Handover at Forum Finance
Handover at Forum Finance
Geneva, 28th September 2022 – Geneva-based independent asset manager The Forum Finance Group SA has announced the appointment of Hippolyte de Weck as CEO as of 1st October 2022. He replaces Etienne Gounod, who becomes Chairman of the Board of Directors. This change of generation at the head of the company is part of the governance system that Forum Finance put in place many years ago to organise the gradual retirement of managing partners from the age of 65. While many independent asset management companies will not be able to obtain their FINMA licence before the end of December, Forum Finance offers a solid entrepreneurial framework to wealth managers looking for a structure that will allow them to continue to carry out their activities.
Hippolyte de Weck joined Forum Finance as a managing partner in 2011. Prior to that, he worked within the UBS Group for 17 years, holding various positions in the areas of bond issuance, risk management and private wealth management in Frankfurt, Zurich and Geneva. He succeeds Etienne Gounod as CEO, who is stepping down from the Executive Committee to become Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Etienne Gounod explained: “Our internal governance rules stipulate that at the age of 65 managing partners gradually retire to make room for the next generation. After 13 years as CEO and 19 years as managing partner, it is time for me to hand over the operational management of Forum Finance and focus on the long-term strategy of the company as Chairman of the Board.”
A solid structure and governance
With 28 years of steady growth, Forum Finance has proven its durability. Its robust and transparent governance ensures the integrity of its leadership and allows it to welcome new partners to ensure its continuity. With CHF 2 billion under management, it has sufficient resources to finance its future growth. This solidity is further underlined by its FINMA CISA licence, which allows it to extend its range of services to the management of investment funds and pension products. Finally, registered with the SEC, Forum Finance can also look after American clients.
Offering a compelling solution to wealth managers wishing to continue their activities
In view of the regulatory upheaval that the Swiss independent asset management industry will experience in the coming months, Forum Finance intends to play an active role in the upcoming restructuring process, in particular by offering a credible framework for wealth managers whose company will not obtain the FINMA licence, mandatory from 1st January 2023.
Hippolyte de Weck, CEO, added: “The warnings and figures published by FINMA in August clearly indicate that hundreds of Swiss asset management companies will not obtain this prized licence in time. Our size, the structure we have already put in place, our development prospects and the possibilities we offer to access our equity make Forum Finance a particularly convincing solution for wealth managers looking for a new environment in which to continue their activities.”
For additional information, please contact:
Egon Vorfeld
The Forum Finance Group SA
T: +41 (0)22 552 83 00
E: vorfeld@ffgg.com
ffgg.com
Ricardo Payro
Payro Communication Sàrl
T: +41 (0)79 460 57 74
E: :rp@payro.ch
payro.ch
About Forum Finance
Founded in 1994 in Geneva, Forum Finance offers private banking and asset management services to a high-end global clientele. It has 25+ employees who manage and supervise more than CHF 2 billion in assets. The company is regulated and supervised by the FINMA under the CISA licence and is registered with the SEC as investment adviser.
Allnews - La digitalisation de la gestion de fortune, défi ou solution?
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Répondre aux attentes d’une nouvelle génération qui cherche la simplicité de fonctionnement, l’accessibilité à ses comptes, la flexibilité et la rapidité d’exécution … à moindre coût.
Depuis la crise des crédits subprime de 2008, la banque privée Suisse a fait face à de nombreux défis. L’explosion réglementaire, la fin du secret bancaire, la révolution digitale, les taux bas, une pandémie… Ces défis ont testé les limites de la structure des modèles d’affaires existant, mettant à jour la fragilité et le manque de flexibilité de nombreux établissements. De tous ces défis, le plus considérable est sans doute la digitalisation des processus et des structures existantes. Nous allons voir comment certains gérants indépendants ont su industrialiser leur modèle d’affaire et pourquoi les grandes banques prennent généralement du retard.
Forum Finance appoints two new partners
Forum Finance appoints two new partners
Geneva, 5th April 2022 – Geneva-based independent asset manager The Forum Finance Group SA has appointed Charles-Henri de Marignac and Alban Janssens de Bisthoven as Partners as of 1st April 2022. These promotions are in line with the corporate governance put in place many years ago, which allows talented individuals to have access to the capital, while ensuring a smooth handover between generations of partners. With this rejuvenation of its shareholder base, Forum Finance is resolutely looking to the future and intends to play an active role in the industry’s consolidation process, particularly by attracting relationship managers looking for a wealth management company with a convincing entrepreneurial strategy. With over CHF 2 billion in assets under management, Forum Finance is one of the 50 largest independent asset managers in Switzerland.
Before joining Forum Finance in February 2017, Charles-Henri de Marignac spent four years at Mirabaud & Cie as portfolio manager. Prior to that, he was an equity analyst and fund manager at S.W. Mitchell Capital in London between 2008 and 2012. Charles-Henri de Marignac is a graduate of HEC Lausanne.
Alban Janssens de Bisthoven joined Forum Finance in October 2018 as Head of wealth planning. Prior to that, he worked for 11 years at Julius Baer in Geneva, as Director in Wealth & Tax Planning for the European markets. Previously, he was active in two law firms in Brussels and Amsterdam, specialising in estate planning and tax law. Alban Janssens de Bisthoven holds a Master’s degree magna cum laude in law from UCL, a Master’s degree in business law from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and a Master’s degree magna cum laude in tax law and international tax law from the Solvay Business School.
With these new appointments, Forum Finance now has 7 partners: Etienne Gounod (CEO), Egon Vorfeld, Hippolyte de Weck, Jean-François Andrade, Kinan Khadam Al Jame, Charles-Henri de Marignac and Alban Janssens de Bisthoven. The past year was marked by many positive developments for Forum Finance, whose assets under management exceeded the CHF 2 billion mark and also by receiving the award of the best independent Swiss asset manager with AUM over CHF 1 billion and that of the best investment process team, granted by the WealthBriefing Swiss EAM Awards.
Etienne Gounod, CEO, said: “We are delighted to welcome Charles-Henri and Alban as Partners of Forum Finance. Whether it is through the successful management of his fund or his professional approach to assisting clients with their wealth planning, they have both shown relentless commitment and have greatly contributed to the success and growth of Forum Finance. Our internal governance rules provide that at the age of 65, the partners gradually retire to make way for the next generation. Having seen them at work for several years, I know that they will take over the reins with great aptitude.”
For additional information, please contact :
Egon Vorfeld
The Forum Finance Group SA
T: +41 (0)22 552 83 00
E: vorfeld@ffgg.com
ffgg.com
Ricardo Payro
Payro Communication Sàrl
T: +41 (0)22 322 13 17
E: :rp@payro.ch
payro.ch
About Forum Finance
Founded in 1994 in Geneva, Forum Finance offers private banking and asset management services to a high-end global clientele. It has 20+ employees who manage and supervise more than CHF 2 billion in assets. The company is regulated and supervised by the FINMA under the CISA licence and is registered with the SEC as investment adviser.
Forum Finance wins two awards at the WealthBriefing Swiss EAM Awards 2022
Forum Finance wins two awards at the WealthBriefing Swiss EAM Awards 2022
Forum Finance crowned best independent asset manager with assets over CHF 1 billion for the second year running
Forum Finance crowned best independent asset manager with assets over CHF 1 billion for the second year running
Forum Finance also wins the award for best investment process team
Forum Finance also wins the award for best investment process team
Geneva, 4 March 2022 – Geneva-based independent asset manager The Forum Finance Group SA has won the award for the best independent Swiss asset manager for the second year running at the WealthBriefing Swiss EAM Awards 2022, in the premier category of companies with assets under management of over CHF 1 billion. It also won the award for the best investment process team.
Announced during the prize-giving ceremony held last night in Zurich, the awards recognise the best independent Swiss asset management companies, selected through a rigorous process for their “innovation and excellence in 2021” by a panel of experts. The independent jury comprises specialist consultants, representatives of custodian banks and technology solution providers, as well as other industry experts.
In the case of Forum Finance, as Stephen Harris, CEO of ClearView Financial Media and Editor of WealthBriefing, explains: “the judges were impressed that Forum Finance has been not only visionary in its development path but also extremely consistent as a foundation for their growth and success”. Another judge added, “Since its inception in 1994, Forum Finance has put in place measures to favour the sustainable growth of the company. They have been proactive in their approach. Forum Finance has today AuMs of over CHF2 bn”. Finally, a third panellist said, “It’s a success story in terms of the company succeeding to double their AUM in 5 years and being in the top of 50 EAMs in Switzerland in the Citywire ranking. Anticipating a fast-evolving environment, they have demonstrated their ability to adapt their business model and to continue their growth.”
Indeed, having anticipated the changes in the asset management industry, Forum Finance has strengthened its structure and organisation over the last few years, as evidenced by the LPCC licence granted by FINMA in 2015 and its registration as investment adviser with the US SEC in 2016. In addition, Forum Finance continues to invest in its research, investment management and wealth advisory resources, as well as in technology, enabling it to respond effectively to the changing needs of its clients.
Etienne Gounod, Managing Partner and CEO of Forum Finance, stated: “We are very honoured by this double recognition, which crowns more than 25 years of efforts to build a company capable of meeting the expectations of a demanding private clientele, looking for personalised solutions and a very attentive service. We are particularly pleased to see the quality of our investment teams and our investment process recognised, as the ability to generate superior performance is a key success factor in developing and protecting our clients’ wealth.”
For additional information, please contact :
Egon Vorfeld
The Forum Finance Group SA
T: +41 (0)22 552 83 00
E: vorfeld@ffgg.com
ffgg.com
Ricardo Payro
Payro Communication Sàrl
T: +41 (0)22 322 13 17
E: :rp@payro.ch
payro.ch
About Forum Finance
Founded in 1994 in Geneva, Forum Finance offers private banking and asset management services to a high-end global clientele. It has 20+ employees who manage and supervise more than CHF 2 billion in assets. The company is regulated and supervised by the FINMA under the CISA licence and is registered with the SEC as investment adviser.
