ABN AMRO Private Banking has hired Hans-Peter Borgh as chief commercial officer for Asia and the Middle East.

Ravi Raju, managing director and regional head of private wealth management for Deutsche Bank in Asia Pacific, tells Hubbis how he is trying to use the firm’s universal bank capabilities to forge a competitive edge in the hearts and minds of the region’s entrepreneurs.

Mignonne Cheng, chairman and chief executive officer of BNP Paribas Wealth Management, Asia Pacific, reveals her strategy against the backdrop of one of the toughest periods for the industry in its history in this region.

Eric Schimpf, head of Macquarie Private Wealth in Australia, discusses the models and propositions that comprise a financial advisory offering which can deliver value to clients in today’s environment.

The agility and conviction with which individual private banks and wealth management firms in Asia respond to the many difficult strategic questions they face today will determine who will be the winners and losers within an industry set to take on a markedly-different look-and-feel.

There is no one answer to what the right approach or business model is to private banking and wealth management in Asia. But a clear and consistent strategy is a critical success factor.

As the approach of many HNW individuals to their wealth management relationships and portfolios becomes ever-more rational and professional, private banks and other advisory firms must make sure they understand what value now means to their clients – and then provide it.

The debate over the extent to which the future of wealth management and private banking in Asia rests on having an onshore business continues unabated. As firms carve out their own niches, they have a multitude of options to consider.

Vincent Duhamel, head of Asia Pacific and Japan at Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch, outlines what Swiss and other private banks must do in today’s new-look private banking landscape to adapt their business models in order to be successful.

Facing volatile equity and bond markets, increasingly demanding clients, and ever-watchful regulatory agencies, wealth managers must proactively find new ways to counter difficult industry trends if they hope to improve their performance.

Esther Heer, deputy chief executive officer of BSI Bank in Asia, explains to Hubbis how the firm is pursuing a model to deliver discretionary advice as a core offering, and reveals what it takes to make this a success.

Peter Flavel, chief executive officer of J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Management in Asia, the high net worth business (US$10 million to US$30 million) of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, tells Hubbis why the firm’s team-based model is the future for advice in this industry in the region.

Stephan Repkow, chief executive officer, private banking, at Union Bancaire Privee (UBP) in Asia, explains the firm’s business model and approach, and discusses how it is positioning itself in Asia to take advantage of the many opportunities it sees – but in a sustainable way.

India’s private banking and wealth management leaders need to think long term – and on a bigger scale than anything which exists today – if they are to take full advantage of the many opportunities in the market.

A recent report by Oliver Wyman has revealed the “white space” for sustained growth in Asia’s wealth management landscape – in the core-wealth segment of US$1 million to US$5 million.

At a roundtable discussion in Hong Kong in March 2012, co-hosted by Hubbis and J.P. Morgan, some of the leading EAM / IAM companies in Hong Kong came together to discuss and debate the various opportunities and challenges they face as part of this evolving segment of the local wealth management landscape.

Hugues Delcourt of ABN AMRO Private Banking explains the firm’s key business lines and strategic objectives for growing in Asia.

Kathryn Shih, chief executive officer for Asia Pacific, and group managing director, at UBS Wealth Management, talks exclusively to Hubbis about key issues for the industry in the region right now – including emerging opportunities for growth, how international private banks can stay relevant and profitable in today’s environment, and how UBS is positioning itself accordingly.

Hugues Delcourt of ABN AMRO Private Banking outlines the various challenges that private banks face in trying to differentiate themselves in Asia, and looks at what is required to do so.

While people and platforms form critical parts of the business strategy within wealth management in Asia, senior management from various private banks have different approaches in grasping the opportunities in the region.

Mignonne Cheng, chairman and chief executive officer of BNP Paribas Wealth Management in Asia Pacific, talks to Hubbis about her outlook and strategy for 2012 against the backdrop of one of the toughest periods for the industry in its history in this region.

Marco Bardelli of BDG Singapore reveals the firm’s growth strategy in Asia, especially in relation to getting more assets from local clients as it educates them further about its services and approach to asset allocation.

Francis Koh, professor of the Finance Practice, and director, MSc in Wealth Management, at Singapore Management University, talks exclusively to Hubbis about his outlook for Asia’s wealth management industry, and the role of Singapore as a regional hub.

At a roundtable discussion in Singapore in mid-December, co-hosted by Hubbis and J.P Morgan, many of the leading local EAM practitioners, including key representatives of the recently-launched Association of Independent Asset Managers, discussed and debated the various opportunities and challenges in this space.

Amid the many challenges private banks face as they chart their course in 2012, two ways they can look to differentiate themselves include professionalising the role of relationship managers on the one hand, and using technology as a way to enhance the client experience on the other.

Quick adjustments to asset allocations are required to cope with changing circumstances in 2012, such as the fiscal adjustment in developed countries and how the eurozone operates, according to ABN AMRO Private Banking in its latest quarterly outlook.

JPMorgan Asset Management expects to see attractive opportunities in the Greater China markets in 2012, particularly in consumption and banks in China, while paring back property and financial holdings in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Eduardo Leemann, chief executive officer of Falcon Private Bank, reveals to Hubbis his strategy for Asia, and the role he foresees for the region within his global business.

Private banks must be more targeted and critical in their strategy and growth ambitions to be profitable in Asia, especially given today’s challenging markets and industry fundamentals, reveals Michael Benz, managing director and head of global wealth management for Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management in Asia Pacific, in an exclusive interview with Hubbis.