Wealth Management – where does the industry go from here?

Before rejoining EFG as Senior Managing Director, North Asia Head, Kees was a Managing Director at Hubbis. Kees Stoute IBFA, ran Sonam, a private banking training and consultancy firm, since 2012, during which time he also authored the book ‘Help, I’m Rich’ (John Wiley & Sons). Prior to that, he was the managing director of EFG Bank in South-east Asia. Kees has a distinguished career spanning the academic, IT & operations and private banking sectors, and has more than 20 years’ experience in Asia, most of the time spent in Singapore. From 2000 onwards Kees was in charge of the Private Bank of MeesPierson in Asia. MeesPierson was part of the Fortis Group, which acquired London-headquartered Dryden Wealth Management in 2005, of which Kees became global CEO and Chairman. After the integration of Dryden into Fortis, Kees moved on to the position of Managing Director of EFG Bank Singapore, where he remained in charge until March 2012. He left EFG Bank to set up and develop Sonam BV. He subsequently joined Hubbis as Managing Director in 2015. An experienced private banker, Kees served at MeesPierson from 1992 to 1996 as its regional head of IT. In 1996, he was promoted to the position of chief operating officer of Fortis / MeesPierson in Singapore. In this position, he became a member of the regional management team of MeesPierson Private Banking. In April 2000, he moved on to become managing director of the business line private banking and trust in Asia for MeesPierson and in 2002, he was (in addition) promoted to managing director of the legal entity MeesPierson Asia Ltd in Singapore. In 2011 Kees became one of the first in Singapore to be certified by the regulator in Singapore (IBF) as Financial Industry Certified Professional (FICP – Role Model 6), now called IBFA. In the same year, he was also invited to participate in the Private Banking Industry Group, a consultative forum which was established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to further strengthen the competency and market conduct standards of the private banking industry in Singapore. In 2012, Kees became the inaugural winner of the Hubbis Recognition of Excellence in Asian Wealth Management Award. In September 2015, Kees was given a certificate to denote his status as an ‘IBF Advanced Fellow’ for 2015. 

Having graduated in 1986 from Edinburgh University with an Honours Law Degree and Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Simon started his financial career with J.P Morgan / Saudi International Bank in London, New York and the Middle East specialising in corporate finance solutions for High Net Worth, Corporate and Family Office clients. In 1994, Simon moved to Clydesdale Bank PLC (then part of the National Australia Bank group) to build the Specialised Finance Unit before being asked (in 1999) to join the board of one of Scotland’s largest privately owned companies (Strathclyde Pharmaceuticals Limited) as Business Development Director. In 2006, upon the successful growth and sale of the principal parts of that business, Simon joined UBS AG in Scotland to drive forward its Scottish wealth management business. In 2008 Simon moved to Credit Suisse in Singapore to establish and develop their UK/International private banking operation before joining Cazenove Capital Management in June 2016. The firm rebranded to Schroders Wealth Management in September 2017.  In April 2020, Simon was appointed Strategic Advisor to Raffles Family Office where he is responsible for driving the firm’s strategic expansion and business development in Asia. Simon is a GlobalScot and co-founder of the Scottish Business Association of Singapore.

Urs has been in the private banking industry for 34 years, and since 1986 in Asia. After expanding the private banking businesses of Credit Suisse, ABN AMRO and Clariden/Clariden Leu in Singapore and throughout Asia, he decided to go independent. In 2009, Urs founded HP Wealth Management Singapore Pte Ltd, with Michael Foo, the former Head of Clariden Leu's Portfolio Management unit, as the Chief Investment Officer. The company's focus is exclusively on looking after private clients, acting as an Independent Asset Manager. Over the years, the firm has added a well-developed Family Office capability, which includes expertise in Private Markets. Urs believes that an Independent Asset Manager can offer a client the best of both worlds: a custodian of choice coupled with truly independent investment advice. Urs is also a founding member of the Association of Independent Asset Managers (Singapore). Urs continues to believe that private banking is and remains a people's business and that the key aspect of building a successful business is the ability to listen to the client and to build strong relationships. Relationships last longer than products!

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.

Before rejoining EFG as Senior Managing Director, North Asia Head, Kees was a Managing Director at Hubbis. Kees Stoute IBFA, ran Sonam, a private banking training and consultancy firm, since 2012, during which time he also authored the book ‘Help, I’m Rich’ (John Wiley & Sons). Prior to that, he was the managing director of EFG Bank in South-east Asia. Kees has a distinguished career spanning the academic, IT & operations and private banking sectors, and has more than 20 years’ experience in Asia, most of the time spent in Singapore. From 2000 onwards Kees was in charge of the Private Bank of MeesPierson in Asia. MeesPierson was part of the Fortis Group, which acquired London-headquartered Dryden Wealth Management in 2005, of which Kees became global CEO and Chairman. After the integration of Dryden into Fortis, Kees moved on to the position of Managing Director of EFG Bank Singapore, where he remained in charge until March 2012. He left EFG Bank to set up and develop Sonam BV. He subsequently joined Hubbis as Managing Director in 2015. An experienced private banker, Kees served at MeesPierson from 1992 to 1996 as its regional head of IT. In 1996, he was promoted to the position of chief operating officer of Fortis / MeesPierson in Singapore. In this position, he became a member of the regional management team of MeesPierson Private Banking. In April 2000, he moved on to become managing director of the business line private banking and trust in Asia for MeesPierson and in 2002, he was (in addition) promoted to managing director of the legal entity MeesPierson Asia Ltd in Singapore. In 2011 Kees became one of the first in Singapore to be certified by the regulator in Singapore (IBF) as Financial Industry Certified Professional (FICP – Role Model 6), now called IBFA. In the same year, he was also invited to participate in the Private Banking Industry Group, a consultative forum which was established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to further strengthen the competency and market conduct standards of the private banking industry in Singapore. In 2012, Kees became the inaugural winner of the Hubbis Recognition of Excellence in Asian Wealth Management Award. In September 2015, Kees was given a certificate to denote his status as an ‘IBF Advanced Fellow’ for 2015. 

Urs has been in the private banking industry for 34 years, and since 1986 in Asia. After expanding the private banking businesses of Credit Suisse, ABN AMRO and Clariden/Clariden Leu in Singapore and throughout Asia, he decided to go independent. In 2009, Urs founded HP Wealth Management Singapore Pte Ltd, with Michael Foo, the former Head of Clariden Leu's Portfolio Management unit, as the Chief Investment Officer. The company's focus is exclusively on looking after private clients, acting as an Independent Asset Manager. Over the years, the firm has added a well-developed Family Office capability, which includes expertise in Private Markets. Urs believes that an Independent Asset Manager can offer a client the best of both worlds: a custodian of choice coupled with truly independent investment advice. Urs is also a founding member of the Association of Independent Asset Managers (Singapore). Urs continues to believe that private banking is and remains a people's business and that the key aspect of building a successful business is the ability to listen to the client and to build strong relationships. Relationships last longer than products!

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.