Our People

Chye Huat joined Howden in October 2015, bringing with him over 25 years of industry experience.

He was appointed as the regional CEO for Howden Asia in January 2016, where he has management and strategic oversight on its retail broking operations across six Asian countries and Howden Private Wealth, a leading high net worth life insurance broker that operates across Asia, EMEA and the US.

A veteran in financial services industry with close to 20 years of experience, Benjamin joined Howden Private Wealth in 2014 as Head of Hong Kong Branch. He was promoted to Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong in 2018 and subsequently Chief Executive Officer, Asia in 2022.

As of January 2024, he was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and will lead Howden Private Wealth across the operating hubs in Asia, EMEA and the US.

Prior to joining Howden Private Wealth, Benjamin was with Citigroup for 7 years. His last held position was Head of Insurance Broker Business and Chief Executive of Citi Insurance Broker (Hong Kong) Limited. In this position, he was responsible for managing the sales and distribution as well as developing insurance broker referral across Citigroup’s entities.

Benjamin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from University of Auckland.

A wealth management and insurance professional with over 15 years of experience in the HNW / UHNW life insurance industry, Gaya Vythes joined Howden Private Wealth in January 2021 as the Chief Commercial Officer and recently became the Chief Executive Officer for EMEA and is responsible for wider Group initiatives with a focus on expanding the company’s footprint in the Middle East and in Europe, developing alternative business ventures and enhancing the platform.

She spent the last 12 years with JLT/PCS By Mercer where she expanded the International Team as well as setting up offices in Geneva, Zurich and in Dubai. She then became Deputy Group CEO where she was in charge of South East Asia, International, Marketing & Development as well as Training for the Group.

Gaya holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Computer Systems and Electronics from Kings College London.

Debbie Lau joined Howden Private Wealth as Chief Marketing & Products Officer in 2021 and is responsible for the delivery of frontline support and value-based solutions to our partners and clients. She concurrently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the US office.

An accomplished executive with over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, Debbie brings a wealth of expertise in High-Net-Worth distribution and multi-channel insurance sales. She has worked with several insurance carriers as well as brokerage and financial planning firms across the US, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Debbie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration – Finance, from the University of Houston, Texas. She also holds CFP™, Certified Financial Planner and ChFC, Chartered Financial Consultant certifications from the US.

With over 20 years of experience in the life and general insurance industry, Andrew is a highly accomplished wealth management and insurance professional with a solid understanding of product distribution across all customer segments, including mass market, commercial and High-Net-Worth clients.

Prior to joining Howden Private Wealth, Andrew was with HSBC Singapore for close to a decade, managing the Bancassurance business for Retail Banking Wealth Management (RBWM) and subsequently as Country Head of Investments and Insurance for Commercial Banking (CMB).

Andrew joined Howden in 2018 and was instrumental in the successful acquisition of IPG and its merger with Howden. Since then, Andrew has spearheaded the expansion of the business across Malaysia, Thailand and Dubai.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Finance from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

Bringing over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, Bryan joined Howden Private Wealth as the Head of Singapore and Malaysia in 2023. He was promoted to the Chief Executive Officer, Singapore and Malaysia in March 2025.

Prior to joining Howden Private Wealth, he served as the Head of the Life Referral Business at Credit Suisse Singapore, managing sales and product solutions for global firms such as Bank of China, Zurich International Life, Old Mutual International and Singlife.

In his new role, Bryan oversees all sales, operations and business development activities, while steering the company’s strategic expansion into new Asian markets. His key responsibilities include strengthening referral partner relationships, driving strategic marketing initiatives, and ensuring comprehensive compliance with regulatory requirements.
Bryan holds a Bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance (Honours) from the University of London.

Shirley is a seasoned professional with nearly two decades of experience in the insurance industry. She joined Howden Private Wealth in 2011 as New Business Manager and was promoted to Head of Operations, Hong Kong in 2014. In this role, she led the Sales Operations team while liaising with insurers on Life and Savings cases and operational updates.

As of January 2025, Shirley was appointed as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong, where she will oversee and manage operations at the Hong Kong office.

Prior to joining Howden Private Wealth, Shirley served as an Administration Manager, leading a support team in another international insurance broker firm.

Shirley holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Taiwanese.