Citywealth Quick Insight Series on Philanthropy Trends – Josephine Howe, Ogier
This week’s Citywealth Quick Insight Series on Sustainability Trends in Wealth Management is dedicated to Jeanne Collins, Head of Responsible Investing Policy & Stewardship at Ogier.
What sort of philanthropy-related queries does the Ogier team typically deal with and what trends are you seeing?
We advise high net worth individuals, families, trustees and family offices on establishing and running charitable and philanthropic structures that sit alongside their wider wealth planning. Typical matters include creating philanthropic trusts and foundations, designing governance frameworks and family committees and advising on regulatory and registration requirements, including Jersey charity registration where relevant.
A key trend is the great wealth transfer and the desire to involve the next generation in structured giving. Clients increasingly want tailored vehicles that allow them to pursue specific causes, measure impact and play an active role in the giving strategy. We see growing interest in non-charitable purpose trusts and foundations for impact investing and venture philanthropy, as well as demand from Middle Eastern families for structures that are compatible with Shariah principles.
The use of IFCs in philanthropy is important. What offshore structures are typically used and what changes and innovations are you seeing?
In Jersey and other leading international finance centres, philanthropic strategies are often implemented using trusts, foundations and non-charitable purpose trusts, sometimes alongside fund, corporate or limited partnership vehicles where a more investment led or venture philanthropy approach is needed. These structures provide flexibility on governance, investment powers and family involvement and can be designed to sit alongside existing family office and succession planning arrangements.
Recent developments include greater use of bespoke structuring for impact investment and ESG-driven objectives, as well as increased focus on regulatory compliance. Recommendations from the Financial Action Task Force around AML, CFT and CPF have driven more detailed governance, due diligence and ongoing monitoring requirements for charitable and philanthropic structures, which we help clients to navigate when designing and administering their vehicles.
How important overall for Ogier is philanthropy as a business area, and where does it sit within the firm?
Philanthropy is an important and growing theme in our private wealth practice rather than a distinct standalone service line. Our charitable and philanthropic work is embedded within Ogier’s Trusts Advisory Group and wider private wealth, family office and succession planning services.
We support families and trustees who want to build meaningful charitable legacies and more structured approaches to giving, often as part of broader work on complex trusts, family offices and governance frameworks. This client work reflects our own focus on social sustainability. Ogier’s CSR programme supports community investment, employee giving and paid volunteering, and we undertake pro bono legal work for local charities.
Together, this means philanthropy is both a feature of the advice we provide to clients and a practical expression of our own values as a firm.
Who heads up this side of the business?
Ogier does not have a separate philanthropy business unit or a formal “head of philanthropy”. It sits within our private wealth practice.
Within that practice, I lead on philanthropy related matters in Jersey, advising families, trustees and family offices on philanthropic matters across the spectrum of structuring and governance that sit around them. I work closely with colleagues across our private wealth, funds and local legal services teams where a client’s philanthropic activity intersects with investment, fund or regulatory requirements.
When did Ogier start to work with clients on philanthropy?
Ogier has advised on charitable trusts and related structures for many years as part of our long-established private wealth practice. Over time this work has evolved from more traditional charitable giving to encompass a much broader range of modern philanthropic objectives and to support the growing number of ultra-high net worth families establishing family offices in Jersey and other IFCs.
In recent years we have seen a marked increase in clients seeking to put structured philanthropy at the heart of their family governance, succession and legacy planning. This has coincided with developments such as the Charities (Jersey) Law 2014 and initiatives to position Jersey as a centre of excellence for charities and philanthropy, as well as the wider global focus on sustainable investment.
Can you comment on the importance of philanthropy today for Ogier and its clients, and how it forms part of the value proposition?
For many of our clients, philanthropy is now integral to how they think about legacy, succession and the role of wealth. They want clear structures that allow them to support causes they care about, involve the next generation and evidence real impact from their giving, all within robust governance and regulatory frameworks.
Ogier’s value lies in bringing together the cross-practice expertise required to design and implement structures that balance philanthropic aims with fiduciary duties and long term wealth preservation. Our own commitment to community investment, employee giving, volunteering and pro bono support for local charities means we understand these conversations in practice as well as in theory. That alignment of technical expertise and lived CSR experience is an important part of our proposition to clients who want their wealth to do good as well as grow.
Content source notes:
General positioning of Josephine and her role / client types / structures
From “Meet Ogier’s philanthropy expert Josephine Howe” intro and “Why do you specialise in advising on philanthropic structures?” plus “What are the key trends shaping philanthropy at the moment?”
Trends, IFC usage, structures, venture philanthropy, Shariah compliant structures
“What are the key trends shaping philanthropy at the moment?” (great wealth transfer, non-charitable purpose trusts, foundations, impact investing, venture philanthropy, Middle Eastern families)
From “Investment management, succession planning, philanthropy: the diverse functions of the family office” (family offices, Jersey as IFC, Charities (Jersey) Law 2014, Jersey as centre of excellence for charities and philanthropy)
ESG and impact related references
From “Conversations with the next gen: the big picture in private wealth – balancing trustee duties in an ESG-driven environment” (ESG, impact, prudent investor duties, bespoke structuring using non charitable purpose trusts and foundations)
Regulatory / AML, CFT, CPF developments
From “What are the main challenges facing philanthropy?” section in “Meet Ogier’s philanthropy expert Josephine Howe“
Firmwide importance, where philanthropy sits, value proposition, CSR and pro bono
From your email note that philanthropy is not a distinct service line and sits alongside private wealth services
From Ogier CSR content (community investment, employee giving and volunteering, focus on social sustainability and local charities, pro bono legal work)
Ogier’s Citywealth Leaders List profile
Subscribe to the Citywealth Weekly Newsletter to learn more about Private Wealth Management.
Read more:
Ogier expands regulatory offering with appointment of new global head
60 seconds: Hannah Diss, Ogier
Jersey, Channel Islands future leaders in wealth management and private client | Citywealth News
Innovations boost Jersey’s global appeal | Citywealth News
Philanthropy: attempting the impossible | Citywealth News
Introducing the Top 100 Private Client lawyers | Citywealth News
60 second interview with Josephine Howe, Ogier | Citywealth News
Citywealth Quick Insight Series on Sustainability Trends in Wealth Management – Jeanne Collins, KBI Global Investors
This week's Citywealth Quick Insight Series on Sustainability Trends in Wealth Management is dedicated to Jeanne Collins, Head of Responsible Investing Policy & Stewardship at KBI Global Investors.
Citywealth Quick Insight Series on IFC Trends – BVI – Christopher Simpson, O’Neal Webster and BVI Finance Board
This week's Citywealth Quick Insight Series on IFC Trends is dedicated to Christopher Simpson, Partner at O’Neal Webster.