London Forum 2022
WEDNESDAY GUEST LIST
Adeline Fong
NEW YORK | Principal | Know-Your-Fruit / Snapfood
Adeline Fong is currently the principal of a freeze-dried food snack company, Know-Your-Fruit. LLC, in Portland, Oregon. While living in New York, she is a User Experience freelancer, and she consulted for Ford, Marriot, Honeywell, Chase, and the fashion and beauty industries.
Adeline started with a BS in Electrical Engineering and MS in Telecommunication. She worked as a Network Security Engineer for eBay and consulted for various banks and telecommunication companies. She designed their security policies, addressed the cyber vulnerability, configured router switches, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, VPN, and unpleasantly, stressfully, and successfully prevented and stopped hackers.
With her technical background, she founded the website Fyndit, a collaborative search application that helps people find collectible things. She has a patent for the application of finding objects or services using a communication link to enlist the help of and reward third parties to help locate the desired object or service.
SPEAKER
Adrian Wooldridge
LONDON | Global Business Columnist, Bloomberg Opinion | Media
Dr Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist at Bloomberg Opinion. Previously, he worked for the Economist for thirty-two years, including stints as its Lexington and Schumpeter columnist. His last role there was as Political Editor and the Bagehot columnist. He earned a doctorate in history from Oxford University, where he is a Fellow of All Souls College.
He is the author of eleven books, his most recent being Aristocracy of Talent, which was shortlisted as the FT book of the year (2021). Further books include: Capitalism in America co-written with Alan Greenspan and seven co-written with John Micklethwait: The Wake-Up Call, The Witch Doctors, A Future Perfect, The Company, The Right Nation, God is Back and The Fourth Revolution.
Amit Bhalla
LONDON | Founder, MD | Unfair Advantage | Mergers & Acquisitions
Amit is the Founder and CEO of both Unfair Advantage in M&A and Amit Bhalla – Transformative Coach. In his M&A business, he helps businesses build dynamic decision-making frameworks for achieving best practises during acquisitions or mergers. As a Transformative Coach, his unique and powerful approach focuses on activating leaders, C-Suite and influencers to operate from their authentic and true selves. Across both businesses, Amit navigates his clients to recognise and master their own abilities and tools so they can make their own best decisions in any situation. His focus is always on “bespoke” and “tailored”, reflecting the differences between individuals, teams and their own unique situations they face in life, business and beyond.
Andrew Dalton
ABU DHABI | Director, Digital Spring Ventures | Venture Capital
Andrew is managing partner and co-founder of the DSV Group, an emerging markets tech investment platform. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, with investors from Europe and the Gulf, and investments across the Middle East, the CIS and CEE regions, South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, DSV specializes in helping mature market capital access risk-mitigated high-return investments in rapidly growing internet economies. Encompassing both VC fund management and private family office advisory verticals, DSV supports emerging market entrepreneurs to build regional champions and global leaders.
Andy Lim
SINGAPORE | Chairman | Tembusu | Family Office
Andy Lim is the Founder and Chairman of private equity firm Tembusu Partners. He is also the Executive Director of Associate Leisure International, a private company in consultancy and family business and Chairman of MoneyWorld Group of Companies, a leading foreign exchange player with offices in China, Hongkong and Singapore, since 1991. In 2022, Mr Lim stepped down as Honorary Consul General to the Republic of Lithuania after serving 16 years.
Mr Lim took an Overseas Merit Scholarship to study Engineering in Cambridge University where he graduated with First Class Honors in 1979. After an 8 year stint with the Singapore government, he went on to receive his MBA at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1989.
Andy Moody
LONDON | Partner | Baker McKenzie | Dispute Resolution and International Arbitration Law
Andy Moody is a partner in the Firm’s Dispute Resolution and International Arbitration practices in London. Andy has extensive experience in international arbitration, mediation, expert determination and complex litigation both before the English Court and abroad. He is also a solicitor advocate and regularly sits as arbitrator. Andy is recognised as a leading individual by Legal 500 and Chambers. Andy has advised on many disputes in Eastern and Western Europe, the CIS, the Middle East and Asia. He has acted as adviser and advocate in many international arbitrations under the rules of the major arbitral institutions. Andy has also regularly helped clients to obtain injunctive relief from the court in support of international arbitrations.
Andy Salmon
LONDON | Founder | Leadership Coaching
Andy catalyses inspiring journeys to a better life. He does this through applying the fusion of story, music, art and culture to myriad scenarios. These include helping senior leaders and teams co-create journeys to success; using improvisation with jazz/classic fusion concert pianist and film composer Tom Donald (The General and The Maestro) to help senior leaders and organisations co-create and innovate; and helping people get through insecurity and conflict and out the other side, through the not-for-profit Journey Through Conflict.
Andy Smith
LONDON | Private Investor
CellsUnited utilises technology from the space programme to meet the nutritional needs of athletes following training or competition faster than conventional protein supplements.
Andy is an IT and medical entrepreneur and business manager. He specialised in artificial intelligence for Ross Perot’s EDS, Phillips Research and AI Ltd. (25% owned by Xerox). At AI, Andy started in sales support serving clients from financial and medical institutions, became the company’s top sales person and led a management buyout. He re-focused the company on customer relationship management, with clients including several banks and most UK supermarket chains.
Anish Malhotra
NEW YORK | Founder | Ahimsa Partners | Private Equity
Anish is an entrepreneur and investor. He has led cutting-edge innovation over 20 years across real estate, hospitality, technology and capital markets. In this period, he has contributed to converting new concepts into $1bn+ revenue, including as an early teamer at Bloomberg Tradebook and developing a disruptive product that helped raise more than $7bn for US REITs. Anish is an experienced Board Member across multiple jurisdictions, and has been an ‘Approved Person’ with multiple regulators around the world (US, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong). Today, Ahimsa Capital’s portfolio of seven venture-build companies generate more than $50m in ARR; this has been achieved in less than three years from conception. Anish is passionate about solving environmental issues, including broader access to better food for all, and access to better education for all.
Anita Veress
ZURICH | COO | Global Capital Trust AG | Boutique Finance
Anita is a Financial services industry professional with over 15 years of experience across Switzerland and Asia. Experienced in International Wealth management, cross-border operations, and Family Office & Trust services.
Following experiences in Italy and Hong Kong, Anita is currently the COO of Global Capital Trust AG, a boutique financial firm in Zug, Switzerland. She is actively involved in the company’s client service strategy with a particular focus on club deal investments to scale up early-stage ventures in the food retail sector in Italy. She is an EMBA candidate at the triple crown University of Strathclyde Business School. After completing her studies, she is currently researching the potential use of tokens as an entrepreneurial financing tool.
Anthony Monckton
LONDON/VIENNA | Founder | ViennEast | Business Risk Analysis
Anthony is an expert on risk, security, negotiation and conflict resolution. In his career he has served the British Government overseas in Germany, Belize, Switzerland (UN), Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Austria. In 2015 he established ViennEast, a risk advisory and due diligence consultancy based in London and Vienna. In 2016 he became a partner in Moot Hill Partners, a negotiation and mediation consultancy. He writes for the Journal of Intelligence and Terrorism Studies. He is an ADR qualified Civil and Commercial Mediator. He studied Archaeology and Anthropology at Magdalene College, Cambridge.
Antoinette Russell
NASSAU | Founder/CEO | Maran Global Solutions | Corporate Services/Family Office Support
Antoinette Russell is the Founder and CEO of Maran Global Solutions. She is a highly acclaimed career trust administration and corporate management specialist with more than 30 years in the financial services industry of The Bahamas, most of it in senior management roles. She most recently served as the Managing Director of Credit Suisse Trust Limited.
Avantika Daing
NEW YORK | Managing Partner & General Partner, Plum Alley Investments | Venture Capital
Avantika spearheads Plum Alley’s Fund and Syndicate Investments. She leads the firm’s Investment’s strategy and venture investments with a focus on investing in innovation across deep tech and frontier healthcare companies with gender diverse founding teams. Plum Alley Investments has raised $70 Million, invested in 30 companies and offers LPs and direct investors the opportunity to invest in early to late stage impact, ESG, and female founded private companies that are transforming the world. The Portfolio claims two Unicorns and two exits, and includes companies that are “future proofing” industries such as Mammoth Biosciences, Einride, Air Protein, AiFi, and Diligent Robotics. Avantika has scaled teams and businesses to $2 Billion+ dollar valuations and a successful IPO at a $735 Million market capitalization.
Basil Demeroutis
LONDON | Managing Partner | FORE Partnership | Sustainable Real Estate
FORE Partnership is a private investment office for European commercial real estate, exclusively for private investors, family offices and high net individuals. Embodying ‘family values’, FORE transforms buildings through active, hands-on asset management that focuses on its own particular approach to sustainability, which it calls ‘Responsible Real Estate’.
Bianca Bonaldo
MILAN | Senior Consultant | BDO International Limited | Mergers & Acquisitions
With over 20 years’ experience in advisory and transactions across Merger & Acquisitions, strategic advice, IPO’s and private equity, Bianca has developed high-standing relationships and a direct, in-depth knowledge of key companies and entrepreneurs operating in various industries. She has a broad network of contacts with Italian and international entrepreneurs in the consumer/fashion-luxury space, aspirational brands and retailers. She has a sound knowledge of luxury industry dynamics gained from transaction experience in the sector and working with a number of deals.
Caroline Van Praagh
LONDON | Founder, Peers Communications | PR & Communications
Caroline’s career has seen her working on a wide range of consumer clients and with partners across lifestyle, travel and luxury goods. Travel experience covers a number of 5 star hotels around the world including: The Dylan, Amsterdam; Iconic Santorini, Santorini; The Nam Hai, Vietnam; La Mamounia, Marrakech; as well as Mantis Collection, The Luxury Safari Company, Fixers and Luxtripper. Caroline’s luxury brand experience includes Chivas, The Glenlivet, Champagne Perrier-Jouët, Savile Row Bespoke Association, and Snowflake Luxury Gelato. Caroline is passionate about using her industry experience and valuable network to help businesses grow.
Prior to founding Peers Communications, Caroline worked for: Weber Shandwick; Mason Rose and Campbell-Bell Communications.
Cassius Kiani
LONDON | Product Designer | Fast Growth Start Ups
Cassius has built and led multi-disciplinary design teams behind billion-dollar digital products. His previous clients include unicorns such as Bumble and Riot Games, alongside household names such as Facebook, Google, and Opera.
With a history of entrepreneurial experience, Cassius has joined noteworthy accelerators such as Entrepreneur First, built grassroots business without capital, and raised seed rounds for formidable ventures in emerging technologies.
Charlie Belbin
LONDON | Fundraising Director | Sporting Chance Prize Draw | Forum’s Charitable Enterprise
Charlie leads on fundraising for Sporting Chance Prize Draw, working with the selected UK charities and prize donors to raise vital funds.
He has more than a decade of experience as a fundraiser.
Charlie Graham-Brown
GENEVA | Partner & CIO | Seedstars | Private Investment: Emerging & Frontier Markets
Charlie is an investment professional and entrepreneur focused on emerging markets and responsible for global seed stage VC investments at Seedstars.
In early 2014, Charlie joined the founding team of Seedstars to help grow the company into the leading emerging market startup enabler that it is today. Since 2017 Charlie has led the investment activities of the group and now concluded over 90 investments in 30 countries. Previously he spent 4 years with BlueOrchard Finance investing in financial institutions in Asia, MENA and Africa.
SPEAKER
Chris Wilkins
LONDON | Managing Partner | Audley | Strategic Leadership Consultancy
Chris is a former Director of Strategy and Chief Speechwriter at Number 10 Downing Street. During a twenty year political career, he has advised successive Conservative Party Leaders and Cabinet Ministers on their communications, policy and political strategies. Beyond Westminster, Chris has built a career in international strategic communications, working with governments, individuals and corporations on campaigns around reputation management, country branding, FDI, security and counter-terrorism. He now runs London-based reputation and strategy consultancy Audley, which advises leaders in business and government to help them achieve their political, professional or personal goals. He also commentates on politics for the BBC, Sky News and others and writes occasional columns for the Times, Daily Mail and other outlets.
Christian Winkler
ZURICH (St. Gallen) | Managing Partner | ASC IMpact | Sustainable Investment in Agriculture & Forestry
Since 2021 Christian K. Winkler is a co-founder at asc impact, an owner-led firm that primarily manages sustainable investments in agriculture and forestry. asc impact establishes various impact funds. The first one invests in sustainable forestry in Sub-Saharan Africa, having a fund volume of up to 200 Mio. EUR. The second one invests in agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. The investment approach of asc is characterized by the deep involvement and active management of the investments and aims to ensure sustainable value creation operationally.
Daniel Jacoel
LONDON | CEO | Sino International Capital Group | Anglo/Chinese Private Equity
Daniel Jacoel is the Managing Director of Sino International Capital Group, a specialist advisory and investment firm based in Beijing, China.
Prior to founding Sino International Capital Group in 2010, Daniel worked at Standard Chartered in Beijing, was Founder and Head of Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander’s China Team in London, and was a co-founding equity Partner of Akur Partners.
Daniela Herrmann
ZURICH | President and Founder | Topan and MapuFi | Triple E Finance and Investment
Daniela Herrmann, a serial entrepreneur, is the founder of the Topan® Ecosystem and president and founder of Topan® AG (www.topan.ch) and Topan MapuFin® AG (www.mapufin.ch) and sits on the advisory boards of young growth companies in AgriTech, FinTech and Retail.
Daniela von Siebenthal
ZURICH | Director | Kinled Holdings | Family Office
Daniela is the granddaughter of renowned Swiss optical instruments inventor Dr. Heinrich Wild, the founder of Wild Herrbrugg AG and the SWX-listed Swiss Wild-Leitz, both of which companies merged into Leica Holdings in 1990.
Today, Daniela primarily focuses on raising funds for groundbreaking medical research on behalf of the Central European Biotech Incubator & Accelerator (www.cebina.eu).
At Kinled Holding, Daniela identifies and invests in successful medical innovation ventures. Recent businesses she has financed include Medina Medical Inc., a neurological device manufacturer (sold to Medtronic in 2016) and KB Medical SA, a spinal surgery robotic system (sold to Globus in 2018).
Daniela Schlawin
LIMASSOL | CEO | JSD Consulting, Line Management Consulting
Daniela, based in Limassol, Cyprus and Vienna Austria, is the Founder of JSD Consulting, a company she has recently formed following the successful sale of Wojnar where she was the Managing Director. Wojnar is one of the largest food producers in Austria, exporting to Europe and USA, responsible for overall financials and trademarks. Prior, she worked at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell in Vienna and Frankfurt in proprietary trading. Prior, she collected work experience in the tech-oriented environment of e-learning. As an Austrian, her native tongue is German. She is fluent in English and basic Italian, French and Greek. Daniela holds a graduated in Applied Informatics.
David Lewis
LONDON | Co-Founder, Touchlight Genetics | DNA Vaccines / Private Investor
David spent 14 years as a broker in the London insurance market, specialising in the Energy & Political Risk sectors. After leaving the market in 1994, he joined a small international corporate finance firm advising and helping international firms with contracts in mainly emerging markets. In 2003, he became a partner in a UK-based boutique corporate finance company specialising in turnarounds for institutional investors, as well as advising companies on fund raisings, sales and acquisitions. In 2008 he sold his share of the partnership and since then has been an active private investor in start-up companies, mainly in the IT and biotech sectors.
Denis Shafranik
LONDON | Concentric | Investment in Technology & Creative Sectors
Since 2011, Denis has been a full-time venture investor – picking, nurturing and exiting innovative tech businesses. He is an experienced dealmaker, who takes a straight-talking approach to structuring deals and problem-solving, in order to build mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs.
Through his family office, Ermak, Denis pursues his personal passion for the creative arts, supporting creative organisations and positive social impact ventures.
Derek Queisser de Stockalper
GENEVA | Partner | Queisser & Cie / Qanalytics, LLC | Private Investment
Derek Queisser de Stockalper is the Founder of Qanalytics, LLC a Swiss-based impact investing think tank and Queisser & Cie a private investment boutique aiming for purpose and attractive risk-adjusted returns in both liquid and illiquid asset classes.
Prior to founding Qanalytics, LLC and Queisser & Cie, Derek co-founded Firmenich SA Corporate Strategy group in Geneva and Merchant Bank J.Henry Schroder & Co Chemical and Pharma practices in London. Derek has used his entrepreneurial spirit, strategic vision, investment innovation, M&A and team building expertise to create substantial stakeholder value.
Doris Hangartner
ZÜRICH | Founder | Doris Hangartner AG | Fine Jewellery
Over the years, Doris has gleaned in-depth knowledge of the international jewellery business, working for a number of prestigious companies, where her responsibilities covered grading, valuation, purchasing, merchandising and sales for gems, diamonds and pearls, as well as antique, vintage and estate jewellery. She has participated in high-end jewellery auctions in Los Angeles, St. Moritz and Zürich. Doris has also run private jewellery sales worldwide, including in London and Palm Beach. These experiences complement her exquisite taste in fine gem selection, trustworthy valuation, and sophisticated jewellery design.
Dr Efraim Chalamish
NEW YORK | Professor of Law | New York University | Academia
Dr. Efraim Chalamish is an international economic law scholar and practitioner. He has been involved in international legal practice in New York, Paris and Israel, along with research and analysis of cutting edge areas in public and private international economic law. He has also served as a Global Fellow at New York University, exploring global governance of corporations and multilateral institutions, the intersection of business and national security, sovereign wealth funds’ economics and policy, energy markets, international investment arbitration, and global governance and financial regulation. His articles have been published in leading journals and magazines in the Unites States and Europe, such as the European Journal of International Law. He is the founder and president of the Global Center for Economic Development and Security. Dr. Chalamish received his Doctorate in international economic law from the University of Michigan, where he was awarded Olin Law and Economics fellowship. Dr. Chalamish has been serving as an adjunct or visiting professor at several academic institutions, such as University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He was named by the French Government as a Future Global Leader for 2011. Dr. Chalamish is an exclusive contributor to Economonitor, and regularly writes to papers and magazines, such as the Huffington Post, Project Syndicate, The Gulf Times, and JPost.
Elizabeth Linder
LONDON | Founder | Brooch Associates | Global Policy Advisors
Elizabeth Linder has never held a position with an existing job description. From serving as Facebook’s first “secretary of state” to founding Brooch Associates, a global policy advisory firm led entirely by women, Elizabeth is at the forefront of modern corporate and government diplomacy, communications, and policy. She has physically worked in more than fifty-five countries in both developed and emerging markets.
Elizabeth started her career in Global Communications & Public Policy at Google/YouTube, specializing in political campaigning the year user-generated content first splashed onto the national political scene in the United States. In 2008, Facebook recruited Elizabeth to join its two-person International Communications team. At the time, the company had no policy nor communications representative outside of the United States. During her eight years, she served as the company’s first corporate diplomat dedicated to the government, political, and civil society use of Facebook. Elizabeth opened Facebook’s first office in India and founded and built Facebook’s Politics and Government division for the Europe, Middle East & Africa region.
Currently, Elizabeth looks after a global portfolio of government ministers and private sector CEOs as Chief Diplomatic Officer at Brooch Associates. She co-Chairs the St. James’s Roundtable – Chatham House’s fastest-growing membership tier – and Chairs the Kinross House Meetings, which take place twice-yearly in Scotland. Elizabeth serves on the Board of the Gates-funded Medicines for Malaria Ventures; the Programme Committee of Ditchley Park; and the Board of Strategy International. Elizabeth graduated from Princeton University. A California native, she resides in London.
Emmanuel Boujon
GENEVA | Managing Director | DAPM SA | Wealth Consolidation And Supervision
Emmanuel Boujon founded DAPM SA in 2002 with the vision to create the firm that it has become today, fully independent and committed to protecting the interests of its clients. Prior to that, he spent eight years in wealth management, initially at Bankers Trust in Geneva, and then at MIF SA, a multi-family office. During that time and for 12 years, he also served as the Private Family Officer for a multi-billion ultra-high net worth individual. Emmanuel holds an MBA from Dundee University and a Master in Finance from HEC Lausanne.
Geoffrey Hooper
NASSAU | Chairman | The Winterbotham Trust Company | Merchant Bank
More than 30 years ago, Geoffrey Hooper set up a financial services business in Uruguay focusing on Latin American markets. In 1994 he established the head office of The Winterbotham Trust Company Limited in The Bahamas, having obtained banking and trust licences. From humble beginnings, the business today employs some 140 worldwide and is headquartered in Nassau, with subsidiaries in Uruguay, Cayman and Hong Kong as well as a subsidiary bank in San Juan, Puerto Rico and a centre for outsourcing in Chennai. Winterbotham is a merchant bank working with entrepreneurs, their companies and families to support their cross-border ambitions around the world.
Geoffrey de Mowbray
LONDON |CEO | Dints International | International Trade
Geoffrey started his business career 22 year ago, aged 18. He is passionate about using technology and finance to democratise international trade and enabling sustainable development. Geoffrey is the founder of Dints International, which for the last 15 years has been supplying mining and infrastructure companies in emerging markets, particularly Africa, South America and Asia – choosing to focus on some of the most challenging of industries. Until recently Geoffrey was the co-Chairman of the British Exporters Association (BExA), who are a trade association representing the needs of the UK exporting community to UK Government and now holds the position of VP. Geoffrey has 22 years’ experience in international trade, with the fundamentals of ESG at his core. By his own admission, there is still a long way to go! Geoffrey’s belief is not to avoid challenging industries or situations but immerse oneself and change from within.
George Georgiou
NICOSIA | Managing Partner | George Z. Georgiou & Associates LLC | International Litigation Law
George Z. Georgiou is a highly respected litigator in Cyprus with a reputation as a first-class advocate. Besides being the Managing Partner of George Z. Georgiou and Associates LLC, George is also an Associate Tenant of Littleton Chambers, London. Additionally, George appears as an Expert Witness in relation to Cyprus law and he is a mediator and arbitrator. He is the head of the international litigation team at the Firm.
George Seatter
LONDON | Founder, Vizion Private Clients | Insurance
George is a serial entrepreneur in the High Net Worth (HNW) Insurance Sector. He spent 10 years running Green Park Insurance Services as part of the Stackhouse Poland Group, growing them from a new start-up into one of the UK’s leading HNW insurance brokers.
George has been heading up the insurance business for Savills Private Finance but recently combined this role with a new position as Founding Partner at Vizion Private Clients. Vizion is seeking to redefine the UK insurance market – providing support and start-up finding to individuals with their own client banks and connections, and encouraging them to build their own business under the Vizion Partnership.
George’s particular area of expertise remains in tailoring personal insurance portfolios for private individuals covering their household, motor, annual travel, yacht and private aviation insurance needs.
Gil Horsky
TEL AVIV | Managing Partner | Flora Ventures | Venture Investments in AgriFood-Tech
Gil has worked around the globe in executive roles for leading food multinationals: Kraft Foods, PepsiCo & Nestle, and co-founded the Mondelēz corporate venture investment arm (CVC). Gil is currently founding a new early-stage fund, Flora Ventures, that is backing the best purpose-led entrepreneurs from Europe & Israel, whom are redefining the $8T AgriFood industry, at its intersection of human & planetary health.
Harriet Martin
LONDON | Legal & Investment Coordinator | Moore & Moore Investments | Investment Consultancy
Moore & Moore Investments Group (“MMI”) introduces high net worth and/or sophisticated private investors to alternative investment opportunities. Through its extensive network of corporate and professional contacts, MMI is able to provide private investors with access to deals which are, ordinarily, only available to select family offices and institutional investors. MMI is incorporated and registered in the Cayman Islands, regulated by CIMA.
Harry Lort-Phillips
LONDON | Partner | Messum Yachts Limited |Yacht Charter and Brokerage
Hilgon Van Breda
ZURICH I Founder, CEO I SwissInc Limited | Real Estate
SwissInc is a specialised Swiss real estate investment boutique providing international and local investors with an end-to-end full-service partnership from acquisition to exit. Our reputation has put us in asuperior position to acquire the best off-marketopportunities and navigate the notoriously challenging Swiss market. Our in-house refined processes are backed by the latest PropTech to perform ongoing development, value enhancement, asset management, assessing and mitigating all risks. This led to our 15-year track record of achieving an average IRR of 13% and zero investor losses over 45 transactions.
Hilgon qualified as a CA and FCMA with EY, then pursued a banking & financial services career. He led a successful management buyout from ABB in Zurich, co-founded enValue AG developing strategic business decision support technology forming the base for SwissInc’s PropTech.
Ivana Tagliamonte
NEW YORK | Founder | Ivana and Kyle Team | Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
Jack Calaman
NEW YORK | Senior Vice President | Investments, Stifel Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Jack is a 40 year veteran of Wall Street, who with his business partners, serve the investment and balance sheet requirements of high net worth families, family offices and institutional clients. Our growing business is reflected in the increasing asset base we advise. Having grown up through the enlisted and officer ranks in the Army, Jack has learned that teamwork is an essential element in providing quality service that our clients come to expect. Through Stifel, we are able to create solutions that help our clients satisfy their goals. Jack graduated from Belmont Abbey College with a BA in Economics and Business and was a post graduate student at The Pennsylvania State University prior to moving to Wall Street. He is active in education philanthropy serving on several boards.
Stifel Nicolaus is a financial services company headquartered in St Louis, Missouri since 1890 that conducts its financial services business globally. Our commitment to our clients, individual, institutional and corporate, is to listen and consistently deliver innovative financial solutions. Putting the clients and communities welfare first we strive to be the adviser of choice in the industry. Pursuit of excellence and a desire to exceed clients’ expectations are the values that empower our company.
James Forrester
LONDON | Global Vice President and Worldwide Technical Lead | VMware | Cloud Sales
James Forrester is Vice President and Worldwide Technical Leader, Cloud Sales at VMware. He is responsible for leading VMware’s Cloud Sales technical community to help accelerate customers’ journeys to the cloud and modern applications across VMware’s and partners’ cloud platforms. Prior to VMware, James spent almost five years with Amazon Web Services, most recently as Head of Technology for Global Accounts. Before that, James spent 17 years leading enterprise financial services technology teams globally, including application development, operations, and enterprise architecture functions.
James Tansey
VANCOUVER | CEO | Klimat X | Impact Advisory
Jennifer M. Schipf
LONDON | Global Chief Underwriting Officer – Fine Art & Specie at AXA XL
Jennifer is responsible for setting worldwide strategy for client solutions, Underwriting guidelines and profitability. She’s been dedicated to the specialized market of fine art underwriting for nearly twenty years and recently helped establish the AXA Art Prize. She previously led the organization’s North American Fine Art & Specie team while also serving as leader of Broker and Client Management for North American Specialty. Prior to joining AXA XL in 2008, she led the US Fine Art Underwriting practice at another carrier and held various roles in claims, settling losses and performing loss control assessments for private collector clients.
She started her career with a research position in the Old Master Drawings department at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. followed by development roles at both the Chazen Museum and Tandem Press, in Madison, WI. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Economics from Georgetown University with a concentration in the Italian Renaissance and Patronage of the Papacy. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Architecture from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Jerome Rubin-Delanchy
ZURICH | CEO | ATU Advisory Services | Fiduciary/Consulting
Jerome Rubin-Delanchy is the CEO of ATU Advisory Services AG in Zurich, Switzerland, a member of ATU Group and the Swiss Rep office of ATU’s operation in the British Virgin Islands. A French national, Jerome holds a master’s degree in Management from the Institut Superieur Europeen de Gestion of Lyon. He started his career in Financial Services in the early 2000’s, as a Wealth Planner in Geneva, assisting High Net Worth individuals in structuring their cross-border transactions and implementing their succession plans.
Jerome has been actively involved in the BVI Financial Industry, having acted as Chair of the Association of Registered Agents from 2012 to 2015 and board member of BVI Finance in 2018. He also sat on several industry groups such as the Financial Services Business Development Committee, (FSBDC) the Joint Anti- Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Advisory Committee (JALTFAC) and was appointed a member of the Non-Profit Organization board by the BVI Government from 2018 to 2020.
Jessica Fellowes
LONDON | Author, Journalist & Public Speaker
Jessica Fellowes is an author, journalist and public speaker. Jessica is well known for her work as author of five official companion books to the globally successful television series and film Downton Abbey, various of which hit the New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller lists. Former deputy editor of Country Life and columnist on the Mail on Sunday, as well as regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph, she is now author of a bestselling 1920s crime series, The Mitford Murders, which has been nominated for awards in England, Germany, Italy and France. Jessica has spoken at events across the UK and US, and has made numerous appearances on radio and television.
Jonathan Aeberhard
KUALA LUMPUR | CEO, G.A Group | Brand Development, Communications & 3D Design
Jonathan specializes in the application of creativity to business problems.
After his degree at Oxford and a long stint at Ogilvy & Mather, Jonathan left to found G.A Brand Design (GABD), the branding division of his family’s company the G.A Group. GABD develop brand solutions via a global studio of integrated graphic and interior designers. It has two studios (London and Kuala Lumpur) and is one of the very few brand consultancies that combine physical space design with the branding discipline. GABD was recently short-listed as the Best Independent Creative Agency in Malaysia by Campaign Magazine.
Jonathan lives in Malaysia but travels frequently back and forth to London.
Kevin Greenleaves
LONDON | Chief Executive, Virgo Stone | Global Leadership Advisors
Kevin is the founder of Virgo Stone, a global Leadership Advisory firm considered thought leaders, both in leadership design and behavioural change They are engaged to work on the leadership challenges faced by executives, companies, family offices and governments. These are broad in nature but include the dynamics of family succession, developing executive leadership skill, the functioning of boards and executive teams, acquisition or disposal challenges, the start-up of new ventures and designing leadership interventions in difficult circumstances.
Kevin previously contributed to the global leadership of Hewlett-Packard in a range of senior roles. He was first trained in aerospace, both as a pilot and engineer, and followed this with business training in the UK and the US. He then augmented this with research and study into human psychology and behaviour so that he could affect substantial and meaningful change.
Lara Holliday
LONDON | President & Founder | Tide Risers | Female Community
Lara Holliday is a coach, creator, and community-builder, and the Founder + CEO of Tide Risers, a deliberate community for women leaders. She specializes in helping women own their roles as leaders and is known for her ability to help people uncover hidden barriers, get unstuck, and uplevel their lives professionally and personally. Lara also offers speaking engagements and workshops focused on issues that affect female professionals. Her thought leadership challenges perceptions about management, re-orients the work/life balance conversation, and leads people through a framework to establish their own, authentic definition of success.
Lee Thistlethwaite
LONDON | Founder | Thistlethwaite Associates | Family Office Consultancy
Lee has worked for over 30 years in investment and private banking, 25 of those for JP Morgan. For the last 15 years he has worked as an advisor to families of wealth focusing on governance, risk, strategy and succession.
As an advisor, Lee works with family principals, wealth creators, families of different generations, family offices and their advisors. He works with such individuals or groups where the complexity and scale of the family’s wealth requires his discreet advice.
Lewis Holland
LONDON | COO | Family Office Advisory |
Lewis is experienced in helping creative and energetic entrepreneurs and business principals to put structure and organisation on their ideas and to convert their strategic vision into hard commercial reality – most notably as COO of a financial services firm founded in 1997 and sold for £200m in 2008. He has established and managed a Private Office for a UHNWI. He’s at home in early stage or Venture environments and where ‘turn-around’ capability is required; and has experience of navigating adventurous Emerging Markets, particularly southern and east Africa. He has run his own family’s well-established business investing in and managing commercial property and other assets.
He is an associate director of Strategia Worldwide (a risk management and strategy consultancy) and, separately, Nexus Advisory – a strategic communications firm.
Lewis spent 6 years as an Infantry Officer in the British Army, having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Previously he studied at Bristol University and speaks French, Spanish and Italian.
Liz Klein
NEW YORK | Founding Principal | Reiss Klein Partners LLC | Art Advisory
As an art advisor and the principal of Reiss Klein Partners, Liz Klein provides short- and long-term advice, strategy and access for influential private and institutional collectors around the globe, guiding them in their holdings of modern, post-war and contemporary art.
Since the mid-1990s, she has helped collectors, museums, civic and philanthropic organizations to navigate the art market. Through strong relationships and expert knowledge she provides vision, advice and access to assist both private collectors and public entities to nurture and champion art as well as the environments and patronage that support it.
Maciej Dworniak
LONDON | Founder | Bastion Investments | Family Office
Maciej is the founder of investment firm Bastion Investments which is active in various asset classes including PE / VC and real estate. He is also the co-founder of Bastion Group, a financial advisory firm focused on Central Eastern European (“CEE”) countries.
Previously, he was a Managing Director and Partner of ESO Capital, a USD 500 million fund based in London, and an Executive Director at D. B. Zwirn (Highbridge), a USD 5 billion fund, focused on illiquid opportunities, fixed income and credit arbitrage. Maciej started his career in investment banking in the M&A departments of Credit Suisse in London and Lazard in New York.
Maciej is currently a Senior Advisor to Eighteen48, a London based multi-family office, as well as a member of the Expert Committee of OTB Ventures, an early growth technology fund in CEE.
Maciej holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics with Honors and Distinction from Stanford University.
He is fluent in English and Polish and has a working knowledge of German, French and Russian.
Marco Zoppi
ZURICH | Founder | Global Capital Trust AG | Boutique Finance
Marco Zoppi is the founder of Global Capital Trust AG, a boutique financial firm in Switzerland. He has over thirty years of experience in the world of Finance. His family has been operating in the financial markets for three generations, initially as a broker at the Milan Stock Exchange and later as an investment firm.
Following fifteen years of experience working at international private banks, with roles of increasing responsibility, as Chief of Portfolio Management at Société des Banque Suisse in Geneve and as Chief Trader at SBC Warburg London, Marco launched his first management company in Switzerland in 2007.
His latest project, launched in 2020, concerns club deals and investments focused on Made in Italy SMEs, combining the international network of HNWIs, great financial experience, Italian origins, and a passion for business.
Marios Anastasiou
Marios is an internationally accomplished C-Level Executive, and ACA qualified accountant, with an audit and Big Four advisory grounding. He has a proven track record of success working in a multi-cultural environment at CFO & CEO level; shaping and executing turnaround and growth strategies and championing digitalization to drive global expansion and profitability. Marios is commercially minded and experienced in supporting the development of B2B / B2C customer propositions and business lines; identifying, negotiating and closing major transactions such as M&A opportunities to open new markets, and leading post-acquisition integration activities. Marios is known for evolving organizational structures, building talented teams, embedding robust finance and risk management systems, and driving FinTech transformation, using the latest technologies to improve financial control, compliance, MIS, and competitive advantage.
Marta Drummond
LONDON | Founder, Marta Drummond Strategic Consultant | Strategic Business Consultancy
Marta has over 25 years’ experience advising private families and professional firms on direct investment, wealth management, financial advisory and strategic business development. She is on the Advisory Boards of FORE Partnership and the global youth charity, Partners in Youth Empowerment. She is also establishing the UK beachhead of First Star St. Mary’s University in Greater London, a programme for foster teens to help each one achieve a place in higher education.
Prior to 2010, Marta served as Head of Strategy for Withers LLP. Marta has held executive positions as a Senior Private Banker at Citigroup (Hong Kong), Coutts, and as Director of Key Clients for UBS (London).
In 2010, Marta moved to Zurich where she formed Marta Drummond Strategic Consulting GmbH, consulting to KPMG’s 2005 MBO of its Swiss private client business, Kendris Private and to UK-based law firm, Speechly Bircham. In 2013, she returned to London.
Marjorie Nesbitt
NEW YORK | Founder of Eight Points Asset Management, LLC | Asset Management
Marjorie Nesbitt has actively managed, negotiated, acquired and divested businesses, real estate, oil and gas, and insurance assets for most of her professional career. Ms. Nesbitt also has extensive experience in trusts and estate administration utilizing strong fiduciary risk management skills. Since 2008, Ms. Nesbitt has been President and Founder of Eight Points Asset Management, LLC, which provides oversight of real estate and closely held businesses for professional fiduciaries and high net worth families with responsibility for over $2 Billion in New York City property. She is also a Managing Director of Tuteur Haus GmbH & Co. KG, a family-owned real estate company in Berlin, Germany. From 2006 through 2007, Ms. Nesbitt was Chief Executive Officer of Cafritz Company, a privately held real estate services firm, where she managed all aspects of the company’s asset/property management, leasing, project management and administration.
Matt Komorowski
LONDON | Chief Revenue Officer | Volt | Global Real-Time Payment Network
I am an investor, entrepreneur, and professional executive operating in the technology, fintech, and ecommerce industries.
My professional career has involved being a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group, launching Groupon in Poland, spending 10 years working for one of the original fintechs, PayPal, as the Managing Director of Scandinavia, Benelux, Central & Eastern Europe, Ireland, and Singapore. Most recently I took the role of Chief Revenue Officer of open banking fintech Volt.io which is building a global real time payments network.
Additionally, I’ve cofounded several companies including eStoreMedia, am a board member of P/E owned businesses, advisor to a Chinese unicorn expanding globally, and investor in numerous other technology and fintech businesses.
On a private note, I have lived between Canada, Poland, Singapore, and most recently settled in the UK.
Matthew Hoffer
ZURICH | Co-Founder & CEO | Spire Capital | Private Markets
Matthew is the principal and co-founder of Spire Capital, an investment and advisory firm headquartered in Pfäffikon, on the shores of the Zurich lake. The firm is privately capitalised and focuses exclusively on private markets investments, from seed to pre-IPO. Because it is structured as an investment firm, Spire Capital has deep due-diligence and valuation capabilities, which it leverages for its growing advisory business, supporting other private investors and family offices to select and execute their investments.
Matthew is also the co-founder and Managing Partner of Spire Strategy, a digital transformation consulting and technology company.
Michael Fitton
GRAND BAHAMA | CEO | Clean Marine Group Limited | MARPOL Port Reception Facility
Michael Fitton is the CEO and majority shareholder of Clean Marine Group Limited a MARPOL Port Reception Facility based in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Winner of the IDB’s Blue Tech Challenge in 2019, CMG aim to protect the Blue Economy and the Ocean’s Capital by collecting and recycling marine waste, generated by the high volume of ships that visit the Region. The reprocessed waste benefits the Circular Economy in the Bahamas. The ultimate aim is to create Green Hydrogen through Hydrogen Reduction technology, to facilitate energy production throughout the Islands and the resupply of Ships.
Michael Ledzion
LONDON | Director, Sports for Schools | Sports/Education Outreach
Michael is a serial entrepreneur whose career spans strategy consulting, the creation of a very early cloud software business (1998), and a Cambridge chip business for which he raised over $50m.
After a stint at Go Ape in Australia, he returned to relaunch Sports for Schools in 2013 as a social enterprise that brings Olympic athletes to run inspirational fitness events in over 1,200 primary schools each year. Sports for Schools has connected with over 1.5m children to date, and raised over £2.5m for Sports Equipment for schools. Michael also founded Clubs for Schools as part of a growing group of companies with a mission to make physical activity in primary schools as important as numeracy and literacy.
Minka Nyberg (Dr)
LONDON | Managing Partner | Nyberg Capital | Advisory Services for Hedge Funds, Private Equity, Real Estate and Alternative Investments
After a career in private banks and family office in Zurich, Switzerland, Minka set up her own business, Nyberg Capital, in 2011. The company operated out of Zurich until 2015, and from Singapore thereafter, when she and her husband moved to Asia. Since 2021 Minka has been based in London.
Minka works as an advisor to family offices and HNW investors, with the main investment focus being on private equity (funds), real estate and some hedge funds. This includes sourcing investment opportunities, conducting due diligence and monitoring, as well as portfolio consolidation and coordinating service providers.
Nino Zaridze
NEW YORK | Founder and Creative Director | NZR Jewellery LLC
Born and raised in Tbilisi, the capital city of the Republic of Georgia, I immigrated to the US, just before civil war broke out in Georgia. I was afforded the opportunity to study in the US and then after graduating, getting married and having my first child, in 1995, I founded and ran a Montessori School for eighteen years. In 2013, my passion for jewelry design and precious gems pivoted me from education to jewelry design. Today, I design and manufacture bespoke one-of-a-kind jewelry using diamonds and other precious stones.
Ocean Costelloe
LONDON | Company Director, SparkFlowGrow.com
Ocean is a freelance operations manager with a passion for making people less busy. The founder of Spark Flow Grow, Ocean uses her experience in business and project operations across multiple fast-paced industries to support small business owners and agencies with the operations and finance processes that keep businesses ticking.
Spark Flow Grow’s mission is to provide a collaborative and conscientious service, and in turn give innovative and creative leaders space to grow. Uninhibited by the nitty-gritty of running their business, leaders can focus on delivering their mission and creating impact.
Patrick Aisher
ZURICH | Chairman | Kinled Holdings | Family Office
Patrick is an Anglo-Austrian serial entrepreneur who has been active in early stage businesses since 1990. Throughout his career, he has created and invested in over fifty businesses, exiting twelve via IPO (in London, New York, and Madrid) and twelve via trade sale/licensing deal. Patrick is Chairman of Kinled Holding, a Hong Kong-based private investment company established in 1924, with offices in London, Shanghai, Vienna, and Zurich. Kinled holds a portfolio of more than 50 companies in the life sciences, digital and financial technology industries. He is a Founder/Partner in five independently-managed funds in Boston, London, Monte Carlo, Vienna, and Zurich with $300M AuM, and is a member of the Swiss Corporate Finance and Private Equity Association.
Paul Cuatrecasas
LONDON | Founder & CEO | Aquaa Partners | Investmant Banking [Tech]
Paul has directly or indirectly completed over 40 M&A transactions globally worth over $6 billion and over 50 corporate finance advisory and strategic consultancy assignments. He has directly or indirectly originated and structured over 15 private placements of equity capital raising over $500
million. He also directed the ARC investment programme and achieved a historical professional investment track record over 50% IRR from 1994 to 2000.
Prior to ARC Associates, Paul was a Senior Associate with Arkwright Capital (ex-Bain & Co. partners), an M&A and Corporate Finance advisory firm in
London (1991-1993) and with GE Capital in their LBO and Restructuring Group in New York (1989-1991).
Paul holds an MBA from Columbia University where he was awarded the Roswell C. McCrea Scholarship and a BA from Wake Forest University.
Paul Neuda
GEORGIA | Private Investor | Business Advisory
Paul is an entrepreneur. Having completed his tour of duty as a U.S. Air Force pilot, he continued flying his own airplanes in pursuit of building a publishing company encompassing several diverse areas. Early on, he provided financial institutions with explanatory brochures for their customers on the newly minted IRA/Keogh/SEP retirement accounts.
He then turned to his passion: aviation. He found a niche market in the privately-owned aircraft sector and started covering numerous aircraft not being served. His company published aircraft-specific magazines and hosted conferences covering operational safety and maintenance issues. These magazines and conferences were the only source of direct advertising specific to each aircraft available to advertisers/vendors.
SPEAKER
Peter Conradi
PARIS | Sunday Times & Times, European Editor
Peter Conradi is the European editor for the Sunday Times and Times.Earlier in his career, he spent six years as foreign correspondent in Moscow when he witnessed the USSR’s collapse first-hand. His previous books include Hitler’s Piano Player and The King’s Speech, co-authored with Mark Logue, which inspired the Oscar-winning film. Peter is a graduate at Oxford University. He also studied at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. He has three children and lives in Paris.
Peter Wild (Dr)
LONDON | Private Investor
Peter runs a Swiss family owned real estate business and the alternative investments for the family. For most of Peter’s professional life he was an attorney focusing on alternative dispute resolution and IP. Peter was born in and spent most of his life in Zurich as an attorney, with 2 years in San Diego (1986/87) for comparative law studies and 6 years (2015-2021) in Singapore. His interests are running, triathlon and charity work with The Temple Garden Foundation in Cambodia and as a committee member of Human Rights Watch in London. Peter lives in London with his wife Minka Nyberg who is also a member of Forum.
Radu Piturlea
NEW YORK/BUCHAREST | Entrepreneur & Investor
Radu is a young entrepreneur and second generation family business owner. He Started his first company at 17, developing a technology that transformed hard to recycle plastics into energy. He sold the company at 21.
The family business is in infrastructure, construction and real estate development with operations in Romania and Germany. Radu is currently based in New York and travels frequently between Bucharest, London and US. He is focused on building a legacy as an investor and operator in frontier technologies.
Randi Mitz
TORONTO | Managing Partner, RM-TO | Venture Capital and Management Services
Randi started her career in the apparel industry, where she founded and ultimately sold her first business. She earned the prestigious Leading Young Entrepreneur Award and a feature on the cover of the Canadian Business Magazine.
Randi subsequently became president of The John Forsyth Company (TSX: JFC), the country’s leading sourcing and manufacturing apparel company.
Today, Randi is an active investor and advisor to management teams in the consumer-focused digital technology space. She is a Business Mentor for The Runway Startup Postdoc Program at Cornell Tech, helping recently graduated PhD’s transition from academics to entrepreneurs.
Rebecca Bachmann
ZURICH | Co-Founder & President | Spire Global Advisers | Global Strategic Advisory
Rebecca is the principal and co-founder of Spire Capital, an investment and advisory firm headquartered in Pfäffikon, on the shores of the Zurich lake. The firm is privately capitalised and focuses exclusively on private markets investments, from seed to pre-IPO. Because it is structured as an investment firm, Spire Capital has deep due-diligence and valuation capabilities, which it leverages for its growing advisory business, supporting other private investors and family offices to select and execute their investments.
Robert Cohen
TEL AVIV | Managing Partner | Benson Oak | Venture Capital
Robert has 25 years of experience in investment management and investment banking. He is the Managing Partner of Benson Oak, a highly successful central European investment firm which he joined in 1996. Robert served on the Boards of several investee companies, including AVG, one of the global leaders in cyber security, where he handled strategic financing issues for the company and executed its first corporate acquisitions. He has previously managed Benson Oak’s corporate finance advisory business with a broad range of responsibilities including leading M&A advisory, private-equity financings, domestic and international capital market fund-raising and general management advisory.
Russell Van Praagh
LONDON | Partner, Osborne Clarke | Law Firm
Russell is a partner in the business transactions group of Osborne Clarke. Over the last 15 years, he has been advising both institutional and private investors alike in venture and private equity backed growth and development capital transactions.
SPEAKER
Dr Scilla Elworthy
LONDON | Founder | Peace Direct
Scilla is a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her work with Oxford Research Group to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics. She founded Peace Direct in 2002 to fund, promote and learn from local peace-builders in conflict areas, was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003 and advised Peter Gabriel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sir Richard Branson in setting up ‘The Elders’. Her TED talk on nonviolence has been viewed by over 1,500,000 people.
She founded The Business Plan for Peace to help prevent destructive conflict and build sustainable peace throughout the world, because it is possible; based on her latest books The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War (2017), The Mighty Heart: how to transform conflict (2020), and The Mighty Heart in Action (2022).
Shuif Hussain
LONDON | Chairman, SIAHAF | Property Development
Shuif is a prominent entrepreneur, with significant investment expertise in the Leisure, Hospitality and Real Estate sectors. He has been a principal sponsor of SIAHAF since 2009.
Shuif also heads up a private Family Office, set up to look after the interests of the beneficiaries of a Family Trust. The Family Office has invested across a wide variety of Asset Classes – including direct investments in leisure, hospitality, oil and gas, and property interests in the UK and Asia – leveraging his network of Anglo-Asian contacts.
Shuif has many years of investment experience and sits on the boards of Funds and Companies where the Family Office has taken substantial positions.
Simon Cameron
DUBAI | Founder & Managing Director, Lightfoot Travel | Travel & Tourism
Simon first worked in private banking for Merrill Lynch. Following this, he became a founding shareholder in an international consultancy firm specialising in security and risk management. Simon was heavily involved in setting up their offices overseas, specifically in Asia and The Middle East, and in 2009 the company became a NASDAQ listed corporation.
During his time living in Asia, he noticed a gap in the travel industry – the lack of personalised luxury experiential tour services. He founded Lightfoot’s Singapore office in 2009, and a year later the Hong Kong office opened, followed by Dubai in 2013. A London office is opening in 2018. The award winning travel company has grown rapidly servicing affluent clients in its core markets and beyond. The team have also launched an award winning travel magazine ‘Travel by Lightfoot’, where partners are able to expose their brands to Lightfoot’s affluent clients and other HNW consumers in Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE, and the UK.
Simon currently resides in Dubai, focusing on growing the brand throughout the GCC market.
Simon Jacot de Boinod
LONDON | Founder | Forum
Simon is the founder of Forum, a global network of principals and experts, all personally invited to join by members of the Advisory Board. There are five membership chapters: London; New York; Singapore, Dubai and Vienna, with additional members residing in 20 further cities worldwide. The membership is deliberately eclectic in its mix – a peer group [male & female] drawn from the senior échelons of the business community and family offices with journalists, economists, politicians, public speakers, academics, designers, writers and those working in the arts also included within the number.
![Steven Hirth [2]](https://www.forum.club/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Steven-Hirth_2.jpg "Steven Hirth_2")
Steven Hirth
NEW YORK | Founder and Principal, S. H. Hirth & Associates | Merchant Bank
Steven is the Founder and Principal of S.H. Hirth and Associates, an international merchant banking boutique modeled after pre-World War II European merchant banks His family office concentrates on North and Central American real estate and global private equities. SHH&A co-invests with HNWI and family offices in domestic and international small-to-medium size companies and funds seeking capital (human and financial), strategic services and ‘matchmaking’. It is modeled after pre-WWII European merchant bankers. The firm is agnostic in the sectors in which it co-invests, except it does not invest directly in weapons, alcohol nor in certain countries.
Tanja Cukon
VIENNA | Founder | Cukon Law | International Real Estate Law
Tanja is a registered lawyer in Croatia and EU-based lawyer in Austria. She founded her own law firm offices in Austria and Croatia in 2014 after several years of cooperation with one of the leading law firms in the CEE. She has many years of legal experience in cross-border legal activities advising domestic and international clients, specializing in real estate transactions primarily advising property investors and developers. After many years of practice in a large international law firm, Tanja offers a similarly pragmatic approach and quality work product, combined with a more personal client relationship.
Toby Crooks
LONDON | Partner | Rawlinson & Hunter | Trust and Wealth Services
Toby specialises in the field of Private Client Tax, as part of the Trust & Wealth Services department. He enjoys working closely with clients, legal advisers and Family Offices to understand their particular requirements and has a wide breadth of experience, having advised both UK and non-domiciled clients.
Toby joined Rawlinson & Hunter in 2004, working initially in the Private Client department before transferring to the Firm’s Cayman Islands office for several years . He returned to the UK in 2010 and became a partner in April 2014.
Velitchka Hristova
VIENNA | Director | Bank Gutmann AG | Private Banking
Velitchka Hristova is a Senior Banker and Director at Bank Gutmann AG with over 16 years of private banking and business development experience in Central and Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
In her current role, Velitchka Hristova is responsible for setting up and growing the private banking franchise. In her capacity as Financial Advisor and Relationship Manager, Velitchka Hristova has worked extensively with first generation family business owners and entrepreneurs. Originally from Bulgaria, Velitchka Hristova has previously worked in a major non-profit organization in Minnesota, prior to moving back to Europe.
Werner Aeberhard
LONDON | Chairman and Founder, G.A Group | Design: Hotels, Resorts, Residential & Brand Development
Werner is a dual British and Swiss citizen, based in London.
A graduate from the Hotel School in Lausanne, he worked in senior positions with global hotel chains before starting his own business, G.A Design, thirty years ago, combining practical hotel operations skill with design and planning of hotel projects. The G.A Group now encompasses five operating divisions and offices in London, Budapest, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai.
Yvonne Lemus-Bosu
LOS ANGELES | Founder & CEO, Six Dragonflies Investment | Financier and Philanthropist
Yvonne works with socially-conscious, high net worth investors who seek a high return on investment and who desire to leave a legacy of positive social change. As the founder and CEO of Six Dragonflies, she has focused on creating a more equality-based entrepreneurial ecosystem, leading a force of successful entrepreneurs, who in turn will leave a positive impact on the socio-economic conditions within their communities. Her objective is to bridge talent with opportunity by way of championing and mentoring under-represented, global entrepreneurs to positions of success.
Yvonne is passionate about her support for women, young girls and children around the globe. She has been an activist in philanthropic endeavours for over 15 years, serving as an affiliate and as a board member of multiple organizations, taking on key roles in finance, fundraising and development. Her passion for philanthropy combined with her in-depth experience in finance and funding is the foundation upon which she pursues her long-term goals.