By WealthBriefing Asia, 29 September 2023
The multi-family office has an “East-West” focus – hence its name.
Milltrust International, the investment firm based in London and Singapore, has launched East West Private Wealth, a sustainability-focused multi-family office.
EWPW has a presence in Geneva, Monaco and the United Arab Emirates in addition to its London and Singapore offices.
“EWPW seeks to deliver uncorrelated returns whilst addressing the most pressing issues of our time, including the development of emerging economies, the advancement of new technologies, and combatting climate change,” Simon Hopkins, Milltrust founder and chair of East West Private Wealth, said in a statement today. “The wealth industry is crying out for innovation and investable thematics. Too often it’s a homogenised offering trying to squeeze clients into one of a number of model portfolios. There is far too little granularity or transparency,” added Hopkins.
The new group is able to leverage Milltrust International’s investment platforms such as British Innovation Fund II, the Climate Impact Asia Fund, and its Global Emerging Markets Fund, Milltrust said.
Private deal flow is secured through investments with the eight UK universities, Climate-KIC, and Enterprise Singapore, all of which Milltrust has worked with to back technological innovations, it continued.
EWPW offers opportunities, across venture capital, listed funds, and direct impact-driven co-investments, in addition to liquid assets classes, it said.
Founder and chair, Simon Hopkins, has worked for 30 years in roles at UBS Warburg, HSBC James Capel and Nomura before going on to found and lead financial services companies including Fortune Asset Management (now part of Close Brothers Asset Management) and Milltrust International.
Hopkins was formerly a founding director of CITIC Investment Partners’ One Belt One Road Fund, investing across Asia, and Novare Fund Manager, an asset manager in Africa. Hopkins will work with co-founder Alexander Kalis, who brings over two decades of experience in firms such as Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management and Santander Asset Management.
EWPW has also appointed as Gary Dugan as chief investment officer. Dugan has worked in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, holding CIO positions at Barclays Private Bank, Emirate NBD and Coutts, and senior roles at Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan, before founding the Global CIO Office.
In Singapore, Milltrust director and veteran fund manager, Dennis See leads EWPW’s affiliate, First Estate Capital Management. See founded Pointworth Management, a fund manager in the Asian city-state, and served in leadership roles at Indosuez and Chemical Bank (now JP Morgan) in Singapore.
