The Board

Robert qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in the London corporate tax team in 1998. Working for the Big 4 accounting firms in London, Auckland and Jersey until 2007 on large multinational clients with an increasing focus on strategy and transaction work with trade and private equity buyers. In 2007, Robert joined Jersey Finance Limited (a Jersey based quango responsible for marketing and developing the finance industry) as Technical Director and Deputy CEO. Here he was engaged between Government, Industry and Regulator to develop new laws, regulations as well as supporting various marketing initiatives. These regulations and laws included those appropriate for open and closed ended fund vehicles in the private or listed arena.

Following this, Robert returned to KPMG to build and lead the KPMG Advisory Team for ten years in Jersey, Channel Islands, working on a variety of consulting jobs ranging from mergers and acquisitions, valuations, regulatory matters, strategy and government work. He worked on many multinational jobs with KPMG colleagues from around the world. During this time, he was also responsible for KPMG Channel Islands digital services and internal digital development. In addition, he was the lead for KPMG globally in the fund / trust and corporate sector and offshore lead for risk and regulatory matters.

Robert currently serves as a non-executive director to several offshore structures including another listed vehicle and provides ad hoc consultancy services to island businesses.

Vanessa is a senior consultant, practitioner and advisor specialising in sustainability. She advises global public and private companies on how to build and protect value through the integration of sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors into their core business strategy and works with clients to support them in communicating the value and impact of their sustainability initiatives in a clear, transparent and authentic way. Vanessa currently advises companies across multiple sectors, with particular expertise in asset management and private equity.

Vanessa completed a 3-year Postgraduate Masters Level Diploma at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership (CISL) in March 2023.

Vanessa’s career includes over 20 years of experience advising Executive and Non-Executive Board Directors of global private and public companies on strategic communications relating to their organic and transitional growth initiatives as well as managing reputational issues. She was formerly a Partner at Kekst CNC, a global leading strategic communications consultancy, where she co-led the firm’s Sustainability Steering Group. Prior to that, she served as Head of Communications for the Investment Banking and Capital Markets Division at Credit Suisse from 2009 to 2018 and supported the launch of the bank’s Impact Advisory and Finance Department.

Esther is a consultant specialising in product development and process enhancement for asset managers and asset owners. She works with global companies to enhance their position in the UK market, particularly in relation to their strategy offering, ESG integration and research capabilities, across both public and private markets.

Esther has sixteen years of experience investing in fixed income and alternatives markets, most recently as Senior Fixed Income Analyst at Investec Wealth & Investment, a leading UK wealth manager, where she was integral to the development of the investment research process including ESG integration, as well as fixed income portfolio construction.

Prior to that she held roles as Portfolio Manager Analyst at AXA IM in London, and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager at Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management (UK). Esther is a CFA Charter holder and holds the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.

Philip qualified as a chartered accountant in London in 1996 before moving to join PwC in Jersey in 1997. He spent nine years within PwC’s audit practice including two years in PwC’s Sydney office with a focus on investment management clients. After this he spent two years with an international fiduciary group, helping with the establishment of their funds business in Jersey as part of a wider corporate services group.

Following this he joined BDO in Jersey to establish a financial services audit practice, leading to him becoming an audit partner and the head of audit in the Jersey firm, where he has worked for sixteen years until 2023. Alongside this he was the firm’s International Liaison Partner and so was responsible for coordinating BDO Jersey’s response to international audit engagements and firmwide initiatives, and was also the firms Ethics & Independence Partner, and was responsible for the firms ongoing compliance with relevant ethical and independence standards.

Aside from the audit role, he was also responsible for the firm’s business advisory team, which included the provision of corporate restructuring, liquidations, and transactional due diligence engagements within the wider advisory team. Philip is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales, and is a member of the IOD.

In 2023 Philip switched his focus to become a full time non-executive director, and currently serves as a NED to a number of London listed funds, where he is also the audit chair, as well as serving on the board of several other private offshore structures, including regulated entities, and provides ad hoc consultancy services to local businesses.