Residency & Citizenship – Tracking Key Trends for the Region’s Wealthy Looking Overseas and Global Clients Looking toward Asia

Michael Olesnicky is a senior consultant based in Baker McKenzie's Hong Kong office. He served as the chair of the firm's Asian Tax & Wealth Management practice from 2000 to 2014, and was a member of its Global Tax Steering Committee during that period. Michael's practice focuses on Hong Kong and Asian regional tax advisory work, tax disputes and litigation, as well as wealth management and estate planning.  He is the current chair of STEP's branch in Hong Kong and of its China sub-sub-committee. He is also the chair of the Joint Liaison Committee on Taxation in Hong Kong. He was previously a lecturer in law at Hong Kong University where he remains as an honorary lecturer. Michael has more than 25 years’ experience advising on corporate tax, wealth management, trust planning and estate succession matters.

John Shoemaker is Senior Counsel with Butler Snow in their Singapore office. John has more than 30 years’ experience in tax, legal & regulatory compliance, and is a common law lawyer with educational emphasis on taxation, trusts & estate planning. He also has extensive experience in ensuring multi-jurisdictional compliance for fiduciary product offerings (working with multijurisdictional outside counsel & adapting products for sale in relevant jurisdictions), including product management skills to direct complex products from concept to fully operational status.

Dominic Volek is Group Head of Private Clients at Henley & Partners and a member of the Executive Committee. Originally from South Africa, he now spends his time between London, Dubai, and Singapore as a private client specialist in residence and citizenship planning and provides advice to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their families across the globe. His work targets countries that are deemed most attractive to wealthy individuals in terms of mobility, security, privacy, personal tax, estate planning, and lifestyle. He is also a member of the firm’s Government Advisory practice, providing strategic advice to governments on the design, implementation, and promotion of successful investment migration programs. Dominic is a certified Chartered Accountant CA (SA), holding both a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting with Honors and Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication. Prior to joining Henley & Partners, Dominic had a successful career as part of the Senior Management team in one of the big four accounting and advisory firms in Singapore, South Africa, and the USA. Dominic is frequently sought after as a speaker and thought leader on residence and citizenship planning, and he regularly provides commentary on the Henley Passport Index. He has been interviewed by top-tier media such as BBC, Quartz, and Bloomberg.

Paul is a Managing Director and Senior Wealth Advisor for the ASIAPAC region of the JP Morgan Private Bank. He is based in Hong Kong and joined JP Morgan 14 years ago from Ernst and Young LLP where he was a Director and head of the Private Client Services group in London. He was also Chairman and founder of the Ernst & Young International Private Wealth Group. He has over thirty five years experience in advising wealthy individuals and families on both domestic and international tax and estate planning as well as family governance and succession issues. He also has wide experience in advising philanthropists on both tax and structuring issues in relation to charitable giving. Paul graduated from Durham University and is a UK Solicitor. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and has served as co-chair of its International Committee as well as being an advisor to its UK technical committee and a member of the Family Business Special Interest Group. He is also Vice Chairman of the UK charity Philanthropy Impact prior to relocating to Hong Kong.

Bijal joined the Firm in 2013 as a Partner to expand and build the Tax and Investment Funds practice. On private client matters she has advised individuals and family businesses from a legal, regulatory and tax perspective. She has experience in rolling out a comprehensive succession plan for clients, re-structuring of family businesses including HUFs and family arrangements, drafting wills, creation of trusts, etc. She is frequently invited to speak at domestic and international conferences on matters of Indian estate and succession planning and has several publications to her credit. Bijal is highly acclaimed for her dedication, in-depth understanding and knowledge of taxation, estate planning and structuring of funds; and for her solution oriented approach. Bijal regularly features on an annual basis in the Chambers & Partners (Asia – Pacific), Citiwealth Leaders List, Legal 500, International Tax Review (Asia Pacific), Who’s Who Legal “Corporate Tax Guide, Private Client Global Elite, Expert Guides – Tax 2018, Indian Lawyer 250 Law Business Research as a leader in the field of taxation and private client in India. She has also been ranked as a Band 1 lawyer for Private Wealth Law by Chambers & Partners for 2019 and 2020. Bijal served as an officer-elect on the Individual Tax & Private Client Committee of the International Bar Association. She is ex-officio member of the Steering Committee of the International Wealth Advisors Forum, which is a global think tank for the exchange of emerging trends in estate and succession planning.

Jason Pearce was born in Gloucestershire and educated at the universities of Cardiff and Oxford. He has worked in the financial services for over 20 years, beginning at Legal & General where he worked with IFAs in Central London. He then trained as a pension specialist with Axa Sun Life, working with employee benefit consultants and national IFAs. He joined Skandia in 2003, moving to the international division in 2011. Skandia then rebranded to Old Mutual International and Quilter International which has been acquired by the Utmost Group in November 2021. He holds the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Advanced Financial Planning Certificate with specialist qualifications in UK personal & corporate pensions. He also holds the STEP Advanced Certificate in UK Tax for international clients. Jason specialises in providing technical support on pensions, trust planning and legacy planning for expatriates and internationally mobile clients.

John Shoemaker is Senior Counsel with Butler Snow in their Singapore office. John has more than 30 years’ experience in tax, legal & regulatory compliance, and is a common law lawyer with educational emphasis on taxation, trusts & estate planning. He also has extensive experience in ensuring multi-jurisdictional compliance for fiduciary product offerings (working with multijurisdictional outside counsel & adapting products for sale in relevant jurisdictions), including product management skills to direct complex products from concept to fully operational status.

Dominic Volek is Group Head of Private Clients at Henley & Partners and a member of the Executive Committee. Originally from South Africa, he now spends his time between London, Dubai, and Singapore as a private client specialist in residence and citizenship planning and provides advice to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their families across the globe. His work targets countries that are deemed most attractive to wealthy individuals in terms of mobility, security, privacy, personal tax, estate planning, and lifestyle. He is also a member of the firm’s Government Advisory practice, providing strategic advice to governments on the design, implementation, and promotion of successful investment migration programs. Dominic is a certified Chartered Accountant CA (SA), holding both a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting with Honors and Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication. Prior to joining Henley & Partners, Dominic had a successful career as part of the Senior Management team in one of the big four accounting and advisory firms in Singapore, South Africa, and the USA. Dominic is frequently sought after as a speaker and thought leader on residence and citizenship planning, and he regularly provides commentary on the Henley Passport Index. He has been interviewed by top-tier media such as BBC, Quartz, and Bloomberg.

Paul is a Managing Director and Senior Wealth Advisor for the ASIAPAC region of the JP Morgan Private Bank. He is based in Hong Kong and joined JP Morgan 14 years ago from Ernst and Young LLP where he was a Director and head of the Private Client Services group in London. He was also Chairman and founder of the Ernst & Young International Private Wealth Group. He has over thirty five years experience in advising wealthy individuals and families on both domestic and international tax and estate planning as well as family governance and succession issues. He also has wide experience in advising philanthropists on both tax and structuring issues in relation to charitable giving. Paul graduated from Durham University and is a UK Solicitor. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and has served as co-chair of its International Committee as well as being an advisor to its UK technical committee and a member of the Family Business Special Interest Group. He is also Vice Chairman of the UK charity Philanthropy Impact prior to relocating to Hong Kong.

Bijal joined the Firm in 2013 as a Partner to expand and build the Tax and Investment Funds practice. On private client matters she has advised individuals and family businesses from a legal, regulatory and tax perspective. She has experience in rolling out a comprehensive succession plan for clients, re-structuring of family businesses including HUFs and family arrangements, drafting wills, creation of trusts, etc. She is frequently invited to speak at domestic and international conferences on matters of Indian estate and succession planning and has several publications to her credit. Bijal is highly acclaimed for her dedication, in-depth understanding and knowledge of taxation, estate planning and structuring of funds; and for her solution oriented approach. Bijal regularly features on an annual basis in the Chambers & Partners (Asia – Pacific), Citiwealth Leaders List, Legal 500, International Tax Review (Asia Pacific), Who’s Who Legal “Corporate Tax Guide, Private Client Global Elite, Expert Guides – Tax 2018, Indian Lawyer 250 Law Business Research as a leader in the field of taxation and private client in India. She has also been ranked as a Band 1 lawyer for Private Wealth Law by Chambers & Partners for 2019 and 2020. Bijal served as an officer-elect on the Individual Tax & Private Client Committee of the International Bar Association. She is ex-officio member of the Steering Committee of the International Wealth Advisors Forum, which is a global think tank for the exchange of emerging trends in estate and succession planning.

Jason Pearce was born in Gloucestershire and educated at the universities of Cardiff and Oxford. He has worked in the financial services for over 20 years, beginning at Legal & General where he worked with IFAs in Central London. He then trained as a pension specialist with Axa Sun Life, working with employee benefit consultants and national IFAs. He joined Skandia in 2003, moving to the international division in 2011. Skandia then rebranded to Old Mutual International and Quilter International which has been acquired by the Utmost Group in November 2021. He holds the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Advanced Financial Planning Certificate with specialist qualifications in UK personal & corporate pensions. He also holds the STEP Advanced Certificate in UK Tax for international clients. Jason specialises in providing technical support on pensions, trust planning and legacy planning for expatriates and internationally mobile clients.

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.