Serge Fehr, Limited Partner and Head Swiss Domestic Region, Lombard Odier:

Experience and context: Serge Fehr. (Image: courtesy)

The future of investment advisory does not lie in a binary choice between human and machine, but in their interplay. Artificial intelligence has made enormous strides: it optimizes portfolios, increases analytical precision, and automates standardized processes. This development is real — ignoring it would be a strategic mistake. At the same time, technology is becoming a baseline requirement, losing its power as a differentiator.

The human remains the benchmark. Conversations with wealthy clients reveal this again and again: every situation is unique, spanning life goals, risk appetite, tax considerations, international structures, and family dynamics. That complexity cannot be captured algorithmically. What is needed is judgment, experience, and context. In my view, holistic wealth planning is the central lever — it forms the foundation of any sound advisory relationship, is complex and highly individual, and demands detailed analysis of all relevant factors. Errors or oversimplifications can have significant consequences. At its core, it is about process: listening, understanding, and building trust.

Hybrid Is the Future

The advisory model of the future is hybrid. Technology delivers efficiency and scalability; the human delivers interpretation, contextualization, and relationship. The advisor's role is shifting from the transactional to the strategic. Value is created where standardization ends: in the individual solution.

Read the next page for the statement by Camille Vial, CEO, Mirabaud & Cie.