HUBBIS WEALTH SOLUTIONS FORUM – DUBAI 2024

Shreya Rao (TEP) is a partner with AZB & Partners and co-heads the firm’s Private Client Practice. She advises promoter families, HNWIs, international private clients and their institutions on a range of issues, including the structuring of inter–generational wealth transfers through trusts and wills, the purchase and bequeathal of luxury assets, philanthropy and family governance structures. She has been recognized as one of Asia’s Top 15 Private Wealth Lawyers by Asian Legal Business, and is ranked in tax and private client law by the Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 reviews. Shreya is the lead jurisdiction editor for India for STEP and one of two Indian members of The International Academy of Trusts and Estates Law. She holds an LLM from the Harvard Law School.

Nirav is qualified as Chartered Accountant from Gujarat, India. Being an excellent academia, he has secured 6th Rank in Inter CA and 36th rank in CA Finals. He then moved to KPMG in Mumbai and had specialized in International Tax and Finance and is advising on various cross border transactions from International and Domestic Tax and Regulatory perspective. His skills help companies do set up right Corporate Holding structure for the group, Evaluation of New Business/Investment Opportunities, Strategic Inputs/Reviews for businesses and Managing Compliance issues. Nirav has a 25 plus years’ experience from own practice to leading consulting firm to working with large family-owned corporate group. He has a hands-on experience of establishing and managing structures and compliances in more than 12 jurisdictions; evolving suitable corporate structures for holding companies, acquisition of business, financing, and IP optimization structures; establishing suitable family structures for Asset protection, succession planning, efficient ownership, and valuable experience of operating in multiple jurisdictions. Nirav had successfully conducted VAT Trainings for Dubai SME, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) Dubai, Jain International Trade Organization (JITO) Dubai and Indian Business & Professional Council (IBPC) Dubai (to name a few), with a total participant of around 1,600+ Professionals who work from 550+ Companies, coming from the 7 Emirates of UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah). Nirav is also a full member of Society of Trust and Estate Planners (STEP).

Tim Denton is a qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and is the Head of Wealth Structuring for Habib Bank AG Zurich, based in Dubai. Tim has over 20 years of experience in structuring wealth for private banking clients and has lived in Dubai for 18 years. Tim has previously worked for Citi, Barclays and Emirates NBD private banks, as well as being a former chairman (and current committee member) of the Middle East branch of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP Arabia).

Philippe Amarante is a Managing Partner at Henley & Partners and the Head of the firm’s Dubai and Pakistan offices. Philippe has been successfully advising private and institutional clients across industries, countries, and cultures for over 15 years as a successful business, relationship, and brand builder. Before his current role, he served as the Global Head of Brand and Group Marketing Strategy at Credit Suisse Group. Philippe is a strategic thinker who enjoys a hands-on approach, delivering results across board and governmental levels in complex and international environments. His interests include nascent technologies and emerging business models and related trends. Philippe also has experience in non-profit organizations and luxury, retail, and finance industries.

Sunita is a well-known authority and legal adviser in the private wealth community. Her trusted relationships with UAE Regulatory authorities, financial advisors, corporate services providers, family offices and banks enable her to provide expert legal advice to her private wealth clients, especially in the GCC, Southwest Asia and Africa. She is a full member of STEP (Africa and Arabia) and often acts as moderator at international forums and conferences. As a thought leader, Sunita regularly publishes in prominent publications and participated, amongst other in the ground-breaking “Women in Wealth Management” GCC roadshow. She is recognised by various legal directories such as Chambers & Partners, Global Stars Report, and was peer-selected for the Private Client Global Elite Directory (2022 – 2023). Sunita has actively promoted women’s empowerment for young professionals in India and the Middle East and is a professional mentor for young female executives in the Middle East.

Ismael Hajjar is a UAE based partner specialising in international tax & wealth structuring, family office and private capital advisory. He started his career in Europe and has been serving international families for over 16 years. He relocated to the UAE in 2013 and is currently acting as a trusted advisor to a number of successful families across the Middle East region. He is leading PwC Tax and Legal service offering to private clients, entrepreneurial & royal families and family offices in helping them understand and manage their global affairs, overcome cross-border tax challenges and identify opportunities to achieve their family and business objectives. Prior to joining PwC, Ismael was acting as head of Private for another big four firm and was responsible for the design and execution of the overall firm strategy for private companies and their owners across all service lines. He also founded and led their MENA family enterprise and family office award-winning consulting practice which specialises in assisting successful families, entrepreneurs, and family offices across MENA at managing risks, preserving and growing wealth. Ismael has contributed to building and currently serves Family Offices. He is a regular speaker in the Middle East and beyond on topics such as family business and private wealth institutionalisation, global tax transparency, succession planning, governance and the role of the family office. Ismael holds a Master Degree in Business Administration, HEC-Ulg School of Management (Belgium) and is a certified chartered accountant in Luxembourg (“expert-comptable”). He also holds an Islamic finance qualification, Institute of Islamic Banking & Insurance (UK). He is a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP, Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) and holds a Certificate in Family Business Advising (CFBA, Family Firm Institute).

Tan Woon Hum is widely regarded as one of the rare senior market leaders specialising in investment funds, REITs and trusts, especially Variable Capital Companies (VCCs) and family offices. He heads a team of specialist lawyers in the Trust, Asset & Wealth Management practice at major Singapore law firm Shook Lin & Bok LLP. He is ranked as a Band 1 leading investment funds lawyer by Chambers Asia-Pacific since 2014 and top 100 lawyer in Singapore by Asia Business Law Journal in 2023. He advises on fund formation, (including hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds, real estate funds and single-family funds) using Singapore funds (including VCC) and offshore funds structures (eg. Cayman LP funds and segregated portfolio companies). He drafts and reviews the full range of fund documents and is extremely well versed with independent asset managers, external asset managers, multi-family offices and single-family offices, and has an extremely strong track record in securing the relevant regulatory licences and exemptions. His excellent and long-term professional relationship with the local regulators, authorities and major industry players add credence to his practice. He has advised on and helped clients launched about 100 VCCs as at May 2023. He has extensive experience in advising private clients (including ultra-high net worth individuals and single-family offices) and trustees on the establishment of private trusts, family offices, single-family funds, Sections 13O and 13U (formerly 13R and 13X) structures and drafts trust documents, fund documents, global investor programme documents and family charters. Woon Hum is bi-lingual (English and Mandarin), has a law degree and a MBA (Finance). He is a highly sought after speaker and speaks regularly at public conferences, forums and seminars since 2002 in Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh and Kuala Lumpur.

Zac has experience in all areas of international private client law including cross border tax, trust, estate, family, divorce and succession laws. Zac also has extensive experience advising in relation business family and family office governance and succession planning, and international private client regulatory laws, including the Common Reporting Standard, Mandatory Disclosure Rules, Economic Substance Rules and Beneficial Ownership Registers.

Alastair leads the private wealth practice in the Middle East with a significant amount of his work having an international dimension to it and often involving cross-border succession and tax planning. Having been based in the Middle East for a decade Alastair is regarded as an expert in planning for clients with a nexus in the GCC. His clients consist of ultra-high net worth individuals and families based in the region, be they GCC nationals or global expatriates. Alastair's expertise includes advising on family trust and governance structures encompassing both business and private assets, tax efficient UK real estate investment structures, immigration, cross-border estates and tax residency advice for those moving to or leaving the UK. In addition, Alastair is increasingly advising clients on legacy planning involving regional assets and has a particular focus on DIFC and ADGM foundation and trust structures. Alastair is the technical director for the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP) Arabia and a member of the International Academy of Trusts and Estates Lawyers. 

David Varley is Chief High Net Worth Officer at Sun Life Financial in Hong Kong. He specializes in HNW and Ultra HNW Planning and Insurance Structuring solutions for clients and families in Asia. He has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, with an Honors in Management, and a thesis in Innovation – from Melbourne University. Previously he was Head of HNW for Asia for AXA, and Head of International Business for Aviva.