Top 20 Trustees 2023
The Top 20 Trustees 2023 is a research-led editorial feature highlighting the ‘need to know’ trustees in the wealth management and private client industries.
A great trustee demonstrates business acumen in maintaining a focus on reaching the decisions required, evaluating and balancing risks and benefits, always providing a great service.
In this year’s ranking, we selected the leading trustees around the globe who constantly go above and beyond for their clients.
Our Top 20 Trustees 2023 is based on independent research conducted by Citywealth.
Please be aware that you need to buy a marketing licence and consequently receive Citywealth’s written consent in order to be able to share, mention or quote from this List, as per our Editorial Products – Terms & Conditions.
Congratulations to our Top 20 Trustees 2023!
What makes you an excellent trustee?
My ability to take a complex situation and describe it to clients in a comprehensible manner. A key component of problem solving and identifying potential conflict is not just listening, but effective listening. This involves paying attention to body language and facial signs, as well as listening to what is being said. When I become aware of a problem, either from a colleague or client, the first thing I do is gather the facts (by listening to the relevant parties). The next stage is to communicate. In my experience most problems are caused by a lack of communication or a misunderstanding i.e. where one or more parties have misunderstood/misinterpreted what has been communicated.
My role often involves being a translator of messages. This requires empathy and the ability to articulate well. As far as fellow trustees are concerned, I believe in being as inclusive as possible. Trustees rarely complain about being provided with too much information! I feel being able to adapt to changing circumstances, being creative and displaying excellent leadership skills are all part and parcel of being a good trustee.
What makes you an excellent trustee?
The ability to listen to competing voices within a family and draw out their shared values and guide them to a solution which preserves value for the long term.
What makes you an excellent trustee?
Having spent 20 years in the corporate trustee world and my last 20+ years in my own private practice, I can name the number one attribute that answers this question – impartiality. I operate with no external influences and the full unencumbered freedom to appoint and work with any party we choose. Aside from this, strong interpersonal skills and chemistry are essential in order to handle all client and professional relationships, listen well and underpin the whole offering with strong technical and legal knowledge and a team of equally skilled individuals that understand private clients as human beings, not a name on a list.
What makes you an excellent trustee?
Experience, honesty, our own family business organization, open communication. I don’t consider myself a seller of any product, I provide help in an honest way. As a firm, we are not an execution-only company. Whenever we see a risk of conflict or a non respect of the agreements, we intervene.
What makes you an excellent trustee?
I won’t answer this by saying what I think, but rather what others have said about me: Simon has been recognised as a leader on his field of professional trustees and was in 2021 awarded The Geoffrey Shindler Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession at the STEP Private Client Awards. In that process the judges said: “In unprecedented circumstances, our winner proved himself worthy of recognition as an individual who made an outstanding contribution to the private client profession last year…”