Digitisation does not mean dehumanisation

With the introduction of new regulations in Switzerland, the aim of which is to provide a solid framework within which external asset managers can evolve, FINMA encourages strategic thinking. The goal is to reduce the complexity of the business model and increase efficiency, something that can be achieved through technology.

By Alexandre Zeller,   Managing Partner at Lombard Odier Group

And Laurent Pellet,   Limited Partner & Global Head of EAM at Lombard Odier Group

At Lombard Odier, we have a strong spirit of innovation. We have always believed that technology offers enormous opportunities and that it is at the heart of the banking business. In the context of ever-changing client needs, we have been leveraging technology to create pioneering solutions for over 30 years.

Ours is a genuine “Swiss-army knife” for portfolio management, enabling EAMs to manage their clients’ accounts with total autonomy. It also ensures transparency, which is essential in this industry, and ensures that client interests are best served.

In an era where everything must always be simpler and faster, innovations in the banking sector create added value for our clients and partners by delivering bespoke, personalised experiences, which greatly enhance the user experience. Thanks to digitalisation, we facilitate banking processes and therefore the relationship between wealth managers and their clients.

Yet even if new technology can strengthen relationships and facilitate communication, human contact must remain at the heart of what we do. Digitisation does not mean dehumanisation.

We invite you to watch this video where Alexandre Zeller, Managing Partner and Laurent Pellet, Limited Partner, share their views on the opportunities presented by technology for External Asset Managers.

Biography

Alexandre Zeller has been a Managing Partner of the Lombard Odier Group since March 2019. He also was a member of the Board of Bank Lombard Odier & Co Ltd, from 2014 to 2016. He began his career at Nestlé in 1984, where he worked in International Operational Audit. He worked at Credit Suisse from 1987 to 2002, where he held various management positions, including CEO Private Banking Switzerland. After that, he joined the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, where he was CEO until 2008. From 2008 to 2012, he was the CEO of HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) in Geneva.
Alexandre Zeller served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SIX Group in Zurich from 2013 to 2016. From 2016 to 2018, he was the Chairman of Credit Suisse (Switzerland), as well as a Member of the Board of Directors of Credit Suisse Group AG. He holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Lausanne, and an Executive MBA from the Harvard Business School in Boston.
Alexandre Zeller is responsible for the Technlogy & Operations Unit at Lombard Odier. Since September 1, 2020, he is also responsible for the Legal, Compliance and Human Resources Units.

Laurent Pellet joined Lombard Odier in June 2017. He assumed responsibility for the Group’s External Asset Managers department in 2018.His career began with Ferrier Lullin, where he held various positions for more than 15 years, including Head of Credit and Risk, and subsequently Head of the External Asset Managers department in 1997. In 2006, he joined Julius Baer to lead their External Asset Managers business for the French-speaking part of Switzerland and Western Europe. In 2012, his responsibilities were extended to cover Monaco and the Middle East.
Laurent Pellet holds a Federal Diploma (school leaving certificate) from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Genève. He is a graduate in Credit and Risk Management from the University of Geneva, and in Quantitative Portfolio Management from HEC Geneva. He also holds the ‘International Certificate of Private Banking and Wealth Management Retreat’ from the Swiss Finance Institute, and is a Certified Wealth Management Advisor (CWMA).