1291 GROUP

The 1291 Group Ltd is a global financial services group, offering tailor-made wealth protection plans to private individuals and investment professionals.


1291 Group Executive Management

Marc-André Sola

Chairman

Educational background: Master of Law, with 25 years of experience in financial services and international wealth and tax planning.
Professional stations: Founder of the 1291 Group and a number of other companies in different sectors.
Important values: I believe in family and long term relationships. I want to help my clients with all my experience and network. In all my undertakings I try to create a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Patrick Knecht

Chief Operating Officer

Educational background: 30+ years a Service Provider within the Financial & IT services area. Federal certificate in Project management further specializing in operational excellence and organizational Development (University Witten, Germany)
Professional stations: 15 years CEO and owner of a Business & IT Consulting Company specializing in corporate optimization, process & cost efficiency. 8 years as CEO/COO of Skandia Leben AG.
Important values: Strive for continuous improvement - never stop trying, failing, learning, because there is always a little more to achieve

Daniel Koller

Head Legal & Compliance

Educational background: Doctor of Laws (Dr. iur.), 20 years of experience in the financial sector, different management positions in the past
Professional stations: Employments with several domestic and international insurers, currently member of the Executive Committee of 1291 Group
Important values: I envisage to create an added-value to the concrete situation. I believe in trust, partnership and loyalty. The only way to build a strong work ethic is getting your hands dirty.

Yannick Häni

Member 1291 Group
Executive Management

Educational background: Master of Law in international taxation (LL.M.) and Bachelor of Business Law (B.LAW)
Professional stations: CEO of 1291Group Asia since 2016, Sales Partner of various 1291Group entities since 2014, Sales Manager for Northern Europe for Valorlife Life Insurance Company from 2012 to 2014
Important values: You have to learn the rule of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. - Albert Einstein

Serge Hediger

Member 1291 Group
Executive Management

Educational background: Master of Laws (LL.M.) & Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Professional stations: Co-Founder and Managing Partner of various 1291 Group entities since 2014. From 2007 - 2014 CEO and Board Member of an Irish and Liechtenstein based international Life Insurance company with more than EUR 5 billion AuM. Various management positions with a listed Swiss Insurance Group from 1996 - 2007. Board member of the Liechtenstein Insurance Association from 2008 - 2015.
Important values: Cooperation. Even the most complex tasks can be made simpler when we focus on the solutions - together.

We count on a high-performance team of experts with many years of experience in wealth protection, international tax, legal and compliance issues, as well as the use of insurance, pension, and other investment vehicles.

Our private clients are high net worth families from all over the world. Since 2000 we have been helping them protect their family assets and interests. As the gatekeeper of their wealth, we focus on tailoring long-term compliant solutions that cover our clients needs and leave flexibility for adjustments in the future. We are licensed insurance brokers in over 36 countries and we offer tax-compliant solutions for clients in over 50 countries.

Our institutional clients are mainly private banks, asset managers and international insurance companies. The length and depth of our experience and expertise allow us to combine a structured corporate approach with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our advice and solutions are practical and straight-to-the-point.

“1291” in our group name refers to the historical year of birth of Switzerland.
The first of August 1291 marks the foundation of the Swiss Confederation with the union of the three cantons Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden. The alliance members swore an oath of independence, and to respect and protect the laws, the lives of their families and all forms of property. Twenty-six cantons later acceded to the Confederation, supporting the original charter values to become the Switzerland we know today. We have chosen these core values of Switzerland as our maxim to protect, structure and optimize the private wealth of our clients.

Our express purpose is to create peace of mind for our clients and partners. – From our family to yours.

Our history

Our founder, Marc-André Sola, started NMG International Financial Services Ltd., the first company of the group in Switzerland in the year 2000 and in cooperation with the NMG Group, a financial services group based in Asia and South Africa. In 2007 we opened our office in Liechtenstein in order to access the European market on the freedom of services. In 2014 the management bought the shares of the minor shareholder of NMG Group. This was an ideal moment for us to think of a meaningful name that expresses our Swissness and symbolizes our values. The 1291 Group was born. In 2016 the board decided to expand, go global and offer additional services. Since than we are carefully building up new offices and services in different jurisdiction.

Who is 1291 Group?

1291 Group Ltd is a group of top professionals with many years of experience in different domains of wealth solution; mainly lawyers, tax and insurance specialists, we tailor compliant holding structures for wealthy families. In the core of our planning, we use insurance set-ups as a holding structure, either stand-alone or in combination with other structures, such as trusts, foundations, companies or funds.

We advise insurance companies and other financial institutions on cross border issues, supervisory requirement or we help them tailor products for specific markets. Amongst our key people you will find former CEOs, Head Legal, CFO, Actuaries etc. of large or middle sized insurance companies, international tax and legal specialists with the right mixture of entrepreneurial input.

Our approach is mainly Business-to-Business, which means we work in close cooperation with some of the main private banks, asset managers, family offices, law firms and tax advisers.

What does 1291 stand for?

The year 1291 is the foundation date of Switzerland. In the years around 1291 (the times of William Tell) anarchy ruled in Europe. Peasants were killed under the Habsburg rule, wealth was seized and laws where missing or not followed. This is when the three regions in central Switzerland (now called "Cantons") "Uri", "Schwyz" (the eponym of Switzerland) and "Unterwalden" came together at the lake of Lucerne and promised one another to protect families and wealth and to follow rules. Switzerland was born! The agreed basic values made these three cantons strong and the founding base of today's Switzerland. This is the reason why we chose 1291 as part of our group logo. The ideology has outlived the last 720 years and fits our strategy, skills and commitments in a modern world perfectly.

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