Kush Handa

Kush started his 35-year career in the financial markets as the first trainee selected for both the Corporate Finance and the Markets Training Programmes of the Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto. He began trading interest rate and foreign exchange derivatives there before moving to BMO Nesbitt Burns to trade interest rates.

Kush then moved to Salomon Brothers, Canada ultimately running the Canadian rates desk. He then transferred to Salomon Brothers, New York and onto Tokyo where he ran non-Yen sales and trading for Nikko Salomon. A promotion to Country Treasurer of Citibank Japan followed where he managed a large and diverse multi-billion dollar corporate and retail bank balance sheet, while undergoing a Country CEO training programme.

Kush then returned to New York to become Citigroup’s Co-head of US Liquid Rates trading before a switch to Crédit Agricole, New York to perform a similar role.

A return to Tokyo then followed as Aozora’s Deputy Markets Head and Head of Asset Liability Management, where he personally managed the bank’s equities, high-yield and inflation-linked rates portfolios.

A final banking career move to Hong Kong ensued in order to take up the dual role of Head of Global Markets, Hong Kong and Balance Sheet Trading (Treasury), North Asia for the Australia & New Zealand Banking Group, acting as alternate CEO of the Hong Kong branch when required.

He is Chief Investment Officer of Gilpin House, LLC, manages family investment portfolios, and is a Senior Advisor to Gatelanes.

He was schooled at St Faith’s School in Cambridge, England, and at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore.