international arena. He has held a number of senior positions in the life insurance and the asset management industries, including working for an international insurance broker, an international asset manager, a UK fund platform and several international life companies, as well as running his own consulting business. Philip has performed a variety of  roles across the forward facing parts of international financial services companies including distribution, marketing, business development and strategy, and has experience of all the major markets. Philip is married to Sarah and has two children, Alice, 19, at Manchester University and Edward, 17, at school in the UK.

As CEO of Middle East and Africa (MEA), Jamal Al Kishi oversees the bank’s business in the region. The scope of his role extends from business development and client relationship management to governance and risk management. Jamal also chairs the MEA Executive Committee.

Prior to his appointment CEO MEA, Jamal was Chief Country Officer Saudi Arabia and CEO of Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, where he spearheaded the establishment and development of Deutsche Bank’s presence in Saudi Arabia. He joined Deutsche Bank AG in Saudi Arabia as CEO and Head of Corporate and Investment Bank in June 07 after spending well over 12 years in corporate and investment banking in Saudi.

Jamal’s banking experience comprises roles in Corporate Finance, Capital Markets, Structured and Project Finance and Corporate Banking.

He holds an MBA in Finance and Banking and an Engineering Degree and has attended several specialized training programs including Executive Education at INSEAD.

Dr. Angelo Venardos has over 20 years of experience in assisting clients with the establishment of offshore companies, provision of trust & fiduciary services and structuring for cross border planning. Angelo holds degrees in Economics & Marketing, an MBA, a Master of Jurisprudence (Corporate & Commercial Law) and a Doctor of Legal Science. In 2014, he was conferred the title of “IBF Fellow” in the segment of Trust Administration and Wealth Management by the Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF). Angelo is actively involved with the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and was a Board Director of STEP Worldwide in London from 2013-2016. He is a member of various industry associations, including the Singapore Trustees Associations (STA), Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) and Singapore Institute of Directors (SID). Angelo has written and edited various books, including the recently published 2nd edition of “World’s Leading Financial and Trust Centres.”

Damian Hitchen, Chief Executive Officer, Swissquote Pte Ltd Damian joined in January 2014 to drive Swissquote’s expansion strategy from being Switzerland’s largest online banking and trading platform into the Middle East & Asia region. During 2014-2019 inclusive he built a successful B2c-B2b office from the DIFC, Dubai with a major focus on the development and upgrade of the Bank existing institutional platform services. In July 2019, he relocated from Dubai to head up Swissquote’s new office in Singapore, which will act as the regional booking centre for its business development in the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on professional, industry and institutional clients such as external asset-managers, insurance firms, securities brokerages, family offices and local - regional Banks/Private Banks. Prior to joining Swissquote, Damian worked in a number of senior roles for HSBC in the Middle East region, and as an Executive r Director for Falcon Private Bank, the Abu Dhabi owned Swiss Private Bank.

Gautam Duggal, Regional Head - Wealth Management EMEA and UAE at Standard Chartered Bank is responsible for strategy, business and product development for the Bank across Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region. In his role Gautam also oversees the advisory services offered by the Bank for investments, treasury and insurance products to the Retail, Private and Business segments.
He joined Standard Chartered in 2007 as the Regional Head of Bancassurance for MESA & Africa. A seasoned professional, Gautam has over 20 years of leadership experience across insurance, banking and finance, hospitality, service and marketing, with expertise in P&L growth, and launching new businesses. He has held various positions in institutions such as Radisson Hospitality, ExxonMobil, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co Ltd and ABN AMRO Bank.

In his capacity as Regional Head of Bancassurance for MESA and Africa, Gautam launched the insurance business in Africa in 2007, and has built up the business from a start up to a significant player in Retail Clients. In 2013 Gautam added Wealth Management to his portfolio where he has over the past 2 years, built a strong Wealth Management business proposition, and expanded the product coverage across the region. Under his leadership the wealth business in Africa has grown to become a key pillar of the high value product suite in Africa.

Gautam holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Delhi University and a Masters in Hotel Management (IHM Kolkatta, India).

Gautam is married with two daughters and love spending his spare time going out with them.

Anthony Jaganathan is Head of Operations and Middle Office for Wealth Management in Emirates NBD. He is responsible for complete Operational, Sales support, IT and Infrastructural delivery for the Wealth Management platform for Emirates NBD. Anthony has over 17 years of management experience in leading Wealth Management and Investment management firms in International locations like US, UK and India. Anthony joined Emirates NBD in Nov, 2009 and has since then built the Operational and support platform for Private Banking to international standards. Prior to joining Emirates NBD Anthony was Vice President, managing Investment Management Operations in Goldman Sachs with global responsibilities. Prior to that Anthony also held various managerial positions in Citigroup within Investment and Retail banking teams. Anthony holds an MBA, a PGDFM and an IOC from Securities and Investment Institute (CISI), London.

Chris Ferguson is the CEO of Credence International. Chris formed Credence to bring credible financial advice to the offshore marketplace. Chris has been in financial services throughout his whole career, with experience in the GCC, United States, United Kingdom and Australia. Chris has worked in Dubai since 2006. Chris entered the financial services sector to enable as many people as possible benefit from freedom and choice in life by making good decisions rather than experiencing stress and anxiety over money. Chris believes that you always need to be developing to evolve so leads from the front with personal development. In his spare time, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and young son and has a keen interest in motorsport whether it be driving or watching.

Investment professional with 35+ years experience of buy and sell side of the banking businesses. I have managed numerous strongly performing investment and advisory teams in large banks in Europe and more recently in Asia and the Middle East. I have built businesses from scratch and successfully restructured businesses. I have had links with Asia and particularly Singapore since 1999 when I managed money for the GIC, Hong Kong Jockey Club and Brunei government. The core of my career was the 11 years at JPMorgan where I made Managing Director. On the buy side I have worked for asset management firms (e.g. JPMorgan) and private banks (Barclays, Merrill Lynch, Coutts, Emirates NBD and NBAD). I have a reputation for making bold calls on the markets. I made major bear calls on equity markets in 1987, at the top of the tech boom and the financial crisis in August 2007, and a bull call on equity markets on March 17th 2009. I have been a high profile with the media regularly appearing in the printed press and on TV. I often speak at conferences and provide industry thought leadership on a number of macro and investment topics. In the past I made a presentation to the European Parliament on the outlook for asset markets after the introduction of the euro. I am highly regarded for my team leadership, the rigour and intellect I bring to the investment process, my attention to governance and ethics, and my affinity with clients in presentations and meetings. I was voted Private Banker of the year 2015 (MENA) from Wealth Briefing.

Karim is the Founder and CEO of Legacy Line Family Office, established in 2004. Karim is an entrepreneur who parlayed his almost two decades of family financial planning experience into a Company that offers financial coaching to fellow entrepreneurs. As an independent certified Estate Planner and Family Wealth Advisor (CFWA), Karim draws on his own passions to guide individuals and family businesses through their legacy planning, including long-term wealth structuring, family governance, tax planning, citizenship-by-investment, and planned giving that matches an individual’s philanthropic ideals. Karim began his career in 1993 in Ottawa, Canada. His career path brought him back to the Middle East where he works with clients in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE. He is fluent in both English and Arabic and offers services tailored to meet either Shari’a or non-Shari’a compliant client needs.

Matthew R Byer joined Spectrum in 2007 and held the position of Senior Vice President with responsibilities for various areas of business and product development, client relations and asset management, until his appointment as COO on January 1, 2010.

Prior to joining Spectrum, Matthew was a Vice President and Director - Investment Banking at A.G. Edwards where he served as a senior member of the Financial Services Group for eight years. Matthew began his career in 1991 as an attorney with Armstrong Teasdale LLP where his practice included the representation of issuers and underwriters of preferred securities.

Matthew holds a BS (Mathematics) and JD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is a Member of the Missouri and Illinois bar.

Kostas Kotsiopoulos is Global Sales Director for Profile Software, responsible for business development pertinent to the Group’s international operations. Prior to this Kostas was Solutions Manager at one of the largest Financial Software providers. Kostas graduated from University of Leicester with an MBA in Finance. He has 15+ years of experience supporting financial institutions to go through system and business process transformations and has extensive business knowledge in the banking and IT domains.

Rajesh joined Mashreq in 2016 as Head of Private Banking & Wealth Management. He has over 20 years of experience in Private Banking & Wealth Management across Middle East, Africa and Asia and has won several awards including “Outstanding Private Banker” by Private Banker International and “Private Banker of the Year” by Asian Private Banker. Rajesh is also recognised as a “Distinguished Financial Industry Certified Professional/ IBF Fellow for Wealth Management" by the Institute of Banking & Finance, Singapore.  

Mr. Malkani brings a wealth of experience from the private banking and wealth management world. Prior to joining Mashreq, Mr. Rajesh Malkani held various senior management positions in Private Banking at Standard Chartered and BNP Paribas. Some of the positions he held were; Managing Director - Regional Head South Asia, Africa and Middle East, based in London and Managing Director – Regional Head of North & South East Asia, based in Singapore, amongst others.

Abhra Roy is responsible for managing the Finacle Wealth Management product line, and also for charting its product strategy; this includes the management and development of the Wealth Management product line, managing client relationships with Banks and Financial Institutions and also working on the detailed Product road map. Abhra specialises in the area of Private Wealth Management, Financial Advisory, Brokerage Operations, Custodial and Depository operations. He has published several thought papers on the role of Technology in the Wealth Management space. He draws from his rich experience of over twenty years of working in financial institutions and technology firms.

Deepak Ahuja is currently the Director of Wealth Management, Bancassurance and Mortgages at RAKBANK . 

Deepak joined the Bank in September 2008 and has held different senior roles before taking over the current role in July 2012.  

Prior to joining RAKBANK, Deepak worked with Ahli United Bahrain’s Qatar entity, Ahli Bank of Qatar, as Head of Sales for Liabilities & Asset Products. 

Deepak has over 20 years of banking experience across various Retail Banking functions including Credit cards, Loans, Wealth Management and 
SME/Business Banking. He held senior positions with Mashreq Bank, ABN Amro Bank, National Bank of Dubai and Dubai Bank (now Emirates Islamic Bank).  

Appul Jaisinghani currently heads the Investment Funds function for Emirates NBD with overall responsibility of the open-architecture funds platform offered through the bank's Private, Priority and Personal Banking channels. He joined Emirates NBD in 2011 and in previous roles at the bank, he has also spent considerable time working on bespoke Structured Products and in-house and third party leverage solutions for the bank's UHNWI clients. Appul started his career in Consulting with Deloitte and ZS Associates, a niche consulting firm where he advised Fortune 500 pharma clients on some of their most strategic issues. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and an MBA in Finance from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore. He is also a CFA charterholder.

• Michael has over 30 years in Global Finance, Corporate and Investment Management Consultancy experience with major global players: Citibank, JPMorgan, Credit Suisse, HSBC
• His global assignments included KSA, Abu Dhabi, Chicago, New York, London, Geneva and Dubai
• He has developed close strategic relationships with institutions, sovereign, merchant families and family offices in the MENA region and in particular, in KSA
Most recently in 2016, Michael founded Nexgen Desert Green Consultancy focusing on family businesses issues and wealth management solutions
• While at EmiratesNBD, Michael was the General Manager of the Private Bank, Board Member of ENBD Trust Company, Member of Wealth Management Executive Committee and Wealth Management Investment Committee
• Michael holds a B.A in Economics and History from Haigazian University and an MBA with Honors from Thunderbird, School of Global Management, USA

Gifford Nakajima is the Head of Wealth Development for HSBC's Retail Banking and Wealth Management (RBWM) business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. He is responsible for HSBC's Wealth Management business, including product and platform development, in the UAE and MENA. Gifford joined HSBC, MENA in December 2012 and prior to that, worked for HSBC Japan where he was Head of the Retail Banking and Wealth Management business.

He is a veteran of the financial services industry with over 20 years of experience and prior to joining HSBC in 2009, worked in senior roles at Fidelity Investments, Citibank, and Shinsei Bank in Tokyo, New York, and Los Angeles.

Gifford holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and a BA from Columbia College.

Gerhard Schubert is the founder of Schubert Commodities Consultancy MCC. Gerhard Schubert was the Head of Gold and Commodities at Arab Banking Corporation (ABC Bank) in Bahrain, before returning in March 2015 to Dubai.

Emirates NBD, in Dubai was his first posting in the Middle East, where he led the bank’s global mandate in this key sector from 2011 until 2014.

Prior to this, Schubert was with Fortis Nederland, now ABN AMRO Nederland, as Global Head of Precious Metals. He joined Fortis Nederland following a brief stint at INTL Commodities, where he served as Head of Precious Metals London & New York. Previous to that role, he held the post of Deputy Head of Base and Precious Metals with Fortis Bank Belgium.

Schubert’s career spans more than three decades and began as a trader at Bremer Landesbank in Bremen. He went then on to work as a precious metals trader for renowned global institutions such as DG-Bank, Shearson Lehman Brothers, DFS-Bullion, Bayerische Vereinsbank and Credit Lyonnais Rouse. Senior management posts followed in Mitsui & Co. and WestLB.

He has served on the Board of ABN AMRO Markets, UK, and was a Member of the Management Committee of the London Bullion Market Association and the London Platinum and Palladium Market. Schubert is a regular speaker on precious metals at Industry conferences and on Bloomberg Television. Gerhard has served since 2011 on various committees of the DMCC in the DGAG (Dubai Gold Advisory Group), as well as in the Independent Governance Committee of the DMCC.

FinIQ was started as a yield enhancement Fintech by Milind in Singapore when interest rates worldwide crashed to near zero levels at the turn of the century. FinIQ quickly gained leading market share in the financial products distribution space, especially in structured products. Today, 80 banking units across 30 financial institutions use the FinIQ system. The system caters to cross asset pricing and post trade processing. Product pricing is either based on FinIQ's math models backed by hedging with bank's internal trading desks or sourced from FinIQ's best price execution platform supported by leading liquidity providers. FinIQ today has active presence in 7 countries and liquidity arrangements with ten investment banks. 

‎As the CEO and majority share holder, Milind is responsible for conceiving both short term and long term goals, as well as actively participating in design and validation of new functionality. Milind leads a team of over 250 developers and analysts based out of FinIQ's Pune development center. Under Milind's guidance, the FinIQ team has not only delivered a top-notch Fintech platform for over a decade, but has also excelled in other fields. To name the latest, FinIQ Football and Cricket teams won both the corporate leagues in Pune in 2015-16 season by defeating much bigger opponents. 

After graduating in Computers from Walchand College of Engg., Milind started his career as a software developer. He worked at Citibank and Reuters before starting FinIQ in 2001.

Sivadeet has an experience of over 17 years in the Financial Services including Wealth Management, Asset Management, and Insurance sectors. He joined Oman Insurance Company in 2015 and currently leads all development initiatives for Individual Life business. Prior to joining Oman Insurance, Sivadeet was the Regional Manager for Middle East and Africa at NJ Global Invest Limited Dubai, a subsidiary he set up for NJ Group, a leading private wealth management company from India. Sivadeet was also part of the key team to set up a Global Asset Management Company and established multi manager strategy funds in the Middle East and Africa region. At Oman Insurance, Sivadeet is responsible to develop the Life business for Individual clients. His role includes P&L management, Underwriting framework, Reinsurance, Investment management, Operations, Product development, establish effective controls for Business management, formulate and execute development strategies and work with internal and external stake holders to ensure sustainable growth for the line of business. Along with Individual Life, Sivadeet also leads the End of Service Gratuity and Workplace Savings business for the company. Sivadeet holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Bangalore University, India and is a member of various insurance and wealth management industry committees.

Daffer Luqman is the Global Head of Liabilities and Wealth Management at ADIB. He is responsible for planning and directing all business development strategies, introduction of new products and expansion into new markets . Dhafer has 22 years of high quality international experience primarily with HSBC, DIB and ADIB. He held senior positions with HSBC, such as the Country Manager for Retail in the UAE and Head of Corporate Development at DIB. Prior to that, he spent 14 years in Saudi Arabia working in the bank’s Corporate and Retail Banking divisions. In addition to his experience  in the Corporate Banking, Consumer Banking and Strategy Planning he represents ADIB on the boards of a number of its  subsidiaries.

Fiona has been working in Private Client Tax for HNWs and UHNWs for over 16 years and for most of this time was based in London, specialising in the UK taxation of non-resident and non-domiciled individuals.

Since moving to Dubai in 2014, Fiona has been working closely with families in the region to balance the tax exposure of family office and governance structures with increasingly global investments and internationally mobile family members.

Fiona has been recognised by the International Tax Review’s Women in Tax Leaders report and also appears in Citywealth’s Top 200 IFC Power Women List and won Wealthbriefing’s Women in Wealth Management  award in 2016.

Michael has an extensive background in financial services in Asia, Europe and North America. He has been in Asia-Pacific since 1995 – first in Hong Kong for six years, then in Sydney and Singapore, returning to Hong Kong in 2007. Before setting up Hubbis in early 2009, Michael founded Pacific Prospect in 2002 and sold it to global business-to-business publisher Incisive Media in 2006, continuing to serve as Chief Executive Officer until October 2008. Prior to Pacific Prospect, Michael worked for nine years in financial markets publishing. He joined Euromoney Publications in 1993 as the publisher of a quarterly magazine, International Bond Investor. In 1995, Michael joined Thomson Financial Services (now Thomson Reuters) to conceive and launch Finance Asia magazine. While he was Managing Director of Finance Asia, Michael also started the Asian Debt Review, Asian Private Capital Magazine and started the Finance Asia Conference Business. In 1997, Michael founded FIA Limited. Born in North Wales, Michael was head boy of St David’s College Llandudno. He has a degree in Business Administration from Cardiff University. And is married with three children - Reanna, Garett and Tarryn.