Spring 2020 Issue
> EFG ASSET MANAGEMENT: BEST FIXED INCOME FUND MANAGER UNITED KINGDOM 2019 If the adage is true — that knowledge is power, and time is money — then an adept asset manager is the not-so-secret weapon of savvy investors. The EFG Asset Management research team monitors major and emerging markets to publish independent, data-backed reports, including a yearly outlook and quarterly investment insights in nine languages. These insights give EFG asset managers and EFG clients, which include professional advisers and institutional investors from around the world, a competitive edge when charting investment strategies. EFG launched the Future Leaders Panel in 2018 to task industry and academic experts with drafting a proprietary framework to identify visionary corporate leadership. The organisation deploys a team of 150 professionals from its London headquarters and offices in Switzerland, China, Singapore and the USA, resulting in a truly
global perspective and presence. EFG counts its people as its best asset, and the openarchitecture investment approach encourages them to exercise autonomy tempered with discipline. EFG Asset Management serves as the investment arm of parent company EFG International, a global private banking group. The firm offers a comprehensive suite of customised wealth management solutions, including fixed income portfolios, traditional equity and multi-asset strategies. Around 80 EFG investment experts are currently managing more than $20b worth of assets, but the firm aims to double those numbers over the next five years. In recognition of the firm’s achievements and vision, the CFI.co judging panel presents EFG Asset Management, a repeat winner in the awards programme, with the 2019 Best Fixed Income Fund Manager (United Kingdom) award.
> SWAN: BEST INSURANCE & SAVINGS PLANS MAURITIUS 2020 SWAN, Mauritius’ leading full-service financial solutions provider, puts people at the centre of business. SWAN delivers the complete package of non-banking financial solutions to protect clients and their possessions, provide for their future and make progress towards a plan for prosperity. The group caters to individual and business needs with a fourpillar focus of protect, provide, progress and prosper. Individual SWAN protection plans cover life, health, home, transport and travel, while the business plans include liability and keyman insurance plans, amongst others. SWAN encourages clients to actualise their dreams by setting up savings provisions today to secure tomorrow’s education and retirement goals. The group aims to accompany clients throughout life’s important milestones. SWAN individual and business
loans have helped clients achieve personal ambitions, like buying a home or car, as well as professional ones, like launching a startup or taking the company to the next level. SWAN guides clients towards peace of mind and prosperity with a broad range of wealth management services. The group arms its workforce with extensive onboarding training and continuous professional development to increase engagement and competence, and the team puts in the legwork to stay abreast of market trends and client expectations. Founded in 1855, the group underwent a rebrand in 2015 and now operates via its listed companies, Swan General Ltd and Swan Life Ltd. The CFI.co judging panel is pleased to present SWAN with the 2020 award for Best Insurance & Savings Plans (Mauritius).
> THE INTERNATIONAL BUTLER ACADEMY: BEST PRIVATE BUTLER TRAINING GLOBAL 2020 The butler embodies the highest standards of service excellence: trustworthy and loyal, discreet and competent. Wealthy households and great estates worldwide seek professionally trained butlers — but good help can be hard to find in a market where demand has outstripped supply. The International Butler Academy (TIBA) was founded two decades ago by industry veteran Robert Wennekes to train new recruits in this fascinating and compelling profession. Wennekes continues to serve as a TIBA faculty and board member, and as chairman of the Butler Guild Association, but the academy is now under ambitious new leadership, with Gordon Munro as CEO. TIBA students spend two months in the residential training programme at the palatial Huize Damiaan in the Netherlands, founded as a
monastery in 1892 and renovated in 2014 as the country’s largest private mansion. The luxurious setting gives students a glimpse of what their future could hold and provides an opportunity to put abstract instruction into practice. TIBA has begun an expansion plan that will allow guests to book a “Royal Experience” in one of three exclusive suites, each featuring round-the-clock service by a dedicated four-student team. TIBA hopes to unite academy alumni and industry professionals in the Butler Guild’s online community, which serves as a font of information and bastion of solidarity. The CFI.co judging panel is pleased to see the academy expand on a legacy of exceptional service, and declares TIBA the repeat winner of the global award for Best Private Butler Training — this time for 2020. CFI.co | Capital Finance International
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