FUND MANAGERS & BANKERS IN GENEVA
March 9, 2009
On 26 and 27 February, we collaborated with our counterparts at Geneve Place Financiere and with the Swiss Consul General here in Edinburgh to convene a Round Table discussion between Scottish fund managers and Genevan private bankers. We heard short but fascinating presentations from Edward Hocknell of Baillie Gifford and Raoul Oliver Würgler of the Association of Foreign Banks in Switzerland. The subsequent discussion touched on transparency; funds based on particular ethical positions; the drivers for growth in a financial centre; how financial centres can seek competitive advantage within the EU regulatory and political framework; the implications of the Madoff case; training and skills; and Islamic Finance. It was a lively exchange, followed by further informal debate over the drinks so kindly provided by our hosts. We were also delighted to welcome the British Ambassador to Switzerland, John Nichols.
