March was a brisk month for moves and hires in the region. Ironically, Credit Suisse – which is now being taken over by UBS – was among the most active in its senior appointments.

Julius Baer appointed Komal Syal as team head of Julius Baer global India Singapore team. She reports to Kunal Sumaya, group head, global India and Japan Singapore. Syal is an experienced wealth manager with more than two decades of experience in managing clients and teams across Singapore and London. Syal was with Julius Baer Singapore from 2016 to 2017. Prior to re-joining the bank, she worked at Standard Chartered, BSI and RBS Coutts, amongst others.

Ranjit Khanna joined Bank of Singapore as its global market head of Middle East and chief executive of its Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Branch. He succeeded Alexandre Lotfi, who is also the bank’s global chief risk officer, as the CEO of the DIFC Branch. Khanna came from Union Bancaire Privée, where he was its chief executive for Singapore. Before this, he was MD, head for Southeast Asia, Middle East and global NRI business at Coutts for almost six years. Prior to this, he was an MD at Bank Sarasin for a year. Khanna has over 25 years of experience in leadership roles across people, product and sales management with leading international banks, of which 13 years were spent in Dubai. A Singapore national, he has also lived and worked in New York as well as Singapore.

In his new role, Khanna reports to Jason Moo, BoS’s new chief executive. (Moo became CEO on 6 March, taking the helm from Bahrin Shaari, who retired at the end of December.)

A former Credit Suisse managing director in Asia joined HSBC Global Private Banking. HSBC appointed Henry Lam as regional head of wealth planning and advisory, Asia-Pacific. Lam is based in Hong Kong and reports to Siew Meng Tan, regional head of HSBC Global Private Banking, Asia-Pacific. 

Lam was most recently managing director, head of wealth solutions for APAC, at Credit Suisse, responsible for wealth planning advisory in Asia-Pacific and the insurance referral business globally. Prior to this, Lam worked for over two decades at UBS and was MD, head of wealth planning Hong Kong, where he led a team of wealth planners to provide wealth planning and trust advice to families in Asia-Pacific.

DWS appointed Vanessa Wang as Asia-Pacific head. She took over from Holger Naumann, who returned to Frankfurt as part of a planned retirement. Based in Hong Kong, Wang reports to Stefan Hoops, chief executive officer of DWS. She kept her role as head of client coverage, APAC. Wang joined DWS as head of client coverage, APAC in September 2021. Before this, she served in senior leadership roles at Amundi where she was responsible for the institutional business in North Asia and the US.

The former wealth management head for Southeast Asia at Deutsche Bank, Kwong Kin Mun, became vice chairman for wealth management in Southeast Asia at Credit Suisse. He is based in Singapore, reporting to Benjamin Cavalli, head of wealth management Asia-Pacific. With a total of more than four decades’ wealth industry experience, Kwong Kin Mun served in senior roles at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management as head of Southeast Asia, and also worked at DBS Private Bank as head of South Asia. He has also worked at Citibank, UBS, Standard Chartered and Merrill Lynch. He was awarded the Singapore IBF Fellowship in 2017 in recognition of his contributions to the private banking industry and was a member of the Private Banking Industry Group (PBIG) Committee for many years.

Asset manager SuMi TRUST appointed Katsutoshi Inadome as senior strategist. Inadome is based in the firm’s Tokyo headquarters and works with chief strategist Hiroyuki Ueno. Inadome, who has 18 years’ experience in the fixed income space, was previously a bond strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, where he was responsible for developing fixed income portfolio management strategies.

Union Bancaire PrivĂ©e appointed Paras Gupta as head of investment services for Southeast Asia. Based in Singapore, Gupta reports functionally to MichaĂ«l Lok and locally to Eric Morin, regional head, SEA. Gupta, who leads the discretionary portfolio management, investment specialists and investment advisory teams based in Singapore, remained as the regional lead for DPM with respect to asset allocation and controls. 

Following this re-organisation, Edouard Hoepffner left to pursue opportunities outside the firm. Hoepffner, who is senior managing director, head of investment services at UBP, will remain at UBP until the end of May. He has been at the Geneva-based bank since April 2016; prior to that, he was at Coutts for more than four years, based in Singapore.

3 Capital Partners, the Hong Kong-based private investment office that allocates capital for ultra-high net worth families in Asia, appointed Jonathan Shelley as chief operating officer and general counsel. Based in Hong Kong, Shelley reports to Alex Yu, chief executive officer and co-founder of 3 Capital Partners. Shelley joined from Allen & Overy in Hong Kong where he specialised in private equity fund formation and investments, including in secondary transactions.

Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking appointed Amit Tanna as head of coverage, India. Based in Hong Kong, he reports to Francis Ansvananda, head of coverage, South East Asia. In this newly-created role, Tanna manages Natixis CIB’s India client strategy, with a focus on originating event-driven transactions with Indian corporate clients in Natixis CIB’s core focus areas: renewables, digital infrastructure, tech and healthcare, as well as with financial sponsors and multinational corporations. He brought more than two decades of experience to the role. He joined Natixis CIB from Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong.

Partners Group, the Switzerland-based private markets firm, made three strategic additions to its Asia-Pacific wealth team. It appointed Jin Wang as managing director in its client solutions team, taking responsibility for institutional clients in the Greater China region. Wang joined from EJF Capital, where he was head of Asian investor relations, as a partner and member of the executive committee. It hired Vicky Yick as a senior client relationship manager and Carissa Lee as a client relationship manager.

ZEDRA, a global specialist in corporate and global expansion, active wealth, pensions and incentives services, and fund solutions, appointed Jon McKay as global head of legal. McKay, who is responsible for leading ZEDRA’s internal legal team and providing legal support to the business across all its service lines and offices, reports to ZEDRA CEO, Ivo Hemelraad.

Azqore, a digital service provider for wealth managers, and part of Indosuez Wealth Management, appointed Pierre Masclet as its chief executive. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, Masclet is a member of Indosuez’s management committee and reports to Jacques Prost, chief executive of Indosuez. He succeeded Pascal Exertier, who retired. Masclet has over 30 years of experience in wealth management within the group.

Credit Suisse appointed Neeraj Arora director, relationship manager, for the non-resident India (NRI) market. Arora is based in Singapore and reports to Bikram Sen, managing director and team leader for the NRI market. Arora has more than 21 years of experience in the wealth management industry, having worked for Julius Baer, Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong, Singapore and India. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Arora was with Julius Baer for more than two years where he was director, private banking, serving existing and new high net worth customers based in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Before that he spent almost 11 years with Citibank in India and Singapore.

Natixis Investment Managers in Singapore appointed Rushil Khanna as head of equity investments in the region, reporting to Dora Seow, CEO for Natixis IM Singapore. Khanna's role is a newly-created one. With 20 years’ experience in the industry, Khanna previously worked at Credit Suisse Asset Management, most recently as APAC head of equities and lead portfolio manager, based in Singapore.

Credit Suisse’s wealth management arm in Asia-Pacific made two senior appointments: Jerome Tan, managing director, head of investment consulting for Singapore, and Lok-hin Tsui, director, investment consultant, Singapore and Malaysia Market. Tan reports to Banz. In his new role, he is responsible for overseeing and managing the overall sales strategy and its implementation.

Tan is also the co-chair of the wealth management APAC advisory and sales committee. A veteran with Credit Suisse, Tan has been with the firm for more than 15 years. He has over 20 years of financial services experience in Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK. Lok-hin Tsui was previously with UBS Wealth Management Singapore for five years where he was director, equity/fixed income advisor advising ultra-high net worth (direct access) clients in Southeast Asia on investment ideas and execution. Tsui has 18 years of experience in the wealth management industry, having worked for DBS, Standard Chartered Bank and Merrill Lynch in the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Singapore.

LaSalle Investment Management announced two appointments. Kunihiko (Nick) Okumura succeeded Keith Fujii as chief executive officer of LaSalle Japan and was also appointed as representative director of LaSalle Japan. Itaru Nogami succeeded Ryota Morioka as fund manager of LaSalle Japan Property Fund, an open-ended core fund with total assets under management of more than JPY200 billion gross asset value ($1.45 billion). Fujii continues to serve LaSalle as head of Asia Pacific while Morioka departs the firm to pursue other interests. Yasuo Nakashima also stepped down as representative director of LaSalle Japan and departs the firm.

Commerzbank appointed Dr Tommy Wu as a senior China economist. Dr Wu, who joined the bank in in the last quarter of 2022, is based in Singapore. He reports globally to Dr Joerg Kraemer, a chief economist, and regionally to Nick Johnston, regional board member Asia. Wu started his career as an economist at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, covering China and Asia Pacific. He joined Oxford Economics in 2017 and was appointed as lead economist in 2020 where he led a team covering China and Asia-Pacific macroeconomic research.

Golden Equator Wealth made two senior hires: Rai Rummaan Kharal joined as a managing partner of wealth and capital and Haroon Tufail joined as an executive director. He concentrates on establishing and growing client relationships, assessing market opportunities, developing the business strategy for the multi-family office, and leading a team of family office advisors. He reports to Shirley Crystal Chua, founder and group CEO of Golden Equator Group.

Kharal brings more than 25 years of experience in wealth, investment management and international corporate banking. He was most recently executive director – market and team lead at Credit Suisse Singapore, where he built, managed, and expanded a team servicing ultra-high net worth family clients in the South Asian region. Before that, he was with Deutsche Bank for 18 years, in senior positions across corporate banking as well as investment and wealth management roles in Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Tufail, who reports to Kharal, focuses on providing investment and multi-generational wealth planning solutions for ultra-high net worth families. He brought close to 20 years of experience in wealth management and active portfolio management across various capital market products, working with UHNW clients and families in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Singapore. He was most recently director and relationship manager at Credit Suisse Singapore.

Gall, an independent Hong Kong law firm focusing primarily on dispute resolution, said Kelly Merris joined the firm’s Family and Divorce practice as a registered foreign lawyer (England and Wales). Previously she was working at Farrer & Co in London for five years. Admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2017 and as a barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 2012, Merris received a joint undergraduate bachelor of law and bachelor of arts (politics/economics) degree from the University of Western Australia.
 

PGIM, part of US-based Prudential Financial, appointed Murray Brewer as head of the institutional relationship group for Australia and New Zealand. Brewer is based in Sydney. He reports to Philip Hsin, head of IRG Asia Pacific (ex-Japan). Prior to joining PGIM, Brewer was country head of Australia for Capital Group. 

Global law firm Goodwin appointed Matthew Nortcliff to join its Private Investment Funds practice as a partner. Nortcliff, based in Singapore since 2010, represents clients with a particular focus on the real assets, private equity, venture capital, and technology sectors. He advises managers on the establishment and operation (including regulatory matters) of a wide range of funds, structured investments, and joint ventures. 

Credit Suisse appointed Jullie Kan as vice chairman and strategic client lead for Asia-Pacific. The appointment widened the geographic scope: she had been VC and strategic client lead for Southeast Asia. She continues to report to Benjamin Cavalli, who is head of wealth management for APAC, in her expanded role and provide senior client coverage of ultra-high net worth and key clients across the region. Kan joined the Credit Suisse Asia Pacific Foundation Board in February as a trustee and the SymAsia Foundation Limited as one of the board of directors.

Kan has more than 40 years’ experience in the wealth management industry. She joined Credit Suisse in 1998 as market group head for Malaysia. In addition to her role as market group head of Malaysia, she led the Singapore market between 2006 and 2008, and was appointed deputy head of private banking for Southeast Asia between 2008 and 2010. In 2013, Kan was appointed vice chairman for Southeast Asia.

Deutsche Bank appointed one of its senior figures, Rajesh Mahadevan, managing director, as the head of global South Asia at its international private bank. Mahadevan, who joined Deutsche Bank in 2011 from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, had previously worked at Citibank. Mahadevan has 22 years’ experience in wealth management across GSA coverage, products and advisory. He reports to Jinyee Young, head of the IPB, Asia-Pacific. Separately, Amrit Singh took on a strategic senior client advisory role working with and reporting to vice chairman, Anurag Mahesh.

RBC Wealth Management disclosed a number of hires in Asia. Tan Yuh Harn  joined in January as managing director, head of discretionary portfolio management and ultra-high net worth solutions, Asia. Based in Singapore, he reports to Juan Aronna, head of investment solutions and products, Asia.

Yuh Harn brings more than 25 years’ experience in portfolio management. Prior to joining RBC, he was senior portfolio manager, investment management APAC at Credit Suisse Wealth Management. He previously served in roles at UBS Wealth Management, where he was head, equity mandates and modules for Asia-Pacific, and at BNP Paribas Wealth Management, where he was a portfolio manager.

In February, Alvis Chan joined RBC as executive director, portfolio manager, UHNW solutions, based in Hong Kong and reporting to Yuh Harn. Before RBC, Chan was head of Hong Kong fixed income at UBS Global Wealth Management. Previously, he served in roles in fixed income, firstly at AIA International Hong Kong, before joining ICBC International Asset Management.

Julius Baer appointed one of its senior figures, Salina Cheung, as group head for Greater China. The position is a newly-created one. Cheung has more than 26 years of experience in private banking sector. She joined the Zurich-listed private bank in 2006 and has held various senior front office positions. Most recently, she worked on Greater China coverage as senior client partner.

Credit Suisse appointed former Taiwan-focused UBS banker Andy Kuo as director for the Greater China Singapore market, based in Singapore. At UBS, Kuo advised onshore Taiwan ultra-high net worth clients and their families. After completing his MBA programme in the US, he spent about 15 years in corporate banking before moving to wealth management.