Milltrust International launches a global 'sustainability-focused' multi-family office

Milltrust International, an investment manager co-headquartered in London and Singapore, today (4 October) launched East West Private Wealth (EWPW), a global sustainability-focused multi-family office with a focus on protecting and investing assets for families who prioritise sustainability and impact.

The new independent advisory and investment management platform will unlock the investment landscape for families and entrepreneurs to provide long term financial security and real sustainable impact through a bold new approach, it said in a statement. 

Simon Hopkins, Milltrust founder and chair of East West Private Wealth said: "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 combating climate change."

"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", adds Hopkins.

EWPW will deliver clients a skill-based investment approach, drawing on over 13 years of award-winning solutions for families.

With offices in Singapore and London, and a presence in Geneva, Monaco and UAE, it draws on a "powerful roster of the world's leading boutique managers", structured as segregated, bespoke managed accounts for its clients, "ensuring invaluable liquidity and transparency in conjunction with tier one international and local banking relationships".

"This positions EWPW as a leading offering for families and entrepreneurs seeking wealth management solutions in Singapore from across Asia and beyond, combining investment management & advisory, estate & wealth planning, trust & administration, merchant banking, and philanthropic & strategic giving", it said.

Through Milltrust International's existing investment platforms such as British Innovation Fund II, the Climate Impact Asia Fund, and its Global Emerging Markets Fund (GEMS), EWPW "benefits from an unparalleled network of institutional calibre investment expertise".

Private deal flow is secured through investments with the eight leading UK Universities, Climate-KIC, and Enterprise Singapore, all of which Milltrust has worked with to back technological innovations, making over 80 successful start-up investments over the past decade across themes spanning health, global food systems, and waste management.

EWPW today offers non-cyclical investment opportunities, across venture capital, listed funds, and direct impact-driven co-investments, in addition to delivering all the standard liquid asset classes, working with best-in-class external partners across the globe.

Alexander Kalis, group managing director and head of investments said: "Leveraging a proven ability to work across varied asset classes and geographies, EWPW offers genuinely bespoke investment solutions, addressing return requirements and personal impact aspirations through a highly flexible platform that accesses the world's top skill-based investors."

All of these activities will be managed and carried out by an expert team of investment professionals with real world experience which combines personalised client relationships with an exceptional reach into diverse asset classes and geographies.

Founder and chair, Simon Hopkins, has 30 years of experience holding senior roles at UBS Warburg, HSBC James Capel and Nomura before going on to found and lead several successful financial services companies, focused on investment solutions for institutions and family offices, including Fortune Asset Management (now part of Close Brothers Group plc) 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, one of the largest indigenous asset managers on the African continent.

He will be supported by Milltrust co-founder Alexander Kalis, who brings over two decades of experience in top-tier asset management firms such as Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management and Santander Asset Management.

EWPW chief investment officer, Gary Dugan, is an accomplished investment professional with a career spanning more than three decades across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, where he held CIO positions at Barclays Private Bank, Emirates NBD and Coutts, and senior roles at Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan, before founding the Global CIO Office.

Finally, in Singapore, long-standing Milltrust director and veteran fund manager, Dennis See leads EWPW's affiliate, First Estate Capital Management. Dennis founded PointWorth Management, the first exempt fund manager in Singapore, and held leadership roles at Indosuez and Chemical Bank (now JP Morgan) in Singapore