10 On The Weekend is a weekly (-ish) feature in IMI, the concept of which is simple: Each time, we ask the same ten questions of a different IMI Pro, letting readers get to know the interviewee on a more personal and informal level than they might during the ordinary course of business.
Our guest this week is Brendon Wong, Senior Private Client Advisor at Passport Legacy
How do you spend your weekends?
Mostly winding down with the family and making up for lost time with my seven-year-old daughter and wife.
I typically allocate time to address new enquiries that came in during the week and have not yet been attended to, as a slow response in this business is often the difference between a client and a missed opportunity.
What are your top three business goals this year?
First, to deepen our footprint in our core markets of the Philippines and Indonesia.
Second, to explore expansion into Vietnam.
And third, to keep developing our understanding of what Asian clients actually need, which is far more varied than the industry sometimes assumes.
What’s your biggest business concern right now?
The rapid changes in government regulations are a significant concern. Citizenship and residency by investment programmes are being amended, repriced, or closed with very little notice.
Alongside that, the tightening of regulations around cross-border capital flows adds another layer of complexity for clients and advisors alike.
Which book is on your nightstand right now?
I’ll be honest; I don’t get much time to read books at the moment.
But I do spend an hour a day across a range of news platforms keeping up with global developments, which in this industry is close to essential reading.
How and when did you first get into the investment migration industry?
In December 2022, our Founder and Chairman, Jeffrey Henseler, and our CEO, Daniel Duric, hired me to help build the Singapore office.
The industry was new to me, but it was clear that the business had huge potential in Asia.
What was your proudest moment as a service provider?
It isn’t one moment. It’s every time a client who has been through the process with us refers someone else; that tells me they were happy with the service and, more importantly, that they trust us.
I’m equally pleased when clients come to us for advice on matters adjacent to our core service, because it means they see us as genuine experts rather than just processors of applications.
On the company side, I’m proud of the rebranding from Passport Legacy to PL Group, which better reflects the breadth of expertise we now offer.
Which investment migration market development has surprised you the most in the last year?
I was surprised by how quickly programmes like the Spanish Golden Visa and Malta’s citizenship-by-investment programme were shut down.
It was another reminder that in this industry, waiting is rarely the right decision.
If you could go ten years back in time, what business decision would you change?
Ten years ago, I was a fresh graduate, so there wasn’t much to decide. But honestly, I wouldn’t change anything. I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason, and that each step has led me to my current position.
What investment migration industry personality do you most admire?
Our Founder and Chairman Jeffrey Henseler, and our CEO Daniel Duric. I’m aware that naming both my bosses looks like angling for something, and it doesn’t help my case that Daniel approves my expense claims.
But Jeffrey grew this company from a three-man outfit into one of the leaders in the industry through sheer grit, and Daniel mentored me when I joined and still sets the standard I measure myself against. The answer would be the same either way.
If all goes according to plan, what will you be doing five years from now?
Much the same thing, but with a considerably stronger network of clients and partners. And ideally, I would be recognised as one of the go-to experts for investment migration in Asia.
