Henley & Partners Expands Exco

Henley & Partners Enlarges Executive Committee to Manage Expansion and Continue Successful Years of Growth.

Henley & Partners has announced several important promotions and new appointments at the most senior level, including the promotion of the current Group COO, Dr. Juerg Steffen IMCM, to Group CEO and a significant expansion of its Executive Committee, effective 1 January 2019.

As the global leader in residence- and citizenship-by-investment, Henley & Partners has enjoyed many years of constant growth. This success can be attributed to a number of factors, including an increased global understanding of the strategic value of investment migration and worldwide economic growth that has created a vastly enhanced strata of global citizens. Alongside this, a rapidly expanding number of governments have embraced investment migration as a legitimate means of attracting much-needed foreign direct investment.

Most notably, there has been unprecedented interest from sovereign states, which increasingly see the significant societal value that well-managed investment migration programs can bring. Moldova and Montenegro are merely the latest in a long line of countries to create a valuable new foreign direct investment income stream that produces enhanced fiscal flexibility, reduces the public debt burden, attracts affluent and talented individuals, and allows for the growth and diversification of the economy for the benefit of all citizens.

In light of these developments and the ever-increasing demand for its services, Henley & Partners has decided to expand its Executive Committee.

Following a corporate re-organization two years ago, the firm’s Chairman, Dr. Christian H. Kälin, took on the additional role of interim CEO. Dr. Kälin is now pleased to re-focus on his position as Group Chairman.

Finding the Right CEO

Dr. Juerg Steffen IMCM is a Swiss lawyer and private banking executive who has served for the past few years as the firm’s COO. Prior to that, he successfully established and managed the firm’s Singapore office. He has now been promoted to serve as Henley & Partners’ new CEO. Following an extensive global search for the best candidate – during which a considerable number of strong internal and external candidates were carefully evaluated – he was unanimously selected as the most outstanding professional for the role.

Further Senior Appointments

Peter S. Vincent, previously the General Counsel of Thomson Reuters Special Services LLC and Assistant Director for International Policy of BORDERPOL, has joined Henley & Partners’ Executive Committee. Vincent will be responsible for Government Services and Business Intelligence, and for enhancing the firm’s relationships with international organizations. Henley & Partners is committed to best corporate practice and due diligence. Informed by Vincent’s core expertise, it will continue to invest in this area in order to build confidence that investment migration creates significant value at low levels of risk.

Marco Gantenbein TEP IMCM, previously the Managing Partner of Henley & Partners’ Dubai office for over seven years and member of the Executive Committee for almost three years, has been promoted to assume the role of COO. Gantenbein has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services and investment migration industry. He has demonstrated extraordinary ability in managing operations in the firm’s Dubai office, one of the group’s most successful offices in recent years.

Andreas Keller has been appointed as the Managing Partner for Henley & Partners in the Middle East. He was previously Managing Director for the global communications consultancy Weber Shandwick in Dubai, where he oversaw the agency’s international, regional, and local client portfolio. Under his leadership, Weber Shandwick won “Agency of the Year” in 2014, 2016, and 2017, and was named among the UAE’s Top 10 “Great Places to Work” for five consecutive years.

Dr. Christina Federle, Group Head of Legal and Compliance, has been appointed to the firm’s Executive Committee. Based in Dubai, Dr. Federle is a German attorney-at-law with over 10 years of professional experience. Prior to joining Henley & Partners, she worked for many years in major commercial law firms and is a highly regarded regulatory law expert and author of numerous publications.

Stefan Kraus MBA IMCM, who previously served as the firm’s Chief of Staff, has also been called to the Executive Committee. Kraus is an experienced business management consultant and private equity professional. Prior to joining Henley & Partners, he worked for a private investment group and at McKinsey & Company, where he advised clients in strategic, operational, and organizational projects.

The Executive Committee – the firm’s top executive body – will now be made up of a total of eight senior professionals, led by the industry’s pioneer, Dr. Christian H. Kälin TEP IMCM. The further members of Henley & Partners’ Executive Committee will remain, with Hugh Morshead ACMA IMCM, a senior professional responsible for the group’s Corporate Governance, and Dan Wilson FCA, a senior finance professional with years of experience in leading high-performing finance teams across the globe, as Chief Financial Officer.

“The very robust operations of Henley & Partners and its commitment to best practices should become the standard industry model.”

Peter S. Vincent, whose previous roles included Legal Counsel at the US Department of Justice and US Department of Homeland Security, commented: “I am very pleased to be able to join Henley & Partners, the global leader in a fascinating industry that is rapidly expanding and maturing. In terms of commitment to governance, the very robust operations of Henley & Partners and its commitment to best practices should become the standard industry model. The firm’s capability and its track record of advising governments should continue to have a profound and positive impact on the future of countries, as well as on the industry.”

He continued: “It’s no secret that during my time in US Government Service, I was initially concerned about the potential security risks posed by investment migration. However, following a number of years working in the corporate intelligence and due diligence industry, I commend Henley & Partners for its outstanding management. Of course, there are potential security risks in investment migration. However, I have been convinced not only of Henley & Partners’ commitment but also of their efficacy. I wouldn’t be here today if this was not the case.”

“I’m really excited at the opportunity to step up and lead during our next phase of growth.”

Dr. Juerg Steffen, the future CEO of Henley & Partners, explains: “Henley & Partners has grown dramatically since I joined the firm. I’m really excited at the opportunity to step up and lead during our next phase of growth. We are the only truly global player in this industry. We have built a unique platform that will help us to further demonstrate the necessary corporate rigor and excellence, both to ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UNHWIs) and to any sovereign state considering adding an investment migration option to its foreign direct investment strategy. No one out there has our combination of experience, positive track record, capability, and scale.”

“We will open further offices and expand existing operations globally.”

Marco Gantenbein, the newly appointed COO of Henley & Partners, plans to expand his operational and client focus to all offices of the group: “We will open further offices and enlarge existing operations globally. Henley & Partners is a unique firm; in many ways, we operate like a large financial institution with a lot of internal checks and balances, yet we also retain our entrepreneurial spirit when entering new countries and markets. I am extremely positive about the future of our firm and our industry. We are by far the leading company in the field, and there is a really interesting operational opportunity to further grow alongside the rapidly expanding rate at which new states are introducing investment migration programs, while also managing increasing demand from international private clients.”

“The enlargement of our Executive Committee is proof not only of our success but also of our ambition.”

Dr. Christian H. Kälin, Group Chairman of Henley & Partners, comments: “We are very pleased to have been able to continually grow and develop Henley & Partners, creating significant value for both our UHNWI client base, and for a number of sovereign states. The enlargement of our Executive Committee is proof not only of our success but also of our ambition. We see our role as contributing to a more interconnected and more tolerant world. Foreign direct investment benefits the receiving state, bringing in capital to both the public sector, in the form of donations to a country’s sovereign wealth fund, for instance, and to the private sector, in the form of investments in businesses or real estate. Investment migration programs allow for greater socio-economic development of often smaller countries, which face particular challenges competing in a global context.”