Today, we catch up with Dr. Alexander Kern (Alex), who has recently joined TrustQore’s Dubai office. He brings a wealth of experience to the firm, and we are excited to hear about his journey.
Alexander begins by telling us “…the only people who call me Alexander are those who do not know me. I have always been Alex to all.”
Alex holds two doctoral degrees—a Ph.D. in Corporate Finance from the University of Aix-Marseille and a DBA (Doctor in Business Administration) from the International University of Monaco—and has conducted research at Harvard University in the U.S. While he is formally Dr. Alexander Kern, he prefers to simply be called “Alex,” despite the professional importance of titles in places like Germany and the UAE.
Born and raised in Germany’s wine-region of Palatinate, close to Frankfurt and Stuttgart, Alex speaks German, English, French and Latin. Most of his education, including his doctoral degrees, were conducted in English, making him truly global in his approach.
Alex’s career spans the globe, from his early work in German politics to becoming the youngest board director at state-owned bank Sparkasse Südpfalz. His diverse expertise includes corporate finance, family office work, and investment strategies.
After almost 20 years in Monaco and time spent in New York, Boston, and Southeast Asia, Alex brings a wealth of experience that will benefit TrustQore as he embarks on this new chapter in Dubai, a city he describes as one of the most exciting business locations to be found anywhere – promising, he adds, unlimited potential.
While Alex’s work has taken him around the world, his personal life is equally fascinating. While not revealing his age, Alex admits that his next birthday will be “a big one.” He met his wife, Marcela de Kern Royer, in Monaco, and together they share a passion for yachting, which has played a crucial role in their stories. Marcela is a world-renowned authority in the superyacht industry and recently published a seminal work on the topic. (The Superyacht Industry, https://thesuperyachtindustry.com/ )
The couple are proud parents to two small daughters– and a third is due later this summer 2025. With their multicultural background, their children speak fluent Spanish, German, English and French – growing up multilingual is certainly an invaluable gift.
Marcela’s knowledge bodes well for Alex’s future work especially as it relates to luxury assets. He admits though that, as a power couple in demand and constantly on the move, childcare can sometimes be a challenge – but one they both relish!
Alex has held high-profile positions at several strategy consulting and fiduciary firms. He highlights his work with family offices involving purpose driven investments. His experience has included allowing clients to retain market leading positions through acquisition and heritage investment work where returns are measured not merely in traditional growth terms.
After 20 years of living in Monaco, Alex and his family have expanded their base to Dubai, reflecting the growing synergies between the two hubs.
His new role at TrustQore is to build the firm’s business in the UAE and across the GCC countries. The reality, he says, is that his business is now more international than ever. Dubai benefits from a strategically convenient time zone and taken together with its other fine attributes, UAE offers enormous opportunity – and an enviable lifestyle to boot. One of Alex’s plans is to build asset protection strategies for clients holding luxury assets such as superyachts and business aircraft.
Alex is ambitious and determined to use his skillset, experience and background knowledge to develop TrustQore’s business in the region and beyond. He is hungry for growth and has already introduced himself to colleagues in other TrustQore offices.
We concluded the conversation by asking Alex about his interests outside of work. He responded with a broad smile, acknowledging that personal time is a rare luxury. “There’s not much free time once business and family commitments are taken care of,” he admitted. “Having soon three kids and constantly traveling for either work or family is an extreme sport” -he added, with a laugh.
He admits that many years ago, he was highly skilled at snowboarding and was encouraged to pursue it professionally. Thankfully for TrustQore, he did not.
We welcome Dr Alexander Kern to the TrustQore team and wish him, and his family, all the absolute best for the future.