Preparing the Next Generation

It is exciting to share the limited seat offerings in our November 20 - 24, 2017  "Preparing the Next Generation" program in Toronto, ON. The Institute of Family Enterprise Stewards has recently launched and represents a collaboration of thought leaders, families and academic Institutions across CDA. The Institute and the initiatives it supports are without borders and we are actively exploring its expansion beyond CDA in 2018.

One of the most dynamic speakers and consultant on family business- David Simpson - will be co-facilitating the program with Susan Fulford, and as a duo, they offer expertise in innovation & entrepreneurship.

 Content:
The program covers business and financial literacy, communications, trust, values, purpose and clarity of Role & Accountability in families of business & wealth. We also include a focus on conflict & dispute resolution, risk management, negotiations as a life skill and Global Best Practices for building multi generational legacies. Case studies are used liberally. The family  guest speakers we invite in - like Mitzi Perdue, are simply the icing on the cake, and are a valued highlight.

There will be an evening reception.
 
Please call with questions,
Thank you,

Susan Fulford, M.B.A. LL.B. FEA
Dynamic Legacy Inc.
P: (416) 518 8080 | 

www.dynamiclegacy.com

 

Calgary deals to be done at the Business Transition Forum

If you are seeking to speed up your opportunity to network with those interested in the sale of businesses, check out The Business Transition Forum. The next session is in Calgary on November 8th and then Vancouver on the following week.

Top Tool to negotiate the fees for the sale of your business with confidence

For all you business owners who are thinking about selling part or all of their business, you need to download this new report by Firmex and Divestopedia.
I highly recommend reading it to get a true assessment of fees for your sale of business. 
The report also highlights the latest views from the corporate finance experts who will sell your business far better than you can do. Yes, I know you are the smartest person in the room, but you will get more money for your business when the sale is negotiated by the people who have done negotiations for decades.

Also, if you scroll down, you will see a link to sign up for a webinar with John Carvalho, the head of Divstopedia, and with Adam Mallon, BDO, who I enjoy hearing because he tells the stories from the family business kitchen table with deep empathy for the family, but also the sternness to make the right decisions.

For business owners, this report offers an invaluable tool in negotiating fees and terms for investment banking engagements. Of course, in addition to fees, due diligence must be performed on the quality and experience of the M&A advisor. The level of the success fee doesn’t matter much if an M&A transaction is not successfully completed or business owners don’t feel like they got the best outcome.

Get the Full Report

To download your copy of the 2017 M&A Fee Guide, click here.

Attend the Webinar

Join us on November 2nd, 2017 at 1 pm EST for a webinar on the key findings in the M&A Fee Guide 2017. John Carvalho of Divestopedia will moderate a discussion with Adam Mallon and Ryan Farkas of BDO Canada, Shane Stevenson, Dentons, and Jeff Deacon, IAM Group.  To sign up for the webinar, visit: https://www.divestopedia.com/reg/ma-fee-guide-2017/8356.

The whole fintech discussion has changed

Jacoline Loewen

It was terrific to hear our COO, Axel Lehmann, chat about Fintech and banking during his visit to Toronto for SIBOS. Here is a great interview with Business Insider which covers a few of the topics Axel covered with us this week.

Business Insider chatted with Axel Lehmann, chief operating officer of Swiss bank UBS, to ask how the organisation is coming to terms with fast-changing world of fintech.

Ben Moshinsky: Where are the main threats and opportunities to UBS from the fintech boom?

Axel Lehmann: True change is really coming from outside the industry. That is the key challenge we face as of today. The whole fintech discussion has changed, we have moved on from discussing whether a revolution is taking place, and how the banks will become redundant, to a place where most banks are looking at collaborative efforts with other firms. This is why most of what we do in terms of technological development we do in partnership with fintech companies.

I don’t want to get blindsided. It’s less the technology, as such, providing a transformative element in the banking industry. It’s really alternative business models that have the potential to shake up everything and eat into our cake.

It is also full of opportunities. We, the banks, are operating from a position of strength from a customer perspective especially in terms of the amount of customer interaction, the know-how we can provide, and the services we can offer. You can’t create any of this overnight.

And secondly, we have a legacy infrastructure which can be regarded as a liability, but it’s also an asset. When the Trump election got through, for example, volatility was high. We have an infrastructure that can scale up in line with volatility, and that’s something you need to have.

So, in this regard, I’m personally optimistic. It’s easier, when you look to consumer industries, for example, Uber or WhatsApp, to disrupt a lightly regulated sector. But when you look at where we as banks are, you get into the highly regulated space immediately, when you talk about balance sheet and liquidity, and this makes this industry less easy to disrupt.

But no doubt, we still do have to be mindful that we’re not losing out on some of that less regulated space, particularly at the point of customer interaction.

BM: What's the most exciting technology on your radar?

AL: I truly believe that whole question of robotics and artificial intelligence over a time horizon of four to eight years will fundamentally change the banking business. As banks, we understand that our business is all about data. These technologies have the potential to really fundamentally change the way we operate in terms of getting smarter with the customer, understanding what kind of products we should offer and so on. That is definitely exciting.

Succesful entrepreneurs who combine their business with their travel

I dislike Chai tea usually. It has a taste that does not fit my taste expectations which lean towards a sharper  Kenyan black tea. Until I was made the perfect cup of Chai tea by Eamon Fitzgerald and Rebecca Moroney, founder of Chaiwala Chai, and they changed my tea tastes

Rebecca Moroney and Eamon Fitzgerald

for ever. They use the correct traditional method and the taste was heavenly. It truly is a cup of contemplation. Now I find myself heading to Balzac for one of these Chai teas which have the comfort of a hot chocolate, but the calories of a latte. 

I caught up with the couple in the Toronto Star. Becca and Eamon have bought a van and use it to travel across Canada as they run their business, as they are also seasoned travellers who have been in Africa, Europe and South America. They would make a great pair for a reality TV show. Here is an excerpt from the Toronto Star article.

The Toronto couple has been living in a converted cargo van since spring — travelling thousands of kilometres across Canada. Their view changes often, from the snow-topped mountains of Squamish, B.C., to the beaches of Prince Edward County.
“It’s like we have a $5 million cottage on the water,” says Moroney, of spending summer days parked along a County side street. “The best part of van life is you have your home with you everywhere you go.”
Moroney, 27, and Fitzgerald, 25 are among thousands who have taken up “van life.” With more than 2.1 million posts under the hashtag #vanlife on the photo-sharing app Instagram, it’s one of the most coveted lifestyles on social media.

Read the full article.

What's the most exciting technology on your radar?

It has been a week of technology here in Toronto with SIBOS, CIX and the UBS Future of Finance Awards Dinner.

One of the questions I got to ask our finalists of the UBS Future of Finance was their views on cryptocurrencies and banking fintechs impact on banks. Our UBS COO, Axel Lehmann, spoke about this topic too. Axel Lehmann said,

I truly believe that whole question of robotics and artificial intelligence over a time horizon of four to eight years will fundamentally change the banking business. As banks, we understand that our business is all about data. These technologies have the potential to really fundamentally change the way we operate in terms of getting smarter with the customer, understanding what kind of products we should offer and so on. That is definitely exciting.

I post on Twitter the question: What is the most exciting technology on your radar. One of the best answers came from Roman Monaenkov @roma_odin  who said his answer was Etherium - the cryptocurrency. Do I sense a little bias as Vitalik is also Russian and here in Toronto.

Here is the fantastic video sent by Roman which features Vitalik Buterin, one of the founders of Etherium.  Vitalik is speaking as the keynote speaker at MaRS explaining cryptocurrency in a thorough and understandable presentation.

Vitalak Buterin, speaking about Etherium and cryptocurrency at MaRS, Toronto.

Follow on Twitter @jacolineloewen

True change in Banking is really coming from outside the industry - Fintechs

Visiting Toronto for SIBOS, Axel Lehmann, chief operating officer of UBS, carved out time to speak at The National Club. During his talk, Mr. Lehmann delved into financial technology – or 'fintech' – and how UBS is engaging with this exciting technology.

Here is an excerpt from a recent interview between Business Insider and Mr. Lehmann which gives a summary of the topics Axel covered here in Toronto. Read full interview here. 

While no lender wants to become the next Nokia or Kodak, crushed by an innovation they failed to properly understand, it's not always clear how an organization with 100,000 employees should deal with the threats and opportunities posed by fintech.

Ben Moshinsky: Where are the main threats and opportunities to UBS from the fintech boom?

Axel Lehmann: True change is really coming from outside the industry. That is the key challenge we face as of today. The whole fintech discussion has changed, we have moved on from discussing whether a revolution is taking place, and how the banks will become redundant, to a place where most banks are looking at collaborative efforts with other firms. This is why most of what we do in terms of technological development we do in partnership with fintech companies.

It’s less the technology, as such, providing a transformative element in the banking industry. It’s really alternative business models that have the potential to shake up everything and eat into our cake.

We have a legacy infrastructure which can be regarded as a liability, but it’s also an asset

It is also full of opportunities. We, the banks, are operating from a position of strength from a customer perspective especially in terms of the amount of customer interaction, the know-how we can provide, and the services we can offer. You can’t create any of this overnight.

And secondly, we have a legacy infrastructure which can be regarded as a liability, but it’s also an asset. When the Trump election got through, for example, volatility was high. We have an infrastructure that can scale up in line with volatility, and that’s something you need to have.

So, in this regard, I’m personally optimistic. It’s easier, when you look to consumer industries, for example, Uber or WhatsApp, to disrupt a lightly regulated sector. But when you look at where we as banks are, you get into the highly regulated space immediately, when you talk about balance sheet and liquidity, and this makes this industry less easy to disrupt.

But no doubt, we still do have to be mindful that we’re not losing out on some of that less regulated space, particularly at the point of customer interaction.

BM: What's the most exciting technology on your radar?

AL: I truly believe that whole question of robotics and artificial intelligence over a time horizon of four to eight years will fundamentally change the banking business. As banks, we understand that our business is all about data. These technologies have the potential to really fundamentally change the way we operate in terms of getting smarter with the customer, understanding what kind of products we should offer and so on. That is definitely exciting.

Business Insider then asked about how UBS is interacting with fintech. Mr. Lehmann explains the Future of Finance Challenge which was run around the globe. Out of the 11 regional finalists in the Americas, Canada has 5 companies going to New York. It shows that Canada has a dynamic fintech industry.

Here is the article again:

BM: How does a bank, like UBS with tens of thousands of employees, interact with a fintech startup of just a few people? What kind of cultural changes need to happen

AL: Dealing with fintechs is a cultural shift that needs to take place and you want to have the local people to innovate. At UBS we have a systematic process on how we expose ourselves to fintech companies. For example, we have a series of initiatives that we’re driving, such as our Future of Finance Challenge. This competition, which is happening at the moment, provides a forum for start-ups and growing companies to come and present their ideas to compete for support from UBS to

Axel and Sophie Perceval, Wondereur, award for Future of Finance

accelerate their ideas. That’s the type of work we’re doing. We really want to take advantage of some of those fast-moving and smaller boats with great ideas and great software that we can scale up and use in our organisation.

BM: Is competition for those boats fierce? How do you make sure you invest enough time and money?

AL: UBS has a CHF2.1 billion net saving target, but nevertheless our IT spend is at a record level of more than 10% of revenues. We do not sacrifice mid-term and longer term development to make numbers for a quarter. Secondly, if you look to our overall positioning it is quite unique, and that gives me confidence. We’re the global leader in wealth management, which is one of the key areas to invest in digital. Every dollar we invest there, hopefully wisely, is helping us strengthen that franchise.

Jacoline Loewen, Future of Finance Awards Dinner

The Five Finalists for the Future of Finance from Canada are:

Global-Regulations
MindBridge
Overbond
Veriday
Wondereur

How much do you need to save for retirement?

How to leave a legacy - Cathedral Approach

From the magazine Unlimited, they have a fascinating story on how to leave a great legacy and the lessons come from looking at how cathedrals were built in the middle ages. I also wrote an article for the Globe and Mail on Cathedral building and how similar it is to building a business in that each generation adds a wing or a tower and then passes it along to the next generation to continue the vision. Some cathedrals took hundreds of years to complete which is hard to imagine. I am complaining about Eglinton Avenue and the time to build the subway so it does make me realize that time is relative.

I will post my article below but here is the article from Unlimited and the link to the full article.

We are entering an era of Cathedral Wealth, where the most meaningful thing that you can hand down to the next generation is no longer a watch or family estate, but a grand challenge, a life’s work or a multi-generational task.

In the Middle Ages, building a cathedral to honour God was considered one of the greatest works that a community could undertake. Everyone from heads of state and religious leaders to architects, craftsmen and labourers joined together to create these monumental structures.

Building a cathedral was an endeavour of such scale that they would often take decades or even centuries to finish. The people that laid the foundations would do so in the almost certain knowledge that they would never live to see the finished product.

Today, at a time when the future of mankind has never looked more complex and uncertain, we are increasingly realising that our biggest questions may require multi-generational answers.

‘Modernity has pulled us into an era of short-termism and individualism,’ says Rachel Armstrong, senior TED fellow and founder of Black Sky Thinking.

‘However, the biggest issues facing humanity, such as climate change, over-population and energy and resource shortages, require us to think in terms of solutions that will span generations.’

Like the craftsmen that laid the first stones at St Paul’s, St Basil’s and Notre Dame, today’s leading scientists, business leaders and creative innovators are beginning to think in terms of a new kind of wealth – the handing down of purposeful and life-affirming projects that only their grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren, will see bear fruit.

‘In the past, your legacy would have been much more about handing down tangible assets, such as cash and bricks and mortar,’ says Ken Forster, angel investor and managing director of Internet of Things solutions company Momenta Partners.

‘Today, it’s about a more organic, more sustainable wealth transfer – leaving your life’s work, something you created, unfinished, and trusting those who follow you to see it through to completion.’

In this report, we examine how Cathedral Wealth and long-termism are beginning to emerge in society in three pivotal ways.

: Creative Cathedrals – the multi-generational projects that are shaping the future of science, technology and design

: Commercial Cathedrals – how the world of business is moving its sights from the next quarter to the next decade and even the next century

: Cultural Cathedrals – why our fascination with long-term cathedral wealth is driving the emergence of new forms of art and culture that will be enjoyed by future generations

read the article here

UBS COO Axel Lehmann on fintech: Banking jobs 'will completely change'

This week, our COO for UBS Global is flying in from Zurich and will join us for an evening with the five Canadian fintechs heading to New York for the finals. We will be handing out awards to the companies this Wednesday and Axel Lehmann, our COO will be there to talk fintech.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Axel by Business Insider. I am impressed by Axel and how he is leading UBS into fintech. 

LONDON – Of all the challenges faced by leaders of large investment banks, the growth of the financial technology industry, or fintech, is unique.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, fintech startups have boomed, making quick ground on a banking industry struggling to cope with new financial rules and legacy tech systems.

Unlike challenges such as Brexit, low global growth, and interest rates, fintech's impact is hard to predict and quantify for banks.

It has the potential to totally disrupt established business models or boost productivity and profitability. Or perhaps do both at the same time.

While no lender wants to become the next Nokia or Kodak, crushed by an innovation they failed to properly understand, it's not always clear how an organization with 100,000 employees should deal with the threats and opportunities posed by fintech.

Business Insider chatted with Axel Lehmann, chief operating officer of Swiss bank UBS, to ask how the organisation is coming to terms with fast-changing world of fintech.

Ben Moshinsky: Where are the main threats and opportunities to UBS from the fintech boom?

Axel Lehmann: True change is really coming from outside the industry. That is the key challenge we face as of today. The whole fintech discussion has changed, we have moved on from discussing whether a revolution is taking place, and how the banks will become redundant, to a place where most banks are looking at collaborative efforts with other firms. This is why most of what we do in terms of technological development we do in partnership with fintech companies.

I don’t want to get blindsided. It’s less the technology, as such, providing a transformative element in the banking industry. It’s really alternative business models that have the potential to shake up everything and eat into our cake.

We have a legacy infrastructure which can be regarded as a liability, but it’s also an asset

It is also full of opportunities. We, the banks, are operating from a position of strength from a customer perspective especially in terms of the amount of customer interaction, the know-how we can provide, and the services we can offer. You can’t create any of this overnight.

And secondly, we have a legacy infrastructure which can be regarded as a liability, but it’s also an asset. When the Trump election got through, for example, volatility was high. We have an infrastructure that can scale up in line with volatility, and that’s something you need to have.

So, in this regard, I’m personally optimistic. It’s easier, when you look to consumer industries, for example, Uber or WhatsApp, to disrupt a lightly regulated sector. But when you look at where we as banks are, you get into the highly regulated space immediately, when you talk about balance sheet and liquidity, and this makes this industry less easy to disrupt.

But no doubt, we still do have to be mindful that we’re not losing out on some of that less regulated space, particularly at the point of customer interaction.

BM: What's the most exciting technology on your radar?

AL: I truly believe that whole question of robotics and artificial intelligence over a time horizon of four to eight years will fundamentally change the banking business. As banks, we understand that our business is all about data. These technologies have the potential to really fundamentally change the way we operate in terms of getting smarter with the customer, understanding what kind of products we should offer and so on. That is definitely exciting.

BM: How will that affect headcount in big banks? Will bankers need new skills?

AL: I think it’s always that question, that people understandably want to ask, about possible headcount reductions. We were here 50 years ago when UBS was the first to roll out an ATM in Europe. The press was then speculating about how that would eliminate all the tellers and the branch network. Now history shows that this hasn’t really happened. In reality branch staff started to have different forms of customer service opportunities and I think the same will happen now more broadly in banking.

The more you implement robotics and automation, that will in part substitute processes that humans are doing today.

The jobs and the job profiles will completely change. Technology, and it’s my deep conviction, will support and complement the human capabilities. Of course, if I’m a retail customer with $10,000 to invest I might decide to do it all via a machine, but if I have seven figures I will need somebody to help me, to provide expert advice, and so the vital role of the relationship advisor definitely won’t disappear. Banking will stay a people's business.

So I don’t want to speculate if we have more or less people. We’ll have different jobs and the skill levels of those people will be different. Of course, there will likely be eliminations of some process functions. The more you implement robotics and automation, that will in part substitute processes that humans are doing today. However, I do think that probably what will happen is we will then see a significant increase in productivity and efficiency.

BM: How big a profitability driver will that be?

AL: This productivity will help drive profitability or absorb any additional costs that you have, in terms of further technological development or regulatory developments. It will be reinvested in other ways, either to enhance the franchise or deal with further regulation.

BM: How does a bank, like UBS with tens of thousands of employees, interact with a fintech startup of just a few people? What kind of cultural changes need to happen

AL: Dealing with fintechs is a cultural shift that needs to take place and you want to have the local people to innovate. At UBS we have a systematic process on how we expose ourselves to fintech companies. For example, we have a series of initiatives that we’re driving, such as our Future of Finance Challenge. This competition, which is happening at the moment, provides a forum for start-ups and growing companies to come and present their ideas to compete for support from UBS to accelerate their ideas. That’s the type of work we’re doing. We really want to take advantage of some of those fast-moving and smaller boats with great ideas and great software that we can scale up and use in our organisation.

Jacoline Loewen and team for fintech challenge

BM: Is competition for those boats fierce? How do you make sure you invest enough time and money?

AL: UBS has a CHF2.1 billion net saving target, but nevertheless our IT spend is at a record level of more than 10% of revenues. We do not sacrifice mid-term and longer term development to make numbers for a quarter. Secondly, if you look to our overall positioning it is quite unique, and that gives me confidence. We’re the global leader in wealth management, which is one of the key areas to invest in digital. Every dollar we invest there, hopefully wisely, is helping us strengthen that franchise.

Read the rest of the article here.

Join me on Twitter @jacolineloewen

An evening at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection

Alex Janvier

It was a packed at the McMichael which is located in Kleinberg, a bit of a hike north from Toronto. As I walked up to the gallery, the sweeping evergreen trees overlooking the winding path relaxed me and put me in the mood to enjoy the evening. The gallery event was showing the art of Alex Janvier who was there for the evening and who gave a speech about his life and sources of creativity.

The McMichael really is worth the drive.

Members of the board were attending and I enjoyed the company of Laura Mirabella, who is CFO of the City of Vaughn, as well a board director of the McMichael.

Laura Mirabella and Jacoline Loewen

A delicious buffet was served and then we all heard the artist, Alex Janvier, speak about the story of his life and how he is inspired. After touring his collection, there were some interesting items in the gallery's store. There was a book with his art over the years, umbrellas and bags, but my favourite were the coffee mugs with his gorgeous colours and patterns which almost infuse you with energy.

Valitas Appreciation Event with Peter MacKay

Peter MacKay with Susan Fulford, Jacoline Loewen and Debbie Dimoff

"Boats are safe in the harbor, but that is not what they are built to do," said Peter MacKay, Vice-Chairman of Valitas advisory board.  Speaking at the Valitas event at The Spoke Club, Peter shared a few war stories about how he seen the corporate finance mandates achieved by Valitas and the challenges of undertaking corporate finance deals. He also made a few light comments about his political background and said he would not start discussing taxes.

Peter's words certainly inspired the room of entrepreneurs and Bay Street's finest - lawyers and wealth managers.

Paris Aden, founder of Valitas, also spoke about the success of the firm and the passion of the team. "Thank you to Peter MacKay for his commitment and contribution to Valitas".

@jacolineloewen

Author of Money Magnet.

 Jacoline Loewen, author of Money Magnet, Attract Investors to Your Business

Meet William, the youngest reader of Money Magnet

One of the fine women I mentored sent me an uplifting email and photograph featuring the latest addition to her family, sweet William.
William's mother is Farrah Ahmad Solly who is a Rotman graduate close to my heart.  I met Farrah when she was the marketing expert in her group project. The team went on to win the overall competition and Farrah contributed the lion's share to their success. I was impressed with Farrah then and now and I'm now impressed with her dedication to her family.

William Solly, son of Farrah Ahmad Solly

Wiley has a good summary about Money Magnet, It is still being used by Ivey and Ryerson. I get emails from entrepreneurs who used it as their blueprint to access private equity.

More about Money Magnet

The number-one issue for every entrepreneur is Money—getting money, raising money, convincing investors to give you money. Whether you are a start up, a family business, or a $100-million company, your biggest issue is always money.

 

Money Magnet is the solution to your money worries. It's the complete how-to guide to attracting private investors—debt and private equity—for business founders and owners. It reveals what private investment is and how it works, the benefits and pitfalls, how and where to find it, and how to be successful in attracting it.

 

Praise for Money Magnet

 

"Every ambitious private business owner should understand the role of investors and how to attract them. Money Magnet is an indispensible guide to the process."
—Austen Beutel, Chairman and CEO, Oakwest Corporation Ltd.

 

"Don't put another nickel into your business until you have read this book. Money Magnet is Financing 101 for entrepreneurs and owners who want to grow their business."
—Greig Clark, Entrepreneur (College Pro Painters and Arxx Building Products) and Venture Capitalist (Horatio Enterprise Fund)

 

"Money Magnet begins with a startling proposition: some businesses succeed more than others simply because they know how to raise money. By sharing these processes, tools and secrets, Loewen is daring Canadian entrepreneurs to dream bigger than they've ever dreamed before."
—Rick Spence, Entrepreneurship Columnist for the National Post and PROFIT Magazine

Follow on Twitter @jacolineloewen
Money Magnet, by Jacoline Loewen, published by Wiley.

Billionaires share one characteristic: They were not born billionaires.

The following is an excerpt from the Bloomberg Markets article titled How UBS Became Home to Half the World’s Billionaires

By Elisa Martinuzzi and Joel Weber | October 3, 2017

BLOOMBERG MARKETS: Almost half the world’s billionaires bank with you. That’s a distinct set of clients. What have you learned from them?

SERGIO ERMOTTI, CEO of UBS Bank: It’s always fascinating to hear how they became so successful. When you look at billionaires, many of them share one characteristic: They were not born billionaires. I was in Asia recently, where I met a few, and they have quite impressive stories. It feels like the American dream, only it’s no longer just in America. The main lesson for me is that with passion, focus, vision, determination, you can do a lot.

BM Which trait most stands out?

SE You see a lot of passion for what they do. And the same level of focus. It’s quite clear that it’s not all about money. Of course some people care about that, but at the end of the day, they enjoy what they do.

BM How much time do you actually spend with clients?

SE Not as much as I would like. The most interesting discussions are actually when we are fortunate enough to bring them together. We organize events where our clients can get together. It’s also a way for them to foster a level of cooperation, of getting to know each other—which is important for business regardless of UBS being involved or not.

BM You’re like Tinder?

SE At these events we are a kind of sophisticated speed-­dating organizer, sure. It adds value for our clients. Take Art Basel. The idea is that people attend because they share a common interest, a passion. And while attending the events, maybe they start to talk about other issues or opportunities.

BM What did you think of UBS before you got here?

SE I thought it was an incredible franchise with almost 150 years of history that had survived a dramatic moment. My predecessors had stabilized things, but it was not clear yet what the path was going to look like going forward. I’ve always been impressed by the fact that, as bad as things got here, only 2 percent of clients closed their accounts. I figured the franchise and the quality of the people who are able to retain the clients during such a crisis must be extremely high. My view was, I want to be a part of this.
Bloomberg Markets: How would you describe your business today?

SE We are the undisputed global leader in wealth management. We think that this is a huge advantage. It’s a very fragmented market still. And if I look at our position and the growth expectations of wealth creation, which is expected to be twice as high as GDP, we should stay focused on doing this. Sell-side analysts, rating agencies, and the media still consider us an investment bank. I find it totally ridiculous. If you look at where our business comes from, we are basically the world’s most expensive investment bank and its cheapest asset manager.
BM What advice did you get when you arrived here?



Jacoline Loewen and team

SE Some competitors were telling me, “Shut down the investment bank; we’ll serve you.” They wanted to grab flows and build out their business. People also told me to sell Wealth Management Americas. My popularity would have soared, especially in Switzerland; UBS wouldn’t be where it is today; and I doubt I’d still be here. That was a defining moment—to say, These are businesses we can turn around. It was a good reminder that the consensus is not necessarily the right thing to do.

BM Was there a company, maybe even outside your industry, that you looked to for inspiration?

SE Not for strategy. But when I joined, I said I wanted UBS to be the Apple or the IBM of the financial-services industry: from glory, to near-death, and then back to glory.

Read Full article here
Follow on Twitter @Jacolineloewen