APEX GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- India Country Head and Head of Global Service Centres
Akshay Thakurdesai has significant years of leadership experience in IT, Operations, Product and Business Development across Securities Services and Global markets business lines. Akshay previously led the securities services business for BNP Paribas in India prior to being the COO for the banks global markets business. He started his career in KPIT Cummins, Pune working on Deutsch Bank and BNP Paribas's projects shifting later to Chennai in pilot team setting up and grow BNP Paribas's offshore center servicing Asset Fund Services and Custody franchise. He has extensive work exposure in Pune, Chennai, Mumbai, Hongkong and Paris, and well versed with English, French apart from Indian languages.
Alan joined Sanne in November 2022 and has been the Regional Head for Middle East and Africa in Apex since the acquisition of Sanne. A Chartered Accountant by profession, he has spent the bulk of his career in the professional service industry and added financial service exposure to that, positioning him well to growing the region on strong client service principals.
Job Titles:
- Head of Business Development, India
Amrita joined us from SWIFT, where she was Head Securities & FX Markets, India and South Asia. Prior to this, Amrita was Vice President and Head of Business Development and Marketing at SBI-SG Global Securities Services, responsible for driving sales for its custody, fund accounting, derivatives clearing and treasury services and client onboarding, across both cross border and domestic clients. She brings close to two decades of experience, working in business development roles for global banks in the Indian market including HSBC and Deutsche Bank.
Job Titles:
- Regional Head of Sales for Middle East, Africa & Mauritius
Andre joined us in 2023 as Regional Head of Sales for Middle East, Africa, and Mauritius through our acquisition of Maitland Group. He has 35 years' experience in the financial services information technology and 3rd party administration industry. He began his career at Andersen Consulting and joined Syfrets in 1991 where he headed up the software development division before setting up FMS, the unit trust outsourcing division of Nedcor Investment Bank. In 2000, Andre joined Maitland and was responsible for the roll out of the FinSwitch business-to-business switch and its infrastructure services division. Later, in his role as Head of Business Development (Africa), he was responsible for domestic and international sales activities for their fund services division. Andre holds a B.Bus.Sci from the University of Cape Town.
As Chief Risk Officer, Andrew is responsible for the oversight of risk-taking activities and supporting our effective and efficient management of risk on an enterprise-wide basis. As a member of the executive committee, he is responsible for driving and developing our risk framework, governance, and reporting. Andrew joined us following our acquisition of Sanne in 2019.
Andrew joined us in April 2019 as our global group's General Counsel. Prior to joining us, he was Head of Legal at Monzo Bank, and previously held senior roles at several prestigious law firms including Latham & Watkins. Andrew has extensive expertise in cross-border M&A and joined us at a critical time of integration following several global acquisitions.
Job Titles:
- Country Head for the Cayman Islands
- Country Head, Cayman Islands
Anne Storie is the Country Head for the Cayman Islands office. She has over 18 years of experience in financial services in corporate services, fund governance, regulatory compliance, product development, and M&A. Her previous experience includes leading a family office and she was the CEO of the Americas for the Waystone Group.
Bryan Atkinson is an experienced fund administration professional and is currently the managing director of Apex Fund Services (Ireland) Limited. Bryan has over 10 years' experience in the industry with a wide range of investment funds experience gained from his role as an accountant with Citigroup in Bermuda.
Job Titles:
- Country Head - Isle of Man
Cath joined us in the Isle of Man in 2016 and has over 32 years of experience within the financial services sector. She has predominately focused on the fund industry for the last 20 years.
Job Titles:
- Country Head - Guernsey
- Groups Guernsey Country Head
Mr. Hickling is Apex Groups Guernsey Country Head and has over 20 years' experience in the offshore finance industry with a focus on investment funds. In his role he is responsible for growing the jurisdictions offering to a variety of clients, structures and developing the business as a whole. Chris joined Apex through the acquisition of the Praxis Fund Group by Sanne in December 2021 where he was Head of Funds and the Managing Director of Sanne Fund Management (Guernsey) Limited, the Alternative Investment Fund Manager ("AIFM") having established it in 2013. Prior to Praxis Chris was Operations Director of Close Fund Services Limited from 2005 and latterly at Investec Administration Services Limited from 2007 who ultimately sold the business to Praxis Group in 2009. Mr. Hickling has held and currently holds appointments on various boards that include a wide variety of strategies including but not limited to private equity, property, equity, fund of fund and debt. His experience covers many structures including listed, open ended and closed ended funds with roles having included regulatory compliance, transfer agency, operations and valuation. More recently a focus on risk management services to clients of the AIFM where the focus is portfolio risk management and consultancy services, marketing regulatory oversight and board reporting on business risks. Mr. Hickling is a Certified Accountant of New Zealand and also holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration from Victoria University of New Zealand with Majors in Accounting and Economics.
Job Titles:
- Chief Client Delivery Officer
Chris joined us in October 2017 following the acquisition of Equinoxe Alternative Investment Services. He has over 20 years of experience leading operational strategy within the fund services industry and was brought in to optimise our global organisational and operational framework, and lead the strategic integrations of multiple businesses simultaneously.
Job Titles:
- Regional Managing Director - Middle East
Christiane El Habre brings over two decades of experience in the MENA financial services industry. She joined Apex Group from international management consultancy Elkho Group where she was a Partner, Chair of the Board and CEO of Middle East operations. Prior to this, Christiane was CEO and executive board member at FFA Private Bank (Dubai) a specialized investment bank in Dubai International Financial Centre ("DIFC). Christiane held senior positions in Gap Corp in Dubai, and she spent 5 years at FFA Private Bank in Lebanon as the Head of Treasury and Operations. She is a member of the GCC business community, serving on the boards of several non-profits, where she is committed to mentoring and coaching young professionals in the finance industry. Christiane graduated from St Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut with a degree in Finance, she completed further education from IE Business School in High Impact Leadership, and from Oxford University in advanced Fintech.
Job Titles:
- Regional Head Continental Europe - Business Deveopment
Dominik is our Regional Head Business Development for Continental Europe, marketing our management company, AIFM, administration, and depositary bank solutions. He has extensive client management experience built during roles at European Depositary Bank, Warburg Invest Luxembourg, and Alter Domus.
Job Titles:
- Country Head and Managing Director - Brazil
Francine is the driving force behind our innovative client-centric solutions. With over two decades of experience in the financial market, Francine brings deep expertise in fund administration, non-discretionary management, custody services, and tailored solutions for non-resident investors. Francine's impressive academic credentials include a degree in International Relations from Eckerd College, Florida, and a master's degree in Business Consulting from FIA-USP. She also holds the Anbima CPA20 certification, further underscoring her expertise in the industry. Passionate about fostering inclusion and growth, Francine has been the Co-Chair of the 100 Women in Finance Brazil Location since 2019. She was pivotal in bringing this global NPO to Latin America, working alongside other women leaders to empower and connect professionals in the financial sector.
Georges brings over two decades of experience in law, capital markets, and fund administration to his role as Chief Commercial Officer at Apex Group. He is responsible for delivering top- and bottom-line performance across geographies and client and product segments, aligning with key business focus areas and their respective leaders. As a dedicated people leader, Georges drives global business growth internationally and enhances client relationships and revenue streams, as well as offering guidance on company matters across various boards. From Deutsche Bank Alternative Fund Services to Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and now Apex Group, his career reflects a commitment to excellence in financial services.
Job Titles:
- Head of Sales - Hong Kong and Global Head of FX Solutions
Jake is responsible for growing our hedge fund, private equity, and real estate offerings in Hong Kong, as well as our global FX solutions. Previously, he was a relationship manager at Bloomberg, covering over 90 hedge funds and family offices in Hong Kong. He also served as Director and Head of China Cross-Border Sales at BMO Bank of Montreal (in Hong Kong), focusing on FX and fixed income sales for corporations and investors doing business in Mainland China, and institutional investors seeking access to China's bond market. Outside of our business, Jake has shared his expertise at Tsinghua University, and advised China SOEs, the Canadian Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Canada, as well as the US Department of Treasury on China cross-border trade.
Jessie joined Apex in 2020. As Head of Apex China, Jessie's focus is to strengthen and enhance the existing offering, while working closely with business leaders in Apex's other Asia-Pacific based offices to promote the brand across the region. In addition to heading China office, she will also be responsible for continuing to grow and develop Apex's international offering. Jessie has been working in the financial services industry since 2006 and has an extensive background in developing business strategies, optimising team structures and has vast knowledge in risk, compliance and operations. Jessie joined Apex from Fusi Capital where she held the role of Chief Operating Officer, leading all operational aspects for the middle and back office. Prior to this, Jessie gained in depth knowledge of both onshore and offshore service offering from Citco Group (China).
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Head of Business Development, Ireland
John Bohan is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has over 30 years' experience and industry expertise having worked in management positions within Citigroup, BNY-Alternative Investment Services and Bank of Ireland Asset Management. His core focus is growth and development of the business both in Ireland and across other jurisdictions.
Job Titles:
- Head of Business Development, UK and CI
Karl is responsible for the distribution of the full range of Apex's products to alternative asset managers. He joined Apex in 2018 with over 15 years' experience in working with alternative managers with prior roles at AKO Capital, Deutsche Bank and UBS.
Job Titles:
- Head of Business Development - APAC
Liam is responsible for all sales and business development activity across Asia-Pacific. He rejoined Apex Group in 2020 having previously held sales and leadership positions with FIS & SS&C. After nearly a decade with the world's leading financial services organisations, he has extensive knowledge of the funds and corporate services market.
Lyubka Popova joined Apex in 2018, following the acquisition of Custom House and is responsible for the management of Apex Fund Services (Bulgaria) Ltd and ensuring the compliance with the Group's strategy and operating model. Lyubka has over nineteen years of experience in fund administration, holds a Master's Degree in Accounting and Control from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria and is an ACCA member since 2006.
Manu has over 18 years of global experience in the fund accounting industry, gaining knowledge and exposure through different administrators and a wide variety of clients including PE, RE, VC, Hedge Funds, Hybrids and Family Office. Previously, Manu joined Apex in 2008 and held positions at Apex Group in USA and currently as the Country Head of the Bermuda. His core focus is growth and development of the business in Bermuda."
Job Titles:
- Chief Digital Information Officer
As our Chief Digital Information Officer, Marie is responsible for defining the technology strategy to deliver business goals; driving transformation across our IT functions globally, executing digital innovation, cloud, data, cyber, and modern workplace strategic plans. Marie has 30 years' experience in technology, with over 20 years being within the finance industry. Throughout her career, Marie has worked for major international institutions, including Group CTO for Sanne Group prior to acquisition by Apex Group, at Coventry Building Society for over four years where she was Chief Information Officer, responsible for building a technology strategy and leading the transformation; and Capital One where she acted as Chief Engineer and was a member of the IT leadership team.
Job Titles:
- Country Head & Representative Director
Mark joined us in 2019 as Country Head and Representative Director in Japan. He established our business in Japan and has developed the organisation, including the acquisition of the Trust Company from Deutsche Bank Japan in 2020 and Axess Tax in 2023. Prior to joining us, he was the Chief Operating Officer for State Street Trust & Banking Japan from July 2014 to December 2018. Before joining State Street, he was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs Asset Management London from March 2001 to June 2009, and at GSAM Japan from July 2009 to June 2014, where he was responsible for all aspects of their Asia-Pacific funds business.
Max is currently the Interim Chief Financial Officer and Chief of Staff at Apex. Prior to joining Apex, Max worked at KPMG in both London and Bermuda, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
Naveed Zamir has over 13 years' experiences in the Financial Services Industry. Naveed joined Apex in 2012 and currently holds the position as Head of Apex, Dubai.
With over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Navita brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to our team. Her expertise spans various global markets, with a focus on Europe and Asia. Navita has held numerous senior roles throughout her career, demonstrating a strong track record of driving profit growth and operational excellence.
Job Titles:
- Chief Business Development Officer - Americas
Nicholas brings more than 25 years of experience as a financial services executive, with Managing Director titles at SS&C Technologies, Addepar and BlackRock. He holds extensive experience in financial technology as a member of the team that launched BlackRock's Aladdin business and held several leadership roles during his tenure there. Nicholas drives the growth of our business development efforts through new partnerships, brand development, product strategy, and regional expansions.
Nick joined Mainstream Fund Services in 2012 to oversee Mainstream's managed account offering. He is now responsible for developing partnerships with both new and existing business as Head of Client Services. Prior to working at Mainstream Nick worked as an academic at Macquarie University's Faculty of Business and Economics. Nick holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University and a Masters of Economics from the University of Sydney.
Job Titles:
- Regional Head of Asia Pacific
Nick is Regional Head of Asia Pacific, and a member of the Apex Group Executive Committee. Nick joined as part of Apex Group's Acquisition of Mainstream Group in 2021 where he was also the Managing Director for the Asia Pacific business. Nick brings extensive knowledge of the funds industry and is responsible for overseeing the business in the region.
Peter Hughes founded Apex Group in 2003 with a vision to create a business that could offer an end-to-end service to clients, delivered by local experts on a global scale. Through this vision, Apex Group has continually disrupted the asset serving industry by evolving its capabilities and delivering a unique single-source solution to asset managers, allocators, family offices and financial institutions which supports the entire value chain across the financial services ecosystem. The Group harnesses leading innovative and transformative technology and benefits from cross-jurisdictional expertise delivered by a highly integrated global team of 13,000 people across 50 countries. Peter's desire to drive positive change extends beyond asset servicing. In 2022, he provided a cornerstone donation to the Apex Foundation, a not-for-profit entity, which supports the environment and climate change; women's empowerment and economic independence; and education and social mobility.
Job Titles:
- Regional Head of Luxembourg
Pierre has more than 20 years of experience in the financial and investment fund industry. As former partner at Ernst & Young in Luxembourg (2002 - 2012), he led the firm's advisory services for Real Estate and Private Equity funds, prior to which he held managerial positions at Arthur Andersen and Arthur D. Little. Pierre began his career as a Fund and Portfolio Manager for institutional clients with UBS Bank and has a doctorate in Finance (Dr. rer. pol.), University of Trier (Germany); as well as a Master in Economics from the University of Strasbourg
As Head of our Canada office, Raja is focused on strategic planning and business development for the region. He has over 20 years' experience within the financial services industry and has an ACA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Rebekka joined Apex in December 2021 being Managing Director of the acquired German entity. She brings over 20 years of (inter)national experience in private equity and financial services, she worked for a big 4 consulting firm, a Private equity firm and an US finance company before starting the German fund administration business with the founder in 2012. She has extensive knowledge on fund administration for Venture, PE, Debt, Crypto and Special Situations Funds.
Job Titles:
- Regional Managing Director - Head of LATAM
Roberto has over 25 years of experience in financial and capital markets, fund administration and custody services. He is currently Apex's Latin America Regional Managing Director and oversees Apex's different businesses across that region, including the acquisitions made by Apex in Brazil. He has extensive experience and has worked many years in global organizations such as; Citigroup, HSBC and Santander.
Job Titles:
- Global Business Leader
- Regional Head of Americas
As a global business leader Sanjay brings over 25 years' experience to this position. He previously served as Managing Director at Citi, BlackRock, State Street and Merrill Lynch. He brings a wealth of industry knowledge, having been instrumental in evolving the financial markets across the Americas and internationally, specifically India and Singapore. Sanjay has previously presided as Chairman of multiple industry committees, at Bond Market Association, Asset Management Forum and Securities Industry Association.
Shmuel Menahem, CPA, overlooks our business strategy for Israel. He has extensive experience in leading operations, while maximising efficiency together with quality service.
Job Titles:
- Country Head of Abu Dhabi
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
Vikita Patel has steered and grown our human resources team since joining us in 2018. Leveraging over a decade of experience within the HR profession in the financial services industry, she has developed the HR agenda to support our strategic priorities, focusing on key areas such as organisational change and culture, HR operations, reward and recognition, talent management, and people analytics.
Wilber joined Apex in 2010. He has extensive experience in the fund administration industry and has had exposure to all types of offshore fund structures. As Head of the Hong Kong office, he has overall responsibility for Apex's Hong Kong operations and service delivery, providing direction, support and guidance across sales and operations. He has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and also holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He also holds HKICPA fellowship and, FRM.