John A. Sandwick has been a private banker in Geneva, Switzerland, since 1993, and an investment and banking professional since 1989. He has built as cornerstones of his profession an expertise in Islamic asset management, Islamic asset securitization and Islamic real estate financing.
Mr. Sandwick did undergraduate studies in International Finance & Commerce at Georgetown University, and a Master’s with honors in Development Banking at The American University, both in Washington.
From 1984 to 1989 Mr. Sandwick was a director at the Washington-based Middle East Policy Council, where he led numerous programs on U.S.-Arab economic, commercial and investment policy management issues. During 1989-93 he worked at REM Capital Corporation in Washington, followed by joining Deutsche Bank (Suisse) S.A. in 1993, and later Banque Leu S.A. (a division of Credit Suisse Private Banking), both in Geneva. Mr. Sandwick was managing director of Encore Management S.A. in Geneva from 1999 through 2009. He is now an independent consultant specializing in Islamic wealth and asset management.
Mr. Sandwick is one of the most active innovators in Islamic banking, having created several first-ever investment products such as a sukuk fund, a sukuk basket participation note, and soon a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in Saudi Arabia. He is currently developing other long-term fixed-asset Islamic funds for individual and institutional investors.
In private banking, Mr. Sandwick directed traditional and Islamic wealth management for several high-net-worth families, particularly in Saudi Arabia, and managed large volumes of both financial and real estate assets. Mr. Sandwick was one of the first Islamic bankers anywhere to develop practical Islamic wealth management solutions for the private banking industry, including creating Islamic model portfolios for all major investment strategies.
In 1987 Mr. Sandwick’s The Gulf Cooperation Council was published (Westview Press), the first English-language book on the economic integration of the Arabian Gulf states. The book was later used as a graduate textbook for emerging-market courses at several prominent U.S. universities.
Mr. Sandwick is often published in Arab-world media on investment and finance—including in Al Eqtisadiah, Asharq Al-Awsat and Al Iktissad Wal Aamal. He was also once the author of the semi-annual reports on Saudi banking, finance & capital markets for The Economist Intelligence Unit. More recently, Mr. Sandwick contributed the chapter on Islamic asset management for the Guide to Legal & Sharia Aspects of Islamic Finance by Chancellor Publications in London.
Mr. Sandwick speaks frequently at conferences and seminars on Islamic asset management, Islamic asset securitization and real estate. He has spoken at nearly 100 conferences & seminars since 1995, and has served as chairman of numerous family business, risk management, Islamic asset management and real estate conferences. Mr. Sandwick appears frequently on Arabic business television.
Mr. Sandwick is also a leading lecturer for corporate groups, providing Master Classes in Islamic Asset Management.
Mr. Sandwick was born in California in 1957, but his family has lived in Bangladesh, Columbia, Abu Dhabi, London, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Mr. Sandwick lives in Geneva, Switzerland.