The Quest for Income in an Uncertain World Showing Signs of Gradual Recovery

Darren Wills, Managing Director, is the APAC Head of Fixed Income iShares and Institutional Index for BlackRock. His cross-functional team is responsible for supporting client engagement for both institutional and wealth investors, creating thought leadership on fixed income markets and fixed income index products, driving new product innovation and launches, partnering with fixed income broker/dealers, and evolving the platform and ecosystem. Previously, Mr. Wills was the investment lead for the EMEA iShares and Index portfolio management team within the Global Fixed Income group, where he was responsible for the management and oversight of all fixed income ETF and index investments in Europe. Prior to that, he was the senior portfolio manager responsible for corporate credit exposures across both the index and systematic active product ranges in EMEA. Mr. Wills' service with the firm dates back to January 2008, including his years with Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. Prior to joining BGI in 2008, Mr.. Wills worked as a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager at State Street Global Advisors (SSgA), where he was responsible for managing global and single currency corporate credit bond portfolios. Mr. Wills earned a BSc degree in Mathematics and Management Sciences from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (U.M.I.S.T).

Nivedita is a Portfolio Manager at Lombard Odier Investment Managers and is a member of the Asia Fixed Income team based in Singapore. She also covers Emerging Markets & Asian Sovereigns and Financials for the firm. Prior to joining LOIM, Nivedita worked at Citigroup Global Markets in London, where she was an Emerging Market Fixed Income and FX strategist. Nivedita holds an MBA from Harvard Business School where she graduated in the top 5% of her class as a baker scholar. She also holds a masters in finance with distinction from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from Anna University in India.

David Storm is Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer for RBC Wealth Management in Asia & British Isles. He chairs both the Asia and BI Investment Committees, with overall responsibility for investment policy and strategy. He also leads our research in hedge fund, private markets and sustainable investment strategies. David joined RBC Wealth Management in 2006 as a Portfolio Manager focusing on our institutional benefit plan business, before moving in to his current role. Prior to joining RBC, David was part of the Investments Group at Morgan Stanley. David is both a CFA and CAIA Charterholder. In his spare time, David enjoys playing football and travelling.

Aman Dhingra is Head of Advisory, Singapore for Union Bancaire Privée. Based in Singapore, he leads the team of multi-asset advisors providing clients with guidance on their investment portfolios through bespoke advisory mandates. He has 15 years of experience in Asian markets leading investment advisory, innovation and new product development, crafting and operating product platforms and implementing wealth management frameworks across several jurisdictions including Asia, the Middle East and UK. Prior to UBP, Aman worked at Coutts as the head of fund solutions in Singapore and at Citibank in multiple roles spanning wealth management, consumer banking, credit cards and treasury services.

Dhiraj is the Head of Asia Credit at Lombard Odier. He joined Lombard Odier in 2012, and is responsible for the fixed income team in Asia, focusing on Asia Pacific debt markets. Prior to joining Lombard Odier, Dhiraj was a portfolio manager with Cairn Capital in London, a full-service credit asset management firm, from 2006 to 2012. There he managed investment grade and high yield portfolios and traded credits in both long-only and long/short portfolios. Dhiraj also gained experience in JP Morgan & Chase in their European credit & rates research department in London, in 2006. Dhiraj started his career at Singapore Airlines and from 2000 to 2005, where he did corporate strategy.

David Storm is Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer for RBC Wealth Management in Asia & British Isles. He chairs both the Asia and BI Investment Committees, with overall responsibility for investment policy and strategy. He also leads our research in hedge fund, private markets and sustainable investment strategies. David joined RBC Wealth Management in 2006 as a Portfolio Manager focusing on our institutional benefit plan business, before moving in to his current role. Prior to joining RBC, David was part of the Investments Group at Morgan Stanley. David is both a CFA and CAIA Charterholder. In his spare time, David enjoys playing football and travelling.

Darren Wills, Managing Director, is the APAC Head of Fixed Income iShares and Institutional Index for BlackRock. His cross-functional team is responsible for supporting client engagement for both institutional and wealth investors, creating thought leadership on fixed income markets and fixed income index products, driving new product innovation and launches, partnering with fixed income broker/dealers, and evolving the platform and ecosystem. Previously, Mr. Wills was the investment lead for the EMEA iShares and Index portfolio management team within the Global Fixed Income group, where he was responsible for the management and oversight of all fixed income ETF and index investments in Europe. Prior to that, he was the senior portfolio manager responsible for corporate credit exposures across both the index and systematic active product ranges in EMEA. Mr. Wills' service with the firm dates back to January 2008, including his years with Barclays Global Investors (BGI), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. Prior to joining BGI in 2008, Mr.. Wills worked as a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager at State Street Global Advisors (SSgA), where he was responsible for managing global and single currency corporate credit bond portfolios. Mr. Wills earned a BSc degree in Mathematics and Management Sciences from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (U.M.I.S.T).

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.