Moving in new circles _
Gavin goes global
Gavin Fraser has been appointed Ashburton?s new Global Sales Director to support the continuing growth of the firm world-wide. Currently a Director of Ashburton, based in Dubai, Gavin has been responsible for driving the firm?s business development strategy in the Gulf region since 2005. He joined Ashburton in 1997 in Jersey and was initially involved in the development of the firm?s South African business. He has over 20 years? financial services experience, having worked for leading financial institutions such as Abbey Life Assurance and Midland Bank Offshore, now HSBC Offshore.
Karl set to take on Dubai
Volaw Trust and Corporate Services Limited is exporting its trust expertise to the company?s Dubai office with the promotion of Karl Bekusch to Senior Executive Officer.
This exciting move by the company means that Mr Bekusch will be relocating his whole family to Dubai in the New Year. He will still be working regularly with the Jersey team as well as his new team in Dubai. The promotion is testament to the great training and career development offered to all staff at Volaw. Mr Bekusch, who joined Volaw in 2006 as a Manager in the Private Client department, has benefited from Volaw?s in-house training and staff development policies to be promoted to a senior position within the company.
Geoff takes control
Cable & Wireless is restructuring its International business so that its Bermuda unit will become linked to the Channel Islands & Isle of Man portfolio, to create a better experience for pan-island corporate customers. This move is designed to help the company to create a more cohesive system to service those accounts, in line with its focus on improving the customer experience across Cable & Wireless International. All four business units sit in Cable & Wireless? Monaco & Islands portfolio within its International division. Subsequently, Geoff Houston is now Chief Executive of the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Bermuda.
Andy keeps things afloat
Jersey Telecom?s Business Continuity Manager, Andy Eeles has been elected as the Chairman for the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) in the Channel Islands. Andy, who has worked at Jersey Telecom for 20 years, has been an active member of the BCI Forum over recent years and will dedicate his chairmanship to growing the Institute?s membership in the Channel Islands as well as encouraging greater member involvement. Having been a crew member of the RNLI for the past 15 years, as well as a member of the States of Jersey Major Incident Team, Andy has a great deal of experience in dealing with real emergency situations and planning to both avoid and cope with them should they occur.
Allan steps down
Following 45 years of dedicated service to the Co-operative movement, Allan Smith finally retired on Friday, 11th January. Working for The Channel Islands Co-op since 1973, Allan has stepped down as Chief Executive to take on a part time consultancy role as Head of Major Developments.
Allan started his career as a 15 year old grocery assistant with the Lancastrian Co-operative Society. He was based in a small grocery store with just three staff, and his training began with packing 2lb bags of soda, boning bacon, cutting butter into ½lb tablets and weighing out many more commodities that still came loose in those days. He began his life with The Channel Islands Co-operative Society in 1973 as Assistant Food Manager at a time when The Society?s sales were £3.3 million. In 1980 he was appointed General Manager and then in March 1998 saw the appointment of Allan as Society Chief Executive, where as you might expect, he continued to grow sales and profit for The Society. Sales at his appointment as Chief Executive were a more than healthy £66,662,653, which now some 10 years later are approaching £140 million.
