Pictet Singapore welcomes Fran?ois Pictet

On an early summer morning this August, Pictet colleagues in Singapore turned out in full force to welcome our Managing Partner, Fran?ois Pictet, on the first day of his extended stay in Singapore and the region.

We sat down with Fran?ois to learn more about the main objectives of his stay, his priorities for Asia, and his first impressions.

What do you hope to achieve during your time in Asia?

Fran?ois: Three things: First, get to know our colleagues better; second, to further develop our strategy in Asia, and third, to be a better ambassador for Asia at the Board of Partners.

What other locations do you plan to visit while you are in Asia?

Fran?ois: I plan to visit every office that I can go to. I will be going to Tokyo in November for the 40th anniversary?celebration of Pictet Asset Management Japan. I will also visit Hong Kong in November, and Mainland China as soon as possible if I am able to. I would love to also visit Taiwan, Philippines and Malaysia as well.

I was in Jakarta last month and I found it a fascinating city, very energetic and booming. Indonesia has a huge economy, a population as big as the US, the right demography, plenty of opportunities — so it's one country to watch.?

I had interesting meetings with many entrepreneurs there who invest in real estate or commodities, but also in digital banks or tech.

"Asia is an exciting and very vibrant part of the world and definitely a large opportunity for Pictet Group."

Fran?ois Pictet

What about Asia are you most excited for? For Pictet and personally.

Fran?ois: Asia is almost half of the world's population, and with many growing economies. It's an exciting and very vibrant part of the world and definitely a large opportunity for us.?

For myself, I want to get to get to know the different cultures in the region, to see how we can serve those populations best. For my family, it is also to have these new and different experiences, especially for my three young daughters, in terms of languages, climate, food, and culture as a whole. At school here, they have the opportunity to make friends of different nationalities.

What have been your biggest takeaways in your meetings with Asia employees so far in the past two months?

Fran?ois: It is true for the whole group, but even more so in Asia, that a good number of our employees have joined us since the COVID-19 pandemic started – roughly 2,500 employees or half the Group joined us in the past five years.

With the global pandemic, and fewer opportunities to interact with our new colleagues in person, it has been more challenging to convey?our corporate culture and our principles throughout the Group.

At the same time, we need to?maintain a strong link with Geneva. While we have developed a fairly diverse global footprint, we are still an organisation that is somewhat Geneva-centric. This is part of the reason of why I am here.?

What are your first impressions of Singapore? What has been the best local food you have had so far?

Fran?ois: Hot and humid. Good for children. There are plenty of activities for them – aquariums, zoo, Sentosa Island, beaches, pools, all the things that children love. It also has a great food scene and a very good platform to travel in the region or around Southeast Asia.

The most local food I had was probably Hainan Chicken Rice. It was good. I would like to try the chili crab next!

--

Fran?ois Pictet is the ninth-generation of Pictet family members as Managing Partners. From January 2023, he will co-manage Pictet Wealth Management , together with Marc Pictet. Follow us for more insights from Fran?ois, as he continues to share more thoughts with us during his extended stay in the region.

Learn more about Pictet Group.

Find out more about our Partnership Model.