WealthBriefing MENA Awards Acclaim 2022

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FOREWORD

Tom Burroughes, Group Editor of WealthBriefing, explains the significance of these awards.

The WealthBriefing Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region awards showcase the best of what the sector offers in terms of the outstanding individuals and teams within it. The region is going through considerable change, and in such times the premium on quality has never been higher. The awards give a chance to recognise the hard work, dedication and focus required to deliver results.

The MENA region is becoming more complex by the day, and the categories in these awards reflect the evolution of the sector. The organisers of this programme constantly review categories and sectors to ensure the awards are relevant. The judges also devote considerable time and energy to going through applications to arrive at the list of winners. The judges deserve our thanks for their work.

These awards are a great honour and valuable for firms and people as marketing tools and ways to build brands. We know from experience how valuable these awards are. And as editor, I know how valuable the programme has been in engaging with the industry and in getting closer to what shapes it.

CONTENTS

WEALTHBRIEFING MENA AWARDS 2022 JUDGING PANEL 5

WINNER INTERVIEWS:

Bank of Singapore

...................................................... 9

Barclays Private Bank 11

BNP Paribas Wealth Management 13

BNY Mellon Wealth Management ......................... 15

Branford Capital Ltd 17 CdR Capital Limited 19 Comarch Consulting 21 Deutsche Bank 23 Emirates NBD Private Banking ............................... 25 Habib Bank AG Zurich 27 HSBC 29

Huriya Private ............................................................... 31 Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” 33

LGT Middle East 35 Lombard Odier 37 Mabledon Capital Ltd 39 Masttro 43

Mirabaud (Middle East) Ltd 45 Nedbank Private Wealth 47 NPB (Middle East) Ltd ................................................. 49 Ocorian 51 PwC Middle East Entrepreneurial Private Business .......................................................... 53

REYL Finance (MEA) Ltd 55 SS&C Advent 57 swissQuant Group AG ................................................ 59 Taurus Wealth Advisors Ltd 61 Union Bancaire Privée 63

WEALTHBRIEFING MENA AWARDS 2022 WINNERS IN FULL 67

OVERVIEW OF THE MENA WEALTH MANAGEMENT SECTOR

With energy prices skyrocketing and certain parts of the world going through geopolitical turmoil, one of the ironies is that the Gulf region has been a relative beacon of stability and prosperity. And the families that control much of the business wealth in the region have ever more complex needs. As a result, several international and local banks and wealth managers have been building more of a presence in jurisdictions such as the UAE and Abu Dhabi.

In the Middle East region, the number of HNW individuals and their wealth grew by 5.5 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively, in 2021 from a year before. The growth was led primarily by Israel and the UAE, which witnessed HNWI wealth and population growth higher than the global average due to their increased tech-industry focus, according to the 2022 World Wealth Report from Capgemini. Recovering oil prices in 2021 helped the region’s consolidated GDP grow at 2.3 per cent.

In a region where business wealth has tended to be bound up in families, NextGen wealth transfer and business succession issues are a key focus, explaining why private client law firms, as well as private banks and wealth managers, are becoming more visible. In Dubai, for example, the jurisdiction has made an explicit pitch for family offices’ business. And while a traditional market in certain respects, digitalisation of the wealth value chain is brisk.

Why Wealth Managers are the Ultimate Private Market Matchmakers (in partnership with Hywin Wealth & VP Bank)

This report tackles both the supply and demand for private market opportunities in both the Asia-Pacific region and globally, a topic which will continue to be hugely important for the wealth management industry as H/UHNWs seek enhanced returns and diversification in a challenging investment environment and billions of “dry powder” await deployment.

External Asset Managers in Asia - New Directions for Rapidly-Expanding Sector (in partnership with UBS)

Our second annual report examining the growth of Asia’s EAM sector, covering both the powerhouses of Singapore and Hong Kong, and emerging markets like Thailand and the Philippines. This study looks at the growth prospects for independent advisors in the round as they seek to tap the region’s booming wealth and growing client acceptance of the EAM model.

Family Office Focus: An Update of the Industry's Efficiency in Accounting and Investment Analysis (in partnership with FundCount)

A deep dive into the key technological and operational challenges facing family offices in their accounting and investment analysis activities. Based on surveys and interviews among family offices managing over $72

billion in assets, this is an invaluable benchmarking tool for the sector which presents fascinating insights into future developments from a range of industry experts.

Applying Artificial Intelligence in Wealth Management - Compelling Use Cases Across the Client Life Cycle (in partnership with Finantix & EY) This comprehensive report identifies elements of the institution and advisor’s workloads that are ripe for AI amelioration, and points the way for firms seeking to maximise the competitive advantages offered by new technologies. AI experts and senior industry executives enrich each chapter, answering crucial questions on risk, KYC/AML, compliance, portfolio management and more.

Virtuous Circles: Sustainable Family Governance Models in an Evolving Environment (in partnership with Jersey Finance) Essential reading for UHNWs and their advisors, this report unites the findings of a global survey of practitioners and the views of a panel of experts drawn from leading firms, but perhaps most interestingly of all, the paper features a wealth of real-world examples illustrating what forward-thinking families are doing to create lasting legacies.

Winning Women in Asia-Pacific (in partnership with VP Bank & Hywin Wealth) Asia-Pacific’s wealthy women represent a

highly attractive target client group. Yet, they remain an underserved one in many senses in spite of their growing financial power and pronounced need for professional advice. Our second report examining women’s specific needs presents truly actionable insights drawn from interviews with H/UHNWIs and their advisors right across the region.

Technology & Operations Trends in Wealth Management 2022

(in partnership with SS&C Advent)

This succinct yet wide-ranging report shines a light on both macro and micro trends, beginning with industry growth sentiment and ending on operating model evolution, taking in every key area of development in between. It brings together datapoints and candid comments senior executives at leading consultancies across the world’s major wealth markets to create an invaluable peer benchmarking tool.

Technology Traps Wealth Managers

Must Avoid 2022 (in partnership with EY)

With EY providing the overview, this report draws on the front-line experience of many of the technology sector’s biggest names, in recognition of the fact that they are the ones going in to solve wealth managers’ most pressing problems and have typically seen the ramifications of firms’ choices play out numerous times – not to mention in various contexts globally.

Huddleston Jones Specialists Sourcing Specialists.

At Huddleston Jones, sourcing talent is a small part of the journey we take with our clients.

Consulting industry leaders, our specialists identify human capital objectives to future-proof your growth.

STRONG ASIA LINKS WIN MENA ADMIRERS

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

Our strength lies in Asia – while we have global expertise, our deep understanding of Asia and emerging markets is what sets us apart. The bank’s three hubs in Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong are strategically primed to serve MENA clients pursuing the Asian growth story.

We are committed to continuously enhancing our MENA-centric offerings. Earlier this year, we set up a unit in our Dubai International Financial Centre branch to provide dedicated support for the burgeoning financial intermediaries and external asset managers - that manage the wealth of high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals. This unit is part of Bank of Singapore’s Financial Intermediaries (FIM) Excellence Centre that works exclusively with external asset managers to serve their clients holistically. This includes providing on-the-ground support across various capabilities including client onboarding, trade execution and digital solutions curated for the unique needs of financial intermediaries.

We remain focused on servicing the growing segment of highly sophisticated clients - Global Investors and Family Offices (GIFO), establishing a dedicated Family Office Advisory team to provide tailored advice and solutions to meet the varying needs and objectives of each client, helping them achieve their key wealth goals. Given our vast experience with family office set-ups as a Singapore-based bank, we are one of the best positioned to help and serve our MENA clients through our family office platform.

People remain firmly at the centre of our strategy. Our team is the bedrock of our Global South Asia and Middle East (GSAM) business - their pursuit of excellence at all levels has been integral to our success. It is for this reason that we continue to invest heavily in attracting the best-in-class talent and upskilling and

reskilling our people, to future-proof our workforce.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

Against the backdrop of a complex and ever-changing landscape, our forward-looking strategy is focused on the continued and sustainable growth of our GSAM business, underpinned by operational and service excellence. We continue to sharpen our market expertise, build differentiated product offerings, and invest in digital tools and our people, all whilst leveraging the footprint of our parent company, OCBC Bank.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

This recognition reaffirms the hard work put in by our teams and the confidence and trust our clients have in us. It encourages us to continue to deliver on our commitment to provide innovative solutions and top-notch service to help our clients meet their dynamic needs.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm the best?

Our values are the cornerstone of everything we do. In today’s complex and ever-changing world, what remains unchanged are our values that form the foundation of success.

At Bank of Singapore, this means taking a long-term view of our relationship with our clients, building on shared values such as hard work, integrity, transparency, and prudence.

We may be a relatively young private bank, but we have grown from strength to strength since our inception in 2010 due to our most valued asset - a talented and dedicated team who pride themselves on managing our clients’ wealth as though it is their own.

Tom Burroughes, Group Editor at WealthBriefing, talks to Vivek Gehani, Head of Global South Asia and Middle East (Dubai), DIFC Branch, Bank of Singapore.

“OUR VALUES ARE THE CORNERSTONE OF EVERYTHING WE DO. IN TODAY’S COMPLEX AND EVER-CHANGING WORLD, WHAT REMAINS UNCHANGED ARE OUR VALUES THAT FORM THE FOUNDATION OF SUCCESS.”

Vivek Gehani Head of Global South Asia & Middle East (Dubai), DIFC Branch, Bank of Singapore

WHAT WORLD WILL YOU MAKE POSSIBLE?

STRONG SYNERGIES BUILD COMPELLING OFFERING

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

The fundamentals of our investment strategies together with the strong synergies with the corporate and investment bank, enable us to bring to UHNW clients and family offices a full-service offering as well as bespoke solutions wherever and whenever they need it. Clients come to us for our award-winning discretionary portfolio management offering, our real estate financing, our excellent trading desk and our alternatives solutions, especially private equity and private placements offering.

We anticipate and adapt our business model to the challenges of these times and respond to the changing investment journey needs of our clients in Middle East, who are particularly interested and keen to increase their asset allocation towards ESG investing and alternative solutions.

As such Barclays Private Bank is a globally recognised player in sustainable investing and impact investing, drawing on a comprehensive range of sustainable investment solutions across asset classes - such as our award-winning sustainable discretionary portfolio management.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

The private banking in general is challenging and evolving environment. We continuously need to adapt the essence of our business model to the challenges of these times and respond to the changing and complex needs of our clients.

Our vision and culture are guided by our code of conduct based on our purpose, values, and mindset. This is fully ingrained in the culture of our business

and underpinned by our purpose: we deploy finance responsibly to support people and businesses acting with empathy and integrity, championing innovation and sustainability, for the common good and long term. We aim to be a leader in banking and to engender trust amongst our stakeholders. We have the capability, capital, operational resilience, and the commitment to make a real lasting difference to the lives of our customers and communities.

Where in the world do you operate - are you mainly a domestic player or international?

We are an international bank present in more than 40 countries, and harness a global network of knowledge, expertise, and professional partners to meet our clients’ unique requirements. The full resources of Barclays Group allow us to bring to our domestic business the skills and knowledge providing an integrated approach, with range of products and services relevant to our clients.

Whom do you look to in terms or ideas and inspiration? What other business sectors do you follow for ideas?

The next generation and what we envision for future generation inspires me. In our industry we have the ability and the duty to unlock opportunities for the future that our clients envision. We must adapt fast to the evolving needs of younger wealth creators, and we rethink banking given the higher digital engagement seen in the past months, which continue to redefine relationship management in a digitally connected world.

The technology sector brings us a lot of fresh ideas and solutions to the rapid evolution of clients’ needs in terms of digitalisation.

Rasha Badawi, Head of Barclays Private Bank in the UAE, tells Tom Burroughes, WealthBriefing Group Editor, on the causes of its success and its outlook.

Rasha Badawi Head of Barclays Private Bank in the UAE

TURN VISION IMPACT INTO

As an investor, you want to make a positive impact with your wealth. We offer innovative sustainable investment solutions across all asset classes so that you may align your wealth with what matters to you.

The bank for a changing world

TO THE MIDDLE EAST REGION REAPS REWARDS

platform has been upgraded and digitised to further enhance client experience.

In 2022, we focused on accelerating our ambitions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the activation of the onshore platform and the hiring of key talents to reinforce our KSA coverage. Also leveraging our universal expertise and the group strength, we continued to attract new clients and accompany existing ones to navigate markets.

As a result, we have witnessed a very significant growth with our assets doubling since 2018. This year, despite a very challenging macroeconomic context, we expect to grow our assets by $1 billion underpinning the strength of the team, the depth of our expertise and the continued support of our clients.

a strong testament of everyone’s work and efforts. Our teams are dedicated and hard working towards delivering best-in-class solutions to our clients. The recognition of their work and expertise is key in attracting new talents and retaining existing ones.

We are extremely proud of our successes with WealthBriefing in MENA, and we will continue to strive towards best serving our clients and deliver our ambitions.

What position would you like your firm to hold in its sector in five years’ time?

BNP Paribas Wealth Management is an award-winning leading private bank and is the largest private bank in the eurozone (€408 billion AuM / 6,800+ professionals), providing wealth management solutions to clients across Europe, Asia, US and the Middle East.

In MEA, BNP Paribas Wealth Management serves its ultra-high net worth clients through its 40 experienced bankers located across UAE, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Saudi Arabia.

While we offer our universal capabilities to our clients, in the region, our clients benefit specifically from the expertise of BNP Paribas Real Estate and our awardwinning Islamic Banking division.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

The client centricity has been enhanced through a revamped commercial organisation; the offering has been strengthened through a stronger coordination with other business and sites of the group and through the development of new local products; the expertise of the site has been supported through the hiring of key talents and finally, the

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

The general environment has been a true challenge. Starting from the COVID and its restrictions to the conflict in Europe, we had to quickly adapt and advise our clients in a very volatile environment. This year has been challenging due to difficult markets which have impacted our clients, who, more than ever, have used our global expertise to navigate these turbulent times.

Competition also has been very fierce. Dubai is one of the most competitive banking centres with the presence of local and global players with strong ambitions to grow in the region. However, we continue to appear as a reference player mostly thanks to our unique value proposition supported by the strength of the BNP Paribas Group, our talented team that is widely recognised and finally thanks to the strength of our values that is driving trust and loyalty from our clients.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

Awards do make a strong difference. Beyond the financial results of the firm, it is

Our ambitions in the Middle East are very strong. We want to continue our double-digit growth for the years to come notably in Saudi Arabia. More than financials, we want to remain the reference bank for entrepreneurs and families in the region.

Masroor Batin, CEO Wealth Management - Middle East and Africa (MEA), BNP Paribas Wealth Management, sets out the strengths of this firm.

Masroor Batin

CEO Wealth Management

BNP Paribas Wealth Management

DEEP RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE: THE BNY MELLON WEALTH MANAGEMENT FORMULA

resources, our clients have access to world-class investment management and custody solutions, sophisticated estate planning and fiduciary support, holistic wealth management strategies and top-tier private banking.

We understand the intricacies of tracking, reporting, and analysing investments across multiple money managers, asset classes and legal structures, such as family partnerships, trusts, and private trust companies. In addition, our state-of-the-art technology provides our clients with access to industry-leading performance and risk analytics tools.

What are the main contributions you bring to the wealth management industry?

What does success look like to you – can this be measured in hard numbers, or in qualitative ways, or both?

It is only natural that success for us is the value we create for our clients and how satisfied they are with our services. To that extent, every year we do conduct a survey to obtain direct, quantifiable, and actionable information to help enhance our overall client satisfaction and loyalty.

In 2021, our overall client satisfaction was at 94 per cent, 89 per cent of our clients were willing to recommend BNY Mellon to their network and 93 per cent of our clients were satisfied with the service provided by their wealth managers.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

BNY Mellon is the world’s largest global custodian bank with over $45 trillion in Asset under Custody and the 5th largest institutional asset manager with $1.8 trillion in Asset under Management (Source: Pensions & Investments, June 2022).

Our Global Family Office group, which is part of BNY Mellon Wealth Management is focused on delivering solutions and advice to help family offices as well as their advisors manage the complexities that exceptional wealth presents. Backed by BNY Mellon’s deep

Every family office is unique, but they all operate within an institutional framework. The tools and resources we bring to the table leverage BNY Mellon’s strengths as a leading asset servicing, wealth management and investment management firm to offer our clients world-class solutions.

As a result, we deliver institutional banking capabilities to individuals and family offices providing them with a higher level of governance, an increased focus on achieving their family’s goals and objectives, and a mechanism to drive results and create efficiencies for the family office and for the family’s wealth-related activities.

Can you sum up the philosophy that best describes your firm?

To sum it up in two words, we “Consider Everything”. We are driven to imagine what’s possible, create it, then improve on it to ensure the continued success of our clients and the industry.

Shadi Alnasr, Senior Client Strategist, Global Family Office at BNY Mellon Wealth Management, talks to Tom Burroughes, WealthBriefing Group Editor.

WINNER

WEALTH MANAGER SERVICING FAMILY OFFICES BNY Mellon Wealth Management

Shadi Alnasr Senior Client Strategist, Global Family Office at BNY Mellon Wealth Management

Our founding principlesIntegrity, Accountability and a long-term vision.

A SPECIALIST PLAYER MAKING WAVES IN THE REGION

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

BCL is focused on providing specialised niche services to our clients who demand specialist and individualistic financial services through a robust team of advisors and relationship managers. We are passionate and driven to provide bespoke wealth and asset management services to high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients with a sharper pricing and product proposition unlike private banks who don’t have a core competence.

At BCL our main goal continues to be around involving our customers, employees, and our larger ecosystem of stakeholders to identify shared values and areas where our firm can make a difference.

At BCL, our key metric is “Performance”; while we do not want to be restricted by numbers - BCL currently manages a little over $300 million under its umbrella with a goal to be at $500 million at the end of this year, across a current 15 member team (we have five new joiners who would be joining to strengthen the team) spanning from operations, products and research and advisory and market heads, we have enjoyed a very successful track-record within the MENA region, with two consecutive years of growth in assets under management and an increase of over 54 per cent in client relationships further cements our strong reputation.

Five reasons that make us successful in our field:

1. We are the fastest growing EAM in the Middle East;

2. All round capable team covering all aspects for an agile enterprise –executive, advisory, marketing, operations;

3. Product research: We keep looking for new ideas in the changing market circumstances – not sticking to old winners which may not be relevant today and moving on to what is new;

4. We offer unmatched transparency, where clients can view various options offered by several banks; and

5. Active portfolio management: In case of adverse market movements, we take care of client portfolios to maximise the possibility of healthy returns by reducing the risk.

What are the main contributions do you think you bring to the wealth management industry?

At BCL our clients get to see a product offering which is relatively uncommon in the Middle East, while most asset managers are focused on plain vanilla Equity & Bond Funds and Structured Products.

BCL works very closely with our clients and the below is our key differentiators: Independence; client trust; consolidation in banking; professionalism and open architecture.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

One of the great things about being recognised in this way is that it shows our employees that we are aware of their hard work and believe it is industry leading. Winning the award also demonstrates that their work matters and is setting a benchmark.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

Since its inception in 2020, BCL has navigated different and complex financial landscapes with ever developing regulatory requirements and constant changes in the composition of our peers.

Whom do you look to in terms or ideas and inspiration?

While it’s always important to keep a watching eye on developments both inside and outside the industry, our main aim is to meet the needs of our clients.

Mohammad Danish, CEO-Founder, Branford Capital Ltd, talks to WealthBriefing on the reasons for his firm’s success this year.

“ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT BEING RECOGNISED IN THIS WAY IS THAT IT SHOWS OUR EMPLOYEES THAT WE ARE AWARE OF THEIR HARD WORK AND BELIEVE IT IS INDUSTRY LEADING.”

Mohammad Danish

CEO-Founder, Branford Capital

CdR is about people.

With 36 people across our 4 locations, we are proud to have a broad range of individuals across 17 nationalities, speaking 11 different languages, with an average of over 22 years’ of experience each. CdR has excellent people, whose sole focus is on achieving the best outcome for clients.

Nour Tassabehji

SEO of CdR Capital Limited and Investment Director

Nour Tassabehji

CdR Capital Limited

A STRONG EXAMPLE OF INDEPENDENCE AND QUALITY

From the investment side, a key difference that we bring to the industry is servicing private clients with an institutional client mindset which sets us apart from our competition.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

It is a great honour to be awarded leading female executive. We see many of our clients focused on governance both in their businesses but also in their family office.

Where in the world do you operate are you mainly a domestic player or international?

What position would you like your firm to hold in its sector in five years’ time?

I look forward to seeing CdR managing significantly more client money over the coming years.

What do you like most about the wealth management industry, and what do you like least and would most like to change?

What I like the most is the trust that our clients place in us to help them formulate the best approach to stewardship of their wealth (in its financial as well as societal aspects) for themselves, and the generations to come.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

We have developed a robust investment process that allows us to build long term portfolios for clients that achieve their desired risk and return objectives, often from non-correlated sources of returns.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

As independent wealth managers, CdR came into the market in the GCC well before others. This meant that there was a long education process for clients to understand the model of CdR versus being used to working with only private banks.

What are the main contributions do you think you bring to the wealth management industry?

We make sure to lead by example in our industry when working with our clients, with other service providers and amongst ourselves as a team. Our reputation is our most powerful asset.

We have offices in Geneva, London, and Dubai. Our six-year presence in Dubai allows us to position ourselves as experts in the region from a client standpoint, and this is very complimentary to our global presence in key jurisdictions.

What does success look like to you - can this be measured in hard numbers, or in qualitative ways, or both?

Success is both quantitative and qualitative. We need to ensure we meet the risk and return objectives that our clients are expecting of us. We also all want to grow our client base and continue to grow the firm.

We learn from our clients, we learn from our peers, we learn from all other service providers who complement our business, and we learn from each other as colleagues.

We learn from our clients, we learn from our peers, we learn from all other service providers who complement our business, and we learn from each other as colleagues.

What I like the least is that there is a tendency in this industry to be short term. And the pressure inside our larger competitors to be product, or transaction, led.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm/you the best?

“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” Epictetus

Investment done well benefits all parties. The investor as well as the company or the company receiving the investor’s support. Therefore, we try to invest, wherever possible, alongside our clients. Additionally, wealth management is sometimes seen as exporting capital from the countries and regions in which it is made. We try to be inward investors, backing philanthropy and entrepreneurship in the countries of origin of our employees and clients.

Nour Tassabehji, SEO and Investment Director, CdR Capital Limited, talks to Tom Burroughes, WealthBriefing Group Editor.

WINNER LEADING FEMALE EXECUTIVE

Nour Tassabehji CdR Capital Ltd

Nour Tassabehji SEO and Investment Director, CdR Capital Limited

HELPING WEALTH MANAGERS AND CLIENTS MAKE SMART CHOICES

What are the main contributions you think you’re bringing to the wealth management industry?

Prosowicz: This year’s category confirms that AI, or machine learning to be exact, may open new opportunities to banking and wealth management. Today, capturing, understanding, and interpreting data is no longer an issue from a technical standpoint. The real challenge comes from strict regulations in the industry and even more from customers’ resistance to share their personal data. Blending personal and private data, along with personalising everything at any time, happens to be very difficult and vague at most.

Our main focus this year was the challenge that most clients and advisors face: how to select the right product from a myriad available and how to choose the right time for it in a reality of constantly changing market conditions? The models that we employ help to rank products and build the most optimal portfolios. Clients are the ultimate beneficiary, but it also helps RMs and CIO to build model portfolios and give recommendations.

On top of that you add compliance requirements, client preferences, bank policies - all that to deliver an offer in line with client expectations.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

I think there is a couple of factors, and you need to consider all of them: domain knowledge in investment area, cross-industry experiences related to machine learning technologies, strong footprint in wealth management business, and understanding the everyday needs of financial institutions and their clients. In the end, you need a strong team of experts to test and validate most relevant models that must absorb millions of data points from the past decades: macro projections and real scores, factors related to interest rates, commodity prices, stock indices, currencies, behavior, and biases of stocks or ETFs.

Where in the world do you operate –are you mainly a domestic player or international one?

Drzymała: Comarch is a global IT company with business operations in over 90 offices in more than 30 countries across six regions Europe, Middle East, Asia, Australia, North and South America. The Middle East region is strategically important for the company. We have been operating and implementing IT projects here since 2000. A year later the company was established in Dubai and opened its office there.

In 2019 we opened a new local Data Center located in Dubai (which operates alongside 13 others worldwide). We also decided to open a new subsidiary in Riyadh.

Can you outline the philosophy that encapsulates your firm and you the best?

From the very beginning, Comarch’s philosophy remains firmly based on three pillars: product innovation, business diversification, and individual approach to customer.

The company focuses on helping customers with digital transformation projects, building, and delivering its pro-

prietary software only for selected business domains, trying to make them bestin-class by empowering with domain knowledge and expertise.

What makes the company strong and helped us become resistant to global crises is business diversification in many dimensions - offering different products globally to different geographical regions, addressing varying industries, and various sizes of customers.

Comarch carries out projects for the leading brands in the most important sectors of the economy, including among others Financial Services, Telecommunication, Trade and Services, Public Administration, and Healthcare. In the case of the Financial Services industry, these are primarily solutions for Wealth Management, Open Banking Platforms, Loyalty and Customer Engagement Management, Business Intelligence, or Cyber Security.

Last but not least, what still distinguishes us from others is individual approach to our clients.

Grzegorz Prosowicz, Director, Comarch Consulting, and Przemysław Drzymała, EVP of Global Sales, talk to WealthBriefing Group Editor Tom Burroughes.

Grzegorz Prosowicz Director, Comarch Consulting

Przemysław Drzymała EVP of Global Sales, Comarch Consulting

GREAT PEOPLE AND FULL SUITE OF SOLUTIONS

In addition, our clients really appreciate our ability to provide offshore financing with onshore Indian assets as collateral while also providing advisory services in India with our physical presence in the country. Some of our competitors have limited onshore presence in India, and even the ones that have some physical presence in India, do not have the size of the balance sheet or the flexibility on lending that we can provide.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

What position would you like your firm to hold in its sector in five years’ time?

Diversification today is crucial: in a world that is polarized between East and West, there is interest in emerging markets to receive support from non-US banks and this is an opportunity we are seizing.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

Our success belongs to our people. Without their dedication and commitment, we would not have achieved what we have today, and I would like to congratulate all of them for winning this award together as a team.

Deutsche Bank IPB’s investment solutions offer a comprehensive suite of options to clients, especially differentiated by a market leading offering in capital markets. This opens a full suite of potential investment and financing solutions to clients based on their specific needs, catering across the spectrum from smaller private clients to complex ultra-high net worth clients and family offices.

Reflecting a trend of more wealth management-investment bank synergy in the private wealth management industry in Asia, we began our One Bank Solutions function in South Asia eight years ago, with the aim of delivering integrated wealth management and commercial/investment banking to large families and their companies.

There have been many obstacles across the board - very challenging financial markets, a realignment of entire supply chains for clients due to political and other issues, the continuing impact of selective COVID shutdowns in some locations etc., our strategy is to focus on how we can continue to add value to our target clients.

It is with this singular focus on solving for clients’ needs that we have managed to deliver the sort of business growth and results.

What are the main contributions do you think you bring to the wealth management industry?

In our opinion, Deutsche Bank’s combination of intellectual capital, creativity and entrepreneurial flair has always been what sets us apart from the competition when it comes to providing solutions for our NRI and NRP clients. These qualities will always be relevant.

Through our One Bank collaborative approach, we look at our client’s portfolio and try to explain to them – as an entrepreneur – how their private wealth, private investments, real estate, and company correlate to each other and to the market, and we try to deploy those investments in a way that balances out volatility across their portfolio.

In the next three to five years, we believe India and Southeast Asia will represent the most important growth opportunity. We have the right size to bring for personal wealth and solve for corporate needs together: in our opinion this is also something that also sets us apart from most of our competitors.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm/you the best?

We strive to invest in people, technology, advisory and investment solutions. They underscore our ambition to grow our client franchise in one of the world’s fastest growing regions where wealth creation and entrepreneurial activity are enjoying strong tailwinds.

We believe the Global South Asia business at Deutsche Bank has established itself as one of the market leaders in serving NRI clients, and other clients from the sub-continent through a multi-pronged strategy focusing on the right client segment, a comprehensive investment and financing product suite, coupled with sensible risk management.

Amrit Singh, Head of Global South Asia Wealth Management, Deutsche Bank, sets out his firm’s achievements to WealthBriefing Group Editor Tom Burroughes

WINNER

PRIVATE

Amrit Singh Head of Global South Asia Wealth Management, Deutsche Bank

A DIVERSIFIED OFFERING THAT PUTS CLIENTS AT THE CENTRE

Emirates NBD, the leading banking group in the region, was formed on 16 October 2007 to become a regional consolidation blueprint for the banking and finance sector. It combined forces of two leading banks to form a banking champion capable of delivering enhanced value across corporate, retail, private, Islamic and investment banking throughout the region.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

We offer clients a diversified offering across retail banking, wealth management, wholesale banking and trade finance, Islamic as well as investment banking.

Our offering gives Emirates NBD Private Banking Advisory Services an edge - we place our clients at the heart of decision-making, understand their true investment objectives and offer best in class investment strategies whilst utilising an open architecture product offering to bring them to life.

Our approach to advising clients on their investments follows a systematic process that involves a thorough understanding of their needs, a portfolio constructed with carefully selected products, periodic reporting and regular re-balancing.

Through our relationship managers we

are encouraging our traditional clients to make the shift to our digital banking channels viz. our Mobile Banking App, Online Banking and Table Banking platforms for everyday transactions such as making transfers, remitting funds or paying bills, as well as accessing their investment portfolios, performing trades online conveniently and even applying for IPO subscriptions for major local and regional company offerings.

In line with Emirates NBD Group’s long-term commitment to the sustainability agenda, Emirates NBD Private Banking has taken active strides towards expanding its environmental, social and governance charter.

Where in the world do you operate –are you mainly a domestic player or international?

Emirates NBD has an ever-increasing presence in the UAE, GCC and across the globe, with over 1,000 network branches and international presence with operations in 13 countries.

We have dedicated Private Banking offices in the United Arab Emirates (headquarters in Dubai with a branch in Abu Dhabi), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Khobar and Jeddah), the United Kingdom (London) Singapore and India.

What does success look like to you –can this be measured in hard numbers, or in qualitative ways, or both?

At Emirates NBD, client experience is key. Customer-centricity and a tailored banking experience are exceedingly important for us.

For example, our concierge based online ordering platform “Moments of Delight” offers money-can’t-buy lifestyle and fine dining experiences to discerning clients. We also aim to instill a culture of service excellence in our staff, through programmes such as Customer Experience Month. Our theme 2021 was #iownit in line with our goal to become a truly worldclass service brand through customer centricity and continuously enhancing experiences. We think that our employees are the most valuable ambassadors of our value proposition. Our dedication to providing our customers with a superior experience has yielded a CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) score of 8.8 and an NPS (Net Promoter Score) of 65 in 2022.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm/you the best?

Our investment experts, along with a qualified, futuristic CIO office help identify opportunities for our esteemed clients to grow and preserve their wealth based on strong convictions resulting from deep local and regional expertise combined with a global outlook across asset classes, sectors and geographies. This, coupled with solutions across trust and estate planning, Lombard Lending, real estate advisory and trade execution services (to name a few) provide an array of bespoke offerings designed for the discerning private banking client.

Saod Obaidalla, Executive Vice President, Head of Private Banking, Emirates NBD Private Banking, sets out the reasons for its achievements.

WINNER: Tim Denton, Habib Bank AG Zurich

WINNER: Bank of Singapore

WINNER: Barclays Private Bank

WINNER: Deutsche Bank

WINNER: BNP Paribas Wealth Management

WINNER: BNY Mellon Wealth Management

A LOVE OF HELPING FAMILIES TACKLE PROBLEMS

as well as helping with the introduction of the DIFC wills and probate regulations.

Who and what has most influenced you in your career?

The logical mindset developed during my engineering degree added to the drive and structure from my time in the army, have certainly influenced my style. Two of the major people influences were Rodney Allen (then head of EMEA WS at Citi) who was willing to invest in developing my WS skills and Mike Troth (then head of WS APME at Citi) who was a great coach and mentor for several years.

If there was one thing that you could change throughout your career, what would it be and why?

If there was one thing I would change, it would be to bring forward the introduction of the DIFC & ADGM foundation regimes. In the short period since these were introduced, they have revolutionised the key area of structuring UAE assets.

Tim graduated as a Mechanical Engineer and served for 6 years as a commissioned officer in the Royal Engineers. He began his banking career with Citi in London in 1995 and started wealth structuring (WS) in 2000. After covering multiple markets, he started to focus on MENA and he moved to Dubai with his family at the start of 2004. He moved to Barclays in 2009, to establish MENA based WS advice and in 2017 Emirates NBD asked Tim to join its private bank to upgrade its WS offering. In 2021 Habib Bank AG Zurich asked him to join and to set up WS from scratch for them.

What do you see as being the driving factors in your career?

Driving factors have been a love of dealing with families and in helping them to resolve complex planning needs. Rather that push into more senior management positions, I chose to stay in client facing roles and still enjoy every new client challenge.

Tim qualified as a TEP in 2007 and has served for the last 10 years as a STEP Arabia committee member in various roles including as the chairman. During his time in the region, he has been involved in various matters, which include reviewing the first DIFC trust law in 2005,

The wealth management industry has seen many changes over the years; what do you see as the challenges that we see now in the MENA region?

One of the big challenges that I see for clients who need help in structuring their wealth, is that they are faced with two choices. On the one hand are the fiduciary service providers (bank or independent) who do not charge for advice but will always promote their own solutions ahead of other options.

The second choice are private client lawyers, who provide truly independent advice, but charge the client to get to that solution. With HBZ I have been able to design a WS offering that is based on my 20plus years of helping clients. Private Banking clients can access fully independent WS advice on a complimentary basis. The advice focuses on their holistic needs, both on and offshore. Implementation if they wish to act, is via a non-commercial referral to one of a panel of trusted providers, so they get complimentary advice and an open architecture to implement it.

As HBZ is a privately owned and family run business, the clear and deeply felt direction is not to focus on the next quarter’s results or how many products have been sold, but on the long-term mutigenerational needs of the clients and their families. In this environment, WS is to the fore of many discussions and it is an environment that any wealth structurer would relish.

For years, there was little or nothing that could be done to structure local assets and the introduction of foundations is making a huge difference to many families. Had they been introduced sooner, some of the big family disputes that have happened, could potentially have been avoided.

Tim Denton, Head of Wealth Structuring, Habib Bank AG Zurich, talks to WealthBriefing Group Editor Tom Burroughes about what has led him to award-winning levels.

“

Tim Denton

Head of Wealth Structuring, Habib Bank AG Zurich

A TENACIOUS DRIVE TO SET A DIFFERENT APPROACH

increasing number of women at the senior management level of our industry.

What are the main contributions do you think you bring to the wealth management industry?

I rely on my both experience and values, which help me make good, sound decisions as well as solve and overcome complex situations. As a mother of two, I have taught my children to stick to their values and I am a strong advocate of the HSBC culture of speaking up which builds support and trust and enables us to thrive at work.

Where in the world do you operate – are you mainly a domestic player or international?

HSBC Private Banking Switzerland is an international player servicing clients around the world ensuring that every aspect of their wealth requirements is catered to. We have a team of international specialists to design, tailor and help our clients implement solutions to grow, manage and preserve their wealth.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

Over the last 40 years of my career, my perseverance, tenacity, and my mindset to never let go have enabled me to overcome many challenges, including successfully navigating a male-dominated industry.

As a woman, I have been able to offer a different approach and angle to tackle obstacles and bring alternative solutions which have earned me credibility and recognition amongst my colleagues and clients. I am pleased to see an

I have been mentoring for over 15 years, supporting, and developing talented women at more junior levels who have in turn become successful leaders over the years. Leading by example and being role model for colleagues is important to me.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

This recognition is not just for us but also for our clients. It is also a testament to the hard work that is achieved by our teams, the strength of our strategy, and how we go the extra mile for our clients.

The award also recognises how HSBC promotes equal opportunities for all, with diversity and inclusion in its DNA; something that I live and breathe in the senior roles I hold within the bank.

At HSBC we create strong partnerships with our clients, ensuring they can rely on our strong balance sheet and outstanding expertise. Our ability to seamlessly link clients with opportunities worldwide for both their commercial and personal wealth needs is also a significant added value of the banks’ impressive global footprint.

Maria-Gabriella Burgio-Chiappa, who is Managing Director and Business Head for Key Clients at HSBC, talks to WealthBriefing.

Maria-Gabriella Burgio-Chiappa Managing Director and Business Head for Key Clients, HSBC

“THIS RECOGNITION IS NOT JUST FOR US BUT ALSO FOR OUR CLIENTS. IT IS ALSO A TESTAMENT TO THE HARD WORK THAT IS ACHIEVED BY OUR TEAMS, THE STRENGTH OF OUR STRATEGY, AND HOW WE GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR OUR CLIENTS. THE AWARD ALSO RECOGNISES HOW HSBC PROMOTES EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL, WITH DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN ITS DNA; SOMETHING THAT I LIVE AND BREATHE IN THE SENIOR ROLES I HOLD WITHIN THE BANK.”

HURIYA BREAKS DOWN BARRIERS FOR CLIENTS

Where in the world do you operate –are you mainly a domestic player or international?

We have strategically located offices internationally, with our head office being in Dubai, UAE. The other office locations of Huriya Private include Qatar, Switzerland, Albania, and Cyprus. Each of our offices are run by industry experts who have local knowledge and a strong professional network within their jurisdiction.

However, Huriya Private’s services are not limited only to the locations of our offices. We assist clients internationally, whether this be helping them to setup an offshore company in the Cayman Islands or the Isle of Man or assisting them with obtaining citizenship in Europe or the Caribbean. Our services are offered to multi-national clients and are provided globally.

We feel that it is imperative to be able to assist clients internationally to be able to provide them with the best solution that meets their requirements. Limiting a client to one jurisdiction would defeat the purpose of what Huriya Private stands for, and what we strive to achieve. We aim to break down barriers and limit restrictions by allowing our clients the freedom to travel visa free and to expatriate their wealth in the most commercial, cost-effective way.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and colleagues?

The WealthBriefing network provides us with access to current and exclusive industry research on the global wealth management sector. It also provides us with the opportunity to interact with like- minded individuals, make contacts and expand our professional network. The Awards are a bonus of being part of this community. They offer tangible recognition to the leaders in our industry.

For Huriya Private, it is an honour to be issued with this award. It provides us with exposure and enables us to promote our achievements to our staff, clients and peers. We feel grateful to be a part of this community and to gain recognition for the success and accomplishments that Huriya Private has had to date. We hope to continue growing as a key player in our industry and to remain a reputable member of the WealthBriefing network.

What does success look like to you – can this be measured in hard numbers or qualitative ways, or both?

The simple answer is both. Of course, we have internal financial targets, but to achieve these we need to also meet our qualitive objectives. For Huriya Private it is equally important that we have fulfilled staff, satisfied clients and that we are able to give back to the community.

Huriya Private Foundation plays a big part in what we do. It is a non-profit organisation that was setup as part of our CSR initiatives. Huriya Private Foundation aims to make a difference to the lives of children and communities within the Middle East and Asia by relieving poverty, advancing education, and assisting with the advancement of the arts, culture, heritage and science.

Can you sum up the philosophy of your firm?

Essentially, it all boils down to putting people first. Putting our clients first by ensuring that they are provided with the highest level of service and offering them tailor made solutions that meet their requirements and expectations.

Ensuring that our staff are fulfilled and that they have the relevant training and support to ensure that they can carry out their roles to the best of their abilities. And finally, giving back to communities and individuals in need via charitable initiatives.

John Hanafin, Founder & CEO at Huriya Private, talks to WealthBriefing on why this firm has been such a success.

WINNER

CITIZENSHIP/ IMMIGRATION PROGRAM OFFERING

Huriya Private

“FOR HURIYA PRIVATE IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE FULFILLED STAFF, SATISFIED CLIENTS AND THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.”

John Hanafin Founder & CEO, Huriya Private

MARKAZ SUCCEEDS WITH OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT

in mind, we had to increase the level of knowledge of our stakeholders before structuring, licensing, and offering our investment products.

What are the main contributions you think you bring to the wealth management industry?

As of September 2022, our assets under management reached $3.67 billion.

What does success look like to you?

What do you think makes your organisation successful in its chosen field?

Over the past 48 years, Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” has firmly established itself as a leader in asset management and investment banking in the Middle East and North Africa region, a reliable partner of choice in wealth creation.

What enabled us to succeed is our commitment to the development of our employees, with a capacity-building program to ensure all team members understand and implement our core values and are ready to lead at a moment’s notice. Our domain knowledge is also passed down by senior executives to our junior employees.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome?

Obstacles exist for a reason. These make us grow stronger and wiser, while at the same time act as a gatekeeper to keep any imitators at bay. Markaz is recognized as a company of firsts; first funds, first REIT, and the first fixed income department in Kuwait. With this

Over the years, we have developed pioneering new concepts that resulted in the creation of new investment channels that enjoy unique characteristics and help us to broaden investors’ horizons. Notable examples include Mumtaz, the first domestic mutual fund; MREF, the first real estate investment fund in Kuwait; and Forsa Financial Fund, the first and only options market maker in the GCC since 2005, all of which have been conceptualized, established, and managed by Markaz.

In addition, we have developed a comprehensive suite of wealth management solutions through four main verticals –Investment Banking, Advisory Services, Listings, and Restructuring.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

Over nearly five decades since its establishment, Markaz has been recognized with dozens of industry awards. These accolades strengthen our standing in the financial services sector in Kuwait and globally.

This latest award is a tribute to the talents and dedication of our wealth managers, who have made their mark in wealth generation by creating bespoke roadmaps for the investment journeys of our clients.

Where in the world do you operate – are you mainly a domestic player or international?

Markaz is headquartered in Kuwait and currently has a presence in 13 countries.

Markaz measures success both quantitively, by the growth in value that we create for our clients and stakeholders, and qualitatively, through the knowledge we create and disseminate throughout our society. For example, the Markaz Brand has graduated several heads of sovereign funds, quasi-government institutions, and large corporations across different industries.

Whom do you look to in terms or ideas and inspiration?

Operating within the financial sector, we benefit from exposure to diverse industries. This helps us to cross-pollinate ideas and transfer knowledge. Inspiration comes from everywhere, whether through enriching our understanding of different cultures or recognizing the importance of history and how it shapes the future.

What do you like most about the wealth management industry, and what do you like least and would most like to change?

It is tremendously rewarding to be in a position where we can help people achieve their goals and build enduring legacies for them and their families. This is all the motivation we need to continue to aspire to new heights of excellence.

Abdullatif W Al-Nusif, Managing Director – Wealth Management and Business Development, Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz”, talks about his organisation’s prowess.

Abdullatif W Al-Nusif Managing Director – Wealth Management and Business Development, Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz”

Look beyond today and invest for the next generation

As a family-owned company, we take a long-term and holistic perspective when selecting the best investment opportunities for you and structuring your portfolio. www.lgt.com

© LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

TAKING THE LONG VIEW AT LGT MIDDLE EAST

Goeres, Senior Executive Officer, LGT Middle East, talks to WealthBriefing Group Editor Tom Burroughes

multi-generational client issues, which comes in handy with our clients in the region who own family businesses.

Where in the world do you operate –are you mainly a domestic player or international?

LGT’s roots are in Europe, but we are now a leading international private banking and asset management group with a considerable portion of our assets outside Europe. We have been expanding considerably in the region for more than ten years now – and we aren’t finished. We’re hiring in the Middle East, and we’ve just expanded our offering in India, Japan, and Australia as well. This is part of LGT’s long-term international strategy, fully supported by our owner.

What do you like most about the wealth management industry, and what do you like least and would like most to change?

This is a great industry but if there is something I could change, it’s the impression that wealth managers only call because they have a product to peddle. A trusted quality adviser isn’t pushing products: they are adding value as a holistic and client-centric advisor to individuals and families.

What I like most is every day, every client, every situation is very differentand circumstances can change quickly. I thrive on the quickstep between the human factor of empathy and financial market, geopolitical, and macroeconomic knowledge.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

We believe success begins and concludes with our clients. We want to genuinely understand their situation and needs, communicate from an intelligent and empathic place, and offer them ideas, honest feedback, solutions, or even potential connections such as to fellow philanthropists. We measure our success in how well we do this consistently.

Our owner, the Princely Family of Liechtenstein, comprises a huge factor in our success. We take our role in business and society very seriously, and our interests are closely aligned with those of our clients. For clients, it is reassuring to know that we won’t just be here today and tomorrow, but well into the future: our regional commitment is firm and unwavering. Our owner is entrepreneurial and thinks in centuries and generations, not quarters. This allows us to take a uniquely long-term view for and with our clients.

The other important factor that family ownership offers is an understanding of and experience in dealing with complex,

What position would you like your firm to hold in its sector in five years’ time?

It’s less about LGT holding a position than it is about our clients, doing what is sensible, helpful, and insightful by them, and ensuring they are satisfied with what we are offering them. I would like LGT to be perceived as a holistic wealth manager which can just as deftly manage your investments as have an intelligent, informed conversation about potentially thorny issues to families, like governance or succession.

I’d like for our clients in the region, which has a rich tradition of giving, to be drawing on LGT’s expertise and experience in areas like philanthropy, sustainability, or impact investments. The Princely Family’s view is that wealth itself isn’t a purpose, but that it comes with a sense of responsibility. Being wealthy means embracing and acting on that responsibility, as well as passing these values on to the next generation.

As LGT grows larger in international markets, we see a similar approach to philanthropy in other cultures and countries, including those in the Middle East.

Sebastian

“I THRIVE ON THE QUICKSTEP BETWEEN THE HUMAN FACTOR OF EMPATHY AND FINANCIAL MARKET, GEOPOLITICAL, AND MACROECONOMIC KNOWLEDGE.”

Sebastian Goeres Senior Executive Officer, LGT Middle East

forward.

We’re living through a perfect storm of uncertainty: Climate. Geopolitics. Inflation. Recession.

But it’s for times like these we exist. With over 225 years of experience, we know there is only one way through this storm: forward.

For an unstoppable sustainability transition is already well underway, revolutionising Energy, Food, and Materials systems.

Transforming our entire economic model far more fundamentally than many imagine.

With forward-minded investment solutions our role is to calmly guide our clients.

Towards a future that has already begun. Find out more at LombardOdier.com

THE BESPOKE APPROACH DELIVERS FOR LOMBARD ODIER

We have offered Islamic investment solutions since 2012. It includes, our Shariah discretionary mandate, under the umbrella brand “Lombard Odier Assayil”. Lombard Odier continues to develop its Shariah mandates, together with the eminent Shariah Supervisory Board and Scholars of Amanie Advisors, who certified the mandate as Shariah-compliant in 2018. The natural symbiosis between Islamic finance and responsible investing fits well with Lombard Odier’s long-standing commitment to sustainability.

What are the main contributions do you think you bring to the wealth management industry?

‘Shariah compliant’. This mandate draws on our long heritage as a responsible investor and gives clients seeking Islamic solutions access to the full capabilities of Lombard Odier as a global wealth manager.

These awards are also a testament to our commitment to the region and our belief in its future as an increasingly important economic hub and wealth market. Our mission is to build a strong footprint in the Middle East.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm?

Lombard Odier is proud to have won ‘Best overall International Private Bank (HQ outside MENA region)’ and ‘Best Shariah-Compliant Wealth Management Offering’ at the WealthBriefing MENA Awards 2022.

Arnaud Leclercq is managing the Middle East activities of the Swiss private bank for 15 years. The bank itself has been committed to serving its clients in the Middle East for more than 60 years.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

The experience, stability, and security that we offer are rooted in Switzerland, where Lombard Odier was founded. Having served clients in the Middle East for over half a century, we have a deep understanding of their specific needs. Our approach is bespoke, and we build our offering around our clients’ needs, which is a key differentiating factor. For example, our discretionary Shariah mandate is not a one-size-fits-all fund like many others in the market, but a fully customisable solution.

Lombard Odier has been a privately-owned family business for seven generations, and we have always believed in acting with integrity and responsibility. Our partners are entrepreneurs, like many of our clients, and share most of the same concerns on succession and wealth transmission. We thus apply with our clients the same family principles that have driven our business since its foundation: integrity, responsibility, and long-term vision.

As a privately owned firm, we have the luxury of time where we can offer bespoke services with a focus on caring for, preserving and growing clients’ wealth over the long term, rather than rushing to meet short-term targets.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

These awards are an important international recognition of our expertise in the field of Islamic services. The Middle East is one of our fastest growing and most strategically important regions. Our Islamic offering has gained extraordinary momentum since our discretionary mandate was officially certified as

‘Rethink everything’ has been our philosophy for over 200 years and it is all the more relevant nowadays. We have always thrived on taking new and fresh perspectives throughout our history. This has allowed us to prosper through financial crises whilst growing our clients’ wealth.

We live in a fast-changing, unpredictable world, and must constantly challenge ourselves to offer new opportunities and tailored solutions to our clients.

We thus strongly believe that sustainability is a global shift that is already transforming our economies. We have made a very public commitment to embedding it into all our investment processes.

Arnaud Leclercq, Partner Holding Privé and Head of New Markets, Lombard Odier, talks to WealthBriefing’s Tom Burroughes about how the bank has achieved its status.

Arnaud Leclercq Partner Holding Privé and Head of New Markets, Lombard Odier

HUMAN CAPITAL AND THE JOURNEY TOWARDS EXCELLENCE

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

This award reaffirms our faith and commitment in the journey towards customer excellence. It proves our resilience, our business savviness, long term vision for MCL and the role we want to play in the market. Our team is now well geared to face newer challenges and a larger market share for ourselves. We will continue to build on our strengths whilst working on identified areas of weakness.

This award will remain a testimonial of customers trust in us as their advisor and for all our banking and channel partners as a true companion. Needless to mention that this award ultimately is reflection of all the work the MCL team members have put in and we truly and dearly remain indebted to each of them.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

Private banking business is a challenging business with constant evolvement of products offering. We have taken conscious efforts to keep the team updated with new market and product nuances so that they are better equipped to provide adequate investments solutioning to our customers on one hand whilst maintaining the same standard in managing our custodial partners and coming up with newer product ideas and offerings thus giving better service and delivery in all aspects from any of the private banks.

Whom do you look to in terms or ideas and inspiration? What other business sectors do you follow for ideas?

We look to seek inspiration from every successful business entity in DIFC, our customers, our employees and even our competitors whether big or small. This philosophy helps us to understand each and everybody’s unique positioning with clients, their strengths, and areas of improvement etc. This helps us map ourselves on those measures and strive to aim for better. Our vision is to establish ourselves as an investment bank where we can cater to larger needs of our customers with renewed focus on client wealth maximization goals and adoption of newer and vibrant product offerings.

What are the main contributions do you think you bring to the wealth management industry?

Beyond the investment assets we manage effectively for our customer, we take pride in human capital, which is pivotal in managing our customers. Each individual working with MCL is clearly geared towards “customer needs”.

There is almost a perfect harmony when it comes to delivery of services for our customers either it be the relationship manager, the advisory team, the trading team or for that matter even the operations and support staff. This clear line of sight which converges and binds us together as one small yet effectively MCL family is our biggest asset class which we all collectively manage.

Mohammad Athar, Chief Executive Officer, Mabledon Capital Ltd, talks to WealthBriefing about why it has met high standards.

WINNER OVERALL EXTERNAL ASSET MANAGER (EAM) Mabledon Capital Ltd

“WE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD ON OUR STRENGTHS WHILST WORKING ON IDENTIFIED AREAS OF WEAKNESS. THIS AWARD WILL REMAIN A TESTIMONIAL OF CUSTOMERS TRUST IN US AS THEIR ADVISOR AND FOR ALL OUR BANKING AND CHANNEL PARTNERS AS A TRUE COMPANION.”

Mohammad Athar Chief Executive

Officer,

Mabledon Capital

Ltd

REFINITIV WEALTH SOLUTIONS

Wealth is all about people. Your clients.

And when every client is unique, o -the-shelf advice is simply o the table. Our solutions combine world-leading content with an intuitive workflow that lets you deliver personalised advice to every client to achieve greater financial wellness.

PUBLICATIONS

WealthBriefing is the leading subscription-based business intelligence service for the wealth management community, with the latest news, analysis and in-depth features from around the globe. WealthBriefing subscribers are part of an international community for whom staying abreast of the latest industry developments is a crucial part of their professional practice. Readers find our content on topics such as strategy, M&A, important people moves, investment management and asset allocation to be an essential resource in a fast-moving world.

The Asia-Pacific region’s meteoric rise as a major wealth management market has sparked huge demand for region-specific business information. WealthBriefingAsia was launched in 2009 to satisfy this growing information requirement, and it is the only wealth management news site focusing exclusively on the Asia-Pacific region. Providing indispensable news, features and industry views that are always relevant and concise, WealthBriefingAsia allows subscribers to conserve that most precious of all resources: time.

WEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRIVATE CLIENT EVENTS AND AWARDS SERIES

A unique thought-leadership platform, WealthBriefing’s events foster intellectual debate on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry and are designed to be an optimal use of wealth managers’ precious time and present an excellent networking opportunity.

The North American wealth management market is one of the largest and most diverse in the world, and is markedly different from those in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Multi and single family offices in particular are a well-entrenched,integral part of the private wealth management landscape. Family Wealth Report provides need to know business intelligence in a convenient and easy-to-read format – straight to subscribers’ inboxes every day. Nowhere else will you find such high quality, in-depth and often exclusive content all in one place.

WealthBriefing has added to its offering for the global private banking and wealth management communities by running thirteen annual awards programmes for the family office, private banking, wealth management and private client communities. The awards programmes are focused around three main category groupings: experts (individuals and teams); products and services for wealth managers and clients, and institutions of all sizes and types

BESPOKE RESEARCH SERVICES

WealthBriefing has unrivalled access to the most senior wealth management professionals across the globe, meaning that our research reports represent guides to future best practice as much as being barometers of current industry trends.

Street, London, SW1H 0HW, United Kingdom

SUCCEEDING BY BEING IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF DATA

What are the main contributions you think you bring to the wealth management industry?

At Masttro, we believe the best way for a wealth owner to preserve wealth and legacy is by ensuring they remain in complete control of their wealth data. In a world where everything is only growing more complex, everything – beginning with wealth data – will be unstructured from here on out. That is why we utilize direct data feeds, artificial intelligence and machine learning: all of these solutions allow us to bring order and control to unwieldy fragmentation across alternative and direct investments, workflow inefficiencies within and across family offices, and more.

Importantly, this type of technology can only be successful if we maintain “wealth-owner centricity” as our operational North Star. Is our platform intuitive? Can institutional customers use our platform to provide insights quickly and deeply based on our platform? Can all of our users access get the reporting they need, how they need it? Can families themselves easily read and understand the comprehensive state of their portfolio, across investment vehicles, asset classes, and use that information actionably to further their goals? Our mission is to answer “yes” to all these questions. And we protect the client wealth data on our platform with military-grade security protocols, to ensure that we deliver on our promise to be an ally to wealth owners, their beneficiaries, and the advisors who serve them.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm/you the best?

Our clients, whether a single-family office or a larger institution, seek simplicity and 100% visibility in an increasingly complex world. So we built the world’s first full-view WealthData company. Our platform delivers the complete picture of a wealth owner’s liquid and illiquid investments. We understand WealthData, its potential, and its current value better than

anyone in our industry, and we know how to ingest and present it. We also understand how deeply personal and unique that wealth data is. That is why our industry-leading, military-grade security is so critically important (and a true differentiator). And we do all of that because we, too, believe a wealth owner should have total control over their world and their life, anytime, anywhere.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

There are two foundational pillars contributing to what we have been able to achieve as a firm. First – and we’ve said this before but it cannot be emphasized enough – at Masttro, we put clients at the center of everything we do. Our clients, our people, our product, our service, and our internal processes are shaped by a commitment to serve and empower our clients. Second – we have an empathic and performance-driven company culture that attracts and nurtures great talent. Together these are a positive feedback loop that elevates what we deliver.

Where in the world do you operateare you mainly a domestic player or international?

Our clients operate globally and, from its inception, Masttro has been a global company with local resources. We have offices in New York, Zurich, and Monterrey.

What position would you like your firm to hold in its sector in five years’ time?

The Wealth Management Technology sector is clearly lacking innovation because there is no reigning leader serving UHNW clients and professionals that serve them. Without the ability to adapt, there can be no discernable way to deliver unimpeachably strong advice or set the strategy for preserving and growing wealth well into the future. With our comprehensive Wealth Data platform, we believe Masttro is poised to be that adaptive, empowering industry.

Luis Ugedo, Managing Director, Masttro, talks to Tom Burroughes, Group Editor at WealthBriefing

“WE UNDERSTAND WEALTHDATA, ITS POTENTIAL, AND ITS CURRENT VALUE BETTER THAN ANYONE IN OUR INDUSTRY, AND WE KNOW HOW TO INGEST AND PRESENT IT. WE ALSO UNDERSTAND HOW DEEPLY PERSONAL AND UNIQUE THAT WEALTH DATA IS.”

Luis

Ugedo Managing Director, Masttro

Welcome to Mirabaud. Our raison d’être is to serve our clients and help them navigate a complex world while ensuring finance contributes to a better and fairer society for all. We have been doing this for more than 200 years. www.mirabaud.com

Mirabaud is one of the oldest private banking establishments in Switzerland with over 200 years of history in the private banking domain where we have looked after wealthy clientele of private, institutional, and corporate investors. We specialise in wealth management by taking a global, independent and customised view.

Asset management services with an active investment approach driven by strong convictions, along with the brokerage and corporate finance arm acting as financial intermediary and independent adviser for corporations.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

As a family-owned bank which is now run by the seventh generation of the founding family, we pride ourselves on both on our family approach and entrepreneurial approach. These two approaches are key factors in making us successful and allow us stand out within our field. We maintain long-term perspective in all our activities; as entrepreneurs, we think in terms of years, not quarters. Our priority is to serve clients with excellence and a highly personalised approach. This means we only pursue objectives that are fully aligned with our clients’ current and future needs.

Where in the world do you operate – are you mainly a domestic player or international?

Mirabaud group is an international player. It has substantially expanded its international operations over the last decade and now operates worldwide though a large network of offices. Currently, employing more than 700 staff, we are active in the

major financial centres around the world and currently deploy our expertise through our network of 16 offices around the globe including Europe, North America, South America and the Middle East.

Whom do you look to in terms or ideas and inspiration? What other business sectors do you follow for ideas?

In line with the entrepreneurial approach of the Mirabaud Group, we want to be innovators. We take inspiration from tomorrow’s disruptors and shapers of the lifestyle universe. Through our partnerships with key figures in the luxury and lifestyle sectors such as Renaud Dutreil; former French Minister of Small & Medium-sized Businesses and former President of LVMH North America and David Wertheimer; who is the 5th generation of a world-renowned fashion industry family. We can tap into niche investment opportunities that align the Mirabaud Group with the world of luxury.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm the best?

Our philosophy is based on our four core values: Independence, conviction, responsibility, and passion. These four values are essential to our DNA. Independence is linked to our entrepreneurial motives. Conviction is our belief in human talent, from the way we serve our client to the way we run our group as entrepreneurs. The sense of responsibility we have is anchored in our business and has been passed down from generation to generation; this is evident in our relationship with our clients, team, brand, and society in general. Lastly, at Mirabaud we believe passion brings motivation and dedication together to deliver excellent service to our clients.

Tom Burroughes, WealthBriefing Group Editor, talks to Alain Baron, Equity Partner at Mirabaud (Middle East) Ltd, on the firm’s success.

Alain Baron Equity Partner, Mirabaud (Middle East) Ltd

Living in the moment Planning for the future

Our wealth planners will work with you and your family to provide wealth management services that meet your needs – at this moment in time and for the future. At Nedbank Private Wealth, we understand what matters and that getting it right is a question of balance.

nedbankprivatewealth.com

WEALTH PLANNING | BORROWING | PRIVATE BANKING

Nedbank Private Wealth is a registered trade name of Nedbank Private Wealth Limited. Nedbank Private Wealth Limited is licensed by the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority. Registered office: St Mary’s Court, 20 Hill Street, Douglas, Isle of Man. The UAE representative office in Dubai is licensed by the Central Bank of UAE.

It’s a question of balance

HELPING CLIENTS NAVIGATE COMPLEX WEALTH CHALLENGES

Our foreign exchange service helps international and expatriate clients enjoy a consistent approach to managing their global finances. The ability to hold most major currencies, including AED, in their bank accounts means they can also hold assets in a local currency offshore, so they do not have to request frequent FX transactions.

We always strive to provide the highest levels of personal service and pride ourselves on developing long-term, trusted relationships with our clients. We provide a great mix of person-to-person support and travel to see our clients on a frequent basis. We also offer secure messaging, online and video services to maintain relationships, and ensure we always have the necessary knowledge to provide the best level of support.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field

Nedbank Private Wealth is a boutique private bank providing wealth planning and private banking services to a wide range of clients around the world. Our boutique size enables us to deliver a highly responsive and personalised approach tailored to suit each client, and this is the key to our success.

Through our offices in Dubai, London, Jersey and the Isle of Man, we pride ourselves on high standards of client service. Many of our clients have complex financial arrangements, with assets spread around the world, and we often manage clients’ assets across jurisdictions, which is particularly helpful for expatriate and international clients.

We manage more than £4.9 billion of client wealth across 15 currencies. We understand the opportunities that offshore finance centres, such as the Isle of Man and Jersey, offer for international clients, while still retaining the flexibility to move money onshore when needed, for example, if a client moves back to their home country.

Our comprehensive wealth management platform offers wealth planning, investment management, banking and

borrowing, all managed through a single private banking relationship in conjunction with our specialist teams. Clients have the flexibility to create a bespoke account that removes the need for complex chains of different providers, reduces their administrative burden and makes it easier for them to manage their wealth.

As our private bankers progress through the business, they retain their client base, which ensures we understand our clients and their values and can take a broad view of our whole relationship with them and their families, to help manage their wealth across generations.

Working with clients, and their legal and tax advisors, we can implement wealth structures to provide inter-generational wealth succession and philanthropic planning.

Through our specialist lending team, tailored borrowing can be secured against a range of assets to help meet clients’ long-term financial goals, such as cashflow and inheritance. We have extensive experience in the purchase of residential or investment properties in the UK. Clients can also borrow against their investment portfolios. Loans can be denominated in sterling, US dollars and euros, and offer flexibility in terms of structure, term and repayments.

To complement our personal approach, our online wealth services provide clients with convenient and secure access to their wealth, 24/7. Online payee management, international payments, Visa card management, and foreign exchange services make managing money quick and easy.

Retaining the WealthBriefing “Best Boutique Private Bank” award and being named “Best Private Bank for Overall Client Service” provide a strong, independent endorsement of our commitment to exemplary service. To receive the title of Best Boutique Private Bank for a fourth consecutive year reflects the calibre of our wealth management services and the consistency of our dedicated team. Our philosophy is to protect our clients’ wealth, advise them with integrity and make their lives easier.

Chris Jones, Private Banker, and Greg Smith, Office Manager, Nedbank Private Wealth, describe their firm’s accomplishments.

Greg Smith Office Manager, Nedbank Private Wealth

Chris Jones

Privater Banker, Nedbank Private Wealth

OPENING ACCESS TO HIGH-END BOUTIQUE PRIVATE BANKING

Where in the world do you operate –are you mainly a domestic player or international?

Founded in 2021 NPB (Middle East) Ltd. (NPB ME) is part of Neue Privat Bank AG, a Swiss full Service regulated private bank and a member of the Swiss Bankers Association. The office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market is the group’s first international location.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

As a new entrant into the UAE and the Middle East region, we have had to spend a lot of time and effort familiarising prospective clients about our group and value proposition.

We have benefited from having an exceptionally strong and experienced team leading the efforts, with existing deep longstanding client relationships.

Furthermore, there is an increasing awareness among local HNW individuals of the benefits that inherent in working with boutique wealth advisors; in terms of quality of advice and services, as well as the speed and flexibility of the decision making.

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

NPB ME’s founding mission is to bring together the best of two worlds: the independence and trust inherent in a local financial advisory company and the strength and stability of a Swiss regulated financial group.

In terms of our value proposition, we offer local clients access to traditional high-end boutique private banking services, meaning that they are tailored to meet the complex needs and expectations of the region’s high net worth individuals, backed by an individual financial planning approach.

As a group we do consciously do not use any own products when advising clients. This is because our goal is to act as the trusted advisor to our clients and we want to ensure that our client advisors are free to select the best products in the market, without bias or potential conflicts of interest.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

This award is particularly gratifying to receive as it is awarded by an independent panel of internationally renowned industry peers. Over the past twelve months, since launch, we have worked hard to establish NPB’s presence in the Middle East. This award represents a timely recognition of our team’s efforts and achievements.

What does success look like to youcan this be measured in hard numbers, or in qualitative ways, or both?

Although financial metrics are important in a self-evident way, to us success is viewed solely through a qualitative lens in terms of how satisfied clients are with our services. Therefore, we consciously do not set top-down financial targets for our advisors, as such targets would risk taking precedence over clients’ needs.

We have a very simple mandate for all our employees: do what is right for the client. We know that if we do this in the short-term, our business will thrive in the long-term.

Whom do you look to in terms or ideas and inspiration? What other business sectors do you follow for ideas?

We are constantly on the lookout for best practices that we can adopt to improve the value that we bring our clients. Although our number one priority

will always be to provide the best wealth and investment advice that we possibly can, as a service business looking after HNWIs, we also lean towards the hospitality and luxury industries for ideas.

Another source of inspiration is the technology sector. Amazon is a perfect example of the power of managing a business for the long-term, at the same time as having a relentless focus on improving the value that you bring to your clients. Borrowing from Amazon’s playbook, we strive to be the most customer centric wealth advisor in the market.

Amritaanshu Agrawal, Senior Executive Officer, NPB (Middle East) Ltd, talks to WealthBriefing Group Editor Tom Burroughes.

Amritaanshu Agrawal Senior Executive Officer, NPB (Middle East) Ltd

OCORIAN’S PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR CLIENTS WIN ADMIRERS

What do you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field?

I’d say it’s a combination of things. We have an amazing, dedicated and professional team in the GCC, who are excellent when it comes to delivering customer service and structuring, complying with global substance, governance and transparency rules, and ensuring privacy expectations are met.

But those skills are nothing if we aren’t giving our clients what they require – so the core of what we do is creating practical solutions for them. And this comes from a very distinct view of the family office and private client sector. We understand how the family office can be very wide in its scope – covering both corporate and personal requirements, from holding companies and real estate assets to foundations and succession.

By delivering integrated solutions for our clients across all these areas, if required, they get peace of mind that their wealth is protected, and their business is in good standing. As a result, we become a trusted partner and that’s what breeds further success.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

Family offices are still relatively nascent in the GCC and the region itself is still evolving in terms of regulation and the number of service providers. As a result, there can be a lack of clarity and slow implementation around any new laws and regulations – so we must monitor the environment both for ourselves and our clients to ensure we are on the top of our game as well as always remaining solution-oriented.

The newness of the sector also means there is a lack of talent and a skills shortage in the region. While this is gradually being resolved as a pipeline of qualified people is developed, we have created a

Nina Auchoybur Managing Director – UAE, Ocorian

strong presence in the recruitment market as well as bringing in talent from other Ocorian offices. We also focus on training and developing our people, so they have the highest level of skills.

What are the main contributions you bring to the wealth management industry?

I’d say one of the key things is educating all stakeholders about family offices and what they can offer. So, we contribute to raising their profile by attending or organising conferences, forums, and roundtables, for example.

We also sit down with and educate GCC families, including the next generation, about how their businesses can run effectively, and their wealth can be managed. We also work with regulators and other bodies to raise the profile of the sector.

As a prime example, there has been a misconception that private assets can’t be structured in the GCC due to the Sharia element or cultural norms and that all structuring must be done in finance centres such as Jersey and Luxembourg. However, the law changed a few years

ago to make structuring of local assets possible in the UAE.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and colleagues?

It’s great that the team is recognised for all their hard work and diligence – and all the late nights! It really lets them know that they are driving the business in the right direction. It’s also a reflection of the investment that Ocorian has put into that team and our presence in the GCC and is great for raising our brand profile.

What philosophy sums up your firm best?

We always collaborate with clients (and within our team) to provide the best possible practical business and personal wealth solutions, be that locally or internationally.

Nina Auchoybur, Managing Director – UAE, and Lynda O’Mahoney, Global Head of Private Client BD of Ocorian, talks to Tom Burroughes, WealthBriefing Group Editor, about their firm’s accomplishments.

Lynda O’Mahoney Global Head of Private Client BD, Ocorian

WINNER: Branford Capital Ltd

WINNER: Nour Tassabehji, CdR Capital

WINNER: Citi Private Bank / CitiTrust MENA

WINNER: Comarch

WINNER: Globaleye

WINNER: Maria-Gabriella Burgio-Chiappa, HSBC Private Bank

WINNER: Huriya Private

PWC SETS HIGH STANDARDS WITH COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

At PwC we have a significant focus on family-owned businesses through our distinct practice under the PwC Middle East EPB & FO. We advise families in the MENA region by assisting them in organising themselves vis-à-vis structures, rules and processes as they navigate generational transitions and challenges pertaining to ownership, investment and governance.

Our holistic approach and value proposition cover three key areas and services targeting the private wealth and/or business of the family, namely (i) global wealth structuring, (ii) the “Owner’s Agenda”, focusing on both ownership strategy and business strategy and (iii) family office setups and optimisation. As a result of this comprehensive approach that spans from wealth preservation to wealth creation and optimisation, and our specialist expertise, we have assisted a number of family businesses, high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs and royal families across the region in relation to their private and business affairs.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

One of the key challenges was transitioning our team members to a new organisation and platform being PwC. This involved adapting into a new culture, learning and applying a different strategy that is aligned with the firm’s overall strategy, maintaining client relationships whilst upholding the highest standards of ethics.

Global political and economic changes have had an impact on us advisors and our clients whether personally or through their business.

Though it does not come as an obstacle, previously we have focused on making clients aware by preparing them and their businesses for the new fiscal legislations in the UAE. These include the introduction of Corporate Tax and the introduction of BEPS Pillar two.

The post-pandemic economy and the geopolitical risks of the world today have caused immense pressure and impacted

Client’s and their businesses. PwC Middle East EPB & FO team’s main challenge has been to ease the process for our clients and help them by accommodating and adapting to the global and regional developments.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

Such prestigious awards reflect our dedication to our practice and boost our company’s recognition which positively represents the work we do. Additionally, the Awards recognise the hard work and achievements of our EPB & FO team.

Winning an award comes with new connections and networking opportunities. We are immensely appreciative, and we hope this recognition will build awareness about our PwC Entrepreneurial Private business and Family Office team and the services we can offer in the region.

What does success look like to you – can this be measured in hard numbers, or in qualitative ways, or both?

Measuring success is always difficult, while numbers play an imperative role, it is not the only KPI that our team uses to measure success. We believe success is about being able to help our clients and

participate in the safeguard and protection of their business, wealth or in some cases family relations.

We define success as the accomplishment of an aim or a purpose and stress the qualitative impact in what we do. It is highly rewarding when our clients come back to us for work or recommend us to peers.

PwC Middle East Entrepreneurial Private Business explains why it has been able to set high standards in the WealthBriefing awards programme.

WINNER: JTC

WINNER: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz”

WINNER: LGT Middle East

WINNER: Lombard Odier

WINNER: M/HQ

WINNER: Masttro

A TALE OF MEETING CLIENTS’ GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Tom Burroughes, Group Editor of WealthBriefing, interviews Nicolas Farah, Chief Executive Officer of REYL Finance (MEA) Ltd

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

There are three main aspects of our business that make us successful. The first is client focus: our clients here in the MENA region tend to be mainly international entrepreneurs and institutional investors, that have great expectations of us. Not only do they want us to grow their asset base but they’re also looking for support with their day-today businesses, as well as with such matters as succession planning.

The WealthBriefing MENA accolade that we received is for our fund management service but this is only one element of our business offering, as we include fund management into a broader and more complete set of client solutions that include our entrepreneur and family office services, corporate finance, asset services and asset management. We really put the client at the heart of these offerings. Secondly, our management structure is such that important decisions can be taken relatively swiftly, thereby never missing opportunities to do the right thing for the client.

Finally, we have a young and committed team that we look after particularly well and treat as part of the REYL family. I have almost no headcount turnover and we are proud of that sense of belonging and solidarity that exists in our teams.

Can you sum up the philosophy that describes your firm/you the best?

REYL Intesa Sanpaolo operates very much as a collegiate organisation, so everyone has a voice and is listened to. We believe in “SUCCESS. TOGETHER.” and the benefit of collective minds working to find solutions. An example of this is the collective contribution that the team made during the Covid crisis. Here we were facing a new challenge that no one fully understood, and I was impressed by how our teams adapted and proposed solutions to overcome those difficult moments.

REYL’s agility is stunning, and that nimbleness has allowed it to innovate, introducing new products, ideas or business lines. As an example, in the past few years the Bank launched an impact investing asset management business (Asteria Investment Managers & Obviam) and a new mass-affluent digital bank (Alpian).

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

Launching Reyl Finance (MEA) Ltd in Dubai in 2015 was challenging in that we were relative newcomers to the region; our brand was not widely recognised and we had to compete for business against large and established institutions. We viewed this as both a challenge and a blessing as it allowed us to start with a clean sheet.

Whom do you look to in terms or ideas and inspiration? What other business sectors do you follow for ideas?

I have an excellent team, a great executive committee and a fantastic and supportive board: I listen to them all. What I love about doing business in Dubai and the DIFC in particular is the great diversity that it brings. At Reyl Finance (MEA) Ltd., we have 12 nationalities, as many languages and a breadth of backgrounds and experiences – this makes for great teamwork and the generating of excellent new ideas, all of which leads to great inspiration.

How do awards such as this one make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

We have enjoyed a very successful track-record within the MENA region, with seven consecutive years of growth in assets under management. Being awarded “Best Overall Fund Manager” further cements our strong reputation and underlines why our clients entrust us with their money.

GLOBAL SCALE,

of experience in technology implementations and management, along with front-line knowledge of local regulations, industry practices and evolving market trends. We continue to grow our client base in all regions.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

Whom do you look to in terms or ideas and inspiration? What other business sectors do you follow for ideas?

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

SS&C continues to innovate with integrated solutions covering the entire investment lifecycle, enabling wealth managers to maintain higher client-advisor ratios, attract and retain the best talent, and boost their profitability. Our breadth of business lines, and our global scale aligned with our local presence in all our key markets, allows us to bring multiple benefits to our clients, unmatched by other vendors.

Our dedicated teams are composed of seasoned professionals with a wealth

Our industry is evolving. Client needs, technology and services are constantly evolving, and it is vital we continue to innovate in order to stay at the leading edge and remain a force in this industry. With such diversity in local regulatory requirements, market practices, instrument types and client expectations, a key challenge is to ensure our products and services have the flexibility and specialisation to cope with all these different market demands. Bringing together our world-class technology development capabilities with extensive on-the-ground knowledge helps us overcome the challenge and incorporate the required regional specificities into our solutions.

Where in the world do you operate – are you mainly a domestic player or international?

SS&C is a global operation, with resources and clients in all established markets. It is important to us that we maintain a strong local presence to supplement the global reach.

We strive to be seen as active members of all of our client communities. Feedback from clients, prospects and market influencers are all key elements of our innovation. SS&C also has a diverse and multi-skilled team, distributed across our geographical reach. Collaboration is key to our success. We use technology and culture to optimise collaboration and empower teams to drive the business forward.

We continue to demonstrate a client-centric company culture, and we are guided by principles which drive our ongoing success: Commitment to our clients, taking ownership, inspire teammates and innovate intelligently. Our growth is fueled by teamwork, and we reward innovation and professionalism. To quote one our employees: “Our customers rely on us to keep them at the leading edge of technology and services so they can provide better services to their clients.”

Sumit Sood, Regional Sales Manager at SS&C Advent, describes the firm’s success to WealthBriefing.

Sumit Sood Regional Sales Manager, SS&C Advent

Premium Swiss Wealth Solutions

TOUGH MARKETS CREATE DEMAND FOR SWISSQUANT’S EXPERTISE

1. Impact investing – all modules incorporate the highest level of investor choice reflecting personal values, preferences, and goals for both individual and global impact such as the choice to invest along the lines of identified ESG/SDG criteria

2. Ease of use – easy-to-understand flow and visualisation of portfolio status and projected outcomes including contribution to carbon emissions, climate change or social development goals

Being one of the first to incorporate sustainability in the portfolio process allowing investors to express and visually realise purpose-driven values, we stay on top of needs of wealth managers while catering to demanding Investors.

Growth opportunity: Fully automated discretionary portfolio management

Premium investment process: Valuable and reliable insight at your fingertips

For individual or aggregate portfolios, having a comprehensive risk component is unavoidable in volatile markets. At the heart of our wealth management platform are the real-time risk and optimisation engines developed over 17 years and managing over $1.8 trillion assets globally.

This core competence is a strong differentiating factor allowing not only the serious management of portfolios simultaneously, but also on an individual portfolio level the ability to explore future scenarios before making investment decisions. This gamification element has proven attractive to the next generation; short- and long-term scenarios support RM and investor with on-the-spot insight for smarter decisions.

With the advent of portfolio digitalisation years behind us, investor expectations are high. swissQuant’s ImpaQt WM platform offers a premium digital investment experience that transcends typical portfolio management (PM):

3. Flexibility - cloud-based/on-premise solutions adaptable to all systems to avoid legacy debt. Choice of multiple, easily integrated and continuously updated modules to be added at your discretion. Customised portfolio construction to fit your needs. Free choice of data providers to best enhance your investment process.

4. Speed and scale – risk and optimisation engines power the entire WM platform allowing for on-the-spot investor engagement, as well as aggregate PM at scale. Easy-to-use dashboard allows thousands of portfolios to be monitored with alerts showing those falling outside of constraints.

Relationship managers and investors drive our next innovations

Winning this year’s award for “most innovative wealth management client solution” for our goal-based wealth management module highlights our attempt to meet the demands of investors for a tool which simultaneously manages multiple identified investment goals, such as funding for real estate, education, or retirement, with ease. Combined with our AI-leveraged trade recommendation module, the probability to reach goals while respecting risk and timing preferences is calculated, while trades falling in line with personal criteria are recommended to reach those goals.

Partnering with the National Bank of Liechtenstein (LLB), the challenge was to give retail investors access to an active preference-driven and sustainability conscious investment tool.

The result was the development of wiLLBe, a hybrid wealth management platform targeting a new client segment falling between robo-advisory and wealth management. This 24-hour investor app reflects investors’ individual preferences (ESG, single stocks, sectors, etc.) and is accessible with a minimal investment.

Powered by swissQuant’s award-winning core technology the new platform allows an automated and scalable discretionary mandate process. This clearly separates it from robo-advisors and is true democratisation of WM. The technology is available as a white label solution and can be combined with asset management and banking services.

WealthBriefing awards

Over many years swissQuant has benefitted from this outstanding awards process. swissQuant thanks the team, with a special gesture of appreciation to the judging panels, for confirming our market value and giving us the opportunity to showcase our contributions to the industry.

Mohamed Louizi, COO, Deputy CEO of swissQuant Group AG, talks to WealthBriefing about the firm’s success.

Mohamed Louizi COO, Deputy CEO, swissQuant Group

Taurus Wealth Advisors Limited (Regulated by the DFSA)

Liberty House, Unit 501/502, 5th Floor

DIFC, PO Box 507128 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4320 5727

Taurus Wealth Advisors Pte Limited (Registration No. 200804751H)

3 Pickering Street #01-70, China Square Central Singapore 048660 Tel: +65 6222 1651

STRONG ETHIC AND HONEST ADVICE DRIVES TAURUS WEALTH ADVISOR’S SUCCESS

Please explain what you think makes your firm successful in its chosen field.

I believe that a key ingredient in the success of a business is the core ethics it imbibes in managing all its stakeholders. Given the nature of the business, we are continuously dealing with unpredictability; yet, the core premise of maintaining our clients’ interests at the forefront of our advice, is what assures us of the continued faith and confidence reposed in us by our clients.

The clients trust that while timing the market perfectly may not always be possible but providing honest advice that is free of conflict of interest and aligned with their interests and investment objectives (rather than driven by revenue) is what we have built our business on. As an organisation, we are focused on being provider agnostic which helps us to be true to our clients in giving unbiased and honest advice.

What have been the main obstacles you had to overcome and how did you do so to reach this level?

Impediments can turn out to be opportunities or obstacles depending on how you perceive them. Our capacity for adaptation and agility has been put to the test in a constantly evolving terrain and the current economic climate. We have taken this as an opportunity to reinforce with our clients that we are prepared to service them both through in-person engagements and digital platforms.

Another core challenge remains around attracting the right talent. Bankers who have been indoctrinated in a “targets-first” approach often find it difficult

to re-orient themselves to a “clients-first” approach.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues?

Put plainly, such awards make a marked difference in providing validation to our approach and efforts. Being awarded within a reputable and well adjudicated Industry program assures all of the discernment that underlies the review and selection process and adds positively to the industry-wide perception of the winners.

It is not just about industry recognition and reaffirmation of our team morale but also, importantly so for our clients. It is an independent testimony to the hard work that has been done.

I am confident that this accolade will help reinforce the level of comfort and confidence that our clients bestow in us, knowing that as an advisory firm, Taurus Wealth has been able to persevere through difficult and challenging markets while at all times maintaining the highest level of transparency, integrity and empathy towards their desires and needs.

What does success look like to you – can this be measured in hard numbers, or in qualitative ways, or both?

Most team members have been working with me for the better half of a decade, while few have been a part of the team for over 10 years. While profitability is important, our team is both our pillar of strength and our primary measure of success.

At Taurus Wealth, we embody values, such as respect, discretion, insights, integrity and trust. This was our ethos when we started the firm, and it remains so today.

Importantly, the success of the firm is viewed as an aggregation of the evolution and success of each of our colleagues within the client-centric approach advocated by the firm.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm/you the best?

Bhavnesh Thakkar, Chief Executive Officer of Taurus Wealth Advisors Ltd, explains to Tom Burroughes, WealthBriefing Group Editor, what has marked the firm apart this year.

WINNER

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) Bhavnesh Thakkar Taurus Wealth Advisors Ltd

Bhavnesh Thakkar Chief Executive Officer, Taurus Wealth Advisors Ltd

“I BELIEVE THAT A KEY INGREDIENT IN THE SUCCESS OF A BUSINESS IS THE CORE ETHICS IT IMBIBES IN MANAGING ALL ITS STAKEHOLDERS.”

THINKING OUT OF THE BOX. TO BRING YOU THE RIGHT SOLUTIONS.

FAMILY-OWNED, FAST AND LOCALLY GROUNDED: UNION BANCAIRE PRIVÉE’S RECIPE

Where in the world do you operate –are you mainly a domestic player or international?

Union Bancaire Privée (UBP), headquartered in Geneva, is a private bank of global span that has been active in the Middle East for more than 20 years. Initially operating only out of Switzerland, the region is now a core part of UBP’s business, especially as we have built on the success of our private banking services run from Dubai since 2012.

Can you sum up the philosophy that sums up your firm/you the best

There are three factors which make UBP stand out in the MENA region.

Firstly, as a family-owned bank, we operate with a flat structure and the family is closely engaged in every decision relating to clients. Our business agility with efficient processes and fast decision-making is a key differentiator compared to other banks with their layers of extra complexity.

Secondly, on the operational side, whether for account opening or everyday client enquiries, the response is more rapid than other banks, a service much appreciated by clients especially in times of market uncertainty.

Finally, as a private bank operating locally, with local knowledge, we are wellplaced to support advisory business and active client mandates.

Furthermore, we can draw on the expertise of specialists throughout our business, including private markets. Our strength and depth enable us to deliver on our commitment to provide strong service and innovative investment ideas. We also run a strong DPM team out of Geneva.

UBP’s approach is anchored by the Bank’s solidity, with our Tier 1 Ratio of 23.2 per cent (as 30.06.2022) being one of the highest in the sector.

Please explain what you think makes

your firm successful in its chosen field

Clients in the MENA region historically have had a strong appetite for investing in the private markets, which has only whettened in 2022 as clients look for decorrelated sources of wealth protection and generation to those of traditional assets. At times of volatility and uncertainty, opportunities can emerge from all sorts of sources and our expertise in the private markets and private equity spaces has allowed us to remain active in bringing a series of compelling deals to the attention of clients.

Established in 2015, UBP’s Private Market Group (PMG) composed of 35 members, gives UBP’s clients exclusive access to Private Equity as well as Private Debt, Real Estate and Infrastructure via the following strategies: Direct co-investments, secondaries, niche strategy funds and in-house funds. The PMG covers the whole investment process from the initial sourcing to due diligence, opportunity distribution and monitoring. As of June 2022, the PMG had raised total commitments of about SFr3.9 billion ($4.17 billion).

MENA clients particularly appreciate UBP’s global reach of sourcing, access to club deals, the swiftness of execution, and customization of approach to fulfil requirements.

What position would you like your firm to hold in its sector in five years’ time?

UBP’s Assets under Management for the Middle East exceeds $10 billion with management of this wealth split between

Geneva and Dubai. From our early beginnings, UBP has always been highly committed to the region. We have hired many experts and now have around 40 people in Dubai covering different Middle Eastern markets. We aim to continue recruiting and retain our teams so that they can shape a successful career. Our business strategy anticipates growth for the next two to three years and beyond. This commitment is reflected by our recent expansion of our office in Dubai.

How do awards such as this make a difference to your firm and your colleagues

This award shows that UBP is committed to cater to client needs in the MENA region. We want to build on this record of success with a promise of more to come.

Tom Burroughes, WealthBriefing Group Editor, talks to Mohamed Abdellatif, Site Manager (Dubai), Union Bancaire Privée.

Mohamed Abdellatif Site Manager, Union Bancaire Privée

WINNER: Refinitiv

WINNER: SS&C Advent

WINNER: swissQuant Group AG

WINNER: Mirabaud (Middle East) Ltd

WINNER: Bhavnesh Thakkar, Taurus Wealth Advisors Ltd

WINNER: Nedbank Private Wealth

WINNER: NPB (Middle East) Ltd

WINNER: Ocorian

WINNER: Union Bancaire Privée

WINNERS: PRIVATE BANKING CATEGORIES

BOUTIQUE

PRIVATE

PRIVATE

PRIVATE

PRIVATE

PRIVATE

We are proud and honoured to have received the WealthBriefing MENA ‘Independent Trust or Fiduciary Company’ award for our continued commitment to client service excellence and innovation. We would like to thank our clients, colleagues and partners

LEADING TOGETHER

We have a dedicated Middle East team with in-depth expertise in setting up and administering structures for private clients in the region. Our team of qualified professionals can support you on a wide range of fiduciary solutions, from simple holding structures to complex, sophisticated structures with multiple asset types under administration. We pride ourselves on the relationships we build with our clients and partners, and as an award-winning provider of private client services, we know we’ll be the perfect partner for you.