CEO Insights Magazine

In today’s world, change isn’t just an occasional phenomenon; it’s a constant state of being. The financial services industry is not exempted from this reality. In many ways, it’s at the forefront of it. There are very few finance leaders who are able to adapt to the exponential growth of technology in this sector and can take on a role that is changing constantly. Andy Ho Boon Hwee, Managing Director, Finexis Advisory is one of them. An advisory executive leader and key decision maker of Finexis, Andy began his journey with the firm in 2007 as the Chief Distribution Officer. With his ability to understand the complexities of businesses including the people, their tasks, and their skills, he was soon placed to move into a leadership position and successfully restructured the existing operation as the Managing Director of Finexis Advisory of Hong Kong & Singapore.

What makes Andy different from his peers is his ability to pounce on every opportunity that comes his way to experience different tides of business and learn how different departments or the company as a whole function. Currently, he is overseeing the advisors of five different entities of the group and taking strategic decisions to meet their goals. Andy is a visionary leader whose strategic endeavors are focused on cementing the company’s long-term goals. He enables his team to buy into his vision by empowering them with autonomy and resources and bringing out the best in them. In a recent interaction with Insights Asia, Andy shares more about his journey. Let’s hear it from

How has been your journey so far? What has been your mantra to overcome challenging situations?

With new roles and leadership positions, comes different responsibilities. I needed to adapt and see things from different perspectives; my role evolved from doing things by myself to making teams do things aligned with a shared vision. To be able to stand up to the leadership role and drive the different business units of the organization requires a different kind of skill set. The greatest challenge here is to direct the company's operations to make sure it achieves its objectives effectively and efficiently. I do that by providing inspiration, motivation, and guidance to team members and helping them to be successful in their respective fields.

How would you define Finexis Advisory as an organization and its current position in the market?

We are a leading homegrown financial advisory firm in Singapore holding to the highest standard of care and acting in the best interests of our clients at all times. We believe our customers as the biggest stakeholders of the firm. We are focused on building a growth ecosystem by expanding our  wealth management services both horizontally and vertically while giving our customers the best advice to secure their financial future. We have over 100 partners and a portfolio of 1000+ products offering customized solutions that best fit our customers’ differing needs and wants in life.

As the Managing Director, what are the fundamental factors that you take into account while developing effective Corporate Growth Strategies?

Being a financial advisory firm, our emphasis is always on in-house talent. Talent management is one of the key strategies that we are going after as, I believe, it is not possible to run an organization single-handedly. So, our first priority is to attract talent and train them to scale the firm to newer heights. Secondly, we are always focused on being 20 to 30 percent ahead of our peers in the industry and moving beyond our past performances.

How do you nurture a learning culture in your workforce that helps your team to draw future opportunities and achieve the main vision and mission of the company?

At Finexis, our people are not only our company’s greatest assets; our people are the company.  We strive to create an impactful environment for our people that fosters personal growth; we have developed systems where we mentor talents and groom them to understand the different operations within the firm and train them to learn how business is done across jurisdictions. We empower our employees and make them accountable for what they do and give them the authority to make decisions that are suitable for the growth of the firm.

What are your aspirations for the future?

We aspire to be one of the top financial advisory firms in Asia by providing top-notch solutions that We pride ourselves to be the investment experts when it comes to managing wealth and we work hard constantly to live by this reputation.

What advice would you give to budding leaders in the finance industry?

We are in an era of change & disruptions and so, emerging leaders must look for ways to adapt to the changes and try to build better ecosystems that are competitive and collaborative. They must challenge assumptions, take calculated risks, and encourage experimentation; build a finance function with the right people and skills to complement the new technologies and get the most out of them.

Andy Ho Boon Hwee, Director, Finexis Advisory

Having an educational qualification in Finance from University College Dublin and 16+ years of experience in the BFSI industry, Andy is overseeing the entire operation of Finexis Advisory HK and Singapore ensuring constant profitable growth and driving performance with one eye on the future.