The MEA Finance Wealth & Investment Summit 2024, held on the 12th of November 2024 at the Ritz Carlton JBR in Dubai, was attended by just over 600 of the region’s senior private bankers, wealth and managers, investment advisors, relationship managers, senior leaders, family officers, investors and digital wealth technology providers.
This annual event, once again underlining its place as the region’s leading Wealth and Investment event, informs leaders, market builders and the growing wave of service providers setting up shop in the region of key developments in this important growing market. Illuminating discussions, debates, presentations on key matters in the industry at this time of change and increasing competition were held by panels of professionals and experts working at the forefront market.
An impressive attendance of delegates, eager to learn about the latest changes in the sector, all keenly tuned into the panel sessions and took advantage of the unique networking opportunities this event uniquely makes available to them.
More than 30 industry leaders led the discussions focusing on issues around trans-generational wealth transfer, family office, investment strategies and cutting-edge innovations that shape the region’s investment landscape and the regional real estate investment market.
The Event Discussion Agenda
The Summit started with a panel discussion on “Passed and Present – Succession and Estate Planning in the Middle East” with Devika Raveendran, Founder and CEO of DR Partners as moderator. Speakers Biju Thomas, Senior Director and Head of Family Offices at Mashreq Bank; Neelam Verma, Advisory Committee Member at Secura International; Amer Malik, Senior Executive Officer, Lombard Odier, and Daniel George, Head of Business at St. James’s Place Middle East.
A presentation by Niraj Naetsawan, General Manager and Head of Middle East for additiv, which was followed by the second panel discussion – “What is Private Banking Today’, with Anita Gupta, Head of Equity Strategy at Emirates NBD as moderator and fellow panelists, Ross MacMillan, Executive Director and Head of Advisory Sales at UBS; Shadi Abdel Rahman Hittini, Head of Wealth Management for Ajman Bank; Zubin Muriya, Executive Director at Julius Baer; Farzad Billimoria, Managing Director, Senior Executive Officer and Head of Private Banking for HSBC, and Vipul Kapur, Head of Private Banking at Mashreq Private Bank
Continuing with the second audience presentation for the event, was made by Ramzy Rasamny, Executive Chairman and Taimur Satti, Senior Executive Officer from Plurimi Wealth, leading into panel three, “Family Office and Philanthropy in the Middle East”, with Abdallah Baassiri, Senior International Private Wealth for PwC moderating, Vipul Malhan, Senior Director at Mashreq Private Banking; Leevyn Isabel, Commercial Director – Middle East for Ocorian, Lixia Zhu, Managing Director of 76Columbus Family Office, and Shadi AlNasr, Director, Client Strategist – Global Family Office at BNY Wealth.
Panel discussion four, “Family Office” continued with Ismael Hajjar, Partner, PwC as moderator; Shadi AlNasr, Director, Client Strategist – Global Family Office at BNY Wealth; Ekta Tolani, Chief Investment Officer at KBW Ventures; Jaspreet Randhawa, Head of Investments for Burkhan World Investments; Yann Mrazek, Managing Partner of M/HQ; George Hojeige, Chief Executive Officer of Virtugroup, and Michel Sarfati, Head of Global Private Banks and Family Office Sales at First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Panel five was, “Wealth Technology and AI”, moderated by Bryan Stirewalt, Financial Services Regulatory Leader for EY; Niraj Naetsawan, General Manager and Head of Middle East for additiv; Patrick Armstrong, Chief Investment Officer with Plurimi; Maher Al Kaabi, Advisor to the Group Chairman and Independent Board Member and UAE Circular Economy Council Member of Al Serkal Group of Companies, Deepak Mehra, Chief Economist, Treasury, Asset Management and Global Markets Department with Commercial Bank of Dubai, Nabil Ismail, Executive Director at Gulf Capital, and Mohamed Fairooz, Middle East Lead from SC Venture’s.
The final panel of the event, panel six was entitled “Building Portfolios – Real Estate Investment Trends” featuring Vishal Bhatia from Standard Chartered Bank as the moderator; Chirstiane El Habre, Regional Managing Director for Apex Group; Khulood Ebrahim, Real Assets Product Specialist at Investcorp, and Maher al Kaabi, Advisor to the Group Chairman and Independent Board Member and UAE Circular Economy Council Member of Al Serkal Group of Companies.
The Wealth & Investment Summit was supported by Gold Sponsors additiv, HSBC, Mashreq Private Banking, Plurimi Wealth and UBS with Silver Sponsors Secura International and BNY Wealth with M/HQ as the event lanyard sponsor.
