The Rise of Thematic Investing for Asia’s Private Wealth Clients

Thomas Taw, Vice President, is the Head of Investment Strategy for BlackRock’s APAC ETF business. He is primarily responsible for formulating and disseminating actionable market insights through the use of iShares ETFs, to iShares APAC clients across asset classes in conjunction with Blackrock's Global Investment Institute. Thomas is also part of the iShares Global Markets team that works with a variety of market participants to facilitate client execution services and solutions, as well as provide specialist knowledge to develop customised trading strategies. Prior to joining Blackrock in 2014, Thomas was responsible for trading pan-Asian equities whilst working in equity sales, trading and execution roles at Macquarie and Nomura, covering clients across the hedge fund, asset management, and institutional client base. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Business from the University of Warwick.

Eugenia Koh is Global Head of Sustainable Investing at Standard Chartered Bank. In her role, she is responsible for the development and implementation of the sustainable investing proposition for clients. This includes the ideation, curation and due diligence of sustainable solutions, and partnering with bankers and clients to incorporate sustainable investing strategies into client portfolios. She is also a member of the bank’s global Sustainable Finance Steering Committee. She has over 10 years of experience in sustainable development from sustainable investing to corporate social responsibility and experimenting with building a social enterprise to support livelihoods in Cambodia. She spent half of her career in banking and the other half in public relations consulting, working with both corporate and NGO clients. Prior to joining the Bank, she worked in the COO team at Barclays, where she had her initial foray into impact investing. There, she was tasked with evaluating and exploring the implementation of an impact investing platform for Barclays in Asia. She started her career at Weber Shandwick, and worked on a number of award winning public relations campaigns spanning thought leadership to corporate social responsibility. She is author of “Dawn Kwan. Art Awakening”, a chronicle of child prodigy Dawn Kwan’s journey as a child artist, which is available in all National Libraries in Singapore.

Stephanie has more than 17 years of experience in managing multi-asset portfolios globally for Goldman Sachs as well as for institutional investors and family offices. Her expertise in global macro and quantitative investing has enabled her to effectively manage multi-billion portfolios for her clients. Prior to finance, she began her career at McKinsey & Co. advising companies in the Asia Pacific region. Stephanie earned her MS in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) from Stanford University and BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Haren Shah is Head of Investments at Taurus Wealth Advisors. He leads our team of Investment Counsellors to provide Wealth Management and Investment Advice to Clients. He is also responsible for developing and guiding our global markets and asset allocation strategies and the related investment communications for Taurus’s Financial Advisors and Clients. He and his team are responsible for generating investment solutions that meet the needs of Clients, duly customised to their individual risk profiles and needs. Prior to joining Taurus, Haren spent 15 years with Citibank in various capacities. He was Head of Investment Advisory, South East Asia for Citi Private Bank for 4 years. Subsequently, he was a Senior Strategist for the Private and Consumer bank, where he and his team drove communications within Citi to guide markets strategy, portfolio constructs and asset allocations. Prior to that, Haren had worked in a similar role as Head of Investment Advisory (SEA) at Chase Manhattan Private Bank. Haren has also been a Fund Manager for over 10 years where, as part of a team, he helped manage balanced and equity portfolios. Overall, he has over 30 years’ experience in various investment markets and assets classes. Haren holds an MBA from Indiana University in both Marketing and Finance.

Andrew Hendry is Head of Distribution Asia Pacific at Aberdeen Standard Investments based in Singapore. Andrew joined the business in 2018 from Westoun Advisors, where he was Managing Director and advised asset managers on strategic expansion and asset gathering. Before Westoun he was Head of M&G Investments Asia, where he launched the business in the region. Prior to this he was at The Capital Group Companies, during which time he worked in various groups including private equity, institutional client relations and global financial institution distribution. During his career he has worked in Los Angeles, London, Geneva, Singapore and Hong Kong. He has 24 years of experience in the investment management industry. Andrew graduated with an MBA from INSEAD and an MA in Economics and French from the University of St. Andrews is also a CFA charter holder. CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

Haren Shah is Head of Investments at Taurus Wealth Advisors. He leads our team of Investment Counsellors to provide Wealth Management and Investment Advice to Clients. He is also responsible for developing and guiding our global markets and asset allocation strategies and the related investment communications for Taurus’s Financial Advisors and Clients. He and his team are responsible for generating investment solutions that meet the needs of Clients, duly customised to their individual risk profiles and needs. Prior to joining Taurus, Haren spent 15 years with Citibank in various capacities. He was Head of Investment Advisory, South East Asia for Citi Private Bank for 4 years. Subsequently, he was a Senior Strategist for the Private and Consumer bank, where he and his team drove communications within Citi to guide markets strategy, portfolio constructs and asset allocations. Prior to that, Haren had worked in a similar role as Head of Investment Advisory (SEA) at Chase Manhattan Private Bank. Haren has also been a Fund Manager for over 10 years where, as part of a team, he helped manage balanced and equity portfolios. Overall, he has over 30 years’ experience in various investment markets and assets classes. Haren holds an MBA from Indiana University in both Marketing and Finance.

Thomas Taw, Vice President, is the Head of Investment Strategy for BlackRock’s APAC ETF business. He is primarily responsible for formulating and disseminating actionable market insights through the use of iShares ETFs, to iShares APAC clients across asset classes in conjunction with Blackrock's Global Investment Institute. Thomas is also part of the iShares Global Markets team that works with a variety of market participants to facilitate client execution services and solutions, as well as provide specialist knowledge to develop customised trading strategies. Prior to joining Blackrock in 2014, Thomas was responsible for trading pan-Asian equities whilst working in equity sales, trading and execution roles at Macquarie and Nomura, covering clients across the hedge fund, asset management, and institutional client base. Thomas holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Business from the University of Warwick.

Stephanie has more than 17 years of experience in managing multi-asset portfolios globally for Goldman Sachs as well as for institutional investors and family offices. Her expertise in global macro and quantitative investing has enabled her to effectively manage multi-billion portfolios for her clients. Prior to finance, she began her career at McKinsey & Co. advising companies in the Asia Pacific region. Stephanie earned her MS in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) from Stanford University and BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Eugenia Koh is Global Head of Sustainable Investing at Standard Chartered Bank. In her role, she is responsible for the development and implementation of the sustainable investing proposition for clients. This includes the ideation, curation and due diligence of sustainable solutions, and partnering with bankers and clients to incorporate sustainable investing strategies into client portfolios. She is also a member of the bank’s global Sustainable Finance Steering Committee. She has over 10 years of experience in sustainable development from sustainable investing to corporate social responsibility and experimenting with building a social enterprise to support livelihoods in Cambodia. She spent half of her career in banking and the other half in public relations consulting, working with both corporate and NGO clients. Prior to joining the Bank, she worked in the COO team at Barclays, where she had her initial foray into impact investing. There, she was tasked with evaluating and exploring the implementation of an impact investing platform for Barclays in Asia. She started her career at Weber Shandwick, and worked on a number of award winning public relations campaigns spanning thought leadership to corporate social responsibility. She is author of “Dawn Kwan. Art Awakening”, a chronicle of child prodigy Dawn Kwan’s journey as a child artist, which is available in all National Libraries in Singapore.

Michael is a prominent figure in the financial services industry in Asia. He is the founder and CEO of Hubbis, a renowned provider of intelligence and connectivity for the Asian wealth management industry. With a depth of experience and expertise, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the industry for over 30 years, becoming a leading industry presence in the events, professional development, and publishing space in the region. Hubbis is a multi-generational family-owned and managed business.

He has been actively involved in the Asia-Pacific region since 1993. And has lived in Asia since 1995, holding positions in Hong Kong, Sydney, and Singapore. 

For over 14-years, Hubbis has established itself as the gold standard media and events brand in wealth management thought leadership in Asia. Each year providing a very large body of cutting-edge editorial and sponsored content, organizing top-flight events. During that time Hubbis has become the platform of choice for many high-profile C-suite leaders to communicate their vision of the Asian wealth management.

Before his involvement with Hubbis, Michael founded Pacific Prospect in 2002, a financial services media company. Under his leadership, the company achieved significant success and was subsequently acquired by global business-to-business publisher Incisive Media in 2006. Michael continued to serve as the CEO of Pacific Prospect until October 2008. Prior to his entrepreneurial ventures, Michael garnered 5 years of experience in financial markets publishing.

His career in this field began in 1993 when he joined Euromoney Publications as the publisher of the quarterly magazine, International Bond Investor. In 1995, Michael joined Thomson Financial Services (now owned by LSEG) and spearheaded the conception and launch of Finance Asia magazine. During his tenure as Managing Director of Finance Asia, he also initiated the Asian Debt Review, Asian Private Capital Magazine, and the Finance Asia Conference Business. In 1997, he founded FIA Limited, further expanding his contributions to the financial publishing industry.

Born in North Wales, Michael served as the head boy of St David's College Llandudno. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Cardiff University. Beyond his professional endeavours, Michael is a family-oriented individual and is happily married with three children: Reanna, Garett, and Tarryn.