UBS Wealth Management has rolled out its first wealth management master programme in the Asia-Pacific region to be targeted at its most senior client advisors.

As the academic year looms over the horizon, UBS Wealth
Management announced today it has launched its first “wealth management master
programme” in the Asia-Pacific region that is targeted at its most senior
client advisors. The launch forms part of a global roll-out of the training
programme.

A total of 22 senior client-facing staff from Hong Kong and Singapore have
joined the inaugural Asia-Pacific intake, UBS said in a statement.

The two-year part-time programme is aimed at providing
participants exposure to in-depth and actionable expertise in client book
management, client investment and client relationship management, UBS said.

Faculty include thought leaders from leading academic
institutions such as Harvard, Columbia, Princeton University
and University of
Zurich, experts from consultancies
like PwC and KPMG, and senior leaders and subject matter experts from UBS
providing best practice insights.

As wealth management firms in fast-growing regions such as Asia seek to develop talent in-house – rather than just
hire from rivals – such moves are increasingly important. There are a number of
training programmes around the world at the post-graduate level with relevance
to wealth management. This publication will shortly issue an updated list of
such programmes, such as the Master of Science In Wealth Management via the Singapore Management University.
(That course is produced in collaboration with the Wealth Management Institute
and Swiss Finance Institute.

UBS said its programme is tailored towards on-the-job
development and business application with off-the-job lectures.

"The wealth management industry is seeing a paradigm
shift, where there is an increased focus on investment performance and
transparency. In this highly complex environment, our clients are seeking
credible professional advice and investment solutions that match their needs
and objectives. More than ever, client advisors need to be equipped to provide
investment advice which allows their clients to meet their wealth objectives
and achieve optimal portfolio performance,” Kathryn Shih, chief executive of
UBS Wealth Management for the Asia-Pacific region, said.

Topics in the UBS Wealth Management Master programme include
delivering on our client promise, the global and emerging market economic
environment and financial markets, investment management, “intranpreneurial”
leadership and client relationship success, it said.

UBS has around 1,000 client advisors in the region.

The UBS Business University Asia-Pacific is situated at the
historic Command House in Singapore
– and has been in the city-state since 2007.

The UBS
Business University
delivers curricula for client-facing staff with certification programmes such
as the Wealth Management Master and the Wealth Management Diploma training. The
Swiss bank said it is the first such institution to receive an external
recognition and accreditation by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for
Economic Affairs on its Wealth Management Diploma programme.