Boyden New York Advisory Board

In 2010 an Advisory Board comprised of five global business leaders was formed to provide industry perspectives and insights on emerging trends to Managing Director, Jeanne E. Branthover for the benefit of the New York office and their clients.

The members of the Advisory Board - Gaetan Bucher, Richard Dresdale, Peter Hazlehurst, Alan Howarth and Tom Wafer - were selected on the basis of their long-standing relationships with Jeanne and their expertise in a wide range of sectors.

The Advisory Board has deep experience in Private Equity investing, Insurance & Reinsurance, Business & Professional Services, Consumer Products & Retail, Financial Services, Information Technology, Digital Marketing & Social Media, among others. They have lived and worked in the UK, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, Central America and the USA.

"Having access to such a talented sounding board of thought leaders provides me and my team with a distinct competitive advantage that ultimately benefits our New York office clients," says Jeanne. "My Advisory Board affords us a window onto a world of business developments and emerging market trends that enables us to deliver superior results."

The Members of the Advisory Board are:

Gaetan Bucher, Founder & CEO
Independent Financial Centre of the Americas

Gaetan Bucher is founder and CEO of the Independent Financial Centre of the Americas. A visionary entrepreneur and financier, Mr. Bucher brings 15 years of experience in the international banking and finance sectors to become architect of the world’s first independent, purpose-built financial centre.

Born in the Dominican Republic and educated in Europe, Mr. Bucher holds dual citizenship in both his native country and Switzerland. He earned his Bachelor of Arts’ degree in International Relations from Schiller International University in Switzerland.

Mr. Bucher launched his career in international banking and finance as a statistician and analyst with The Capital Group in Geneva. There he pioneered accounting and benchmarking platforms based on innovative information technologies. In 1994, he joined Pictet & Cie, one of Switzerland's largest private banks. Subsequently, he went on to found his own private banking and wealth management practice in Geneva.

Under Mr. Bucher’s strategic direction, the Independent Financial Centre of the Americas is advancing from concept to reality with a boldly innovative approach. Adopting a comprehensive planning process over a five-year-period, Mr Bucher founded a research and development organization to create a new model for the operation of international financial centres based on global best practices.

In an area half the size of Manhattan, the Centre will offer the ideal environment for corporate and investment banking, private banking, asset management and other financial services as well as a clearing and settlement platform for the Americas. Based on superior infrastructure, the Centre will also include an extensive metropolitan development with housing, hotel amenities, international schools, medical facilities, and a convention center.

Through his vision, Mr. Bucher is transforming the financial centre marketplace and creating a new global standard: A forward-looking model for international finance in the 21st century that makes business safer, more efficient and therefore more profitable.

Mr. Bucher has also served on several company boards, including: Banco del Progreso and Proseguros, two leading financial institutions in the Dominican Republic, and non-profit organizations such as Fundación Ceres, Fundación Violeta Martinez, and Fundación Juan Manuel Taveras Rodríguez.

Richard Dresdale, Co-founder and Managing Director
Fenway Partners

Mr. Dresdale co-founded Fenway Partners in 1994. Mr. Dresdale has been involved in all aspects of the firm's sourcing and investing activities and has led Fenway's external networking initiatives, including limited partner relationships. Previously, Mr. Dresdale was a Principal at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc. (CD&R) from 1985 to 1994. Prior to joining CD&R, Mr. Dresdale worked as an Investment Officer with Manufacturers Hanover Venture Capital Corporation. Mr. Dresdale received a B.A. in American Civilization from Brown University.

He currently serves on the President’s Leadership Council of Brown University and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Brown University Sports Foundation and the Westchester Community College Foundation. He previously served as a Trustee of the Bronxville School, and is a Board Member of Lawrence Hospital. 

Peter Hazlehurst, Global Head of Payments, Product Management
Google

Peter Hazlehurst is the Global Head of Payments, Product Management for Google. At Google, he heads a team that is responsible for three key areas:

Consumer - Google Wallet, Checkout and Android Market

Merchants - getting the merchants to accept Google payments and POS terminals and helping hem get more transactions seamlessly through the system and interconnected with ads

Infrastructure - all the back-end integrations to the different networks and banks globally

Mr. Hazlehurst most recently served as Chief Product Officer of Yodlee, Inc. and served as its Senior Vice President of Product Development since May 2004. He was responsible for all of Yodlee's product engineering activities.

Alan Howarth, Chairman of the Board
CRF Health

Alan Howarth has extensive senior executive experience in a range of national and international organisations in both the public and private sector. Early management experience was gained with Bass followed by periods in Hewlett Packard and John Swire & Sons before spending nearly two decades in Ernst & Young. He was one of the founding partners of the E&Y Management Consulting practice in the UK.

For the last ten years he has been managing a portfolio of Non-Executive appointments. He has been Chairman of fully listed companies, AIM listed and private organisations in the UK, US and Far East in a wide variety of sectors. His current Non Executive interests include Cerillion Technologies Ltd, Chamberlin plc, Covalent Software Ltd, CRF Health Inc. and MPL Systems Ltd. He travels extensively to the US, Far East and Middle East.

He was Chairman of a major Acute NHS Trust for nearly 7 years. He has co-written several papers including the “Intelligent Board” and facilitates numerous management programmes for organisations. He is a member of the Ernst & Young Alumni Council and of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.

Patrick Meyer, C-Level Advisor & Business 3.0 Thought Leader
for Fortune 500 Companies & Emerging Mobile/Social Start-Ups

Patrick Meyer is a brand/business builder and innovator for Fortune 500 companies and emerging tech ventures. He has a hybrid expertise as a senior marketer and advisor for CMO’s/CEO'S leading the world's top brands (Coke, Virgin, Ford, Gatorade, P&G, Levi’s, VW, Daimler, Nintendo, etc.). He was the founder and CEO of marketing innovation consultancy WPP Fusion 5 and was most recently President, NA for Sourcebits, the leader in Mobile/Social/Gaming apps. He is Partner and CMO for Thinaire (the leader in NFC Marketing Engagement & Activation), as well as a continued partner/advisor for Sourcebits and Knocking Live (Top 10 Social App), and other select ventures.

He has a BS from Villanova VSB and an MBA from Fordham University. Patrick is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Villanova Business School. He also helped found the Villanova Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship Center and The Meyer I.C.E. Award given out annually and most recently awarded to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Patrick is a keynote speaker on various Business 3.0 topics (including mobile, social, retail) and author of two new books: “Steve Jobs & The World Of Mobile” and “Apps: The Inside Scoop”. He also has a weekly iTV show called PatrickTV that showcases innovation across Biz. Tech. Life 3.0. He is also the Global Correspondent for leader InnovationExcellence.com.

Thomas C. Wafer, Chairman of Global Reinsurance
Alterra Reinsurance USA Inc.

Thomas Wafer serves as Chairman of Global Reinsurance for Alterra. Tom was previously Chief Executive Officer of Reinsurance and President of Alterra Reinsurance USA Inc. Tom had been President of Harbor Point Re U.S. and Harbor Point Services, Inc. since November 2009. From December 2005 until November 2009 he was Managing Director of International Underwriting for Harbor Point Re Limited and New Point Re in Bermuda.

From September 1998 until December 2005 he was Managing Director of International Underwriting and Marketing at Chubb Re, Inc. From July 1980 until September 1998 Tom held various positions for Willcox, Inc. and Guy Carpenter, most recently as Managing Director and head of the International Division of Guy Carpenter New York. From 1979 to 1980 he was an underwriter in the Commercial Property Division, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies.

Tom attended Manhattanville College where he earned a BA in Economics. He also holds an MBA in Marketing from Fordham University.