Leading Firm’s Recent Hires to Provide High-Net Worth Individuals and Multinational Corporations with Wealth Planning Solutions

WELLESLEY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--International Planning Group, Ltd. (IPG), a leading international life insurance sales organization serving high-net worth individuals and multinational corporations worldwide, today announced the hirings of two veteran life insurance sales force representatives to help drive the firm’s Latin America and Asian sales efforts.

Gonzalo L. Villena, who joins the firm’s Latin American office located in Miami, and Paul Lam, working in the firm’s Hong Kong office, bring more than three decades of experience in life insurance issues.

Both Villena and Lam will work closely with International Planning Group’s referral source organizations to provide wealth benefits and transfer planning solutions to clients, multinational corporations and high-net worth individuals.

“We’re thrilled to have Gonzalo Villena and Paul Lam join International Planning Group,” said Jon M. Baker, chairman and CEO of IPG. “As the high-net worth population continues to expand significantly in Asian and Latin American markets, there is a critical need to provide wealthy individuals with superior guidance and services. These two will fill that role as they bring unmatched industry acumen to our organization.”

According to the 2006 World Wealth Report issued by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., the number of high-net worth individuals worldwide grew by 6.5 percent in 2005, totaling 8.7 million. The report states that financial gains were “particularly strong” in areas such as Latin America and Asia-Pacific. From 2004 to 2005, the number of high-net worth individuals grew by 9.7 percent in Latin America and by 7.3 percent in Asia-Pacific.

Villena, who has nearly a quarter-century of experience, most recently worked as an insurance sales officer for HSBC Bank in Miami, one of the largest banks in the world. While working at HSBC since 2003, Villena trained a team of 65 bankers in the areas of life insurance, disability income insurance and long-term care insurance. Earlier, as a registered representative for Axa/Equitable’s foreign national market for nearly 20 years, Villena built a portfolio of more than 500 clients and $200 million in life insurance sales.

Villena, who is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese, graduated from the University of Miami in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

“I’m eager to use my experience in selling life insurance as a financial tool for International Planning Group’s international clients,” said Villena. “IPG is at the forefront of various wealth planning solutions and has given significant value to high-net worth individuals for many decades.”

For the past two years, Paul Lam served as associate director of Able Alliance International Ltd., an independent financial and investment adviser in Hong Kong. In that role, he generated considerable sales profits from high-net worth investors via promotion of a wide range of investment products. He earned the distinction of being the top sales producer in 2004 and 2005.

Lam, who is fluent in English and Cantonese, graduated from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and education. “I’m excited to bring my skills and energy to such a respected organization,” said Lam. “IPG offers a high degree of sophisticated total wealth planning techniques that is attractive to clients.”

About International Planning Group, Ltd.

International Planning Group, Ltd. (IPG), founded in 1992 in Boston, Mass., specializes in developing worldwide wealth structuring and transfer planning solutions for wealthy families and individuals and executives of multi-national companies. IPG develops sophisticated, multifaceted solutions to resolve complex global estate and business planning issues, utilizing trust and corporate structures combined with institutionally priced life insurance products. The company maintains branch offices in Boston, Toronto, Bermuda, Dublin, Hong Kong, Singapore, Geneva and sales offices in Boston, Miami, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Geneva.

For more information, visit www.ipgltd.com

Contacts
PAN Communications
Andy Baron, 978-474-1900
ipg@pancomm.com

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© Business Wire 2006