In conversation with Marco Arnold: discover Lombard Odier’s vision for its new Zug office

The leading Swiss private bank for entrepreneurs and executives opened its 7th Swiss branch in Zug in August. Marco Arnold, Local Managing Director, shares his insights.

Could you tell us a few words about Lombard Odier?

Lombard Odier is an innovative Swiss private bank of reference for clients seeking a global yet personalised approach to wealth management and wealth planning. The bank was founded in 1796 and is still wholly owned by its Managing Partners. This business model, with no market pressure or external public shareholders, gives us stability and enables us to align our interests with those of our clients. Our bank is solid and strongly capitalised, and the Group has no external debt.

Present in over 25 countries, we are large enough to be a key player in the sector while maintaining a human dimension. We have a comprehensive investment offering, thanks to a team of over 200 seasoned professionals who strive to develop innovative solutions.

Why was it important for you to open a branch in Zug?

Zug is a city of tradition, but it is also incredibly innovative, diversified and economically key in many sectors. In their approach to investment, the people of Zug think globally but like to engage locally with their bank. Global and local – that’s exactly what we are; a bank with a strong Swiss heritage, but with a resolutely international vision and approach. To that end, we have seven locations in Switzerland and a network of offices and experts in over 25 countries to support our clients in their cross-border and international challenges.

Zug is an open city, a melting pot of cultures, people, businesses, and industries. There’s a real entrepreneurial dynamism here. Many of our contacts are business owners or hold management positions. That’s why, in Zug, we specialise in supporting entrepreneurs and executives.

What does that entail?

Our team members in Zug have long experience serving these clients. Personally, I’ve been working with many of my team for over ten years. Together, we understand their business and private activities, and know how to read a company balance sheet. We speak their language.

To make this link between business and private assets, Lombard Odier has developed a comprehensive “multi-pocket” approach. We look at our clients’ individual situation and the different components of their wealth (private assets, family, business, real estate, debts), and treat portfolio management and wealth planning jointly. As a result, we can structure their wealth in its entirety and implement tax-efficient solutions to drive performance and help them achieve their goals. This is made possible by our technology platform, which enables us to easily consolidate and visualise their global wealth, as well as the individual pockets.

We understand cross-border management and can help our clients manage and anticipate all the consequences of a change of domicile.

What can wealthy families expect from Lombard Odier?

Tailor-made investment solutions are at the centre of our wealth management, whether in the form of discretionary or advisory services. We have also developed the “Your Wealth Outlook” approach, enabling our clients to simulate scenarios based on their life goals, and to structure their wealth over the short, medium and long term to cover all their needs.

We offer a comprehensive range of investment solutions in Private Assets (private equity, private debt, infrastructure and real estate). Wealth planning also plays an essential role in our long-term support, particularly in terms of succession, transfer of residence, retirement planning and family governance.

Finally, many of our Anglo-Saxon clients use trusts and foundations to secure family assets, an area in which the Zug team has considerable expertise.

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