Middle East Wealth Management Forum 2018

Muneer heads the firm’s award-winning Middle East financial markets and financial services regulatory practices, in addition to our international Islamic finance practice. He is also a member of the firm’s international FinTech team. He specialises in financial services regulatory matters and advises both regional and international financial institutions and asset management groups on a wide range of regulatory and transactional matters. In particular, Muneer helps international banks and asset management firms to navigate complex cross-border regulatory issues relating to the provision of financial services, including structuring and licensing issues, across the Middle East and the wider regions. Muneer also has significant experience and has recognised expertise in structuring a wide range of complex and innovative funds, financial products and services. Muneer has experience of advising large family owned groups on the development of investment platforms and governance structures. He has also advised a number of governments on major regulatory reform initiatives.

Mr. Chaturvedi has over 17 years of rich experience in sales, distribution, client advisory (Wealth management) and business development from companies such as Birla Sun Life Asset Management Ltd., Birla Global Finance Ltd and Daiwa Asset Management Pvt. Ltd. His last assignment was with Daiwa Asset Management Pvt. Ltd. as Head- Retail Sales where he was responsible for setting up sales & distribution function from start including being actively involved in Product Development, and launch strategies for Mutual Fund Schemes. Mr. Chaturvedi holds Masters in Business Administration in Marketing and MA in Finance from the University of Leeds, UK. He is also a Certified Financial Planner.

Tariq Bin Hendi is the Chief Executive Officer of Emirates NBD Asset Management, with a mandate to continue building an exceptional asset management business that is the regional benchmark. Bin Hendi, a talented UAE National, brings over 13 years of asset management, private equity and investment banking experience to the firm.

Prior to his current appointment, Bin Hendi was Deputy Head of Corporate Advisory at Commercial Bank of Dubai, with the responsibility for the build-out of a new Corporate Advisory unit, a previously non-existent business line at the bank
 
In previous roles, Bin Hendi held a number of senior management positions, most recently with Mubadala, based in Abu Dhabi, as part of the Acquisitions and Investment Management / Group Strategy department, and prior to that with Citigroup, based in London, as part of the Investment Banking / Alternative Investments Fund Management team. 

Bin Hendi holds degrees from Columbia University, London Business School, and Clayton State, and will soon complete his PhD from Imperial College London.

Nick has lived and worked in the MENA region for 22 years where he has held senior management positions and has extensive B to B and B to C experience within the Financial Services sector.   

Apart from being the Senior Executive Officer of Invesco Asset Management Limited’s  DIFC branch, Nick is also  the Head of Sales responsible for Invesco’s global relationships with the International Offshore Insurance companies within Asia and Middle East.  

Peter Huber is Chief Executive Officer for Zurich International. Peter is responsible for the International retail and corporate businesses in three of Zurich’s key markets, including its largest international market, the Middle East.

Peter joined Zurich in July 2013 as CEO Zurich Life Singapore before becoming Country CEO for Zurich Topas Life Indonesia in August 2015.  

Bringing with him over 20 years of industry experience in Europe and Asia; with a solid cultural understanding of Asia, Peter joined Zurich from Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd, where he was Managing Director in the Reinsurance division based in Switzerland. Prior to that he was Regional General Manager, Life & Health for Allianz SE Asia-Pacific, based in Singapore. He started his career in business consulting with Arthur Andersen. He then worked for Swiss Life Group for nearly 10 years in various business units including Investor Relations, Marketing and Business Development, becoming CEO, Swiss Life International.

Peter has a Masters degree in commercial law from the University of St. Gallen Switzerland, as well as a Masters degree in Finance from London Business School. In 2005, he attended the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

George leads the award winning Wealth & Asset Management practice for Africa, India and the Middle East, based in the UAE.  His 18 years of experience spans the financial services sector, focussed primarily on asset and investment management. As an industry practitioner he has held senior leadership roles at public and private institutions. He has advised banks, sovereign wealth funds, state pension schemes and social security funds regionally and globally.  

He holds a BSc (Hons) and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment, a member of the Chartered Institute of Insurance.

Bata Racic is the Manager of Henley & Partners in Dubai, UAE. Bata brought to Henley & Partners an extensive sales experience accumulated through various management positions in several multinational companies in the past, where he was responsible for sales, marketing, planning, operations and field force staff.

Bata holds a BsC in International Management and has gone through extensive sales as well as management training over the years. He has extensive knowledge of the citizenship and residence by investment programs while being in the industry for several years.

Jennifer joined Saxo in 2013 and is responsible for Global Sales Strategy & Execution. She has 25 years’ experience in cross border distribution of financial services across private, third party and institutional channels. 

Prior to Saxo, Jennifer was Global Head of Fixed Income Product Management at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. At Goldman, Jennifer was responsible for promoting fixed income capabilities across all distribution channels globally - with responsibility for mutual fund and hedge fund launches, fixed income branding and the digitisation of portfolio reporting. Jennifer was a member of the Fixed Income management team, and led a global team across US, Europe and Asia. 
Jennifer was also head of 401k Sales for Credit Suisse Asset Management & Warburg Pincus in New York, where she was responsible for managing the sales team and led key relationships. During this tenure, she launched a strategic partnership to deliver digitized advisory tools for the 401k Investor segment in the early years of automated advice. 

Prior to New York, Jennifer was responsible for Institutional Sales at Credit Suisse Asset Management in London and Zurich. Jennifer started her career in NYC in 1992 as part of the founding team of an asset management subsidiary for MetLife where she ran Marketing. Jennifer holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor of Economics and Philosophy from Bucknell University.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Laurence is the Regional Director, Client Solutions, EMEA for Asiaciti Trust in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He joined Asiaciti Trust in late 2012 and has over 30 years’ experience in the offshore finance industry. Based in the Middle East for the past 25 years he has particular skills and experience in cross border planning, the establishment of offshore trusts, foundations and company formation. Before joining Asiaciti Trust he held a number of senior positions within the Trust & Fiduciary industry and more recently was Head of Fiduciary Services, MENAP for a major international financial institution in the Dubai International Financial Centre. In these roles he successfully serviced clients in the EMEA region with their international needs and works closely with other cross border specialists in the establishment of international trusts and a variety of investment structures. Laurence maintains a comprehensive knowledge of legislative changes and industry trends affecting cross-border issues. He is a full member of STEP Worldwide (Society of Trust and Estate Planners) and was the founding Chairman of STEP Arabia.

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.

Dhiraj Rai joined Franklin Templeton Investments in March 2004 as Sales Head - Gulf, responsible for business development in the region. In 2009, he was promoted to the position of Country Head - Gulf & Eastern Mediterranean. In his current capacity, Mr. Rai is responsible for managing the company's retail and institutional business across the Gulf & Eastern Mediterranean region.

Mr. Rai has over 23 years experience in Sales & Marketing out of which he has served twelve years in the investment management industry. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton he had worked at Towry Law International and Equitable Life U.K.

Mr. Rai is a qualified International Financial Planner from Chartered Insurers Institute, London - U.K., and received his Bachelor of Commerce degree in India.

Aashish Somaiyaa is Chief Executive Officer, Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company. He has more than 13 years of experience across sales and distribution, channel management, product development and institutional sales from ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company and a brief stint at project management with Bharti AXA Investment Managers.

His last assignment was with ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company, as Senior Vice President & Head - Retail business where he was responsible for sales, distribution and product development of mutual fund, Portfolio management services and real estate offerings through retail distribution, banking and private wealth management channels across India and UAE.

Somaiyaa holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Polymer Science and a Masters in Management Studies in Finance from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai.

Extensive experience in the financial services sector and consulting across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Sofia has a track record of successful regulatory projects including banking institutions set ups. Her strong knowledge of financial products and regulatory frameworks adds to her extensive work experience in top tier financial institutions. Sofia holds an L. LM in Banking and Finance from the University of London and is a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments. Sofia is also experienced in designing and implementing operational risk management and governance frameworks across retail and wholesale markets. She currently acts as a compliance mentor for the ADGM Fintech RegLab and pursuing the Oxford/Said Business School Fintech Programme

Graham has over 30 years of international life company experience having worked in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE with multinational and international life businesses. Graham has always specialised in marketing, business development, sales and distribution and has worked with all forms of retail and corporate distribution including bancassurance, direct sales, tied agency, IFA, direct, insurance broker and employee benefit consultants. He has been the principal officer for life businesses in Singapore and the UAE most recently CEO of a life business in Singapore. Graham has a BA (Hons.) European Business Administration from Middlesex University and a Diplome d’Etudes Superieures Europeennes de Management from ESC Reims. Graham joined Hansard Global in July 2013 to help drive the agreement and implementation of Hansard Global’s new business growth strategy and plans. Graham lives in Dubai, the perfect base from which to manage Hansard’s international sales and marketing team covering Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America, with his wife and three children.

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.

Sandeep Singh is responsible for overseeing the leadership and development of Franklin Templeton's retail and institutional businesses in the Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region, home to some of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds and retail market opportunities, both emerging and established. 

Additionally, Mr. Singh is also responsible for leading the firm's Shariah business development efforts and initiatives globally.

Mr. Singh was previously the country head of Malaysia responsible for executing the firm's business strategy and oversaw the sales and marketing of all products there.

Mr. Singh joined Franklin Templeton Investments in 1998 as the regional sales manager of Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Private Limited in Kolkata, India. Mr. Singh was then promoted to the role of senior vice president and national sales director based in Mumbai, responsible for managing both retail and institutional business spread across 33 offices in India.

Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Mr. Singh worked as senior manager for marketing with Cholamandalam Cazenove AMC Ltd in Chennai, India. With over 20 years of experience in the asset management industry, Mr. Singh has a proven track-record of working in a start-up environment.

Mr. Singh graduated with a bachelor of engineering (mechanical) from the Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, India, and holds an M.B.A. from The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. He is also a Certified Financial Planner.

Mandeep Nalwa is a wealth advisor with over 20 years of banking experience. He has managed High Net Worth client relationships across Asia with leading private banks like HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Citibank. He has been the primary advisor on large client portfolios and has been responsible for suitable development and implementation of customized investment advice and portfolio management. Prior to setting up Taurus, Mandeep had spent most of his career with various private banks in the Asia-Pacific region with specific exposure to Equities, Fixed Income, Currencies, Derivatives and Managed Assets. As the Chief Executive Officer of Taurus Wealth Advisors Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, advising High Net Worth Individuals within the framework of a multi-family office, Mandeep has successfully built up a team of experienced financial advisors, providing unbiased investment advice to the wealthy with total assets under advice currently in excess of USD 1.7 Billion. Mandeep is a member of the founding committee of the Association of Independent Asset Managers (AIAM) in Singapore. He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India and the Sriram College of Commerce, Delhi University, India.

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!”

Thomas has over 20 years' experience in banking, working across a number of different fields - mainly in investment banking, wealth management and retail banking.

Before joining Dorsum he worked as Director Innovations in the private clients division at UniCredit Bank in Munich. This role included the responsibility for FinTech cooperations and the integration of innovative ideas and concepts into the business processes of the bank.

Prior to that he was Deputy CEO of Takarekbank in Budapest, a co-operative central bank for 115 local Hungarian co-operative banks with 1,650 branches, overseeing the capital markets and payments business. Thomas built his career in German DZ BANK Group where he held various senior positions including Managing Director of DZ BANK Ireland in Dublin.

Thomas studied law and economics in Hamburg and Mainz. He holds a LLM degree from Andrassy University Budapest and a joint MBA degree from Columbia Business School, London Business School and Hong Kong University.

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.

Phil is the Senior Executive Officer and Head of Distribution for Investors Trust Assurance in the EMEA region. He joined ITA in July 2014 to build the distribution network for Investors Trust Assurance in the EMEA region. He brings over 26 years of experience in the global insurance markets, from the UK, to Asia and Africa. He has been in the Middle East for most of the last 17 years holding General Management, Board positions (Middle East and Africa) and C suite positions with some of the largest Global insurance companies. He is also the Chairman of the DIFC Insurance Association, a community of professionals committed to shaping a prosperous and sustainable insurance market in the DIFC, UAE and beyond.

Vinod has over three decades of experience through inheriting and managing his own family businesses and being a part of multi-dimensional management consultancy assignments while employed with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), working alongside family owned businesses, orchestrating exit strategies, advising ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families on inheritance, setting up family offices for wealth management and successfully managing a well-diversified investment mandate with hundreds of millions of dollars of assets under management. He holds a postgraduate degree in Management from the University of Bombay and has attended executive management program by Harvard Business School. Vinod is a member Society for Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP) and The Family Firm Institute (FFI), two professional organizations focusing on wealth preservation. At Arch Corporation (DIFC) Limited, he advises Family Offices and high-net-worth entrepreneurs on wealth management and business continuity strategies through asset allocation, manager-selection and their implications on family wealth preservation. He also advises on investing in Canadian real estate opportunities.

David commenced legal practice in 1974. He is admitted to practise in Australia, England and Wales (Lincoln’s Inn), the Courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre, New York (as a Legal Consultant), the Singapore International Commercial Court, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1986.

He currently practises in Dubai, London, New York and Abu Dhabi (Outer Temple Chambers), Sydney (Ground Floor Wentworth Chambers) and Brisbane (Sir Harry Gibbs Chambers) and is an associate member of chambers in Auckland (Shortland Chambers). He has acted for Commonwealth and State Governments as well as individuals and corporations. David was President of the Taxation Institute of Australia from 1993 to 1995, and of the Asia Oceania Tax Consultants’ Association from 1996 to 2000.

He has lectured at the University of Sydney for the Master of Taxation course, the University of Queensland for the Master of Laws course and served as an Adjunct Professor of the University of Queensland. He is the co-editor of the Oxford University Press Journal Trusts & Trustees.

He is Chairman of the STEP International Client Special Interest Group, Deputy Chairman of STEP and a member of its World Wide Council and various Committees, a co-chair of the United Arab Emirates Chapter of the International Section of the New York State Bar Association, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Section, an Academician of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, a Member of the Middle East and North Africa Branch Committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (UK), a member of the Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers, a Freeman of the City of London and an Honorary Member of the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong. In 2016 he chaired the DIFC’s Wealth Management Review Working Group.

David is listed in the Taxation Category in the Australian Financial Review/Best Lawyers review of the Australian Legal Profession in 2008 and all later years and in 2014 was the Tax Institute’s Chartered Tax Adviser of the Year. In 2010 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun (with Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon) for his services to Australia-Japan relations. In 2012 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for, among other things, “service … to taxation law and legal education.” In 2017 he was recognised by Legal Week and The American lawyer as part of the Private Client Global Elite.

Yunus Selant is the Regional Manager for the Middle East and Africa region for Allfunds Bank.

With over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, covering both insurance companies and platforms, Yunus is responsible for driving the Allfunds Bank business model and strategy across the two regions.

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.

Joining JHC in 2016, Ed brings more than 20 years’ experience in the wealth management and private banking industry - having held sales leadership positions  in New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Having previously held the position of Head of Sales & Business Development for OpenLink’s EMEA business, it was at SunGard (Now FIS) where Lopez truly learnt his trade.  Among other successes, Lopez built the sales faction for SunGard’s newly launched wealth and private banking front and middle office solutions in Asia from scratch and exceeded the first year’s revenue target by 200 per cent. He then focused his attention on SunGard’s asset management group in London and introduced more than a dozen new clients.

As CEO for SunGard Global Execution Services, Lopez was the CF1, CF3 and CF30 for SunGard’s FCA authorised broker dealer.

 

An early adopter cryptos, Scott spent the majority of 2017 discussing and negotiating with regulators, service providers and other crypto experts on how to securely structure and manage digital assets through traditional financial vehicles.

Previously a trader at a UK bank, he managed a portfolio of emerging market equities and derivatives for private clients, launched and managed the bank’s dedicated arbitrage fund and started the UK market making desk for companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market. He has also worked for an emerging markets private equity fund & a leading global fiduciary services company on the family office and structuring desk.

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.

Faisal joined KAMCO in June-2014 and is currently the Chief Business Development Officer responsible for managing investment research, business/product development and marketing functions. Faisal, a thorough practitioner in qualitative and quantitative analysis, has 18 years of experience in investment research and asset management across different geographies and asset classes. Before joining KAMCO, Faisal was working for Global Investment House in Kuwait where he was managing international asset management. He also led their highly ranked sell-side research team. He has also worked with GE Capital and Times Internet Limited in India. Faisal, a CFA charter holder, received his Masters in Finance & Control from Delhi University, India. Faisal is a noted speaker in many international/regional investment conferences and is widely quoted in the media, sharing his views on the regional economic and markets.

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.

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).  

Szymon brings nearly a decade of experience in financial services, predominantly in fund research and portfolio management. He started his career with Morningstar in London, UK, where he was involved in roll out of Morningstar's qualitative fund research and ratings across Europe and Asia. He was instrumental in building a rating service covering UK closed-end funds, writing Morningstar Research Reports, and co-managed model portfolios.

Szymon joined ADCB in January 2015 to lead the 3rd party fund selection and co-manage discretionary client investment portfolios.

Szymon holds a master's degree from the University of Economics in Poznan, a bachelor's degree from the University of Abertay Dundee, and is a CFA Charter Holder.

Biswajit Dasgupta is Chief Investment Officer - Head of Global Markets, at Emirates Investment Bank, overseeing the bank’s proprietary investments. He brings over 24 years of regional and international experience in foreign exchange, money markets, fixed income and equities.

Before joining Emirates Investment Bank, Biswajit acted as Executive Director – Treasury at Invest AD where he led its treasury and capital market activities. He also held a number of senior positions in Treasury departments at various financial institutions in the region, including Al Khalij Commercial Bank in Doha, Qatar, where he set up its Treasury and Debt Capital Markets business and laid the foundations for the Islamic banking business. He also led Treasury and Institutional Banking, and Corporate Banking departments at Dubai Bank. During his career, Biswajit spent ten years with ABN AMRO, where his last assignment was as Country Treasurer Kenya.

Biswajit is a Chartered Accountant qualified from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and holds a BA in Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi, India. He also attended several training courses in US, UK and Europe covering Asset and Liability Management, Derivatives, Investments and Financial Risk Management.

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.

Sandeep Singh is responsible for overseeing the leadership and development of Franklin Templeton's retail and institutional businesses in the Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) region, home to some of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds and retail market opportunities, both emerging and established. 

Additionally, Mr. Singh is also responsible for leading the firm's Shariah business development efforts and initiatives globally.

Mr. Singh was previously the country head of Malaysia responsible for executing the firm's business strategy and oversaw the sales and marketing of all products there.

Mr. Singh joined Franklin Templeton Investments in 1998 as the regional sales manager of Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Private Limited in Kolkata, India. Mr. Singh was then promoted to the role of senior vice president and national sales director based in Mumbai, responsible for managing both retail and institutional business spread across 33 offices in India.

Prior to joining Franklin Templeton, Mr. Singh worked as senior manager for marketing with Cholamandalam Cazenove AMC Ltd in Chennai, India. With over 20 years of experience in the asset management industry, Mr. Singh has a proven track-record of working in a start-up environment.

Mr. Singh graduated with a bachelor of engineering (mechanical) from the Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, India, and holds an M.B.A. from The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. He is also a Certified Financial Planner.

Mandeep Nalwa is a wealth advisor with over 20 years of banking experience. He has managed High Net Worth client relationships across Asia with leading private banks like HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Citibank. He has been the primary advisor on large client portfolios and has been responsible for suitable development and implementation of customized investment advice and portfolio management. Prior to setting up Taurus, Mandeep had spent most of his career with various private banks in the Asia-Pacific region with specific exposure to Equities, Fixed Income, Currencies, Derivatives and Managed Assets. As the Chief Executive Officer of Taurus Wealth Advisors Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, advising High Net Worth Individuals within the framework of a multi-family office, Mandeep has successfully built up a team of experienced financial advisors, providing unbiased investment advice to the wealthy with total assets under advice currently in excess of USD 1.7 Billion. Mandeep is a member of the founding committee of the Association of Independent Asset Managers (AIAM) in Singapore. He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India and the Sriram College of Commerce, Delhi University, India.

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.

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).  

Biswajit Dasgupta is Chief Investment Officer - Head of Global Markets, at Emirates Investment Bank, overseeing the bank’s proprietary investments. He brings over 24 years of regional and international experience in foreign exchange, money markets, fixed income and equities.

Before joining Emirates Investment Bank, Biswajit acted as Executive Director – Treasury at Invest AD where he led its treasury and capital market activities. He also held a number of senior positions in Treasury departments at various financial institutions in the region, including Al Khalij Commercial Bank in Doha, Qatar, where he set up its Treasury and Debt Capital Markets business and laid the foundations for the Islamic banking business. He also led Treasury and Institutional Banking, and Corporate Banking departments at Dubai Bank. During his career, Biswajit spent ten years with ABN AMRO, where his last assignment was as Country Treasurer Kenya.

Biswajit is a Chartered Accountant qualified from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and holds a BA in Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi, India. He also attended several training courses in US, UK and Europe covering Asset and Liability Management, Derivatives, Investments and Financial Risk Management.

Bata Racic is the Manager of Henley & Partners in Dubai, UAE. Bata brought to Henley & Partners an extensive sales experience accumulated through various management positions in several multinational companies in the past, where he was responsible for sales, marketing, planning, operations and field force staff.

Bata holds a BsC in International Management and has gone through extensive sales as well as management training over the years. He has extensive knowledge of the citizenship and residence by investment programs while being in the industry for several years.

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.

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.

Muneer heads the firm’s award-winning Middle East financial markets and financial services regulatory practices, in addition to our international Islamic finance practice. He is also a member of the firm’s international FinTech team. He specialises in financial services regulatory matters and advises both regional and international financial institutions and asset management groups on a wide range of regulatory and transactional matters. In particular, Muneer helps international banks and asset management firms to navigate complex cross-border regulatory issues relating to the provision of financial services, including structuring and licensing issues, across the Middle East and the wider regions. Muneer also has significant experience and has recognised expertise in structuring a wide range of complex and innovative funds, financial products and services. Muneer has experience of advising large family owned groups on the development of investment platforms and governance structures. He has also advised a number of governments on major regulatory reform initiatives.

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.

Laurence is the Regional Director, Client Solutions, EMEA for Asiaciti Trust in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He joined Asiaciti Trust in late 2012 and has over 30 years’ experience in the offshore finance industry. Based in the Middle East for the past 25 years he has particular skills and experience in cross border planning, the establishment of offshore trusts, foundations and company formation. Before joining Asiaciti Trust he held a number of senior positions within the Trust & Fiduciary industry and more recently was Head of Fiduciary Services, MENAP for a major international financial institution in the Dubai International Financial Centre. In these roles he successfully serviced clients in the EMEA region with their international needs and works closely with other cross border specialists in the establishment of international trusts and a variety of investment structures. Laurence maintains a comprehensive knowledge of legislative changes and industry trends affecting cross-border issues. He is a full member of STEP Worldwide (Society of Trust and Estate Planners) and was the founding Chairman of STEP Arabia.

Vinod has over three decades of experience through inheriting and managing his own family businesses and being a part of multi-dimensional management consultancy assignments while employed with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), working alongside family owned businesses, orchestrating exit strategies, advising ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families on inheritance, setting up family offices for wealth management and successfully managing a well-diversified investment mandate with hundreds of millions of dollars of assets under management. He holds a postgraduate degree in Management from the University of Bombay and has attended executive management program by Harvard Business School. Vinod is a member Society for Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP) and The Family Firm Institute (FFI), two professional organizations focusing on wealth preservation. At Arch Corporation (DIFC) Limited, he advises Family Offices and high-net-worth entrepreneurs on wealth management and business continuity strategies through asset allocation, manager-selection and their implications on family wealth preservation. He also advises on investing in Canadian real estate opportunities.

Tariq Bin Hendi is the Chief Executive Officer of Emirates NBD Asset Management, with a mandate to continue building an exceptional asset management business that is the regional benchmark. Bin Hendi, a talented UAE National, brings over 13 years of asset management, private equity and investment banking experience to the firm.

Prior to his current appointment, Bin Hendi was Deputy Head of Corporate Advisory at Commercial Bank of Dubai, with the responsibility for the build-out of a new Corporate Advisory unit, a previously non-existent business line at the bank
 
In previous roles, Bin Hendi held a number of senior management positions, most recently with Mubadala, based in Abu Dhabi, as part of the Acquisitions and Investment Management / Group Strategy department, and prior to that with Citigroup, based in London, as part of the Investment Banking / Alternative Investments Fund Management team. 

Bin Hendi holds degrees from Columbia University, London Business School, and Clayton State, and will soon complete his PhD from Imperial College London.

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.

Graham has over 30 years of international life company experience having worked in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UAE with multinational and international life businesses. Graham has always specialised in marketing, business development, sales and distribution and has worked with all forms of retail and corporate distribution including bancassurance, direct sales, tied agency, IFA, direct, insurance broker and employee benefit consultants. He has been the principal officer for life businesses in Singapore and the UAE most recently CEO of a life business in Singapore. Graham has a BA (Hons.) European Business Administration from Middlesex University and a Diplome d’Etudes Superieures Europeennes de Management from ESC Reims. Graham joined Hansard Global in July 2013 to help drive the agreement and implementation of Hansard Global’s new business growth strategy and plans. Graham lives in Dubai, the perfect base from which to manage Hansard’s international sales and marketing team covering Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America, with his wife and three children.

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.

Phil is the Senior Executive Officer and Head of Distribution for Investors Trust Assurance in the EMEA region. He joined ITA in July 2014 to build the distribution network for Investors Trust Assurance in the EMEA region. He brings over 26 years of experience in the global insurance markets, from the UK, to Asia and Africa. He has been in the Middle East for most of the last 17 years holding General Management, Board positions (Middle East and Africa) and C suite positions with some of the largest Global insurance companies. He is also the Chairman of the DIFC Insurance Association, a community of professionals committed to shaping a prosperous and sustainable insurance market in the DIFC, UAE and beyond.

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!”

Yunus Selant is the Regional Manager for the Middle East and Africa region for Allfunds Bank.

With over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, covering both insurance companies and platforms, Yunus is responsible for driving the Allfunds Bank business model and strategy across the two regions.

Mr. Chaturvedi has over 17 years of rich experience in sales, distribution, client advisory (Wealth management) and business development from companies such as Birla Sun Life Asset Management Ltd., Birla Global Finance Ltd and Daiwa Asset Management Pvt. Ltd. His last assignment was with Daiwa Asset Management Pvt. Ltd. as Head- Retail Sales where he was responsible for setting up sales & distribution function from start including being actively involved in Product Development, and launch strategies for Mutual Fund Schemes. Mr. Chaturvedi holds Masters in Business Administration in Marketing and MA in Finance from the University of Leeds, UK. He is also a Certified Financial Planner.

Faisal joined KAMCO in June-2014 and is currently the Chief Business Development Officer responsible for managing investment research, business/product development and marketing functions. Faisal, a thorough practitioner in qualitative and quantitative analysis, has 18 years of experience in investment research and asset management across different geographies and asset classes. Before joining KAMCO, Faisal was working for Global Investment House in Kuwait where he was managing international asset management. He also led their highly ranked sell-side research team. He has also worked with GE Capital and Times Internet Limited in India. Faisal, a CFA charter holder, received his Masters in Finance & Control from Delhi University, India. Faisal is a noted speaker in many international/regional investment conferences and is widely quoted in the media, sharing his views on the regional economic and markets.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.