Alexander Neil, Private Banking in Geneva, La Châtaigneraie, 2000

Alexander Neil

La Châtaigneraie, 2000

Private Banking

Geneva

 Learn more about me :

• For anyone lucky (or unlucky) enough to attend a Wealth Management or Banking industry conference in Switzerland, you might catch me speaking as a panelist. I also post updates on LinkedIn fairly regularly, and I have previously had a few articles published in the financial press.

I live in the countryside outside Geneva with my wife, our young daughter, and our cat and dog. I work in the Private Banking unit of a large multinational bank called HSBC, where I head a team of Equity investment specialists. Essentially that involves analyzing stocks and then recommending them to the bank’s clients, based on their relative merits and their potential returns, it’s a really interesting job because we get to learn about a wide array of companies, their business models, their competitive advantages and the regulatory environment in which they operate. It’s a very privileged position because we feel like we have a front-row seat from which to watch economic trends unfold. This year we have been following the semiconductor industry and its supply chain to try and understand the Artificial Intelligence opportunity for example.

I think my fondest memories were taking part in the Orchestra at the LGB campus, and being part of the concerts and plays that we put on. I played the oboe (not particularly well, but there weren’t any other oboists at school!), which is a beautiful instrument that lends itself well to ‘solos’ (when one instrument breaks out and plays on its own, which was a great confidence-builder for me). The Orchestra was great fun because it meant we got to mingle with students from the other campus, and it was an excuse to travel into the ‘big city’ and leave the Founex countryside.

Straight after graduation, I moved to London, so the most tangible learning experience that I was able to put into practice was the multiculturalism that we all grew up with at Ecolint. I think it would have been a lot more difficult to adjust to the metropolis had I not been exposed to so many different cultures and languages from such a young age.
If I had to do it all over again, without a doubt, I would probably try and study more! In particular, I regret not having applied myself as much as I could have in maths and German.

My words of wisdom for Ecolint students: I’m not sure I’ve got any wisdom to bestow as such, but I would suggest that students take the time to enjoy school and recognize what a privilege it is to be amongst these beautiful buildings – surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the world.

What legacy do you want to leave? I’m not sure I’m in any position to impart a legacy, but if anything, I think I’m a good example of someone who wasn’t particularly academic but who, nonetheless, ended up learning to be very structured in my approach to lifelong learning. For example, in my professional life, I’ve strived to learn new techniques and to get involved with emerging trends: I’m an ‘ESG Ambassador’ for HSBC for instance, which means learning about climate science and how it affects companies.