KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Will and Trust Association (MWTA) recently hosted the first-ever Most Outstanding Holistic Wealth Advisor (MOHWA) Awards Gala Dinner.
The event, themed "Expanding Horizons for Holistic Excellence," recognised 56 individuals and teams dedicated to advancing holistic wealth advisory at the M Resort & Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
The awards ceremony aimed to acknowledge and celebrate wealth advisors who go beyond a narrow choice of product to offer a comprehensive approach.
"Holistic means 'in total', covering products like insurance, unit trust, as well as will and trust. It includes everything.
"Our practitioners, are not selling one product. Will and trust are part of our organisation's name, but we cover a wider scope," explained MWTA president Datuk Chua Meng Min in an interview.
For the MWTA, the MOHWA Awards mark an important milestone for the wealth management sector in Malaysia.
"This is the first year we are handing out this award, so we hopefully can get more attention from people in the industry.
"When they see this award, hopefully, there is a drive and motivation for them to aspire for the award because recognition is very important for the service industry," said Chua.
One of the evening's most celebrated winners was Supreme Eagle Award recipient Dickson Yeow, who shared his journey from traditional insurance services to comprehensive wealth advisory.
"Having started with insurance, I now support clients with insurance needs to holistic wealth planning. This recognition is a testament to the trust and loyalty of my client base over the years in this industry," he said.
The Supreme Eagle Award is dedicated not only to high achievers but those who have demonstrated consistency among other awardees.
Yeow stated the importance of building authentic relationships with clients, a principle he believes has been integral to his success.
"My conviction is in putting the well-being of my clients first. It has allowed me to connect with them. This approach has essentially allowed me to build a relationship with the clients and be more comprehensive," he explained.
Yeow highlighted that meaningful client interactions are not merely sales opportunities.
"If we are building the relationship with clients, making friends with them, then I think it will be much easier. To have a conversation with our friends is not necessarily a sales opportunity."
MOHWA Awards chairperson Kathryn Khoo shared insights into the unique qualifications of the award recipients, who bring expertise from multiple wealth management industries.
"Most of (the recipients) are involved in at least two industries: either insurance and will and trust estate planning, will and trust and unit trust, or property and will and trust," she said.
Khoo explained that this diversity in expertise aligns with MWTA's objectives.
She elaborated on MWTA's vision of a more unified wealth management sector, a philosophy that underpinned the creation of the MOHWA Awards.
"As we were managing the association together, we came up with the vision of elevating the industry standard for the MWTA.
"As we go on expanding our horizons, we feel that we have inter-connection with (other parts of the) industry. It's quite difficult to segregate," Khoo said.
Khoo said MWTA aspires to bridge gaps within Malaysia's financial services sector, creating synergies rather than divisions.
The MWTA also hopes that the awards will become a benchmark for excellence, driving practitioners across the industry to aspire toward a more integrated and holistic approach to serving clients.