SeaX Ventures has appointed Desney Tan as a venture partner, while Sygnum has appointed Reto Marx as CEO of its Singapore business.
SeaX Ventures appoints ex-Microsoft exec as venture partner
Bangkok-based deeptech venture capital firm SeaX Ventures has appointed Desney Tan as a venture partner, according to an announcement.
In this role, Tan will work closely with the firm’s investment team to source and evaluate opportunities in artificial intelligence and healthtech—two core pillars of SeaX’s investment thesis—and support portfolio founders translating frontier research into products that scale across the US and Southeast Asia.
The appointment comes as Tan takes on a national advisory role in his home country: he has been appointed to the Singapore government’s newly established Scientific Advisory Board for AI Singapore, advising the government on artificial intelligence.
Before joining SeaX Ventures, Tan spent 21 years at Microsoft, rising from researcher to corporate vice president and managing director of Microsoft Research.
He also founded and led Microsoft Health Futures, the company’s cross-functional incubation group that serves as its health and life sciences “moonshot factory.”
Sygnum ropes in former VP Bank exec as Singapore CEO
Digital asset banking group Sygnum has appointed former VP Bank executive Reto Marx as CEO of its Singapore business, effective August 1, as the company strengthens its leadership to expand its digital wealth business for high-net-worth clients and intermediaries across Asia.
Marx succeeds Gerald Goh, Sygnum’s co-founder and former APAC CEO, who has been appointed Executive Chairman of Sygnum APAC. In his new role, Goh will lead the group’s capital markets and fundraising activities, oversee investor relations, and drive strategic initiatives and stakeholder relationships.
Marx joins Sygnum from VP Bank Singapore, where he most recently served as CEO, co-head Singapore, and chief risk officer, Asia. He brings more than 25 years of wealth management experience across UBS, Credit Suisse, Bank Sarasin and VP Bank, having held senior leadership roles spanning private banking, intermediary business, products, and risk management in Singapore and Hong Kong.
The leadership changes come as Sygnum seeks to expand its digital wealth business in Asia, targeting high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional clients through its Singapore hub.
The firm said Singapore will remain its APAC hub for serving high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutional clients across the region.
