Growing Wealth Boutique Recruits HR Veteran, Signals More Expansion

Editorial Staff

7 June 2024

figure Pauline Cahill as chief people officer.

Cahill, who has more than 30 years' experience of international HR experience, has been set the goal of doubling Azura’s headcount in the next three years from 60 to 120 people across its international operation.

Joining Credit Suisse in 2006, Cahill served as a member of the management committee for the Middle East, Turkey and Africa business. Prior to this, she served in senior HR roles for Merrill Lynch and KPMG. Cahill, who is a graduate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, holds a certificate in psychodynamic counselling.

Azura – interviewed by this news service here – was founded in the summer of 2019, just a few months before the world economy was upended by Covid. Since that date, it has more than doubled AuM to about $4.5 billion. It operates in seven locations including London, Dubai and New York. It has about 50 UHNW individuals and family offices as clients.

The firm was founded by former Julius Baer banker Ali Jamal. Azura is designed to appeal to ultra-high net worth individuals looking for solutions, such as forms of collateralised credit, a service not always on offer from their existing banks, particularly in cases where lenders are squeezing balance sheets to protect capital.

A number of senior hires have been made to expand into markets such as Singapore and Latin America.

In 2023, Azura appointed Anthony Kontoleon “AK.” Based in New York, he leads the strategic opportunities division. Kontoleon worked for almost three decades at Credit Suisse, and was involved in IPOs of Google, Alibaba, Lyft and DraftKings, among others.

In February this year, Azura appointed another former Credit Suisse figure, Vincent Ming, as the CEO of Azura Partners Singapore, expanding the company’s footprint in Asia. Dr Ming also worked at UOB and Julius Baer.

Turning to Latin America, in 2024 Azura added Jerry Garcia, formerly of JP Morgan Private Bank. Garcia leads the development of Azura's Latin American Wealth Management business in the Americas.