Mariam Jaafar
Managing Director & Partner
Singapore
Mariam Jaafar is a core member of The Boston Consulting Group’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Financial Institutions practices.
Since joining BCG in 2006, Mariam has worked with both public sector and private sector clients in the US and Southeast Asia. Her recent focus has been on helping clients respond to and pursue opportunities created by digital disruption. She also leads the wealth management segment for BCG across Asia-Pacific as well as the Women@BCG initiative in Southeast Asia.
Mariam previously served as chief of staff and chief operating officer of Barclays Wealth Management Asia, Middle East, and Africa. She started her career with Vertex Management, the venture capital arm of the Singapore Technologies group, where she was responsible for evaluating and managing venture capital investments in high-tech start-ups.
Mariam serves on the 30-member main committee of the Committee for the Future Economy and is co-chair of the Subcommittee on Future Connectivity. She is also a board member of the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech).
Only about half the companies in the region have a formal diversity program in place—far lower than the global average. But those initiatives are generating results.
Ridesharing players such as Uber, Grab and Didi have emerged in Asia over the last five years, resulting in a new transport options for commuters.
BCG’s 17th annual study takes a comprehensive look at key trends in the wealth management industry, including how private wealth has evolved globally and regionally.
Companies looking for growth in slowing Asian economies should aim for the upper-middle-class. There are approximately 150 million upper-middle-class consumers in the developing countries of Asia right now—accounting for more than $3 trillion in spending annually. And this number could easily swell by 100 million or more in the next few years.
Female investors and millennials, currently underserved by wealth managers, have distinct characteristics that relatively few wealth managers are mining to their full extent.
