No less than Anna Wintour turned up for UBS: The long-standing editor of «Vogue» rubbed shoulders with UBS banker Tom Naratil as well as designer Tori Burch and Wendi Murdoch, ex-wife of News Corp. mogul Rupert Murdoch, at an exhibition of Annie Leibovitz photographs sponsored by the bank.

The glittering New York event in 2016 was a highlight in a global tour for Leibovitz’s portraits of notable women ranging from Queen Elizabeth to Las Vegas showgirls. The exhibit culminated in Zurich, where the famed photographer was snapped with Martin Blessing – the German banker and Naratil today control UBS’ $2.3 trillion private bank.

The link to Leibovitz and the rich and famous was designed to underscore UBS’ push with women under a lavish five-year plan dubbed Unique.

Five-Year vs 19-Month 

Spearheaded by ultra-rich private banker Mara Harvey (pictured below), UBS said it wanted to win share in a market the bank expects to grow to $18 trillion by 2021, from $13 trillion currently. Women are increasingly controlling large sums if money, the bank said.

Nineteen months later, little is left of the glittering beginnings.