Citywealth Leaders List, 60 seconds interview – Cline Glidden
This week’s 60 seconds Citywealth Leaders List interview is dedicated to Cline Glidden, member of Ogier’s Local Legal Services team in the Cayman Islands.
Tell Citywealth readers a bit about your role.
I am a member of Ogier’s Local Legal Services team in the Cayman Islands. Ogier is a global law firm, providing a full range of legal services. Our team specialises in relocations to the islands, local licensing, conveyancing, regulatory issues, shipping and aircraft registration, and provides immigration advice for our clients. This requires quite a bit of coordination with the various regulatory and statutory entities on the island on behalf of our clients.
What does a typical day look like for you?
It involves meeting and discussing client needs and working with various entities to get them concluded. The principal business of most law firms in Cayman is financial services, primarily funds and related work. That usually involves working with onshore attorneys, advisers and managers. We also work directly with clients. If a high net worth client decides to relocate, it’s a very personal decision. It means assisting with real estate and immigration requirements, but also personal considerations like schools for the children, importation of pets or hiring of staff. It could also include company incorporations, yacht or aircraft registrations and leasing, or attending a meeting of the planning, liquor, immigration or trade and business licensing board to represent an application by a client. It is always going to be interesting.
What challenges do your clients face and how are you helping your clients to overcome them?
The changing international landscape and uncertainty in the world has created significant concerns so we explain how Cayman might be an option for them. It’s a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean with sun, sea and sand, but it’s also very safe, with a stable Government that uses the common law system. There is a high standard of physical and regulatory infrastructure so a great place to live and do business. It has good accessibility, great healthcare and education systems. Depending on whether the client is looking at a location to relocate their family to, or just to do business from a well-regulated jurisdiction, we aim to give them an attractive offering for the Cayman Islands. If that doesn’t suit, we can help using the benefit of our global offering at Ogier.
Are there any top of mind themes for you or your clients?
We are seeing clients looking for safe, stable, well-regulated and respected jurisdictions to do business from or live in. Additionally, the tax efficiencies and high level of professional services Cayman offers makes it very attractive – and keeps us busy.
What is your proudest professional achievement?
Getting a satisfactory result for a client and building lifelong relationships, which is very unusual for corporate attorneys. We usually get introduced to clients who may have come to Cayman on vacation, they fall in love with a property, and after making the commitment to purchase, they query their immigration restrictions, which may lead to residency. After they have lived here for a while and gotten familiar, they will want to incorporate a company for business or for holding their assets, which might include property, aircraft, yachts or other valuables. Over time, we will get involved in business expansion or mergers and acquisitions, employee issues and estate planning. It’s a wide-ranging scope of support for our clients as their personal advisers, and this sometimes leads to very close trusted personal relationships.
What do you consider to be the most important attributes for a leader?
Trustworthiness. Your clients, colleagues and other service providers need to know they can trust you completely in your competencies, commitment, undertakings and morals.
Who do you most admire and why?
I have a long list: my mother, wife and two sons, but mostly my mother. She has risen from very humble beginnings to provide for her family, making numerous sacrifices along the way. She is always there to be a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She has lived a Christian life, loving God above all others while ensuring that her family always feels loved and protected – any positive attribute that I may have should be credited to her. This is probably a bit cliché, but I genuinely would pick my mother over any of the world leaders or influential figures.
Where was the last place you travelled to for work or pleasure?
Washington DC.
If you weren’t in this industry, what else might you be doing?
Before this, I was an elected member of the Cayman Parliament and I still sit on a number of Government Boards and Statutory Authorities. Or I would have my own business.
How do you relax after a long day?
Spending time with family especially my five-year-old granddaughter, Charlotte, who keeps me grounded.
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