Crestbridge embarks on expansion by launching family office service

Financial services firm Crestbridge has launched a new family office service and established a dedicated family office team as it embarks on a period of expansion.

The newly launched service will focus on assisting family offices and family advisers with the administration and structuring of various vehicles used as part of family office arrangements, including companies, trusts and other holding vehicles.

Through the creation of a new specialist team across Crestbridge's offices in Jersey and Luxembourg, the new service places an emphasis on the safety and discretion of multi-generational and multi-jurisdictional family assets. The team will also apply their knowledge of local rules which may impact the way family assets can be managed and distributed.

The new service builds on and complements Crestbridge's existing corporate, real estate and fund administration services. It has been launched in response to specific demand for specialist cross-border family wealth administration, and growth in family wealth emanating from emerging markets in the Middle East and Asia, where Crestbridge has particular expertise.

To develop the family office service business, Crestbridge has appointed family office specialist Heather Tibbo as a Director. Heather has over 15 years' experience in the private client arena and joins Crestbridge from Vestra Wealth, whose Jersey office she helped establish. Having worked initially in Jersey, Heather spent 11 years working in London before returning to the island in 2010. In her capacity as a lawyer in the UK and Jersey, Heather has previously advised individuals, intermediaries and trustees in relation to offshore matters. She is a Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).

Commenting on her appointment and the launch of the new service, Heather Tibbo said: “I am delighted to be joining a team with the extensive corporate administration experience Crestbridge can demonstrate. By drawing on that and applying it to the provision of institutional quality family office administration services, we believe we have a compelling new proposition for the family office space. With our team now established and our new brand in place, we are in a very strong position to support family offices with a much needed consistent, reliable service that is acutely focused on the needs of families.”

Paul Perris, Managing Director of Crestbridge's Family Office service, added:

“This is an exciting element of our long-term growth strategy and I am pleased to welcome Heather, who has significant international private client expertise, to our team. There is no doubt that family wealth is growing rapidly in the emerging markets, particularly in the Asia and Middle East regions. Both Jersey and Luxembourg are focussed on the emerging markets and provide attractive locations for the safe management of family wealth from a convenient European time zone location. Combined with our own emerging market knowledge, specialist corporate governance expertise and the flexibility we offer as an independent firm, we feel there is a real opportunity in the family office space.”

The launch of the family office service follows from the major re-brand Crestbridge, formerly known as DCG, unveiled in early June 2013. It has a 15 year pedigree in financial services, administers over US$50 billion of assets across multi-jurisdictional structures. It supports a broad range of blue chip corporate clients, including FTSE 100 companies, major institutions, banks, pension funds, private equity and venture capital firms.

Pictured (left to right): Paul Perris, Heather Tibbo and Graeme McArthur