Citywire Independent Wealth Symposium 2025
We are delighted to announce that our Citywire Independent Wealth Symposium is moving to Bangkok!
Join us on 13 - 14 May at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, for an energetic symposium of ideas and innovation for the leading independent wealth firms across the region.
This is a 2 day symposium curated exclusively for Hong Kong / Singapore based independent wealth firms. The symposium will dive into the increasingly fascinating and rapidly evolving industry dynamics and growth prospects, therefore the attractiveness of investment outlook and strategy.
Who attends?
Citywire will gather the top 40 CIOs, heads of investment, key investment decision makers and fund selectors from independent wealth firms, such as single- & multi-family offices as well as IAMs/EAMs from Hong Kong and Singapore.
Why attend?
Delegates can look forward to 6 fund manager-led workshops, and plenty of powerful networking opportunities and discussions with peers and decision makers in the fund selection community.
As with all our retreats, attendance is by invitation only and you will be able to earn up to 8 hours of structured CPT.
Please note that flights and accommodation expenses will be fully sponsored for Citywire approved registrations.
If you would like to be considered for an invitation, please fill in the form and we will get back with more details upon confirmation.
We look forward to welcoming you in Bangkok.

Register
Register


Agenda
13 MAY
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm |
1:30 pm - 1:40 pm |
1:40 pm - 2:35 pm In a rapidly shifting global market, independent wealth firms face mounting pressure to deliver innovative and tailored solutions that meet their clients’ evolving needs. As clients begin reducing their cash positions, EAMs are facilitating this shift amid an uncertain macroeconomic environment and volatile geopolitical backdrop. What are the current high-conviction views? Where are assets flowing, and what remain the top picks for clients? How have strategic asset allocations evolved, and what were some of the standout trades from last year? This panel will explore key investment trends, from the enduring appeal of income-focused strategies and opportunities in equities to the ongoing debate between active and passive approaches. The discussion will also examine how firms are embracing thematic investments and managing clients’ regional exposure across Asia. Panellists:
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2:35 pm - 5:05 pm |
5:05 pm - 6:30 pm |
6:30 pm - 7:00 pm |
7:00 pm - 10:00 pm |
14 MAY
8:00 am - 9:30 am |
9:30 am - 10:30 am As private markets evolve, independent asset managers are adapting to clients’ increasing allocations and emerging trends, such as the rise of evergreen funds and the expansion of the private debt market. This panel will explore the suite of private market and alternative offerings that External Asset Managers (EAMs) have developed to meet clients’ appetites, their success and how it has driven firm growth. The session will also discuss how EAMs navigate challenges, including differentiating and tailoring their products, accessing top-tier managers, identifying opportunities within discretionary mandates, and leveraging technology platforms. Panellists:
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10:40 am - 11:50 am |
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm |
Workshops
Workshops

Loving the unloved
For a long time, global equities have been overshadowed by the exceptional performance of US markets. However, as investors navigate geopolitical tensions and shifts in the global economic order, could this be about to change?
Within Asia ex-Japan equities, China has been largely overlooked by global investors, a long-term underweight in most allocations. Meanwhile, Korea has faced prolonged underperformance. As contrarian investors, we are comfortable challenging conventional wisdom and believe that a contrarian investment philosophy is crucial for capitalising on market volatility, with the aim to uncover attractive investment opportunities, and prioritise downside protection.
Please join James Cook, Investment Director, as he delves into the team’s contrarian approach to identifying value in an undervalued opportunity set.
Company Profile: Federated Hermes is guided by the conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create long-term wealth. We provide specialised capabilities across equity, fixed income and private markets, in addition to multi-asset strategies and liquidity-management. Through pioneering stewardship services, we engage companies on strategic and sustainability concerns to promote investors’ long-term performance and fiduciary interests. Our goals are to help people invest and retire better, to help clients achieve better risk-adjusted returns and, where possible, to contribute to positive outcomes that benefit the wider world.
Speakers
James Cook
Investment Director

James joined in November 2011 and is Head of Investment Specialists. Within his role, he oversees the team of investment specialists supporting all equity, fixed income and multi-asset products and is also investment director for emerging markets strategies. He joined from Fidelity Worldwide Investments, where he was product director for emerging markets equities from October 2005 until May 2011. He previously worked at Threadneedle Investments in investment communications. James has a degree in Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London, and holds the Investment Management Certificate.
Representatives
Mark Coppell
Head of Institutional Business Development, Asia ex-Japan
Calista Ng
Associate Director – Business Development

Direct Investments Opportunities in European Real Estate
Real estate is in the early stages of a new recovery. A clearer inflation and interest rates environment sets the basis for private equity real estate bid-ask spreads to narrow, capital values to stabilize, and deal flow to accelerate. While some headwinds remain, they are easing.
Sectors with positive structural drivers, markets with supply demand imbalance, and quality assets will be the hallmark of successful portfolio construction.
Workshop Objectives: Join Principal as they discuss the state of European real estate market, sectors that looked the “brightest” and how to access them.
As a top 10 real estate manager, Principal seeks to deliver diverse, customized solutions with our fully integrated platform across all risk spectrums of real estate – from core to opportunistic.
Company Profile: With public and private market capabilities across all asset classes, Principal Asset ManagementSM and its specialist investment teams are focused on harnessing the potential of every opportunity to secure an advantage for its clients.
The 28th largest manager of worldwide institutional assets under management of 411 managers profile, Principal Asset Management applies local insights with global perspectives to identify compelling investment opportunities and deliver distinctive solutions aligned with client objectives.1
Principal Asset Management is the global investment management business for Principal Financial Group® (Nasdaq: PFG), managing $585.6 billion in assets and recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Money Management” for 12 consecutive years.2,3
Learn more at PrincipalAM.com.
1 Managers ranked by total worldwide institutional assets as of December 31, 2023. Pensions & Investments, “Largest Money Managers,” June 2024.
2 Principal Asset Management AUM as of September 30, 2024.
3 Pensions & Investments, “The Best Places to Work in Money Management” among companies with 1,000 or more employees, December 2023.
Speakers
Tan Yo-Hann
Head of Private Markets, APAC & ME
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Yo-Hann joined Principal Asset Management in 2024 and leads the development of the firm’s private asset capabilities in the APAC & ME region.
Yo-Hann has served in various senior management positions at Savills Investment Management and within the BNP Paribas Real Estate Group, including Head and CEO of BNP Paribas Real Estate Asia-Pacific which he led the creation of.
He has led on $22bn of acquisition for Asian-based capital and $4.2bn debt financing.
Representatives
Marco Chong
Director, Private Wealth Advisory
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Before joining Principal, Marco held business development functions at Legg Mason Asset Management Hong Kong Limited, Barings Asset Management (Asia) Limited and CIFM Asset Management (Hong Kong) Limited covering markets across APAC.
He started his career in banking with JP Morgan Chase in London.
Liwen Chong
Director, Funds Distribution SEA
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Liwen is also part of the Private Markets team, supporting the firm’s growing private markets business in the region.
Prior to joining Principal, Liwen spent several years with Eastspring Investments, where she held distribution responsibilities for the Singapore intermediary business.
Speakers - Panel Sessions
Speakers

Alex Chow
Mr. Alex Chow has over 13 years’ experience in financial markets. Mr. Chow works as a chief investment officer (CIO) in Infinity Asset Management Limited. Mr. Chow specializes in structure products investments. Mr. Chow previously worked in listed companies which focus on hedge fund investments. Mr. Chow graduated in Quantitative Finance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is a holder of CFA and FRM. Mr. Chow has also published four investment books covering investment basics, options trading and event-driven investing.

Aleksey Mironenko
Aleksey Mironenko is Global Head of Investment Solutions at Leo Wealth, an independent global wealth manager. Based in Hong Kong, Aleksey is responsible for constructing client portfolios and overseeing the firm’s investment function. He is a strong believer in cost-efficient portfolio construction and asset allocation as the primary drivers of investor returns and thrives on achieving meaningful results and providing considered counsel to clients.
Prior to Leo Wealth, Aleksey was Partner and Chief Distribution Officer at Premia Partners, a Hong Kong ETF provider. During his time there, Aleksey helped build the fastest growing ETF provider in Hong Kong, taking the firm from inception to 8th by assets in Hong Kong in 3 years.
Before Premia, Aleksey held various leadership positions at iShares, including Head of APAC Fixed Income and Head of Asia ex-Japan Institutions. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, he was based in BlackRock’s London, Tokyo and New York offices, helping institutions invest globally.
Aleksey earned a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, in Finance and General Accounting from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. He is an avid rower, runner and traveler. Most importantly, he is father to two beautiful girls and husband to one awesome Aussie.
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Ann Marlowe Cooley
Ann Cooley is a globally recognized leader in asset management, family office advisory, and conflict resolution, with over 25 years of experience guiding ultra-high-net-worth families in wealth preservation, succession planning, and family harmony. As CEO & CIO of Pacific Hawk Asset Management Ltd., she has managed assets for some of the world's most distinguished families, including the Rockefellers, Rothschilds, and Cadburys. Ann also leads Pacific Hawk Global Fund OFC, Asia’s first open-ended fund company, providing innovative, risk-adjusted investment strategies tailored to long-term wealth preservation.
Beyond finance, Ann is an accredited Family Mediator (HKIAC) and Collaborative Practitioner (HKCPG), making her uniquely positioned to resolve complex financial disputes with empathy and discretion. She specializes in guiding families through succession planning, estate matters, and business conflicts, ensuring that legacy and relationships remain intact without destructive litigation.
Ann's expertise is sought after in global forums, media, and industry conferences. She has been featured in Forbes, SCMP, Family Business Magazine, and InvestHK, and serves as a faculty member in family office education programs.
She holds a Juris Doctorate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). Fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin, Ann seamlessly navigates the intersection of finance, law, and emotional intelligence to help families maintain harmony and create lasting legacies.
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Francis Liu
Francis Liu is a seasoned leader with over three decades of experience in wealth management and investments across Asia. As Senior Managing Partner and Global Head of Alternatives & ESG at Orient Wealth Advisors (OWA), he brings deep expertise in alternative investments and ESG.
Prior to joining OWA, Francis was CEO of Asia at Lombard Odier, where he played a pivotal role in driving the firm’s strategic growth across the region. Before that, he spent 22 years in Hong Kong, including 12 years in key leadership roles at UBS APAC Wealth Management. During his tenure at UBS, he served as Board Director of UBS China Group and Regional Head of the APAC Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) business, overseeing UHNW strategy and expanding the firm’s presence across Greater China and Southeast Asia. He also held Regional Market Manager and Lead Market Head roles across Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan markets, further strengthening UBS’s position in these key markets.
Earlier in his career, Francis was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management, leading the Greater China region across Taipei, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Francis holds an MBA from the University of Texas and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Texas A&M University. He has also completed executive education programs at Harvard Business School and IMD, further enhancing his leadership and strategic expertise.

Joe Lin
Joe Lin is Executive Director, Investments at Golden Equator Wealth where he works extensively with our Family Office Advisors and Ultra High Net Worth client families on their portfolio construction and investment strategies to achieve their financial outcomes. He has more than 18 years of experience in investment and portfolio strategies, with deep expertise in equity analysis, custom indices, as well as structuring derivatives and dynamic strategies.
Before joining Golden Equator Wealth, Joe lived in Hong Kong and Tokyo, covering institutional and corporate clients focused on investment strategies and product innovation across multiple asset classes, exposing him to working with international clients.
Joe graduated with double bachelor’s degrees in Actuarial Science and Economics from The Australian National University.

Rainer Michael Preiss
Rainer Michael Preiss is a German national and an investment advisor based in Singapore. He has over 25 years of experience in global private banking and multi-family office business across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. Michael is a frequent contributor to international business media such as Bloomberg, CNBC as well as a columnist for Forbes Magazine and Bloomberg BusinessWeek Vietnam as well as OER Oman Economic Review.
Michael was educated in Germany and in Switzerland. In 1989, he spent a year living in Japan as an AFS American field service foreign exchange student living with a Japanese host family and attending a local Japanese High School. He speaks fluent Japanese.
Michael is a graduate e of the European Business school, having studied at the centres in London, Paris and Bologna. In addition, Michael studied intensive Mandarin Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), as well as Yonsei University Korean Language Program in Seoul, South Korea.
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Rebekah Woo
Originally from Singapore with a business family, Rebekah has more than 20 years of global multi-asset investing in funds, co-investments and directs across government, institutions such as J.P. Morgan, CDPQ, Fosun and multibillion dollar family offices In US and Asia.
Rebekah is currently Managing Director, Private Markets and Funds with Farro Capital, an institutional multibillion dollar multi family office with presence in Singapore, Dubai and India.
With degrees from LSE, Yale, CFA, CAIA, Rebekah is a recognised adjunct trainer at Business Families Institute (BFI), Wealth Management Institute (WMI) as well as Board Director / Committee member at leading organisations and companies, such as PEWIN, Singapore Institute of Directors (SID), BANSEA.
Rebekah invests actively in funds and companies and advocates women and diversity in business and families.
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Sunil Garg
Sunil joined Lighthouse Canton in 2022 and is Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer. Sunil oversees the overall strategy of the Investment function, including investment advisory, portfolio management, market analysis, and optimizing our investment processes. In his role, he looks to ensure that our investment team continues to deliver high-quality investment solutions while driving innovation and growth.
With over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Sunil is an expert in global markets, banking, and macroeconomic research. Prior to joining Lighthouse Canton, Sunil was International Equity Research Head at JP Morgan. He oversaw the organization's global expansion of ESG research and data-driven research in EMEA and APAC. He was also a member of the Corporate Investment Banking Management Committee. Previously, Sunil has held leadership positions with some of the renowned investment banking institutions in London and Hong Kong, including Fox-Pitt Kelton, Barclays de Zoete Wedd, and HSBC.
Conversation Partners



Workshops
Workshops

Navigating the Risks and Opportunities in High Yield
Against a backdrop of steadily narrowing credit spreads, there are concerns from some fixed income investors about making an allocation to high yield in the current elevated interest rate environment. We explore the current fundamentals of the high yield market as well as assess the likely outlook from here.
Workshop Objective: Investors will learn the potential strategies they can adopt to avoid issuers with a higher likelihood of default and steer their portfolio towards issuers with a lower likelihood of default, and BNY Investments’ active investment approach.
Company Profile: BNY is a global financial services company that helps make money work for the world — managing it, moving it and keeping it safe. For 240 years we have partnered alongside our clients, putting our expertise and platforms to work to help them achieve their ambitions. Today we help over 90% of Fortune 100 companies and nearly all the top 100 banks globally access the money they need. We support governments in funding local projects and work with over 90% of the top 100 pension plans to safeguard investments for millions of individuals, and so much more. As of March 31, 2024, we oversee $48.8 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration and $2.0 trillion in assets under management.
BNY is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). We are headquartered in New York City, employ over 50,000 people globally and have been named among Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies and Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators.
BNY Investments is one of the world’s largest asset managers, managing $2 trillion* across a range of traditional and alternative assets through seven specialist investment firms — ARX, Dreyfus, Insight, Mellon, Newton, Siguler Guff and Walter Scott. For more information, go to www.bnymellonim.com.
*As at 31 March 2024.
Speakers
Cathy Braganza
Co-Portfolio Manager and Senior Credit Analyst, High Yield
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Cathy is a Portfolio Manager in Insight’s European High Yield and Loans Team. She originally joined Insight Investment (a BNY Investments' firm) in September 2012.
She originally joined Insight in September 2012 as a Senior Credit Analyst within the Fixed Income Group. Prior to this role, she worked at Citi where she was an Analyst focussing on high yield and distressed stocks. Cathy has previously worked as a Portfolio Manager at Saudi International Bank (now Gulf International Bank). She began her industry career in 1994 as a Portfolio Manager with AMP Asset Management.
Cathy holds a B Commerce degree in Finance/Economics from the University of New South Wales.
Representatives
Brett Kennedy
Vice President, Intermediary Distribution

Brett joined BNY Mellon Investment Management in 2013 in London and relocated to Singapore with the firm in 2017. Brett has held different roles covering client servicing and business development focusing on Private banks and intermediaries during his tenure.
Prior to joining BNY Mellon Brett held a similar role at Jupiter Asset Management in London and started his career in 2009 at UK funds platform Cofunds.
Brett holds an Honors degree in Financial Management from the University of Essex UK.
Speakers - Panel Session

Dr. Jon Wongswan
Join us at
INDEPENDENT WEALTH SYMPOSIUM
13 - 14 May 2025 / Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
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