Wealth Management APAC 2H Market Outlook Seminar 2022

Founding Partner and Chairman, Avanda Investment Management

Ng Kok Song has been the Founding Partner and Chairman of Avanda Investment Management since 2015.

Previously he worked 30 years at GIC where his final responsibility was Group Chief Investment Officer. Before GIC, he served MAS for 15 years in reserve management and financial market operations.

His other contributions to the Singapore finance industry were as Founder Chairman of the derivatives exchange SIMEX during 1983-1987, and of the Wealth Management Institute from 2003 to 2017.

Kok Song is on the Global Advisory board of PIMCO. He also serves on the board of governors of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore and of the Asia School of Business in Malaysia.

CEO Hong Kong, Head of Wealth Management Asia Pacific and APAC Sustainability Leader, Credit Suisse

Benjamin Cavalli is a Managing Director, CEO Hong Kong, Head of Wealth Management Asia Pacific and APAC Sustainability Leader at Credit Suisse.

In his senior leadership role, Mr. Cavalli leads the Wealth Management business in Asia Pacific. He also focuses on collaboration opportunities within Credit Suisse to capitalize on the synergies and business opportunities in the region, drive profitable business growth and advance market share.

He is the APAC Sustainability Leader, Co-Chair of the APAC Sustainability Committee, and Trustee of the Board of the Credit Suisse APAC Foundation. As APAC Sustainability Leader, Mr. Cavalli works across businesses to establish Credit Suisse as a global leader in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Mr. Cavalli joined Credit Suisse in November 2009 as Head of Private Banking Singapore Market, based in Singapore. His most recent prior appointment was Head of Private Banking South Asia from August 2018 to December 2021. In addition, he also served as Singapore Chief Executive Officer from January 2017 to December 2021. Prior to that, he held the role of Head of Private Banking Southeast Asia and Head of Singapore Location from October 2014 to August 2018.

He was previously from UBS Wealth Management, where he was a Managing Director and the Head of Key Clients Singapore. He started his career in the Export Finance department at UBS in Switzerland in 1992, and headed Commodities, Structured Trade and Export Finance at UBS Investment Bank in Hong Kong from 1997 to 2000, before beginning his career in wealth management.

He has over 26 years of experience in both Investment Banking and Wealth Management across Switzerland and Asia, 20 of which he was based in Singapore and in various senior management capacities.

Mr. Cavalli is accredited under IBF Advanced (IBFA) by the Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) in Singapore.

Vice Chairman, Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse

Mr Jose Isidro N. (Lito) Camacho is a Managing Director in the Asia Pacific region of Credit Suisse, based in Singapore. He is also a Vice Chairman for Credit Suisse Asia Pacific.

Lito joined Credit Suisse in March 2005 after a distinguished career in government and international banking. He was appointed Secretary of Finance for the Philippines in 2001, a position he held until November 2003. As Secretary of Finance, Lito led the country's economic team and supervised the fiscal and financial sectors. 

Prior to that, Lito was the Secretary of Energy for the Philippines where he was credited with the successful passage of the country's power sector reform legislation. He was also Chairman of Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, Trade Development and Investment Corporation (PhilExim), Home Guaranty Corporation, National Power Corporation (NPC), Power Sector Asset and Liability Management Corporation (PSALM), National Transmission Corporation (Transco), Privatization Council, Capital Market Development Council, and National Credit Council.

Prior to joining the government, Lito was a Managing Director and Chief Country Officer for the Philippines at Deutsche Bank, AG in Manila. Before Deutsche Bank, Lito worked for Bankers Trust Company for over twenty years in New York, Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines and Singapore. His last position at Bankers Trust was Head of Investment Banking for Southeast Asia.  Lito became a Managing Director at Bankers Trust in 1990 and obtained Partner status in 1996.

Lito is currently a Director of SymAsia Foundation (Singapore), a Founding Member of Asia Peace and Reconciliation Council (Thailand), the Non-Executive Chairman of Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), a board member of Sun Life Grepa Financial Inc. (Philippines), and a Member of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s International Advisory Panel (China). He was previously a board member of the National Gallery Singapore (2013-June 2021), the National Heritage Board of Singapore (2007-2013) and Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Bhd (2013-2019) and Sun Life Malaysia Assurance Bhd (2013-2022). Lito was also formerly a member of the Securities Industry Council of Singapore (2010-2017), the Securities Commission of Malaysia’s International Advisory Group (2008-2010) and the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum’s Group of Experts (2008-2012), a Senior Advisor to The Boston Consulting Group, Singapore (2017-2021) and the Chief Executive Officer of Credit Suisse Singapore (2007-2016).

Lito obtained his Bachelor's degree in Mathematics (cum laude) from De La Salle University in 1975. He received his MBA with concentration in Finance from Harvard University in 1979.  In 2017, Lito was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration from Thailand’s Eastern Asia University, and was a recipient of Singapore’s 2021 Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat).

Chief Investment Officer Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse

Mr. John Woods is a Managing Director of Credit Suisse in the Wealth Management Asia Pacific Division, based in Hong Kong. As the Chief Investment Officer, he is responsible for developing regional discretionary and advisory investment strategies across asset classes and within asset classes for private and institutional clients in Asia Pacific. Mr. Woods serves as a voting member of the Global Investment Committee based in Zurich, and chairs the Regional Investment Committee, APAC.

Before joining Credit Suisse in September 2015, Mr. Woods was Head of Fixed Income at Citi Investment Management and Citi Private Bank's Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist Asia Pacific. Prior to that, he worked at HSBC for 11 years and held senior positions in the Investment Bank including Global Head of Credit Research and Strategy, and Head of Absolute Return Proprietary Trading.
Mr. Woods brings to Credit Suisse 25 years of professional experience in Asia Pacific's equity, fixed income and currency markets, with special focus on asset allocation and asset management.

Mr. Woods holds a Masters degree in Asia Pacific Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.

Vice Chairman Greater China, Wealth Management Asia Pacific, Credit Suisse

Dr. Dong Tao is a Managing Director and the Vice Chairman Greater China for Wealth Management Asia Pacific.

In this role, Dong will focus on providing senior client coverage of ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) and key clients for the Greater China market. Dong helps activate the Wealth Management client franchise across Asia Pacific through participation in key client meetings and marketing events. His primary focus is to develop relationship with ultra-high-net-worth clients, bringing both his macro-economic expertise and ability to develop client solutions. With a particular focus on Greater China, Dong is also an important market commentator, observing macro-economic trends and major developments. He will also play an important role in talent development matters and the mentoring of senior banking talent across Greater China.

Before that, Dong was the Chief Regional Economist for non-Japan Asia at Credit Suisse Global Markets Asia Pacific, covering the Asia regional economy as a whole, with a focus on China. Prior to joining Credit Suisse in February 1998, he was with Schroders Securities Asia as Senior Regional Economist and Head of China research.

Dong holds a Ph.D. degree and a M.Sc. degree from University of Utah and B.A. from Beijing Foreign Language University. He worked in China, the US and Japan. He has been based in Hong Kong since 1994.

Former CNBC Anchor, Conference Moderator

Lisa Oake is a former co-host of CNBC Asia’s top-rated morning program Squawk Box. She has over 20 years of experience as a financial journalist and interview credits that include U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson.

In 2013, Lisa founded executive communication firm Oake Media to help clients tell their professional stories more effectively and with authenticity.  She has worked with executives from Microsoft, Citibank, DBS, S&P Global, AIA, Procter & Gamble, Singapore Exchange, BNP Paribas, Franklin Templeton, The Wall Street Journal, Channel News Asia and many others. 

Lisa holds a Master of Journalism degree from Canada’s Western University, a Master of Counselling degree from Australia’s Monash University and completed Harvard Kennedy School’s Leadership in Crises Program (Executive Education) in 2018.

She lives in Singapore with her husband and two sons.