Table of Contents
Abstract
In family wealth management, much attention is paid to investment strategies, succession planning and governance. Yet one of the most important challenges facing entrepreneurial families today is how to build investment organizations that combine the alignment of a family with the discipline and governance of an institutional investment platform.
For the first HKU Family Wealth Lecture Series of the 2025-2026 academic year, we invite Mr. Michael Yong-Haron and Ms. Saniza Othman to share their journey of building APInvest Partners, an investment firm seeded by their own family wealth and governed to institutional standards.
Michael brings nearly three decades of experience advising and managing wealth for private banking and wealth management clients. He later made the transition from a private bank CEO to owner-operator, building a platform designed to serve a new generation of globally minded asset owners who embrace innovation, technology and data-driven investment research. Saniza Othman, an accomplished legal professional and distinguished HKU alumna, will share her perspectives on governance, stewardship and institution-building. Beyond finance, Michael and Saniza have spent decades building the Michael & Saniza Collection, supporting contemporary Chinese ink art, women and game changing artists, and the preservation of a unique family artistic legacy.
In conversation with Bonnie Leung, Programme Director of HKU’s Master of Family Wealth Management, the discussion will explore family office governance, working with family members, alignment of interests, entrepreneurial investing, next-generation wealth management, technology-driven innovation, and the building of enduring legacies across both financial and cultural capital.
About the Speakers
Michael Yong-Haron, CFA
Chief Executive Officer
APInvest Partners
Michael founded APInvest Partners with a view to serving, in a holistic way, the needs of a new generation of family offices and astute investors in the Asia Pacific region. A banking veteran since 1997, Michael was the CEO of BNP Paribas Wealth Management in Hong Kong and North Asia, managing USD 50 billion of assets under management and led 400 professionals. He held leadership positions at Standard Chartered Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Credit Suisse and Credit Agricole Indosuez earlier in his career.
Always active in the financial industry, Michael served on the Executive Committee of the Private Wealth Management Association and was a Board Director of the Credit Reference Platform Limited in Hong Kong. A Chartered Financial Analyst, Michael is currently an Exam Reviewer and for a decade served as a Level 3 Exam Grader. He is currently a trustee of HKUST and a Founding Board Member of the HKUST Foundation. He holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and HKUST, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Law with First Class Honours from the University of Wales, UK.
Saniza Othman, LLM, FCIArb
Chief Legal & Growth Officer
APInvest Partners
Saniza is a seasoned legal practitioner with experience in banking, real estate and alternative dispute resolution. She commenced her career in London, qualifying as a barrister at 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square, before moving to Hong Kong in 2001. Her professional journey includes roles at BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, and a family office, where she specialised in legal and transaction management, derivatives, structured products and real estate investments.
Saniza holds an LL.M with Distinction from the University of Hong Kong and an LL.B (Hons) from the University of Wales. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators, serving on arbitration panels for leading institutions such as the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration. In addition to her professional roles, Saniza is a dedicated community leader serving as Vice Chairman of the Malaysia Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong and Macau), and Chairman of the HKU Master of Laws in Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Alumni Association. Passionate about arts and culture, she holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from HKU and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Friends of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. Her international background, having lived in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, UK and Hong Kong, coupled with her proficiency in multiple languages (Malay, Indonesian, French, Japanese), enhances her ability to navigate diverse legal and cultural landscapes in global asset management and family office arena.
