PHILIPPINES WEALTH MANAGEMENT FORUM 2023

Marcy Cruz Kohchet-Chua has been in the Philippine banking industry for 25 years, spending the last 18 years in various management roles overseeing wealth management businesses of the largest global banks in the Philippines and more recently, established the Wealth Business of the lone independent Asset and Wealth Management entity in the country, ATRAM.

Yifei Li leads Alta’s business development and partnership management efforts across all client segments. She oversees a rapidly growing clientele across multiple segments (wealth / banks, family offices insurance, pensions, official institutions and corporates), and leads localisation strategies and assessment. Yifei Li is a proven leader with over 20 years of experience in the financial industry where she spent 15 years with BlackRock. With a proven track record in business development and partnership management across international markets. She has previously led BlackRock’s sales team in Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan and Germany. Prior to that, Yifei has held sales trading roles in Macquarie Bank (London), Lang&Schwarz (Dusseldorf) and Societe Generale (Paris).

Stella L. Cabalatungan is the Executive Vice President and Relationship Management Head of BDO Private Bank, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Banco De Oro Universal Bank.  She holds a degree in Business Major in Marketing Management at De La Salle University, Manila.  Her 33 years of banking experience began at Citibank, N.A. – Philippines as a Relationship Manager in 1985.  In 1991, she became first Filipino Business Development Manager of the International Personal Banking Center (IPB) in Citibank, Singapore, primarily managing and developing the Philippine offshore banking portfolio.  From 1994 to 2000, she managed and set-up various Personal Banking and Citigold Priority Centers in Manila. In 2000, she joined Banco Santander Phils, Inc., a Philippine subsidiary of Banco Santander Central Hispano, to manage the Fixed Income and Securities Distribution Group of Santander Investment Securities Philippines, Inc.  The Bank was acquired in 2003 by the Banco De Oro Universal Bank,and was renamed BDO Private Bank, Inc. to establish the very first Domestic Private Bank with a commercial bank license solely focused on Private Banking and Wealth Management in the country.  From then on, she assumed the role of Relationship Management Head to develop a new breed of domestic private bankers and to grow the private banking business competing head on with offshore private banks.  From a P6.8Bln portfolio base in 2003, the Bank has grown its Assets Under Management to P390Bln. BDO Private Bank holds the distinction of being the Best Private Bank and the Best Wealth Management House in the Philippines by many highly respected award-giving bodies such as Euromoney, Finance Asia, The Triple A Asset, Alpha Southeast, Global Finance and Asian Private Banker.

Mr. Yeo , prior to joining the bank had been with Merrill Lynch & Co for 17 years , last as a Senior Financial Advisor at their Manhattan Beach Office in Los Angeles, California. He was also connected with UBS Securities and Prudential Securities Inc. (now Wells Fargo Advisors ) in various capacities in the financial services industry. Prior to that he was an interest rate swap trader with IBJ Schroder Bank and Trust ( now Mizuho Bank ) in their Capital Markets Group in New York City for 5 years. Before his MBA, he spent 2 years at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation as a Corporate Banking officer at their Binondo area headquarter. Mr. Yeo earned his MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He finished his undergraduate degree at the Ateneo de Manila University, BS Management Engineering with magna cum laude distinction and was the Departmental awardee of his class.

Marty Enrile has over 30 years experience in capital markets and finance having worked for both foreign and local institutions. He began his career as institutional equity sales before moving on as analyst and eventually head of research, followed by a brief stint in investment banking. Over the past 10 years, he has held various positions in BPI including Head of Equities Portfolio Management, BPI Investment Management, Inc President and now Head of Private Wealth. He holds a Master in Business Administration from FW Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and a BS in Management from the Ateneo De Manila University

Shaun represents Chelmer, New Zealand's leading Wealth Management solution provider. He has worked in the financial technology industry for almost 40 years across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Originally from the UK, he has been based in the Philippines for the past 25 years. Over the years he has represented many well-known financial software companies including Misys, Thomson Financial and Fiserv. With broad experience across Sales, Marketing, Operations and Support Services, Shaun has a deep understanding of business needs and how to drive businesses to excel.

Woon Shiu has over 20 years of expertise in marketing, client development and professional training in family office structuring, trusts, high-net-worth life insurance and estate planning in Asia Pacific (especially China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia). Over the years, Woon Shiu has handled multiple landmark transactions, advising ultra-high net-worth individuals and founding members of banking conglomerates on matters relating to taxes, multi-generational endowment funds, planning of global assets, and much more. Woon Shiu is also an adjunct professor at the Wealth Management Institute (in Nanyang Technological University) and regularly lectures private bankers, lawyers and trust practitioners on wealth structuring and estate succession. He has also spoken as a guest lecturer at universities in China, and his views on family businesses are regularly featured in the Financial Times, Barron’s Asia, Singapore Business Times, China Daily and other renowned publications. Woon Shiu has advised numerous ultra-high net-worth families across Asia Pacific in the areas of strategic structuring of their estate and succession planning. He commonly engages multi-generation families, giving them advice on successfully establishing and implementing their desired family governance and philanthropic strategies. He holds a STEP certification and is a Solicitor in England and Wales, as well as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore. Woon Shiu is fluent in English and Mandarin – often lecturing in both languages – and is also conversant in Cantonese, Hokkien and Hainanese.

Before rejoining EFG as Senior Managing Director, North Asia Head, Kees was a Managing Director at Hubbis. Kees Stoute IBFA, ran Sonam, a private banking training and consultancy firm, since 2012, during which time he also authored the book ‘Help, I’m Rich’ (John Wiley & Sons). Prior to that, he was the managing director of EFG Bank in South-east Asia. Kees has a distinguished career spanning the academic, IT & operations and private banking sectors, and has more than 20 years’ experience in Asia, most of the time spent in Singapore. From 2000 onwards Kees was in charge of the Private Bank of MeesPierson in Asia. MeesPierson was part of the Fortis Group, which acquired London-headquartered Dryden Wealth Management in 2005, of which Kees became global CEO and Chairman. After the integration of Dryden into Fortis, Kees moved on to the position of Managing Director of EFG Bank Singapore, where he remained in charge until March 2012. He left EFG Bank to set up and develop Sonam BV. He subsequently joined Hubbis as Managing Director in 2015. An experienced private banker, Kees served at MeesPierson from 1992 to 1996 as its regional head of IT. In 1996, he was promoted to the position of chief operating officer of Fortis / MeesPierson in Singapore. In this position, he became a member of the regional management team of MeesPierson Private Banking. In April 2000, he moved on to become managing director of the business line private banking and trust in Asia for MeesPierson and in 2002, he was (in addition) promoted to managing director of the legal entity MeesPierson Asia Ltd in Singapore. In 2011 Kees became one of the first in Singapore to be certified by the regulator in Singapore (IBF) as Financial Industry Certified Professional (FICP – Role Model 6), now called IBFA. In the same year, he was also invited to participate in the Private Banking Industry Group, a consultative forum which was established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to further strengthen the competency and market conduct standards of the private banking industry in Singapore. In 2012, Kees became the inaugural winner of the Hubbis Recognition of Excellence in Asian Wealth Management Award. In September 2015, Kees was given a certificate to denote his status as an ‘IBF Advanced Fellow’ for 2015. 

Joining Credit Suisse in 1998 as an analyst, Philipp Piaz commenced his comprehensive career in private banking and wealth management. During his time at Credit Suisse, Philipp held a number of senior roles, relocating from Zürich to Singapore in 2001 to undertake Thailand Private Client Business Development in his role as Vice President. In 2004, Philipp joined the senior management of Deutsche Bank AG, with whom he was affiliated for 5 years. In his role as Director, Philipp was responsible for the development of Deutsche Bank’s Thai Private Client Business. In 2009, he became Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Finaport, overseeing the expansion of the firm's Asian operations. Philipp is a founding member of the Association of Independent Asset Managers (AIAM) in Singapore, and was appointed President of the AIAM in 2018. Philipp undertook Elementary Studies of Economics and Law at University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Peter Faulhaber is the Head of Wealth and Personal Banking of HSBC Philippines, the only International Bank in the Philippines. He is also the Vice-Chairman of the newly established HSBC Investment and Insurance Brokerage Philippines (HIIB). Peter has been with HSBC Philippines since 2019. With Peter at the helm, HSBC was able to grow its deposit base, increase cards in force, and improve its loan portfolio. He initiated the re-entry of HSBC into the home loans market. He oversaw the formation of HSBC Investment and Insurance Brokerage Philippines (HIIB) to ensure the continued growth of HSBC’s wealth business in the Philippines. Through his leadership, HSBC enhanced its remote process and introduced a redesigned website to cater to the growing demand for on-line banking. Improvements on our customer service and branch operations were also instituted. All of this were achieved despite the challenges of the pandemic. Prior to the Philippines, Peter spent three years in the Channel Islands & Isle of Man as the HSBC Head of Distribution for the WPB domestic business. He successfully led the domestic business through its separation from UK WPB and integration with HSBC Expat whilst continuing to deliver growth, improve customer satisfaction, and manage risk. Before working in the Channel Islands, Peter was the Regional Head of Internal Audit ASP WPB and led global audits of digital, sales suitability, and conduct. Peter had also worked in the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia where-in he had led successful teams in management consulting, risk, and sales and distribution. He joined the bank thirteen years ago as an International Manager, after having completed his MBA at INSEAD in France and Singapore. Outside of work Peter spends his time with his eight-year-old twins, Madeleine and Maxwell, and his wife Denise. He also enjoys running, cycling, triathlons.

Scott Moore is Managing Director and Head of the Indonesia and Philippines offices at Henley & Partners. Scott has extensive experience dealing with high-net-worth individuals and their families concerning residence and citizenship planning. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and has attended the National University of Singapore.

Maita Kilayko is a Director of Private Clients at Henley & Partners Singapore and a member of the Private Clients Management Board. Originally from the Philippines, she now permanently resides in Singapore as a private client specialist in residence and citizenship planning and provides advice to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their families across the globe. Maita has over 20 years’ experience in Wealth management, Trust and Private banking. Before joining Henley and Partners, Maita worked for various foreign banks in the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong where she was a relationship manager advising high-net-worth individuals. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from De La Salle University.

Jessica is a Founding Partner, Responsible Officer and Compliance Officer of The Capital Company Hong Kong Limited, an independent asset management firm formed in the beginning of 2017. Prior to her time at The Capital Company, Jessica co-founded EXS Capital Asia Limited in 2008, and served as a Responsible Officer and head of Operations and Compliance for the firm until the end of 2016. She and her team built a substantial asset management and financial planning practice during their time at EXS, which is part of the core of their new joint venture The Capital Company. Jessica is an expert in many areas including tax, financial, and estate planning and she specializes in serving Americans living in Asia. She and her team provide fee-based comprehensive wealth management and planning services to U.S. citizens in Asia and to persons with U.S. related planning needs. Over the last fifteen years, Jessica has built a comprehensive wealth management practice from the ground up and established an active presence across Asia-Pacific. Before she moved to Asia, Jessica worked as a Registered Representative for Charles Schwab. She continues to be licensed in the U.S. today as a Registered Investment Advisor, insurance professional, and Trust and Estate Practitioner, and serves clients in the U.S. and across Asia Pacific. While in Tokyo she completed her MBA at Temple University Japan. She also spent a year in AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corp, working with individuals with severe disabilities. Jessica lives in Hong Kong with her husband and two children. She is active in the American Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong, the American Women’s Association, and supports a variety of nonprofit organizations around the region. Jessica is currently active in the Girl Scouts as an adult volunteer and an avid runner and cyclist with the Hong Kong Tritons.

Jason Gibbons is the Investment Director for Asia at Leo Wealth, an independent global wealth advisor. Based in Hong Kong, Jason is responsible for providing investment advisory, portfolio management services and multi-asset class views to the firm’s clients. He specializes in asset allocation, alternative investments and thematic research. Prior to Leo Wealth, Jason was a Portfolio Manager at BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Hong Kong, working extensively with private clients and high-net-worth families. He was responsible for managing the firm’s Asian clients’ discretionary portfolios and providing asset allocation guidance. Jason earned a BS in Finance and Minor in International Business from Pennsylvania State University. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Joshua Gilbert Paraiso received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 1997 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1998. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree Major in Legal Management from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1993. Joshua is a partner at the Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Office and heads the Dispute Resolution practice of the firm and advices and represents the firm’s clients in their disputes with counter-parties and in their various litigation matters before the courts, administrative bodies and other quasi-judicial agencies, as well as in international commercial and domestic arbitration cases. He handles estate settlement cases and guardianship proceedings over persons and estate, and also advises and assists clients in estate planning, including drafting of last wills and testament, living wills and establishment of trust arrangements. He also provides Generation Advisory Services to High Net Worth Clients and families. He likewise acts as legal counsel and advices and represents clients in family law cases and matters such as nullity of marriage, recognition of foreign divorce decrees, spousal and child support, custody, paternity cases, adoption, property regime settlement and separation of common properties, drafting and preparation of pre-nuptial agreements. He is also a trained and accredited arbitrator of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. (PDRCI), the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) and a member of the Philippine Institute of Arbitrators (PIARB). Joshua has received awards as a Recognized Practitioner in Dispute Resolution-Philippines (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2019) and as Commended External Counsel of the Year, 2017 (In-House Community).

Dr. Ramos has more than 25 years of banking and finance experience working for local and foreign institutions. He is a CFA Charterholder, a CAIA Charterholder, a CIPM Certificant, Certified Securities Representative, a Registered Financial consultant and a certified Treasury Professional. Dr. Ramos has received several local and international awards for his service to the industry and has also served on the boards of several industry associations. He has served as President of the Trust officers Association of the Philippines and the De La Salle University Doctoral Society. He is also the current President of the CFA Society of the Philippines.

Mr. Rex Mendoza is the Chairman of Rampver Financials, one of the largest distributors of investment funds in the Philippines. He is an active entrepreneur with companies and endeavors in multiple industries. He is the Lead Independent Director of Globe Telecom and Ayala Land Logistics Holdings Corporation, and Independent Director for Ayala Land and National Reinsurance Corporation, all listed companies in the Philippine Stock Exchange. He is the Chairman of Singapore Life Philippines and The Soldivo Funds. He is also a director of Esquire Financing, G-Xchange Inc. (GXI or Gcash), Seedbox Technologies, Seven Tall Trees Events Management (The Blue Leaf), Mobile Group Inc. and many other leading companies in different fields. He is recognized as one of the best business, leadership, finance, marketing and sales speakers in the country. Rex is also a bestselling author (Trailblazing Success and Firing On All Cylinders), financial advisor and business mentor.

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.

Accountable for the formulation and implementation of portfolio strategies across the life insurance assets of both Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. and Sun Life Grepa Financial, Inc. as well as the Sun Life Prosperity Mutual Funds under Sun Life Asset Management Company, Inc. (SLAMC) totaling about US$7.0bn in assets under management. He has over 23 years of solid and distinguished portfolio management experience gained from stints in various investment and financial service companies. Graduated from the Ateneo De Manila University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management.
Experience and Outstanding Accomplishments
1. Equities Portfolio Manager /Vice President – BPI Asset Management 2011 - 2012
2. Equities Portfolio Manager /Vice President – ING Investment Management Inc. 2010 - 2011
3. General Manager – Philequity Management Inc. 2009 - 2010
4. Head for Fixed Income Desk/ Assistant Vice President – Citicorp Financial Services and Insurance Brokerage 2002 - 2009
5. Equities Trader – Abacus Securities Corporation 1996 - 2002

Yash Shah is a Partner at Synpulse. Being an expert in private banking and wealth management, he has been helping WMs in the region with their wealth transformation journeys and target operating models. He takes care of Synpulse's wealth business in Asia Pacific

Gautam Sharma holds the positions of Senior Vice President and Retail Bank Sales Network Head of Union Bank of the Philippines. Gautam has a 15-year track record of success in financial services and a result-oriented professional with experience across business strategy, portfolio management, sales & marketing, and digital banking. Prior to joining the Bank, he was Senior Vice President in Regional Retail Bank for APAC & EMEA of Citibank, N.A. He started his career with Citibank N.A. in 2007 and has held various positions within Citibank across India, Philippines, and Singapore. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Technology (Mechanical Engineering) from Punjab Technical University and obtained his Master’s in Management Studies (Marketing) from the University of Mumbai.

Caesar Antonino M. Ordonez Jr., known in the industry as Sonny, has more than 20 years of experience in the finance industry working in the dealership, corporate banking, fixed income fund management and research units of various banks and institutions. Sonny is currently the Head of Investments of UnionBank Private Banking. Recently, Citywire Asia named Sonny as one of the Top 25 Asean Selectors in 2022. Before joining the Private Banking Group, Sonny was the Chief Investment Officer of UnionBank Trust & Investment Services Group. Under his leadership, the Portfolio Management Unit garnered prestigious awards for 2 consecutive years from CFA Society Philippines, namely, Best Managed Funds for Peso Medium Term Bond (2020) and Peso Balanced Fund (2021). Prior to joining UnionBank, Sonny worked in BDO Trust as SAVP – Investment Officer for the Investment Strategy & Research Unit for 9 years handling corporations. Sonny completed the Trust Institute Foundation of the Philippines’ one-year course on Trust Operations and Investment Management with Distinction. He took his Masters in Business Administration at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. He graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor’s degree in Management Economics.

Pieter is passionate about how technology innovation creates new disruptive business models, especially in financial services markets. He has been working for 20+ years in the tech industry, and is P&L responsible for the APAC operation in additiv, the leading Swiss wealthtech vendor. Previously he was working for Capgemini in Europe and Orange in Asia, Middle East and Africa. Having worked on digital transformation projects in numerous countries, for the last 20 years his home has always been the Indonesian island of Bali.

Michael is a prominent figure in the financial services industry in Asia. He is the founder and CEO of Hubbis, a renowned provider of intelligence and connectivity for the Asian wealth management industry. With a depth of experience and expertise, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the industry for over 30 years, becoming a leading industry presence in the events, professional development, and publishing space in the region. Hubbis is a multi-generational family-owned and managed business.

He has been actively involved in the Asia-Pacific region since 1993. And has lived in Asia since 1995, holding positions in Hong Kong, Sydney, and Singapore. 

For over 14-years, Hubbis has established itself as the gold standard media and events brand in wealth management thought leadership in Asia. Each year providing a very large body of cutting-edge editorial and sponsored content, organizing top-flight events.

During that time Hubbis has become the platform of choice for many high-profile C-suite leaders to communicate their vision of the Asian wealth management.

Before his involvement with Hubbis, Michael founded Pacific Prospect in 2002, a financial services media company. Under his leadership, the company achieved significant success and was subsequently acquired by global business-to-business publisher Incisive Media in 2006. Michael continued to serve as the CEO of Pacific Prospect until October 2008.

Prior to his entrepreneurial ventures, Michael garnered 5 years of experience in financial markets publishing. His career in this field began in 1993 when he joined Euromoney Publications as the publisher of the quarterly magazine, International Bond Investor. In 1995, Michael joined Thomson Financial Services (now owned by LSEG) and spearheaded the conception and launch of Finance Asia magazine. During his tenure as Managing Director of Finance Asia, he also initiated the Asian Debt Review, Asian Private Capital Magazine, and the Finance Asia Conference Business. In 1997, he founded FIA Limited, further expanding his contributions to the financial publishing industry.

Born in North Wales, Michael served as the head boy of St David's College Llandudno. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Cardiff University. Beyond his professional endeavours, Michael is a family-oriented individual and is happily married with three children: Reanna, Garett, and Tarryn.

Mr. Yeo , prior to joining the bank had been with Merrill Lynch & Co for 17 years , last as a Senior Financial Advisor at their Manhattan Beach Office in Los Angeles, California. He was also connected with UBS Securities and Prudential Securities Inc. (now Wells Fargo Advisors ) in various capacities in the financial services industry. Prior to that he was an interest rate swap trader with IBJ Schroder Bank and Trust ( now Mizuho Bank ) in their Capital Markets Group in New York City for 5 years. Before his MBA, he spent 2 years at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation as a Corporate Banking officer at their Binondo area headquarter. Mr. Yeo earned his MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He finished his undergraduate degree at the Ateneo de Manila University, BS Management Engineering with magna cum laude distinction and was the Departmental awardee of his class.

Before rejoining EFG as Senior Managing Director, North Asia Head, Kees was a Managing Director at Hubbis. Kees Stoute IBFA, ran Sonam, a private banking training and consultancy firm, since 2012, during which time he also authored the book ‘Help, I’m Rich’ (John Wiley & Sons). Prior to that, he was the managing director of EFG Bank in South-east Asia. Kees has a distinguished career spanning the academic, IT & operations and private banking sectors, and has more than 20 years’ experience in Asia, most of the time spent in Singapore. From 2000 onwards Kees was in charge of the Private Bank of MeesPierson in Asia. MeesPierson was part of the Fortis Group, which acquired London-headquartered Dryden Wealth Management in 2005, of which Kees became global CEO and Chairman. After the integration of Dryden into Fortis, Kees moved on to the position of Managing Director of EFG Bank Singapore, where he remained in charge until March 2012. He left EFG Bank to set up and develop Sonam BV. He subsequently joined Hubbis as Managing Director in 2015. An experienced private banker, Kees served at MeesPierson from 1992 to 1996 as its regional head of IT. In 1996, he was promoted to the position of chief operating officer of Fortis / MeesPierson in Singapore. In this position, he became a member of the regional management team of MeesPierson Private Banking. In April 2000, he moved on to become managing director of the business line private banking and trust in Asia for MeesPierson and in 2002, he was (in addition) promoted to managing director of the legal entity MeesPierson Asia Ltd in Singapore. In 2011 Kees became one of the first in Singapore to be certified by the regulator in Singapore (IBF) as Financial Industry Certified Professional (FICP – Role Model 6), now called IBFA. In the same year, he was also invited to participate in the Private Banking Industry Group, a consultative forum which was established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to further strengthen the competency and market conduct standards of the private banking industry in Singapore. In 2012, Kees became the inaugural winner of the Hubbis Recognition of Excellence in Asian Wealth Management Award. In September 2015, Kees was given a certificate to denote his status as an ‘IBF Advanced Fellow’ for 2015. 

Marty Enrile has over 30 years experience in capital markets and finance having worked for both foreign and local institutions. He began his career as institutional equity sales before moving on as analyst and eventually head of research, followed by a brief stint in investment banking. Over the past 10 years, he has held various positions in BPI including Head of Equities Portfolio Management, BPI Investment Management, Inc President and now Head of Private Wealth. He holds a Master in Business Administration from FW Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and a BS in Management from the Ateneo De Manila University

Dr. Ramos has more than 25 years of banking and finance experience working for local and foreign institutions. He is a CFA Charterholder, a CAIA Charterholder, a CIPM Certificant, Certified Securities Representative, a Registered Financial consultant and a certified Treasury Professional. Dr. Ramos has received several local and international awards for his service to the industry and has also served on the boards of several industry associations. He has served as President of the Trust officers Association of the Philippines and the De La Salle University Doctoral Society. He is also the current President of the CFA Society of the Philippines.

Yash Shah is a Partner at Synpulse. Being an expert in private banking and wealth management, he has been helping WMs in the region with their wealth transformation journeys and target operating models. He takes care of Synpulse's wealth business in Asia Pacific

Marcy Cruz Kohchet-Chua has been in the Philippine banking industry for 25 years, spending the last 18 years in various management roles overseeing wealth management businesses of the largest global banks in the Philippines and more recently, established the Wealth Business of the lone independent Asset and Wealth Management entity in the country, ATRAM.

Peter Faulhaber is the Head of Wealth and Personal Banking of HSBC Philippines, the only International Bank in the Philippines. He is also the Vice-Chairman of the newly established HSBC Investment and Insurance Brokerage Philippines (HIIB). Peter has been with HSBC Philippines since 2019. With Peter at the helm, HSBC was able to grow its deposit base, increase cards in force, and improve its loan portfolio. He initiated the re-entry of HSBC into the home loans market. He oversaw the formation of HSBC Investment and Insurance Brokerage Philippines (HIIB) to ensure the continued growth of HSBC’s wealth business in the Philippines. Through his leadership, HSBC enhanced its remote process and introduced a redesigned website to cater to the growing demand for on-line banking. Improvements on our customer service and branch operations were also instituted. All of this were achieved despite the challenges of the pandemic. Prior to the Philippines, Peter spent three years in the Channel Islands & Isle of Man as the HSBC Head of Distribution for the WPB domestic business. He successfully led the domestic business through its separation from UK WPB and integration with HSBC Expat whilst continuing to deliver growth, improve customer satisfaction, and manage risk. Before working in the Channel Islands, Peter was the Regional Head of Internal Audit ASP WPB and led global audits of digital, sales suitability, and conduct. Peter had also worked in the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia where-in he had led successful teams in management consulting, risk, and sales and distribution. He joined the bank thirteen years ago as an International Manager, after having completed his MBA at INSEAD in France and Singapore. Outside of work Peter spends his time with his eight-year-old twins, Madeleine and Maxwell, and his wife Denise. He also enjoys running, cycling, triathlons.

Scott Moore is Managing Director and Head of the Indonesia and Philippines offices at Henley & Partners. Scott has extensive experience dealing with high-net-worth individuals and their families concerning residence and citizenship planning. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and has attended the National University of Singapore.

Stella L. Cabalatungan is the Executive Vice President and Relationship Management Head of BDO Private Bank, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Banco De Oro Universal Bank.  She holds a degree in Business Major in Marketing Management at De La Salle University, Manila.  Her 33 years of banking experience began at Citibank, N.A. – Philippines as a Relationship Manager in 1985.  In 1991, she became first Filipino Business Development Manager of the International Personal Banking Center (IPB) in Citibank, Singapore, primarily managing and developing the Philippine offshore banking portfolio.  From 1994 to 2000, she managed and set-up various Personal Banking and Citigold Priority Centers in Manila. In 2000, she joined Banco Santander Phils, Inc., a Philippine subsidiary of Banco Santander Central Hispano, to manage the Fixed Income and Securities Distribution Group of Santander Investment Securities Philippines, Inc.  The Bank was acquired in 2003 by the Banco De Oro Universal Bank,and was renamed BDO Private Bank, Inc. to establish the very first Domestic Private Bank with a commercial bank license solely focused on Private Banking and Wealth Management in the country.  From then on, she assumed the role of Relationship Management Head to develop a new breed of domestic private bankers and to grow the private banking business competing head on with offshore private banks.  From a P6.8Bln portfolio base in 2003, the Bank has grown its Assets Under Management to P390Bln. BDO Private Bank holds the distinction of being the Best Private Bank and the Best Wealth Management House in the Philippines by many highly respected award-giving bodies such as Euromoney, Finance Asia, The Triple A Asset, Alpha Southeast, Global Finance and Asian Private Banker.

Woon Shiu has over 20 years of expertise in marketing, client development and professional training in family office structuring, trusts, high-net-worth life insurance and estate planning in Asia Pacific (especially China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia). Over the years, Woon Shiu has handled multiple landmark transactions, advising ultra-high net-worth individuals and founding members of banking conglomerates on matters relating to taxes, multi-generational endowment funds, planning of global assets, and much more. Woon Shiu is also an adjunct professor at the Wealth Management Institute (in Nanyang Technological University) and regularly lectures private bankers, lawyers and trust practitioners on wealth structuring and estate succession. He has also spoken as a guest lecturer at universities in China, and his views on family businesses are regularly featured in the Financial Times, Barron’s Asia, Singapore Business Times, China Daily and other renowned publications. Woon Shiu has advised numerous ultra-high net-worth families across Asia Pacific in the areas of strategic structuring of their estate and succession planning. He commonly engages multi-generation families, giving them advice on successfully establishing and implementing their desired family governance and philanthropic strategies. He holds a STEP certification and is a Solicitor in England and Wales, as well as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore. Woon Shiu is fluent in English and Mandarin – often lecturing in both languages – and is also conversant in Cantonese, Hokkien and Hainanese.

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.

Joshua Gilbert Paraiso received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 1997 and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1998. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree Major in Legal Management from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1993. Joshua is a partner at the Puyat Jacinto & Santos Law Office and heads the Dispute Resolution practice of the firm and advices and represents the firm’s clients in their disputes with counter-parties and in their various litigation matters before the courts, administrative bodies and other quasi-judicial agencies, as well as in international commercial and domestic arbitration cases. He handles estate settlement cases and guardianship proceedings over persons and estate, and also advises and assists clients in estate planning, including drafting of last wills and testament, living wills and establishment of trust arrangements. He also provides Generation Advisory Services to High Net Worth Clients and families. He likewise acts as legal counsel and advices and represents clients in family law cases and matters such as nullity of marriage, recognition of foreign divorce decrees, spousal and child support, custody, paternity cases, adoption, property regime settlement and separation of common properties, drafting and preparation of pre-nuptial agreements. He is also a trained and accredited arbitrator of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. (PDRCI), the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) and a member of the Philippine Institute of Arbitrators (PIARB). Joshua has received awards as a Recognized Practitioner in Dispute Resolution-Philippines (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2019) and as Commended External Counsel of the Year, 2017 (In-House Community).

Pieter is passionate about how technology innovation creates new disruptive business models, especially in financial services markets. He has been working for 20+ years in the tech industry, and is P&L responsible for the APAC operation in additiv, the leading Swiss wealthtech vendor. Previously he was working for Capgemini in Europe and Orange in Asia, Middle East and Africa. Having worked on digital transformation projects in numerous countries, for the last 20 years his home has always been the Indonesian island of Bali.

Joining Credit Suisse in 1998 as an analyst, Philipp Piaz commenced his comprehensive career in private banking and wealth management. During his time at Credit Suisse, Philipp held a number of senior roles, relocating from Zürich to Singapore in 2001 to undertake Thailand Private Client Business Development in his role as Vice President. In 2004, Philipp joined the senior management of Deutsche Bank AG, with whom he was affiliated for 5 years. In his role as Director, Philipp was responsible for the development of Deutsche Bank’s Thai Private Client Business. In 2009, he became Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Finaport, overseeing the expansion of the firm's Asian operations. Philipp is a founding member of the Association of Independent Asset Managers (AIAM) in Singapore, and was appointed President of the AIAM in 2018. Philipp undertook Elementary Studies of Economics and Law at University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Jessica is a Founding Partner, Responsible Officer and Compliance Officer of The Capital Company Hong Kong Limited, an independent asset management firm formed in the beginning of 2017. Prior to her time at The Capital Company, Jessica co-founded EXS Capital Asia Limited in 2008, and served as a Responsible Officer and head of Operations and Compliance for the firm until the end of 2016. She and her team built a substantial asset management and financial planning practice during their time at EXS, which is part of the core of their new joint venture The Capital Company. Jessica is an expert in many areas including tax, financial, and estate planning and she specializes in serving Americans living in Asia. She and her team provide fee-based comprehensive wealth management and planning services to U.S. citizens in Asia and to persons with U.S. related planning needs. Over the last fifteen years, Jessica has built a comprehensive wealth management practice from the ground up and established an active presence across Asia-Pacific. Before she moved to Asia, Jessica worked as a Registered Representative for Charles Schwab. She continues to be licensed in the U.S. today as a Registered Investment Advisor, insurance professional, and Trust and Estate Practitioner, and serves clients in the U.S. and across Asia Pacific. While in Tokyo she completed her MBA at Temple University Japan. She also spent a year in AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corp, working with individuals with severe disabilities. Jessica lives in Hong Kong with her husband and two children. She is active in the American Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong, the American Women’s Association, and supports a variety of nonprofit organizations around the region. Jessica is currently active in the Girl Scouts as an adult volunteer and an avid runner and cyclist with the Hong Kong Tritons.

Accountable for the formulation and implementation of portfolio strategies across the life insurance assets of both Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. and Sun Life Grepa Financial, Inc. as well as the Sun Life Prosperity Mutual Funds under Sun Life Asset Management Company, Inc. (SLAMC) totaling about US$7.0bn in assets under management. He has over 23 years of solid and distinguished portfolio management experience gained from stints in various investment and financial service companies. Graduated from the Ateneo De Manila University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management.
Experience and Outstanding Accomplishments
1. Equities Portfolio Manager /Vice President – BPI Asset Management 2011 - 2012
2. Equities Portfolio Manager /Vice President – ING Investment Management Inc. 2010 - 2011
3. General Manager – Philequity Management Inc. 2009 - 2010
4. Head for Fixed Income Desk/ Assistant Vice President – Citicorp Financial Services and Insurance Brokerage 2002 - 2009
5. Equities Trader – Abacus Securities Corporation 1996 - 2002

Mr. Rex Mendoza is the Chairman of Rampver Financials, one of the largest distributors of investment funds in the Philippines. He is an active entrepreneur with companies and endeavors in multiple industries. He is the Lead Independent Director of Globe Telecom and Ayala Land Logistics Holdings Corporation, and Independent Director for Ayala Land and National Reinsurance Corporation, all listed companies in the Philippine Stock Exchange. He is the Chairman of Singapore Life Philippines and The Soldivo Funds. He is also a director of Esquire Financing, G-Xchange Inc. (GXI or Gcash), Seedbox Technologies, Seven Tall Trees Events Management (The Blue Leaf), Mobile Group Inc. and many other leading companies in different fields. He is recognized as one of the best business, leadership, finance, marketing and sales speakers in the country. Rex is also a bestselling author (Trailblazing Success and Firing On All Cylinders), financial advisor and business mentor.

Gautam Sharma holds the positions of Senior Vice President and Retail Bank Sales Network Head of Union Bank of the Philippines. Gautam has a 15-year track record of success in financial services and a result-oriented professional with experience across business strategy, portfolio management, sales & marketing, and digital banking. Prior to joining the Bank, he was Senior Vice President in Regional Retail Bank for APAC & EMEA of Citibank, N.A. He started his career with Citibank N.A. in 2007 and has held various positions within Citibank across India, Philippines, and Singapore. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Technology (Mechanical Engineering) from Punjab Technical University and obtained his Master’s in Management Studies (Marketing) from the University of Mumbai.

Caesar Antonino M. Ordonez Jr., known in the industry as Sonny, has more than 20 years of experience in the finance industry working in the dealership, corporate banking, fixed income fund management and research units of various banks and institutions. Sonny is currently the Head of Investments of UnionBank Private Banking. Recently, Citywire Asia named Sonny as one of the Top 25 Asean Selectors in 2022. Before joining the Private Banking Group, Sonny was the Chief Investment Officer of UnionBank Trust & Investment Services Group. Under his leadership, the Portfolio Management Unit garnered prestigious awards for 2 consecutive years from CFA Society Philippines, namely, Best Managed Funds for Peso Medium Term Bond (2020) and Peso Balanced Fund (2021). Prior to joining UnionBank, Sonny worked in BDO Trust as SAVP – Investment Officer for the Investment Strategy & Research Unit for 9 years handling corporations. Sonny completed the Trust Institute Foundation of the Philippines’ one-year course on Trust Operations and Investment Management with Distinction. He took his Masters in Business Administration at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business. He graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor’s degree in Management Economics.

Jason Gibbons is the Investment Director for Asia at Leo Wealth, an independent global wealth advisor. Based in Hong Kong, Jason is responsible for providing investment advisory, portfolio management services and multi-asset class views to the firm’s clients. He specializes in asset allocation, alternative investments and thematic research. Prior to Leo Wealth, Jason was a Portfolio Manager at BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Hong Kong, working extensively with private clients and high-net-worth families. He was responsible for managing the firm’s Asian clients’ discretionary portfolios and providing asset allocation guidance. Jason earned a BS in Finance and Minor in International Business from Pennsylvania State University. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Shaun represents Chelmer, New Zealand's leading Wealth Management solution provider. He has worked in the financial technology industry for almost 40 years across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Originally from the UK, he has been based in the Philippines for the past 25 years. Over the years he has represented many well-known financial software companies including Misys, Thomson Financial and Fiserv. With broad experience across Sales, Marketing, Operations and Support Services, Shaun has a deep understanding of business needs and how to drive businesses to excel.

Scott Moore is Managing Director and Head of the Indonesia and Philippines offices at Henley & Partners. Scott has extensive experience dealing with high-net-worth individuals and their families concerning residence and citizenship planning. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia and has attended the National University of Singapore.

Pieter is passionate about how technology innovation creates new disruptive business models, especially in financial services markets. He has been working for 20+ years in the tech industry, and is P&L responsible for the APAC operation in additiv, the leading Swiss wealthtech vendor. Previously he was working for Capgemini in Europe and Orange in Asia, Middle East and Africa. Having worked on digital transformation projects in numerous countries, for the last 20 years his home has always been the Indonesian island of Bali.

Maita Kilayko is a Director of Private Clients at Henley & Partners Singapore and a member of the Private Clients Management Board. Originally from the Philippines, she now permanently resides in Singapore as a private client specialist in residence and citizenship planning and provides advice to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their families across the globe. Maita has over 20 years’ experience in Wealth management, Trust and Private banking. Before joining Henley and Partners, Maita worked for various foreign banks in the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong where she was a relationship manager advising high-net-worth individuals. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from De La Salle University.

Before rejoining EFG as Senior Managing Director, North Asia Head, Kees was a Managing Director at Hubbis. Kees Stoute IBFA, ran Sonam, a private banking training and consultancy firm, since 2012, during which time he also authored the book ‘Help, I’m Rich’ (John Wiley & Sons). Prior to that, he was the managing director of EFG Bank in South-east Asia. Kees has a distinguished career spanning the academic, IT & operations and private banking sectors, and has more than 20 years’ experience in Asia, most of the time spent in Singapore. From 2000 onwards Kees was in charge of the Private Bank of MeesPierson in Asia. MeesPierson was part of the Fortis Group, which acquired London-headquartered Dryden Wealth Management in 2005, of which Kees became global CEO and Chairman. After the integration of Dryden into Fortis, Kees moved on to the position of Managing Director of EFG Bank Singapore, where he remained in charge until March 2012. He left EFG Bank to set up and develop Sonam BV. He subsequently joined Hubbis as Managing Director in 2015. An experienced private banker, Kees served at MeesPierson from 1992 to 1996 as its regional head of IT. In 1996, he was promoted to the position of chief operating officer of Fortis / MeesPierson in Singapore. In this position, he became a member of the regional management team of MeesPierson Private Banking. In April 2000, he moved on to become managing director of the business line private banking and trust in Asia for MeesPierson and in 2002, he was (in addition) promoted to managing director of the legal entity MeesPierson Asia Ltd in Singapore. In 2011 Kees became one of the first in Singapore to be certified by the regulator in Singapore (IBF) as Financial Industry Certified Professional (FICP – Role Model 6), now called IBFA. In the same year, he was also invited to participate in the Private Banking Industry Group, a consultative forum which was established by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to further strengthen the competency and market conduct standards of the private banking industry in Singapore. In 2012, Kees became the inaugural winner of the Hubbis Recognition of Excellence in Asian Wealth Management Award. In September 2015, Kees was given a certificate to denote his status as an ‘IBF Advanced Fellow’ for 2015. 

Yifei Li leads Alta’s business development and partnership management efforts across all client segments. She oversees a rapidly growing clientele across multiple segments (wealth / banks, family offices insurance, pensions, official institutions and corporates), and leads localisation strategies and assessment. Yifei Li is a proven leader with over 20 years of experience in the financial industry where she spent 15 years with BlackRock. With a proven track record in business development and partnership management across international markets. She has previously led BlackRock’s sales team in Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan and Germany. Prior to that, Yifei has held sales trading roles in Macquarie Bank (London), Lang&Schwarz (Dusseldorf) and Societe Generale (Paris).