The appointment, which coincides with the retirement of her predecessor, also highlights how private banks are emphasising the importance of financial planning.

UBS has appointed former HSBC Private Banking senior figure Michelle Lau as head of wealth planning for Southeast Asia; she will be taking up the post during the third quarter of 2022.
 
Lau will replace Raymond Gwee, who is retiring, a spokesperson for UBS confirmed to WealthBriefingAsia when asked about the matter.

With a number of senior roles under her belt, Lau was appointed to head the ultra-high net worth desk at HSBC Singapore before joining IPG Howden as the chief executive for Southeast Asia, overseeing its Southeast Asia and Middle East operations. She has worked at HSBC Private Banking for more than two decades.

“She brings substantial insights and understanding across a full suite of wealth planning solutions, related laws and regulations,” Dino Rinaldi, co-head of advisory and sales and head client services, global wealth management, APAC, at the bank, said in a memo seen by this news service. “We are confident that she will elevate our wealth planning offerings to the next level, accelerate our life insurance positioning and continue to develop and build the team to provide holistic coverage on all 'legacy-related' topics to our clients.”